Photo by Global Water Partnership
Tauck is adding a new 10-day river cruise itinerary on the Danube for 2014, bringing the company’s total number of cruises on the river to seven.
The new Tauck cruise sails between Regensburg and Vienna on an eastbound itinerary, and as a westbound Vienna-to-Regensburg itinerary. The seven-day cruise is complemented by an included two-night stay at the five-star Ritz-Carlton Vienna, complete with guided sightseeing in the city and an exclusive “Imperial Evening” that includes a cocktail reception, dinner and performances of period music and dance inside a private Viennese palace.
During their time in Vienna, Tauck guests will also visit their choice of several museums in the city, including the Belvedere Museum, the interactive House of Music, or the Kunsthistorisches (a fine arts museum). The selection of museums in Vienna is just one example of several such choices that guests will be able to make during shore excursions, ensuring that each guest enjoys an experience best suited to their personal tastes.
Other options include the choice of a walking tour with a local expert in Bratislava, or an excursion outside the city for a wine tasting and castle visit. In Germany guests can opt for a tour of World War II-related sites in Nurnberg, or a walking tour in Regensburg. And in Austria, guests can disembark in Krems to visit Graffenegg Castle and Gottweig Abbey (a mountaintop Benedictine monastery), or stay on board and travel to Durnstein for a guided walking tour of the town and Kuenringerburg Castle perched above it.
As with all Tauck river cruises, 100 percent of the shore excursions on “Danube Reflections” are included in the price (from $4,590 per person, plus air). Also included are all gratuities, onboard beverages throughout the day including soft drinks, wine, beer and premium spirits, meals aboard ship and selected meals ashore, all port charges, airport transfers, luggage handling and more. The new cruise will also be highlighted by Tauck’s signature superior service, with a Tauck cruise director and three Tauck directors aboard to attend to guests’ needs (versus a single cruise director as is frequently found on ships of other lines). Tauck will operate eight departures of “Danube Reflections” in 2014, from July through October, each sailing aboard the new-for-2014 ms Savor.
“Danube Reflections” is just one of four new Tauck river cruises debuting in 2014, along with two new itineraries on the Seine (Tauck’s first on the river) and a new option on the Rhine. Also launching in 2014 will be two new Tauck riverboats, the aforementioned ms Savor and the ms Inspire, which together will comprise Tauck’s new Inspiration Class of ships. The two newbuilds are notable for their twenty-two 300-square-foot suites, and for accommodating just 130 guests. Other ships of the same identical size (443 feet) typically accommodate 190 passengers, or nearly 50 percent more than the new Tauck vessels.
Both ships will also have eight 225-square-foot “loft” cabins on each ship’s lower deck. With an elevated platform seating area with a raised ceiling above, the loft cabins also incorporate a much taller window than can normally be used in 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.
For more information, visit www.tauck.com.