Tauck Doubling Family River Cruise Capacity as it Welcomes Two Newly Reconfigured Vessels to its Fleet

WILTON, CT (January, 2017) After pioneering the first family-specific river cruises with an itinerary on the Danube in 2010, and after expanding with new family cruises on the Rhone and Rhine in subsequent years, Tauck is continuing its leadership in the category in 2017 with the introduction of a fourth family river cruise on a fourth European river.  The company's new eight-day “Family Fun Along the Seine: Paris to Normandy” debuts this year as Tauck doubles its family river cruising capacity, expanding from 10 departures in 2016 to a total of 20 departures in 2017.  In all, Tauck will offer over 20 different river cruise itineraries this year aboard nine vessels on Europe's Danube, Rhône, Rhine, Seine, Saône, Moselle and Main Rivers.

Tauck's new family itinerary on the Seine (from $4,290 per person, plus airfare) begins with an included two-night hotel stay at the Paris InterContinental Le Grand.  While in Paris, Tauck guests will participate in a scavenger hunt at the Louvre, have dinner high above the city inside the Eiffel Tower, and enjoy their choice of a panoramic city tour or a guided bicycle tour along the Seine, past the Musee D'Orsay, Tuileries Gardens and Eiffel Tower. 

Guests will then board Tauck's ms Sapphire riverboat for their five-night cruise along the Seine, enjoying a guided excursion to Monet's house and gardens in Giverny, a walking tour of Les Andelys (or an optional hike to Chateau Gaillard, perched on a hillside above the village), and a visit to Versailles where guests can opt to tour the palace's interior, or choose between a walking or biking tour of the palace's gardens. A particularly unique and memorable experience is a full-day excursion from Caudebec to the D-Day Beaches of Normandy, where guests will visit the American Cemetery and tour an innovative museum offering hands-on encounters with World War II-era military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and more.

THE NEWLY RECONFIGURED MS SAPPHIRE AND MS EMERALD
Guests on all of Tauck's Seine and Rhone river cruise itineraries in 2017 will be sailing aboard newly reconfigured vessels (the ms Sapphire and ms Emerald, respectively); part of a two-year Tauck initiative to reconfigure more than 50% of the company's European riverboat fleet. The most dramatic enhancement aboard each ship will take place on the Ruby (middle) Deck, where 30 150 square-foot cabins in the original configuration will be replaced with 20 cabins measuring 225 square feet each.  Aboard each reconfigured vessel, 69% of all cabins will thus be 225 square feet or larger – the highest percentage of such cabins on any 110-meter riverboats in Europe.  In addition, overall capacity will be reduced from 118 passengers to 98, with the total number of cabins on each vessel going from 59 to 49.  Tauck will continue to staff each ship with a Tauck Cruise Director and a full complement of three Tauck Directors.

On the Diamond (upper) Deck of each reconfigured vessel, 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 chairman Arthur Tauck Jr., and 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.

Those interested in more information can contact their local travel professional, call Tauck at 800 468 2825, or visit the company's website at www.tauck.com.

 - end -