Bluegrass and Blue Ridge 5-7-21 (Louisville, KY)



Today was our transition day as we switched from family vacation mode to guided tour mode.  The drive from Knoxville to Louisville was uneventful.  The day started very early with a ride to the airport in time for the 7am departure for those Boston bound.  Returning to the hotel, we spent a few hours catching up on the blog and organizing for our tour.


This is one of the first US tours for Tauck since the COVID pandemic started.  The tour started with a reception where we met our fellow travelers and our guide, Steve.  At only 15 members, we are very small tour group.  The reception area was set up to promote social distancing with 7 small tables spaced throughout the room.


Besides getting details about the tour logistics, we signed a COVID waver, attested to being vaccinated or having a negative PCR test in the last five days, and had a presentation on COVID precautions.  We will be expected to wear our masks when are not outside and 6 feet apart…this means wearing them on the bus…we were very dismayed to learn this; fortunately this tour does not have a lot of bus time.  Other COVID precautions will be based on the local requirements and will change throughout the trip, depending on the state we are in.


In addition to our guide and driver, Ginger, we have two additional Tauck employees joining us.  One, Jim, will only be with us for a few days, as he will be hosting the Small Group doing this same tour starting in a few days.  That tour will actually has more guests than our current tour.  The second extra employee, Julie, will be with us for the entire tour.  She will act as an “Advance Man” working to ensure that all venues are ready to receive Tauck guests and provide the level of service Tauck guests enjoyed prior to COVID.  She will travel in her own vehicle and interface with hotels, restaurants, tour providers, etc. prior to the actual tour group’s arrival.  Julie, Steve and Jim already spent the last ten days together - running the entire tour route and meeting with every vendor in preparation for a successful tour.  It is clear that Tauck wants everyone to have a great experience and has committed resources to making it happen.


Our guide is one of the most experienced guides at Tauck and is one of only ten currently working.  When fully staffed, Tauck has over 240 tour guides running tours all over the world.  Steve worked in Europe a lot, as well as other locations, but has opted to focus on US tours in the last few years of his professional career.  He hails from Vermont and is very glad to be back working hosting the Bluegrass to Blue Ridge tour.  He previously hosted the Kentucky Derby tour, so he is quite familiar with the sites we will be visiting.


It is obvious that the hotel is struggling to obtain staff.  Although the Brown Hotel is lovely, the level of service is noticeably different from previous Tauck experiences.  The lone bellman at the door did not offer to help with our luggage and merely instructed us to push against the inside doors, and take the elevator to the second floor to check in.  Post check in, we took our luggage to our rooms ourselves.


The room itself is quite spacious, but has not had a good cleaning in quite awhile - it is not dirty, has the expected amenities, but has dust visible almost everywhere.  Daily housekeeping services will not be provided, but clean towels are available at the front desk.


Dinner was excellent, with a good selection, but management staff waited tables and poured wine.  The Striptease Dessert came highly recommended and half the table indulged in the flaming chocolate confection.

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