Tauck River Cruising

Small Ship Cruising: The Tauck Difference

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Small Ship Cruising Preview

Smaller ships bring bigger experiences – 18 unique cultural journeys and expeditions explore the Great Lakes, Mediterranean Isles, the Galápagos archipelago, Iceland, and so much more. All shore excursions are included, the focus is local, and the voyage unforgettable.

There is something so exhilarating, yet so soothing and comforting, about a sea voyage. Tauck is pleased to introduce you to their collection of Small Ship Cruising, which includes a new small ship cruise in the Arabian Peninsula! Smaller ships afford the opportunity for more personalized service with fewer guests onboard; shore excursions are all-included and are accompanied by their expert Tauck Directors every step of the way, joined ashore by local guides who share their insights and expertise, connecting guests more deeply to the destination. Available space on many preferred departure dates is filling quickly, so securing your bookings soon is highly advised.

SMALL SHIP CRUISING: The Joy of Traveling Small

Up close, where bigger ships can’t go

All-inclusive, fully guided cultural journeys and expeditions aboard sophisticated small ships handpicked for destinations. Cruises are carefully choreographed so you experience the best of land and sea.

• Cultural journeys and expeditions around the world
• Small ship discoveries without the crowds
• All-inclusive pricing with no hidden fees
• Private shore excursions & premier hotels ashore
• Welcoming, alternative service
• Gracious sailing with a relaxed, casual feel
• Onboard experts & local cultural entertainment
• Cruising on hand•picked ships to hidden harbors and exclusive ports of call

A World of Travel Possibilities

Tauck European
River Cruise Collection

Whether it’s your first time – or next time – river cruising, there’s always more to explore with Tauck European River Cruise Collection – a three-time winner of Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best River Cruise Line” award. Welcome to our 2024 European River Cruise Collection where:

• Virtually every river cruise expense – and all shore excursions – are included in one upfront price
• Shore excursion choice provides flexibility to experience destinations your way, including more active choices such as bicycling
• Tauck’s destination expertise and longstanding partnerships in the places guests explore create unique, authentic and exclusive travel experiences
• All Tauck Directors provide thoughtful, personalized service
• Travel aboard custom-crafted riverboats with no more than 130 guests, compared to up to 190 guests on similar-sized riverboats

Often when our clients are planning their next adventure, it’s all about maximizing their time in a destination for Tauck European River Cruise Collection. Perhaps you too are planning a land journey to Europe and are considering pairing a river cruise either at the start or end of the trip. Or maybe you only have one week to get away and are exploring shorter possibilities that include all of the places they want to visit. In either case, Tauck’s one-week European river cruises are a perfect fit. Specially designed, their 8-day river cruises maximize your time – for one amazing week, unpack just once as Tauck’s riverboat is your only “hotel,” transporting to must-see sites, towns, cities and countries along – and beyond – Europe’s most popular rivers. Tauck always looks forward to welcoming you aboard!

Take Off With Tauck and enjoy a specially priced round trip airfare package when booking select 2023 Tauck trips to Europe by March 31.

One flat price, fully inclusive, no hidden fees.

• Economy air: $890 per person
• Premium Economy air: $1,490 per person
• Business air: $3,590 per person

Small Ship Cruising in Details

Whether you are seeking a cultural journey that fuels the imagination with a sense of discovery from old-world Europe to exotic locales… or an expedition to explore remote, often unseen worlds and some of Earth’s rarest wildlife, you will find it on a Tauck Small Ship Cruise… experience cruising as only Tauck can do it… and see the world like never before.

Culturally Inspired

Destination focused, Tauck’s culturally inspired cruises fuel your imaginations with uniquely authentic experiences that capture the true essence of the places they are visiting. Tauck’s cruises to New England, Europe, Japan, and more, indulge their passion for personal discovery on a choice of included shore excursions with local experts.

Small is Big

Smaller ships mean bigger experiences onboard and ashore. At sea, intimate spaces invite warm camaraderie. The ambiance is casual and comfortable, the staterooms are spacious, dining is chef-inspired, and the service is personal and attentive. We cruise where big ships can’t, with flexibility and freedom to enjoy carefree travel without crowds.

Distinctively Inclusive

Everything you need to enjoy the best of land and sea, aka land journeys and cruises, is included on Tauck’s small ship cruises. One up-front price includes the services of an expert Tauck Director, premier hotels, all shore excursions, fine dining, airport transfers, cultural experiences and more. Even luggage handling and gratuities are included for them!

