Tauck has announced the company’s four-year plan for doubling its small ship cruising capacity through strategic fleet expansion, deepened partnership programs and new itineraries.
“We’re destination explorers at Tauck and some destinations are best explored by both land and sea,” said Jennifer Tombaugh, president of Tauck. “Tauck Small Ship Cruising is our first product line to sell out each year. By adding new destinations and expanding our capacity with Ponant, we’re able to provide more choice and more availability in order to better serve the current and growing demand.”
Ponant, the French-owned cruise line, will debut four new luxury expedition yachts in 2018 and 2019. As part of an expanded partnership, Tauck will leverage all four Ponant new builds starting with Le Lapérouse in summer 2018. The first Tauck sailing on Le Lapérouse departs on July 3, 2018 with the “Iceland: Land of Fire & Ice” itinerary. The seven-night cruise sails round-trip from Reykjavik stopping at off-the-beaten-path towns, tiny villages and isolated islands.
“Today, Tauck utilizes five Ponant ships for 10 itineraries. By 2020, we’ll be sailing on nine Ponant ships further supporting our investment in growing the category,” added Tombaugh.
NEW CUBA CRUISE
New for 2018, Tauck Small Ship Cruising is adding a 10-day journey throughout Cuba aboard the three-masted schooner, Le Ponant. With 2018 departures on December 14, 23 and 28, the new people-to-people cultural sailing calls on Cuba’s coastal gems between Havana and Santiago de Cuba and features a two-night hotel stay in Havana, complete with guided Tauck sightseeing.
BBC EARTH JOURNEYS
In addition, Tauck is further expanding its four-year partnership with BBC Earth, the award-winning filmmakers behind this year’s acclaimed series Planet Earth II. Starting in 2018, all Tauck Expedition small ship cruises will become a part of the Tauck Earth Journeys portfolio featuring customized BBC Earth enhancements that help connect travelers with wildlife and nature. The newest destination to be added to the Earth Journeys cruise collection is Iceland.
Additional planned enhancements include BBC Earth experts on board select cruise departures and Tauck Director training and certification by BBC Earth filmmakers and historians.
Currently, every land and sea Tauck Earth Journey features on-tour film vignettes custom-made by BBC Earth natural history experts, which Tauck guests view during their travels. Additionally, many Earth Journeys also incorporate BBC Earth approved field equipment gadgets, such as sensitive long-range microphones, thermal imaging cameras, night-vision goggles, and self-activating camera traps. The vignettes provide exclusive insights and perspectives shared by BBC Earth experts, while the gadgets allow new and exhilarating ways for guests to interact with their surroundings, further enhancing and enriching the experience.
25 YEARS OF SMALL SHIP CRUISES
Celebrating 25 years in 2018, Tauck Small Ship Cruising offers a variety of intimate sailings to destinations across the globe. Leveraging its 90+ years of land expertise to provide guests with more access and enrichment onshore, Tauck Small Ship Cruises include cultural journeys and expeditionary sailings.
In the early 1990’s, Tauck took its land model to the ocean in order to bring guests to destinations best explored by sea. By engaging various maritime partnerships, Tauck discovered that small ship cruises aligned most closely with the type of experiences their guests craved with an ability to reach locations that big ships are unable to explore. Tauck’s first small ship cruise set sail in 1993 in the Mediterranean.
Today, all Tauck Small Ship Cruises offer flexible yacht-like cruising on vessels tailored to each destination and range from 40 to no more than 300 guests. Each Tauck Small Ship Cruise itinerary is all-inclusive with all shore excursions; gratuities, port charges and taxes; airport transfers, luggage handing; internet access, onboard meals and dining ashore opportunities included. Most Tauck itineraries also include complimentary onboard beer, wine and cocktails, as well as pre and/or post-cruise hotel stays featuring guided Tauck-exclusive sightseeing.
Information on Tauck’s entire collection of 2018 small ship cruises can be found on the company’s website, www.tauck.com. Those interested in more information can contact their local travel professional, visit Tauck’s website, or call Tauck at 800 468 2825.
