Tauck has announced details of its 2019 small ship cruising plans, and the Connecticut-based company is set to increase its passenger volume by a whopping 40% next year. To realize its goal, Tauck is adding five new small ship itineraries, increasing the number of ships featured in its fleet, and sailing more charters with its partner cruise lines. Last spring Tauck disclosed plans to double its small ship cruising capacity over the next several years, and today’s announcement reveals that Tauck is looking to achieve much of that growth in 2019.
Among the new cruises in Tauck’s 2019 lineup are the nine-day “Arctic Allure: Spitsbergen and the Midnight Sun” (featuring a seven-night cruise aboard the Ponant ship Le Boréal), the 11-day “Legendary Scottish Isles, Edinburgh and Glasgow” (with a seven-night cruise aboard Ponant’s Le Champlain), and the 20-day “Cruising Down Under,” which combines a six-night land exploration of Australia with a pair of two-night hotel stays (in Queenstown and Auckland, New Zealand, both with guided Tauck sightseeing) and a nine-night New Zealand cruise aboard the Ponant ship Le Lapérouse.
Tauck is also adding North America to its cruise portfolio, with an eight-day “Alaska’s Inside Passage” itinerary aboard the Ponant ship Le Soléal and a 12-day “Cruising the Great Lakes: Chicago to Toronto” journey that includes an eight-night cruise aboard Ponant’s Le Champlain bookended by two-night hotel stays in both cities.
Next year will see Tauck further expanding its partnership with the French line Ponant. Tauck currently operates itineraries aboard six different Ponant ships, including the soon-to-launch Le Lapérouse, which will be featured this summer on Tauck’s “Iceland: Land of Fire & Ice” cruise. Le Lapérouse is the first of four new Explorer series expeditionary ships being launched by Ponant in 2018 and 2019, and Tauck will feature three of the four (Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain and Le Dumont-d’Urville) in 2019. The Explorer ships have garnered significant attention for the unique Blue Eye lounge that will be featured on each vessel. Located beneath each ship’s waterline, the underwater lounge will offer a true multi-media experience with the surrounding environment.
In addition, Tauck is also expanding the number of charters it will operate with its partner cruise lines by approximately 50%, and increasing its total number of small ship cruise departures by 12%. In all, Tauck will offer 22 itineraries next year aboard a fleet of 13 ships.
TAUCK MARKS 25 YEARS OF SMALL SHIP CRUISING
As Tauck announces its plans for 2019, it is also marking the current year by celebrating its 25th anniversary in small ship cruising, according to Katharine Bonner, Senior Vice President for Tauck River & Small Ship Cruising. “Our very first cruise in 1993 was our ‘Treasures of the Mediterranean’ itinerary, and it launched what we then called our Treasures Series of cruises,” said Bonner. “Today we still consider our small ship cruises to be expertly curated ‘treasures’ that reveal the true destination story of each place they visit.”
By pairing its 93 years of experience leading award-winning land tours with the expertise of its small ship maritime partners, Tauck contends that its unique approach to ocean cruising delivers a superior destination experience and provides its guests with four key advantages:
Uncommon access and experiences.
Tauck leverages 90+ years of experience, longtime partnerships and special relationships to deliver experiences travelers can’t access elsewhere, from exclusive after-hours tours of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums to unique insights into the natural world provided by the nature documentary filmmakers at BBC Earth.
In 2019, Tauck will expand its Earth Journeys partnership with BBC Earth, producers of such award-winning films as Blue Planet, Frozen Planet and Life. The company’s new Spitsbergen and Alaska itineraries will be included in the Earth Journeys partnership, along with each of the company’s other expeditionary cruises.
The company’s professional Tauck Directors.
Each Tauck small ship cruise is accompanied by at least one experienced, professional Tauck Director. Serving as concierge, expert guide and fun, knowledgeable traveling companion, Tauck Directors average over a decade of tenure with the company.
Sophisticated, intimate ambiance.
Tauck’s maritime cruises are hosted exclusively aboard small, intimate ships shared by just 40 to 300 guests. Selected specifically by Tauck for each itinerary, these ships provide access to smaller, lesser-known ports and more authentic experiences that larger cruise ships can’t.
All-inclusiveness.
Tauck includes virtually everything in its cruise prices; all shore excursions, all gratuities, all port charges, all onboard meals, airport transfers, luggage handling, and much, much more. Also, most cruises are complemented by included hotel stays – complete with guided Tauck sightseeing – at either the beginning or conclusion of the cruise, or both. Featured hotel properties include The Langham in London, the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo, the Grand Hotel Oslo in Norway, and the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney.
Those interested in learning more may visit their local travel professional, call Tauck at 1 800 468 2825, or go to www.tauck.com.