Expeditionary Cruises

Designed for up-close exploration of wildlife-rich shores, Tauck’s expeditionary cruises offer revelations of often unseen worlds. You will cruise aboard ships at home in tropical waters or glacial seas, navigating exhilarating adventures by land and sea. Each expedition is guided by naturalists for enriching experiences.

Tauck Small Ships

MS Esprit –

One of the 361-foot (110-meter) riverboats in Tauck’s Destination Fleet, the newly redesigned ms Esprit debuts in 2018 with a new deck plan optimized for spaciousness and accommodating no more than 98 guests, while similar-sized riverboats average about 160.

MS Grace –

Maintaining Tauck’s high standards for quality and comfort, ms Grace cruises exclusively for Tauck on the Rhine River. With a maximum of 130 guests, the 443-foot riverboat continues our tradition of providing more space per guest transporting fewer passengers than most longships (135 meters).

MS Inspire –

More information to come.

MS Swiss Emerald –

More information to come.

MS Treasures –

More information to come.

RIVER CRUISING: Award-Wining River Cruises

Destination Inspired. Distinctively Inclusive.

Cruise aboard the most elegant custom-crafted riverboats in Europe, on journeys featuring Tauck Exclusive events ashore and choices of included excursions and sightseeing, from highlights to hidden gems.

• Inspirational cursing on France’s Rhone, Saone & Seine on the Rhine, Main & Danube across Europe
• An-Inclusive value, all-included shore excursions with uncommon access to cultural experiences
• More space, more person.ali2:ed service per guest on their sophisticated custom-crafted riverboats
• Tauck Cruise Director & 3 Tauck Directors on all ships
• Unlimited compllmcn1ary beverages aboard ship
• More 300 SQ. ft. suites than any boats

Past Tauck Guests Get Gift of Time

Early Booking Advantage –
Receive a Gift of Time, one free hotel night

Tauck past guests who book any 2024 Tauck journey by July 31, 2023 will receive a Gift of Time, one free hotel night at Tauck’s selected hotels to enjoy before or after your trip. These rooms are based upon availability, so booking early is a true advantage! Gift of Time is for past Tauck guests only, deposit is required at time of booking. Certain restrictions apply; ask for details at booking.

NEW: Cruising the Dutch Waterways!

Ingenuity in the Netherlands – that’s what Tauck’s newest 8-day river cruise discovers, and inspires, along the amazing canals and rivers. Beginning and ending in Amsterdam, unique shore excursions explore the powerful cultural landscape forever intertwined with the force of nature – and include a visit to the once-in-a-decade Floriade, “world’s fair” of horticultural exhibitions.

Heart of the Danube: Budapest to Bavaria

A seven-night cruise through the heart of the mighty Danube River is a wonderful sampling of the best of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Germany highlighted by an Imperial Evening at a private evening at a Viennese palace and private wine tastings.

The Romantic Rhine: Basel to Amsterdam

Explore historic cities, towns and countryside vestiges of history, sharing a common link – the Rhine – in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. From Basel to Amsterdam, diverse cultural traditions of Old-World Europe unfold in one amazing week.

8-Day Family River Cruises

Our family river cruises feature a balanced mix of guided sightseeing, special experiences, shore excursion choices and walk on and off the boat flexibility along the Danube, Rhine, Seine, Rhône and Douro – a great way for families to travel together, with memories to last a lifetime.

What experts say about
Tauck river cruising this year

With springtime just about in full bloom across the European waterways, Tauck has asked two of their River Cruise experts, Amber Youell and Michelle Molnar, what guests should expect along the riverbanks this year.

How has Tauck been preparing for the 2023 river cruising season?

Amber: We have been extremely busy with the usual preparations, including ship maintenance, itinerary fine-tuning, ordering supplies, and more. Additionally, our ships ms Grace and ms Joy, christened in 2016, underwent an extensive refurbishment, so guests can expect a refreshed look in the cabins and public areas.

Michelle: In addition to team-building with our Scylla partners, we also had a thorough training with all of our Cruise Directors and Tauck Directors (all full-time Tauck employees) who will be escorting guests both on and off the ship. We focused on finding new and unique ways to surprise and delight our guests while ensuring everything is in place to provide care and comfort.

What is the current outlook surrounding water levels on Europe’s rivers? Should we be concerned about cruising disruption, particularly in the summer months?

Michelle: It’s so hard to tell, and almost impossible to predict what the River Gods will give us each season! I will say though, that the water levels are absolutely perfect right now and I don’t have strong concern about this coming summer.

