By
Rebecca Gibson |
US river cruise operator Tauck launched Inspire, the first of its Inspiration Class ships in Basel, Switzerland on 3 April with the help of four godmothers.
Members of the Tauck family, Tauck executives and directors and local dignitaries attended the christening, which was presided over by the ship’s four godmothers. Inspire was blessed by Lynn Hardcastle, while Bridget Ashton cut the ceremonial ribbon to break a bottle of champagne against the hull. Mary Pierik and Eszter Pusztai also acted as godmothers during the ceremony, which was followed by a performance by a local band. The riverboat then departed on a celebratory two-night cruise along the Rhine.
“In tandem with our state-of-the-art Jewel Class ships, our new Inspiration Class ships will allow us to continue leveraging our 90 years of experience to deliver the finest, most enriching cultural explorations along Europe’s rivers,” said Dan Mahar, CEO Tauck. “By honouring our four Tauck Cruise Directors as godmothers, we’re really celebrating the genuine, friendly and personalised service provided by all of our Tauck cruise directors and Tauck directors. They are the direct, critical link between Tauck and our guests, and they do an absolutely incredible job delivering the Tauck experience.”
Inspire is the first of two new Inspiration Class ships that will launch in 2014, joining Tauck’s four Jewel Class vessels. Savor, Inspire’s sister-ship will launch in June. Each Tauck riverboat is staffed by a Tauck cruise director and three Tauck directors who care for a maximum of 130 guests per Tauck ship.
As with the line’s Jewel Class vessels, the lower passenger capacity also allows Tauck to offer a far higher percentage of suites than other river cruise lines.
“Nearly a quarter of the cabins on our Jewel Class ships are 300 sq ft suites, and we’ve increased that to a third on the new Inspiration Class ships,” said Mahar.
Tauck’s 443 ft-long Inspiration Class ships will feature 22 suites measuring 300 sq ft, all of which will be furnished with two French balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows, a pull-out couch, walk-in wardrobes and a bathroom with a rain shower. In addition, the newbuilds will also feature 32 cabins measuring 225 sq ft, as well as 13 cabins ranging from 150 to 190 sq ft. Four of these 13 cabins will be reserved for single travellers
Located on the lower Emerald Deck, eight of Tauck’s 225 sq ft loft cabins feature a raised platform seating area located against the ships’ hull/outer wall with a correspondingly higher ceiling. This has enabled the line to include a taller window than can normally be incorporated into lower-level cabins of riverboats, while the middle of the window can be opened electronically.
All suites and cabins will feature in-room movies, mini bar, individual heating and cooling controls, Molton Brown toiletries, and luxury bedding.
Tauck will also launch four new river cruise itineraries this year, including its first ever on the River Seine in France.