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Tauck is Upgrading Its Ships
Tauck to Reconfigure European Ships
Tauck travelers have something to look forward to in 2017. Tauck is going to update more than half of its European river cruising fleet over the next two years. The ships will have larger cabins, overall passenger capacity will be reduced, and each ship will also have its second onboard dining venue upgraded. Whoo hoo!
The first ships to get the makeover will be Tauck’s riverboats in France, the ms Swiss Emerald and ms Swiss Sapphire, and re-launched in winter of 2016 in time for the 2017 operating season.
In the second phase, scheduled for the winter of 2017/2018, the remaining three Jewel Class ships will undergo identical transformations in time for the 2018 operating season.
The most dramatic enhancement aboard each ship will take place on the Ruby (middle) Deck, where thirty 150 square-foot cabins in the current configuration will be replaced with 20 cabins measuring 225 square feet each. That’s a whopping 75 square feet more room.
On the Diamond (upper) Deck, the ship’s second dining venue, The Bistro, will be upgraded with its own dedicated kitchen and chef. The Bistro will be renamed Arthur’s, in tribute to company founder Arthur Tauck Sr.. Its expanded menu will continue to provide more casual alternatives to the fine dining selections offered in the ship’s main Compass Rose restaurant. Tauck first introduced the concept of a second onboard dining venue in 2006 with the launch of the ms Swiss Emerald, and the dedicated kitchen and Arthur’s name are enhancements already included on Tauck’s 135-meter ships.
Tauck CEO Dan Mahar explained the reasoning behind the reconfiguration of the five Tauck vessels. “From day-one our approach has always been to limit passenger capacity, and by doing so, to provide a more intimate, club-like atmosphere and more spacious cabins for our guests,” said Mahar. “The launch of our Inspiration Class ships took that approach to a new level, and with the re-envisioning of our Jewel Class vessels, we’re putting them on equal footing with our Inspiration Class ships.” Given the resulting fleet-wide parity, Mahar explained, Tauck is abandoning the Jewel Class and Inspiration Class distinctions.
But Wait, There’s More
Besides launching two new 135-meter ships in the coming months, Tauck is also introducing a new 10-day Rhine River cruise. For 2016, the company has also been able to reduce its prices by up to $1,200 per couple based on foreign exchange savings it’s passing along to its guests.
In addition, Tauck has also enhanced a number of its river cruises with memorable onshore dinners in exclusive venues, including a 14th-century castle in Germany, a former Benedictine monastery (also in Germany), and a 275-year-old French chateau inspired by Versailles and today owned by descendants of Napoleon.