Even with last year’s challenges – described as “record low” water levels by the media – we were largely unaffected. We cancelled just one river cruise in 2022, representing less than 1% of our river cruise departures for the year and operated 95% of our 2022 departures with no impact to our guest experience. In those rare instances where an itinerary was impacted, it involved changing ships or adding a hotel night with modified sightseeing.

Tauck is the only company that has full-time employees working on our ships, our Cruise Directors and Tauck Directors. We have great expertise in all the areas along the rivers due to our nearly 100 year history guiding land tours. We provide choices and alternatives if the planned activity for that day needs to be altered in any way. Our product teams have spent a ton of time in each destination so we have a lot of things in our back pocket if something falls short.

Our guests always come first. We are there to handle absolutely everything to ensure our guests are comfortable. We always find a way to preserve the best experience.

Are there any new and exciting experiences aboard a Tauck river cruise this year?

Amber: Many of our Rhine tours operating before June 4 will include special admission to the once-in-a-lifetime Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, which brings together all of Vermeer’s known works for the first time under one roof. Our Rhine and Swiss Alps tour will feature a new chocolate-themed tour of Bern, a city which played a pivotal role in the development of the modern chocolate industry. We’ve also added a few new bike rides and onboard entertainers across most all of our cruises.

Can you provide any insight into the latest improvements to our fleet?

Amber: In addition to refurbishing the décor of two of our ships, we’ve invested in our onboard software to enhance the overall guest experience in relation to their preferences and interests. We’ve done a significant update of our food & beverage offering on board, including revising bar and restaurant menus, providing more à la carte service, and creating a more personalized interaction between wait staff and guests. We also have beautiful, brand new deck furniture across the entire fleet.

River cruising is a travel experience enjoyed in all seasons; can you provide a few highlights of what guests can expect in the summer vs. fall months?

Amber: In summer, guests can expect a real vacation feel in Europe, as many of the locals are whiling away afternoons in town square cafés or at the riverfront. There are many summer festivals, often featuring live music in public squares and parks. Germans and the Swiss particularly tend to turn any waterfront into a beachfront, giving the river an almost Riviera feel.

In autumn come the cultural highlights such as the return of the theater and concert season. Your clients will also encounter wine, beer and harvest festivals in many towns and villages. The weather is more temperate but still warm enough that a good sweater will suffice on most days.

Michelle: The summer also provides increased daylight, allowing our guests to extend their time onshore. And if your clients like foliage, there is nothing quite like it while on the Danube, Rhine, Rhône and Douro rivers in the fall, as all of the vineyards dotting the riverbanks change colors (and that’s coming from a New Englander!).

Tauck cruises on Europe’s River of Kings

The Danube River flows through 10 neighboring countries, from Germany’s Black Forest to the Romanian coast on the Black Sea. No other river in the world runs through as many countries as the Danube and no one offers as many exclusive ways to experience its majestic splendors as Tauck. And, if you book by March 31, you can enjoy special air savings, making it easy to enjoy all that we have in store along the Danube.

The Blue Danube

12 days, 5 countries – If you are a fan of music they can waltz to, gala dinners in sumptuous palaces, historic treasures centuries old, and cultural experiences authentically rich, then Tauck’s #1 best-selling itinerary is made for them. You’ll enjoy in-depth discoveries of life along the Danube in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany, along with an ease of travel that truly makes them feel like Tauck royalty.

Royal Danube, Berlin & Kraków

6 nights on land, 7-night cruise – History fascinates along the Danube with three-night stays in premier hotels in Kraków and Berlin. Enjoy guided visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Poland, Austria, and Germany. Meet locals who share personal perspectives on life in Bratislava and Berlin, past and present. And, be Tauck’s guest at exclusive dinners in an underground salt mine and a private Viennese palace.

Heart of the Danube: Bavaria to Budapest

8 days, 7-night cruise – Give Tauck a week and they’ll give you a choice of included shore excursions from Munich to Budapest that include castle visits, walking tours, bicycle excursions, musical interludes and memorial memories, highlighted by a gala evening at a private palace in Vienna and more.

Christmas Markets

It’s never too soon to wrap a holiday gift all our loved ones will enjoy as they set off for a Danube cruise all decked out with the joys of the season.

Take off for a Rhine River cruise this summer with special air savings

One of the best parts about exploring the heart of Europe aboard a riverboat is the sense of pleasure you feel at not having to rush about to see the sights. When coming aboard Tauck’s 2-week Rhine River cruises this summer, you’ll settle in for a multi-country voyage in a “floating hotel” that’s relaxing and enriching in every way. But don’t delay if you want to enjoy their special air savings with Take Off With Tauck – you’ll need to book your river cruise by March 31.

