Photo courtesy Tauck
With river cruising coming on as the fastest growing part of the tour industry over the past decade and a half, and family travel growing dramatically during the same period, the combination of these two markets is irresistible.
Tauck is moving ahead aggressively with its expansion of river cruise offerings specifically for families. The tour operator plans to double its family river cruise capacity for 2017, from 10 departures in 2016 to 20 in 2017.
The company is adding a fourth river cruise vessel to the fleet dedicated to Tauck Bridges family programs.
Tauck began exploring the combination of family travel and river cruising in 2008, then launched its first Tauck Bridges river cruise, the Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure, in 2010. Bridges was launched in 2003.
The company is not just designating some departures for families. The itineraries of the Tauck Bridges are crafted from scratch specifically to satisfy and enrich family members of all ages.
Tauck is offering family river cruises on the Danube, Rhone and Rhine rivers. The eight-day Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure, which travels from Budapest to Regensburg, is priced from $3,690 per person plus airfare.
In France, Tauck is offering its Bon Voyage! France Family River Cruise, a 10-day trip priced from $4,690 per person plus airfare. It includes two nights in Paris, followed by a high-speed train to Lyon to join a seven-night cruise.
It also includes a visit to a working ranch, a cycling excursion in Lyon and a cooking lesson with an expert at French cooking school.
In 2015, Tauck is introducing Castles on the Rhine: Family Riverboat Adventure, which begins with a ride on the world's steepest cogwheel train to the 7,000-foot summit of Mt. Pilatus in the Swiss Alps, then sails from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It's priced for eight days, from $3,790 per person plus airfare
Tauck now has some formidable challenges to its supremacy in the European river cruise market. Earlier this year Ama Waterways and Adventures by Disney partnered to launch a new family river cruise product that competes directly with the Tauck Bridges river cruises.
Tauck's new move ups the ante.
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