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Tauck's newest river vessel Grace named in Maastricht

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The godmothers - from left, Katharine Bonner, Rebecca Sellet, Michelle Lavrado (Photo: Tauck)
In a ceremony replete with the tunes of a marching band, speeches from local dignitaries, and the traditional smashing of champagne, Tauck family members and executives joined with selected partner suppliers and travel agents to celebrate the naming of its river vessel Grace in Maastricht, the Netherlands on Sunday.

The launch comes as Tauck is more than doubling the size of its European river fleet, from four vessels at the start of 2014 to nine later this year with the June christening of another new ship, Joy.

Following remarks from Tauck ceo Dan Mahar and Maastricht mayor Annemarie Penn-te Strake, Grace was officially named by three long-time Tauck employees who guide the company’s river cruising efforts.  

Sharing godmother honours were Katharine Bonner, svp of Tauck River & Small Ship Cruising; Rebecca Sellet, director worldwide operations, River & Small Ship Cruising; and Michelle Lavrado, product manager for European river cruising.  After the ceremony, the ship embarked on a celebratory three-night cruise to Amsterdam with stops in Antwerp, Dordecht and Kinderkijk.

Guests included Celia Sandys, the noted biographer and granddaughter of Winston Churchill, who speaks on selected Tauck itineraries.  

Located on 135mtr long Grace’s upper Diamond deck, each of the ship’s 22 suites is furnished with two French balconies featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, a pull-out couch, roomy walk-in closets with built-in drawers, and a spacious bathroom with rain shower.  

Along with the suites, Grace has eight 225sq ft Loft cabins located on its lower (Emerald) deck, an additional 24 junior suites of the same size on the Ruby (middle) deck, plus a total of 13 cabins ranging from 150 to 190sq ft split between the Ruby and Emerald decks.  All suites and cabins feature in-room movies, minibar, individual heating and cooling controls, luxury toiletries, and plush bedding with 100% goose down pillows, 400-thread-count linens and pillow-top mattresses.

Grace will sail on itineraries along the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Tauck recently announced its 2017 river cruising plans, which include a new family itinerary on the Seine and a doubling of its total family river cruise departures.  Tauck has also announced the reconfiguration of five 110mtr long river ships in its fleet, to be completed in stages over the next two years.