All joined the company as tour directors ('Tauck directors') before being promoted to management positions. According to the company, their selection is a tribute to the critical role the tour directors play in delivering Tauck’s travel experiences around the world. Together, the three godmothers share 18 years of combined Tauck director and Tauck cruise director experience, as well as 35 years of combined tenure at Tauck.
The 135-meter Joy carries just 130 passengers, compared to other lines’ vessels of the same length that typically sail with 190. In addition to a Tauck cruise director, the vessel has three Tauck directors.
Joy's design includes 22 suites of a spacious 300 square meters, each with two French balconies, a pull-out couch, roomy walk-in closet and marble bathroom. There are 32 225-square-foot cabins, plus an additional 13 accommodations ranging from 150 square feet to 190 square feet. All suites and cabins have in-room movies, minibar, luxury toiletries and plush bedding with 100% goose down pillows, 400-thread-count linens and pillow-top mattresses.
Among the 225-square-foot staterooms, eight are loft cabins positioned on the vessel’s lower (Emerald) deck. These have a raised platform seating area with a correspondingly higher ceiling immediately above that affords a much taller window than normally found in lower-level cabins. The middle portion of the window can be opened electronically for fresh air.
Also featured aboard Joy is a second dining venue, Arthur’s (named for company chairman Arthur Tauck Jr.), which serves as a more casual option to the fine dining in the main Compass Rose restaurant. A lounge, fitness room, massage studio, hair salon, and open-air Sun Deck with a putting green and plunge pool round out the amenities.
Following its inaugural cruise, Joy will sail varied Danube itineraries. In 2017, it will host families on an eight-day 'Tauck Bridges' program.
