On tap for next year: New river and small ship ocean cruises, Added capacity on river Seine and new travel advisor support.
WILTON, CT – Tauck has announced its 2025 plans for its river cruising and small ship ocean cruising portfolios, and the coming year promises to be a busy one with new itineraries, a boost to the company’s capacity on the River Seine, and 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 in-depth exploration of the timeless city. After embarking 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 Tauck sightseeing in the city.
Highlights of the two-week journey include a Tauck-exclusive dinner with live music under the stars in ancient Ephesus, guided sightseeing in Athens including the Acropolis and the National Archaeological Museum, a guided visit to the archaeological site of Delphi (a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to the 8th century BC), a cruise along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and a choice of excursions in Lemnos, a hidden gem of the Aegean. Tauck will operate six departures of the new itinerary in 2025, in April, September and October.
The new 12-day “Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily” begins in Rome with an included two-night hotel stay highlighted by Tauck-guided sightseeing. A seven-day cruise aboard an elegant 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, Malta, guests will enjoy an included two-night hotel stay in the city complete with Tauck sightseeing.
Memorable insider experiences along the way include a choice of 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 (a private villa featured prominently in The Godfather), and an exclusive farewell dinner in Valletta at the historic La Sacra Infermeria, once the hospital of the Order of the Knight’s of St. John. Tauck will operate six departures of “Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily” in May, June, September and October of 2025.
Included in the price of both new cruises are all shore excursions, gratuities to Tauck Directors, ship staff and local guides, onboard alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (including house wines and spirits), airport transfers, luggage handling and more. In all, Tauck will operate 20 small ship ocean cruise itineraries next year aboard 18 vessels in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Antarctica.
A new river itinerary, more Seine capacity and…
On the rivers of Europe, Tauck will be introducing a new-for-2025 itinerary “Romantic Capitals: Paris to Prague”. The 14-day 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. 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 with a reception and dinner at Schlosshotel Kronberg, a visit to the legendary 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 of next year with sailings aboard its ms Savor and ms Joy riverboats.
Next year will also see the redeployment of Tauck’s 110-meter ms Esprit riverboat to the River Seine, following its 2024 operating 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.
…The first-ever Tauck River Academy for travel advisors
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. Tauck has hosted an ongoing series of Tauck Academy events promoting the company’s full product portfolio, and the October gathering will be the first event focused exclusively on Tauck’s river cruising product. The Tauck River Academy was announced last month at ASTA’s River Cruise Expo, generating more than 500 inquiries and quickly reaching capacity.
As at past Tauck Academies, attendees will participate in a variety of educational modules combined with numerous opportunities to experience some of the unique 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 unique benefits. Additional River Academies are planned for future dates.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
