Inside Tauck's MS Grace: Full Ship Deck Tour & the Real Description of the MS Grace
There is some confusion on line about how many Decks the MS Grace Riverboat actually has. I know there are three passenger named decks and two unnamed decks which contain public areas. The elevator stops on 5 decks, so the elevator must be correct. Deck 6 is the sun deck.
Here below is the correct listing about what is on each deck.
The Tauck"s MS Grace riverboat offers luxurious public areas spread over its six decks, designed to enhance guest comfort and social experiences.
On Deck 1 (Emerald Deck), guests enjoy a fully equipped Fitness Center, a Salon, and a Massage Room, perfect for wellness and relaxation.
Deck 2 features the elegant Compass Rose Dining Room, the main dining venue. See Food Video Link Below for the video.
Deck 3 (Ruby Deck) is where the water refill machines are located. Also there are two public toilets on the mostly cabin deck.
Deck 4 is the social heart of the ship. One gets off and on the boat at most ports. There is a reception area and a boutique for shopping. Also there is an area where one can ask questions of the Tauck tour guides. Also in the bow, is the spacious Panorama Lounge & Bar with panoramic river views, plush seating, and live piano music during cocktail hours. Also live evening entertainment happens in the lounge.
Deck 5 (Diamond Deck) includes cabins (See Cabin 310 video) and in the stern, Arthur’s casual dining venue (See Food video)
The top Deck 6 (Sun Deck) is an outdoor leisure space with a Jacuzzi, a putting green, and generous sunbathing areas furnished with comfortable wicker seats.
These thoughtfully designed public spaces on the MS Grace create an intimate and inviting environment for relaxation, dining, fitness, and socializing, making it an ideal river cruise ship for exploring Europe’s scenic waterways. Guests can savor fine dining, unwind in elegant lounges, or enjoy outdoor activities while soaking in panoramic river views.
This video is the 4th of 5 videos in my Tauck Oct 2025 Rhine & Moselle Riverboat Cruise.
https://youtu.be/h25jAhLBOLc
Comments
The ms Grace and the other ships have four (4) decks. You have confused elevator stops with decks. I am posting this so future guests are not confused by the misinformation.
He's sort of correct. There are the three cabin decks - Emerald, Ruby & Sapphire - but the Lounge/Reception area and Compass Rose dining room don't line up evenly with any of those. They are kind of their own decks. The ships are a bit like a split level house with the levels sort of staggered back and forth.
I didn't fully get this until I did a cruise in a Emerald deck cabin and had injured my foot just before the cruise. So I found myself taking the elevator from the Emerald deck a 1/2 a level up to the Compass Dining room. The alternative was to climb a full flight of steps to the Ruby deck then down a half a flight to the dining room. Until then I'd kind of thought the Emerald deck and the restaurant were level with one another. Nope.
Claudia is right, the Compass dining room and the Lounge/Reception areas are on their own, they are not in level with the cabin decks.
Simplified:
Deck 1: Emerald (semi-submerged...windows above waist-level standing in the room are close to water-level outside)
Deck 1-1/2: Compass Rose restaurant
Deck 2: Ruby
Deck 2-1/2: Reception and lounge
Deck 3: Diamond
Top Deck (not reachable by elevator): outdoor space with some items like canopies which are collapsed when moving and sometimes off limits due to same.
Not unlike split-level homes. But by any standard interpretation, 3 decks.
That’s a little bit like not counting the flight deck on an aircraft carrier. (;-) In any case, the “roof” is a deck. Cruisemapper.com says the Grace has four decks.
I’ve only taken one river cruise with Tauck. It was on the Inspire and I can’t recall specifics. Are they the same?
The ships’ schematics are very straightforward in terms of decks and so is Tauck. A simple analogy…a single story home with a sunken living room is still a single level home, not a two story home. The elevator is simply avoiding the few steps leading down into the lounge and restaurant. Mr. Lemon mistakenly believes elevator stops represent decks. It’s a moot point since most of us on this thread understand.
British: The ships are not all the same. Grace, Inspire, Joy, and Savor are the bigger ships, but the layout is very similar to the smaller ships. The smaller ships don’t have the loft staterooms, and of course they carry fewer people.
I am assuming he has taken several river cruises before since he stated he has taken 53 Tauck tours.
Good for him. Tauck must love you guys and gals. I have done many cruises but on probably ten different cruise lines, and I lost count long ago. Then of course I have made landings on eleven aircraft carriers. I have been at sea more than most people.
The Espirit, Treasures, Emerald and Sapphire are the oldest river ships among those Tauck uses. They used to carry 118 guests but a major redesign in 2017/2018 reduced it to 98. This was by combining the 150 sqft cabins on the Ruby deck into 225 sqft Category 6 cabins. I believe this year is the last the Emerald will be used replaced by the Lumiere next year (see below). Makes me a little sad as this was our first river cruise ship.
Inspire, Grace, Savor and Joy came on line in 2014-2016 with 130 guests. As Sealord said, they were designed with the loft cabins. So far the only ships that have them. Given their length, there are limitations on which rivers they can cruise. Example, they can't do the longer cruises like Amsterdam to Budapest which require getting thru the Main.
Next came the Andorinha specifically designed to cruise the smaller Douro river. It has a very different Sun deck with a pool as well as the Arthurs is completely different than the older ships though still located aft. Also there is an atrium in the center between the Lounge and Compass Rose dining room. Scylla is building another ship that appears to be the same design called the Saudade for 2027.
And coming next year are the Serene (Seine river) and Lumiere (Rhone river). Major changes expected on the location of Arthur's (forward of the main Lounge) and replacing it with a wellness "Retreat". They will also have a Sun deck more like the Andorinha with a pool and bar. The two ships are similar in design but the Serene is 33 ft shorter with fewer guests. Tauck has also announced another similar ship called the Reverie due out in 2027.
Tauck's website (go to River Cruises and select Our Fleet) as well as their color catalog has lots more details.