Tauck Christens Newest Riverboat, the ms Inspire

Members of the Tauck family, Tauck executives, the company’s board of directors, special guests and local dignitaries all gathered dockside in Basel, Switzerland, to christen Tauck’s newest riverboat, the ms Inspire. Tauck cruise director Lynn Hardcastle offered a traditional blessing, and the ship officially entered service moments later when Tauck cruise director Bridget Ashton cut a ceremonial ribbon to send a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne crashing against the ship’s hull. 

Joining Hardcastle and Ashton as honorary godmothers to the Inspire were their Tauck cruise director colleagues Mary Pierik and Eszter Pusztai. Following an onboard reception, the Inspire and its guests departed on a celebratory two-night cruise along the Rhine.

Each Tauck riverboat is staffed by a Tauck cruise director and three Tauck directors who care for a maximum of 130 guests per ship. By comparison, riverboats of equal size operated by other cruise lines routinely accommodate nearly 50 percent more passengers (up to 190 guests), with just a single cruise director to attend to their needs. 

The Inspire (and the Savor) will have a second onboard restaurant offering lighter and traditional American fare to complement the ship's more formal main dining room. Named “Arthur’s” in honor of company chairman Arthur Tauck, Jr., the café-like restaurant will be located aft on the Diamond Deck where it will feature selections prepared in its own full-service kitchen.

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There are also eight “loft” cabins located on the lower (Emerald) deck of the Inspire and Savor. Tauck’s 225-square-foot loft cabins have a raised platform seating area located against the ships’ hull/outer wall with a correspondingly higher ceiling immediately above. The higher ceiling in turn allows the use of a much taller window than can normally be incorporated into lower-level cabins. The middle portion of this window can be opened electronically and allows natural light to fill the cabin.

The two new Inspiration Class ships will both be 443 feet long, and each will have twenty-two 300-square-foot suites furnished with two French balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows, pull-out couch, walk-in closets with built-in drawers and bathrooms with rain showers. Along with the suites, the newbuilds will 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 being set aside for guests traveling on their own. All suites and cabins will feature in-room movies, minibar, individual heating and cooling controls, Molton Brown toiletries, and plush bedding with 100 percent goose down pillows, 400-thread-count linens and pillow-top mattresses.

Tauck is also launching four new river cruise itineraries this year, including its first ever on the River Seine in France.

For more information, visit www.tauck.com.