15 DAYS, BUDAPEST TO AMSTERDAM
Budapest to Amsterdam by Riverboat

Join Tauck and cruise on three of Europe’s most storied rivers, travel through five neighboring countries and unpack just once along the way? View Old Dutch art in the Rijksmuseum, bicycle in the Rüdesheim countryside, visit fairy tale towns in Germany, make music in Salzburg and waltz the night away in a private Viennese palace where they are the guest of honor. Give them two weeks and they’ll show you storied history along the Rhine, with every detail included!

15 DAYS, BASEL TO AMSTERDAM
The Rhine and Moselle

It’s not just the picture-book delights our clients will experience along the Rhine in the warm weather months that make this a river cruise to remember. It’s also the opportunity to meet the locals who make their homes here. Visit a vegetable farm in the Amsterdam countryside to hear how their gardens grow and meet an 11th-generation winemaker whose family has produced wines in Cochem for more than 400 years. You will also have opportunities to bicycle like the locals do, taste wine at an organic family-owned winery, and dine at a castle estate that has starred in movies due to its gorgeous setting.

Tauck’s Private Departures are open for sale

Guest safety and comfort has been top of mind at Tauck for over 95 years and has taken on even greater importance in light of the challenges travelers face today.

That’s why they are excited to launch Tauck Private Departures, offering you the opportunity to hand select a group of your family and friends for a private Tauck trip with all the advantages of traveling in the Tauck “bubble” for your group only. To make a private trip more attainable, they’ve simplified their pricing tier, while passing along additional savings of a free seat for the 11th person. What’s more, each group will enjoy More Time Together with a free hotel night before or after their private trip!

Tauck’s dedicated private departure team stands ready to help us book you on your their dream vacation, ensuring you the personal service and attention you’ve come to expect with Tauck. Some of the thing you may expect to enjoy with Tauck include:

• Fully choreographed private trips with Tauck’s signature experiences and inclusions
• Personal services of a dedicated Tauck Director who handles all day-to-day details
• For every 10 guests booked on the same private departure, the 11th person travels free. This tour savings can be applied to all travelers in the group or could be used as a complimentary seat.
• More Time Together with a free night at Tauck’s hotel before or after the trip, subject to availability
• Two pricing supplements depending on group size and trip length, priced from $500 per person for a completely private trip
• A choice of 200 specially designated Private Departures across 70 land tours in our Exotics, Europe, North America and Bridges portfolios

Travel Confidently

Together with their Global Response Team and river cruise partners, Tauck has developed rigorous health and safety protocols designed to provide your clients with the highest level of care. These protocols will continue to evolve based on new science, research, and learning from the health community as well as from their own team. They have implemented Tauck’s Travel Well Pledge – an agreement entered into by global partners, vendors, and suppliers as a commitment to guests to provide the safest possible environment during our tours. Their Travel Well Pledge is also an agreement that each guest will sign on tour, acknowledging that we each take responsibility for our own health, and to protect the well-being of fellow travelers and the places we visit. You can view the Travel Well Pledge, along with Tauck’s health and safety protocols, the latest travel updates, and important information at tauck.com/travel-and-health.

Tauck River Cruise Ships:

MS Esprit – One of the 361-foot (110-meter) riverboats in Tauck’s Destination Fleet, the newly redesigned ms Esprit debuts in 2018 with a new deck plan optimized for spaciousness and accommodating no more than 98 guests, while similar-sized riverboats average about 160.

MS Grace – Maintaining Tauck’s high standards for quality and comfort, ms Grace cruises exclusively for Tauck on the Rhine River. With a maximum of 130 guests, the 443-foot riverboat continues our tradition of providing more space per guest transporting fewer passengers than most longships (135 meters).

MS Joy – ms Joy cruises exclusively for Tauck on the Danube River as part of our Destination Fleet. With a maximum of 130 guests, the 443-foot riverboat and provides more space per guest on Europe’s inland waterways, transporting fewer passengers than most longships (135 meters).

ms Andorinha – To be provided soon.

MS Inspire – More information to come.

MS L’austral – More information to come.

MS Sapphire – More information to come.

MS Savor – More information to come.

MS Swiss Emerald – More information to come.

MS Swiss Jewel – More information to come.

MS Treasures – More information to come.

MS Wind Surf – More information to come.