Tauck has announced its 2025 plans for its river cruising and small ship ocean cruising portfolios. The tour operator will add new ocean itineraries, boost its capacity on the Seine River and launch its first-ever Tauck River Academy for travel advisors.
In small ship ocean cruising, Tauck will be introducing two new itineraries, “Aegean Voyage: Istanbul to Athens” and “Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily.”
The 14-day “Aegean Voyage: Istanbul to Athens” begins with an included three-night stay at the InterContinental Hotel Istanbul and an exploration of the city. After embarking on Windstar Cruises’ 312-passenger Star Legend, guests will enjoy an eight-day cruise with ports of call in Lemnos, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Santorini and Itea before disembarking in Piraeus. The itinerary ends with an included two-night stay in Athens at the Grande Bretagne Hotel along with guided sightseeing. Highlights include dinner with live music under the stars in Ephesus, sightseeing in Athens, a visit to Delphi, a cruise along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and a choice of excursions in Lemnos. Tauck will operate six departures of the new itinerary in April, September and October 2025.
The new 12-day “Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily” begins in Rome with an included two-night hotel stay highlighted by guided sightseeing. A seven-day cruise aboard a Ponant Explorer-class ship (either Le Dumont-d’Urville or Le Bougainville) follows, with shore excursions at Amalfi, Trapani, Palermo, Taormina, Siracusa and Gozo. After disembarking in Valletta, guests will enjoy an included two-night hotel stay in the city complete with sightseeing. Insider experiences include visits to privately owned palaces in Palermo and a tour of the Ggantija Temples. Located on the island of Gozo, the temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site pre-dating the Egyptian pyramids. Other highlights include an optional visit to Schiavi Castle and a farewell dinner in Valletta at La Sacra Infermeria. Tauck will operate six departures of “Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily” in May, June, September and October 2025.
Good to know: Included in the price of both new cruises are all shore excursions, gratuities to Tauck Directors, ship staff and local guides, onboard beverages, airport transfers, luggage handling and more.
On the rivers of Europe, Tauck will introduce a new 14-day itinerary “Romantic Capitals: Paris to Prague.” The journey begins in Prague with two nights at the Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel, followed by a nine-day river cruise from Regensburg to Trier along the upper Danube, Main-Danube Canal, Main, Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Guests then travel overland to Luxembourg for a walking tour of its capital city before boarding a train to Paris, where their journey concludes with a two-night stay at the L’Hotel du Collectionneur. Itinerary highlights include a private evening and dinner at Schlosshotel Kronberg, a visit to the Nürburgring race track, a private boating excursion on the Seine, and an underground walking tour of Prague. Tauck will offer 10 departures of “Romantic Capitals: Paris to Prague” from April through October 2025 with sailings aboard its MS Savor and MS Joy riverboats.
Next year will also see the redeployment of Tauck’s MS Esprit riverboat on the Seine River, following its 2024 season along the Rhine and Danube Rivers. The move will double Tauck’s capacity on the Seine, and it comes ahead of an anticipated increase in bookings to France following the Summer Olympic Games in Paris later this year.
Tip: Tauck’s 2025 river cruising plans are also set to include the company’s first-ever Tauck River Academy training event for travel advisors, which will take place during the company’s October 6, 2025 sailing of its 10-day “Three Rivers: Danube, Main & Rhine” itinerary aboard its MS Joy riverboat. Attendees will participate in educational modules combined with opportunities to experience some of the activities and cultural discoveries that Tauck builds into its journeys. Graduates will earn the distinction of being Tauck-Certified advisors and enjoy access to a range of benefits. Additional River Academies are planned for future dates.
For more information, visit www.tauck.com.
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