Tauck World Discovery is naming its newest riverboat, which is currently under construction and set to debut next April, the MS Swiss Jewel. The ship will be Tauck’s third new riverboat in three years and a sister ship to Swiss Sapphire, launched in April, and the Swiss Emerald, which debuted in April 2006.
River cruising has been the fastest-growing segment of Tauck’s business for the past several years and its 2008 departures were more than 70 percent sold-out by late last fall. Construction of the Swiss Jewel will help satisfy the high demand and the company is also increasing its river departures by 25 percent for 2009.
The new Swiss Jewel will alternate with Tauck’s other vessels on five of the company’s seven river cruise itineraries next year.
“We’re very excited to be boosting our European river cruising capacity once again,” said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. “Our existing fleet is widely considered to represent the finest riverboats afloat, and the Swiss Jewel will reflect the same very high Tauck standards that have helped the Swiss Emerald and Swiss Sapphire become so highly regarded.”
Swiss Jewel will sail 2009 itineraries that include a 12-day Blue Danube cruise, priced from $3,900. Higlights include the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, with dinner and music in Vienna, a wine tasting in Durnstein and Slovakian and Austrian entertainment aboard the riverboat. Passengers will explore Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague, plus the castle-studded Wachau Valley and Schonbrunn Palace, along with two nights each in Budapest and Prague in five-star hotels.
The Swiss Jewel will also sail a 12-day Budapest to the Black Sea cruise, priced from $4,290, which travels through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, with two nights on land at five-star hotels in Budapest and Bucharest. It includes a special home-hosted lunch and a visit to the island where the original Dracula is said to be entombed.
Tauck also offers a 19-day Prague to the Black Sea itinerary on the Swiss Jewel, with fares starting at $7,690; this tour combines the Danube and Budapest with the Black Sea.
Also offered is a 15-day Amsterdam to Budapest cruise, priced from $5,390, which cruises the Danube, Main and Rhine. The Swiss Jewel will pass through five countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. Guests can explore cities such as Amsterdam, Vienna, Koln, Nurnberg, Bratislava and Budapest.
The Swiss Jewel will also sail a 24-day Grand European tour. Priced from $8,790, this itinerary combines Amsterdam to Budapest by riverboat with the Budapest to the Black Sea trip to create a North Sea to Black Sea tour through the heart of Europe, including a 21-day cruise.
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