Some 20 members of the Tauck family spanning three generations joined Tauck company executives, journalists, special guests and local dignitaries in Bingen am Rhein, Germany to christen Tauck’s newest riverboat, the ms Savor.
Liz Tauck Walters, a Tauck Board Director and daughter of company Chairman Arthur Tauck, Jr., served as godmother to the Savor, reciting a traditional blessing and cutting a ribbon that sent a bottle of champagne crashing against the ship’s hull. Musical selections from a brass band added to the day’s festivities, the area’s reigning “Wine Princess” rang the ship’s bell in celebration and towers of water were sent skyward by a fireboat in honor of the occasion.
The launch of the ms Savor and the ms Inspire together increased the company’s river cruising capacity this year by a total of 55 percent. The ms Savor and ms Inspire together comprise Tauck’s new Inspiration Class ships, and they join Tauck’s four existing Jewel Class ships, the ms Treasures, ms Swiss Jewel, ms Swiss Sapphire and ms Swiss Emerald. Like the Jewel Class ships, the Inspiration Class vessels carry fewer passengers and have more service staff than ships of the same size operated by other river cruise lines.
Each of the new Inspiration Class ships also has twenty-two 300-square-foot suites furnished with two French balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows, a pull-out couch, roomy walk-in closets with built-in drawers, and a spacious bathroom with rain shower. Along with the suites, the newbuilds also have thirty-two 225-square-foot cabins, plus an additional thirteen cabins ranging from 150 to 190 square feet. In keeping with Tauck’s policy of welcoming solo travelers, four of the 150 square foot cabins are set aside for guests traveling on their own. All suites and cabins feature in-room movies, minibar, individual heating and cooling controls, luxury toiletries and plush bedding with 100 percent goose down pillows, 400-thread-count linens and pillow-top mattresses.
For 2014, the ms Savor will sail on two Tauck itineraries, “The Blue Danube” (12 days, from $4,790 per person plus airfare) and “Danube Reflections” (10 days, from $4,590 per person plus airfare). Like all Tauck river cruises, both itineraries aboard the ms Savor are fully inclusive, will all shore excursions, gratuities, onboard spirits, wine and beer, entertainment, taxes, port charges, airport transfers and more included in the cruise price.
For more information, visit www.tauck.com.