Tauck’s New Riverboats to Have 57% More Suites

The two newbuilds, the ms Savor and ms Inspire (collectively comprising Tauck's new Inspiration Class of ships) will each have twenty-two 300 square foot suites. By contrast, Tauck's Jewel Class vessels each have fourteen 300 square foot suites. The increased number of suites is due in part to the longer length of the Inspiration Class ships, which are 443 feet long vs. 361 feet for the Jewel Class ships. However, Tauck is also increasing the overall percentage of suites on the newbuilds, with suites accounting for 33% of the 67 staterooms on the Inspiration Class vessels compared to 24% on the Jewel Class ships (where 14 of 59 cabins are suites).

“Our guests travel with Tauck because they demand a superior experience, and that same insistence on having ‘the best' drives very high demand for suites aboard our riverboats,” explained Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. “Our suites are always the first cabins to sell out on our Jewel Class ships, even though the Jewel Class vessels already have far more suites than most other riverboats,” added Mahar. “When we sat down to develop our new Inspiration Class ships, it only made sense to raise the number of suites even higher.”

All of the suites on the ms Savor and ms Inspire will be located on the ships' Diamond Decks, and each will be furnished with a pull-out couch, roomy walk-in closest with built-in drawers, spacious marble bath with his-and-her sinks, two French balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows, and brocade upholstery. Besides the suites, the newbuilds will also have thirty-two 225 square foot cabins, plus an additional thirteen cabins ranging from 150 to 190 square feet. All suites and cabins will feature in-room movies, minibar, individual heating and cooling controls, Molton Brown toiletries, and plush bedding with 100% goose down pillows, 400-thread-count linens and pillow-top mattresses.

SELECT LOWER-LEVEL CABINS TO FEATURE INNOVATIVE “LOFT” DESIGN
Eight of the thirty-two 225 square foot cabins on each newbuild will be located on the lower (Emerald) deck, and will feature an innovative “loft” design with a raised platform seating area. Located against the ship's hull or outer wall, each seating area will have a small table with two chairs, plus a raised ceiling that allows the use of a much taller window than can normally be incorporated into lower-level cabins. The upper portion of this window can be opened for fresh air, and being taller, the window will allow far more natural light to fill the cabin.

Roomy public areas will also highlight Tauck's new ships, including a main dining room that can accommodate all guests in a single open seating, plus a second, more casual dining venue with a retractable, wrap-around glass wall at the stern of the Diamond Deck. Each ship will also have a cocktail lounge, fitness center, spa, hair salon, bicycles for use ashore, and a Sun Deck with a Jacuzzi available 24-hours-a-day.

ALL 2014 TAUCK RIVER CRUISES NOW OPEN FOR BOOKING
Each of the 19 European river cruises in Tauck's 2014 portfolio (on the Danube, Rhône, Rhine, Seine, Moselle, Saône, Main and Maas rivers) is now open for booking, and departure dates, prices and a host of additional information are contained in the company's new 100-page 2014 river cruise brochure. Tauck has also debuted an expanded and redesigned section of its website at www.tauck.com dedicated exclusively to river cruising. The new micro-site contains details on Tauck's river cruise itineraries and ships, a collection of nine new videos, the latest Tauck river cruise news, guest message boards, and more.

Tauck is also expanding its river cruising outreach to the travel agent community with the appointment of Mary Murrin as the company's first Business Development Manager – River and Small Ship Cruising. A Tauck Cruise Director aboard the company's riverboats for five years prior to assuming her new role, Murrin is a travel industry veteran who has also worked with Ritz-Carlton and in events management. In her new position, Murrin will focus on agent and consumer education, represent Tauck at cruise-related conferences and other events, and help Tauck maintain its leadership position within the river and small ship ocean cruising segments.

About Tauck River Cruising. Tauck currently offers 15 all-inclusive river voyages throughout Europe on four Jewel Class ships – the ms Swiss Emerald, ms Swiss Sapphire, ms Swiss Jewel, and ms Swiss Treasures – each carrying just 118 passengers. (Other similarly sized ships typically accommodate up to 160 passengers.) Itineraries range from 8 to 24 days, with over 100 departures annually on the Danube, Rhône, Rhine, Seine, Moselle, Saône, Main and Maas rivers.

In January Tauck announced that it will be adding two new Inspiration Class vessels to its fleet in 2014, the ms Inspire and ms Savor. Both ships will be 443 feet in length and accommodate 130 passengers, compared to up to 190 passengers on other lines' ships of the same size. Tauck will also introduce four new river cruises in 2014, including its first-ever itineraries on the Seine.

Each Tauck river cruise is fully inclusive with zero options sold, and with all shore excursions, gratuities, beer and wine with onboard meals, airport transfers and more built into the price. Tauck river cruises are also notable for their high number of service personnel aboard each vessel, with a Tauck Cruise Director and three Tauck Directors attending to guests' needs (vs. a single cruise director charged with the care of up to 190 guests on other cruise lines' ships).

The trio of Tauck Directors, often working in tandem with local experts, also lead the company's signature shore excursions. These shore excursions leverage Tauck's 88 years of guided tour expertise to provide insider access to exclusive experiences, from an elegant “Imperial Evening” with dinner and classical music inside a private Viennese palace, to a market tour and tasting at Les Halles de Lyon in Provence.

Those interested in more information may visit their local travel professional, call Tauck at 1 800 468 2825, or visit www.tauck.com.

About: Tauck - Making Connections through Inspirational Travel & Exceptional Choice