Tauck Keeps Its River Ships Small While Adding 30 Percent More of Them

Tauck is expanding its river fleet, but not by building bigger. CEO Jennifer Tombaugh says the company will add two riverboats in 2027: Saudade, which joins Andorinha on Portugal’s Douro, and Reverie, a Seine sister ship to the Serene.

They follow Lumière on the Rhône and Serene on the Seine, both launched this spring. Tauck says four new boats in two years add about 30 percent more river capacity since 2025, with France growing 50 percent and the Douro nearly doubling. A third Rhône boat is planned for 2028.

Ships average 110 guests and none carries more than 130. About 80 percent of cabins on the two 2027 boats measure at least 225 square feet. Lumière and Serene are designed to run on hydrogenated vegetable oil where supply allows.

Tauck plans 37 European river cruises in 2027, including six family itineraries and a new six-day format on the Douro, Seine and Danube. It will also debut Roam by Tauck, its first new brand in 17 years, aimed at travelers in their 40s and 50s in groups of 16, with at least two river itineraries.

Sources: Cruise Industry News, Cruise Industry News