The only active ship with no 2027 calendar
Our inventory holds ten departures on this ship, ten in 2026, and none in
2027. She is the only active ship of the fleet in that position: every other
hull, including older units, carries a 2027 calendar.
Nothing announces a withdrawal and we assert none. But an empty calendar on
a single hull, when all the others are full, deserves written confirmation from
the supplier before committing a client to 2027.
The hull and her other name
She left the Den Breejen yard in the Netherlands in 2008. One hundred and
ten metres, four decks, refitted in 2017. That refit recut the middle deck:
thirty small cabins replaced by twenty larger ones, and capacity brought down
from one hundred and eighteen travellers to 98, across 47 cabins.
A useful detail: this ship's commercial name is not her registry name. A
client looking for her on a vessel-tracking site will not find her under the
name we sell. She sails under the Swiss flag, registered in Basel.
The lift connects only two decks, with twelve steps between the others.
About four cabins in five have a French balcony; the eight on the lower deck
have a fixed window. The ship holds the Seine.
The other ships in the fleet
The ms Serene is the 2026 newbuild on the Seine. The ms Esprit shares the same hull. So
does the ms Treasures. The ms Reverie enters service in 2027, also on the Seine.
The ship does not belong to the operator
The hull is the property of Scylla AG, the Swiss shipowner in Basel, which
builds her, crews her and charters her exclusively to Tauck. The operator
sells the journey, trains the onboard staff and signs the experience; it does
not hold the ship.
The consequence showed in 2026: the shipowner took one hull of this fleet
back for its own brand. She has sailed under another name since. That is the
normal risk of an entirely chartered fleet, and it is better known before
booking two years ahead.
The fare includes a great deal, except the plane
No excursion is sold aboard. They are all in the fare, which changes life
on board: nobody spends the evening comparing options. Gratuities to the
crew, the guides and the cruise director are included too, as are transfers
and luggage.
Standard alcoholic drinks are included on board the ship, all day. That
inclusion applies on the ship; ashore it does not automatically follow.
The international flight remains your cost. It is the main missing line,
and the one your advisor builds with you.
What the operator says about accessibility
It cannot accommodate wheelchairs on its European river cruises. The
wording is its own and leaves no room: narrow hallways, unavoidable stairs,
difficult ground ashore. Mobility scooters are refused on all its trips
without exception.
Anyone needing help to walk, to eat or with personal needs must be
accompanied by an able companion. A medical certificate may be required.
On the number of adapted cabins, nothing. Neither the operator nor the
shipowner publishes a figure, for any hull. An honest page says so rather than
filling the gap.
The legal frame, before signing
Any dispute: Connecticut law, Connecticut courts. No imposed arbitration,
but a written waiver of class action and of punitive damages. The operator
publishes a California seller of travel registration and nothing else; no
Quebec licence is established.
It is the agency that brings the Quebec protection. A licence from the
Office de la protection du consommateur, a separate trust account, the
Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents: those three follow a booking
made here, and only that one.
