Tauck names newest vessels

Tauck has disclosed the names of the two new riverboats it will launch next year, and announced that the ships will each be considerably longer than the four sister-ships that currently comprise the company’s fleet. The new ships, the Inspire and Savor, will both be 133 metres long, compared to Tauck’s existing ships which each measure 108 metres. Despite being 23% longer, the two newbuilds will only accommodate 130 guests each, or just 10% more than its current ships. “Our existing riverboats – what we’re now calling our Jewel Class vessels – already have the lowest passenger-to-ship-length ratio on Europe’s rivers,”said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. “The two new riverboats – our Inspiration Class vessels – actually raise the bar even higher.”According to Mahar, Tauck’s newbuilds will be staffed with more service personnel than any other river cruise line. “Each Inspiration Class riverboat will have a Tauck Cruise Director and three Tauck Directors aboard to attend to guests’ needs and provide exemplary service,”he said. “By contrast, other ships carrying far more guests are often staffed by just a single cruise director.”The Tauck Directors will also accompany shore excursions, noted Mahar, where they’ll divide guests into small groups of no more than 25, with each group personally guided by a local expert. “River cruises offer incredible opportunities for authentic, in-depth explorations of each destination, so we place tremendous emphasis on ensuring that our shore excursions – all of which are included in our cruise prices – are absolutely world-class,”said Mahar. (http://www.tauck.com)