New Ship Lumiere Photos
The Scylla website has the new ship built for Tauck Rhone cruises on their website. You can use the link below or go to Scylla.com and look thru the Our Ships section. It has loads of photos and detailed ship deck plans. Beautiful.
https://scylla.com/river-cruise-ships/our-ships?view=article&id=155:ms-lumiere&catid=11
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Very nice looking ship.
Scylla has come a long way in their decor. Picture below was the cabin decor years ago. Bordello red and gold. Was so glad they had changed it by the time we took our first cruise.
Thank you for sharing Claudia. We are booked on a river cruise on the Lumiere next year.
Nice interior, same layout. I'm not a fan of the bathroom from what I can see in the photo. The mirrors on the bathroom wall seem to eliminate the medicine cabinet that was great for storing "stuff" and hiding the 4 outlets. If the result is having to put all, or most, of your toiletries and whatever on the counter top that would have been in the medicine cabinets then this is a step backwards, IMO. Also, not a fan of the raised sink. I never found them to be practical, but I guess they look classy. They spec the voltage as 230Vac, so does not mean there will be no 110V outlets? Just my observations based on the limited photos and specs. YMMV.
Good luck, may she sail safely and a pleasure to all who travel with her.
I’ve only taken one river cruise with Tauck so I can’t comment much apart from that the bedroom looks exactly as I recall the MS Inspire that we were on. Yes, the bathroom looks less practical, no cabinet as inlanikai observed. Those above counter sinks are not good for a short person like me and so easy to chip the edges. But what stands out most to me is the maximum number of passengers, 146! What happened to the small intimate ship capacities that Tauck used to boast about? Aren’t some of their ships for 90 people.
And boy, the rivers must be getting more crowded than ever. Well, we take a river cruise in March, so I hope it’s not too crowded. I’m prepared that the weather may be quite cool and still be a possibility of snow. Still trying to prioritize land tours.
Re the bathroom, it's possible there is storage and/or electric outlets in the wall next to the sink you can't see in the picture.
On passenger count, Scylla's numbers often don't match Tauck's which says 130 guest's for that ship.
Ah, good observation Claudia!
Claudia, thank you, I'm taking that ship in 2017 for La Belle Vie river cruise.
Regarding the number of passengers, compare to a ship currently in Tauck service, the Savor. Tauck claims it accommodates 130 passengers, but Scylla claims 142. At least part of the difference is Scylla shows four more cabins on the Emerald deck than Tauck does, 115, 116, 117, and 118. Are these used by Tauck for the Tauck staff?
Regarding voltage, Tauck shows 110-volt and 220-volt , while Scylla shows only 220 volt. Seems like one could assume the same for the new ship.
Scylla modifies their riverboats to Tauck’s specifications, just like how an airline tells the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) how they want the configuration and design of the aircraft to be.
You can “google” …..’does Scylla modify their riverboats to meet Tauck’s specifications?’…..or something like that should you need to verify my comment.
To that end, I suspect the cabins will be very similar to what we have experienced, even better.
Terry and kfnknfzk I think you are right. The Scylla legend shows those four cabins as 150 sq ft but Tauck brochure only mentions 180 square ft and above. Also, the Scylla legends/specs does not show Arthur’s which Tauck show at the front of the river boat.
I didn’t look at Scylla’s website; I have no need to. No matter how Tauck has designed and configured their new ships for the Seine and Rhône, I am sure they will be beautiful.
I reported in another post how Arthur’s on the Serene (I might be wrong on the name) has a mantled fireplace and upscale seating, including several tables for two. I hope the menu is a bit more upscale, although I am always content having soup.
Yes, Alina, the smallest cabins on the new ships are now 180 sq. ft. The largest cabins remain at 300 sq. ft.
Good catch Terry on the deck differences. There is also another 150 sqft cabin shown on Scylla's deck plan that isn't shown on Tauck's.
Not wanting to invade their privacy, I've never asked the TDs or CDs where they stayed but assumed it was either something in the crew section.
I went back and looked at Tauck's numbers and realized they say 68 cabins (which matches their deckplan) which would equate to a maximum of 136 guests not 130. It may be they want to limit tour group sizes to the smaller number but have the ability to go a little over if needed. The same difference is also in the numbers for the Inspire class of ships. 67 cabins but only 130 guests.
Alina, the redesigned Arthur's is shown on the deckplan but not identified as it should be as a restaurant. They keep some of the info sort of generic because they rent out the ships for other users when Tauck doesn't have tours scheduled. One use I was told was as extra hotel space in a town if a big event was happening. Their website talks about chartering their ships.
I have mixed feelings about the new Arthur's. I liked it's location and casual vibe in the aft end of the ship. Quiet and out of the way. But it makes a lot of sense to move it up closer to the main kitchens instead of having it's own mini kitchen. As long as they make sure the fancy self serve coffee machine is there.
The Tauck directors normally stay in regular guest cabins, not with the crew. They also have their own cabins … they do not share.
Don't forget that some cabins could be solo occupancy, so 68 cabins would not automatically result in 136 guests.
Sealord I've always assumed that Tauck staff did at least occasionally occupy a guest cabin depending on what was available on any given tour and that they didn't share. Disadvantage of that would be having to move cabins between tour groups depending on which ones had been booked. Maybe those shown on Scylla's deck plan is a change i.e. that they are specifically setting aside cabins for TDs/CDs use.
Goddess, Yes on any given tour sailing there are likely to be cabins with solo occupancy as well as unoccupied cabins. The Category 1 cabins that don't require a solo supplement do have 2 beds. All cabins can accommodate a minimum of 2 people so 68 cabins would compute to a capacity of 136 guests.
All you have to do is look at Tauck’s website. The Lumière, as stated, will hold no more than 130 guests.
22 300 sq. ft.
34 225 sq. ft.
12 180 sq. ft.
Goddess is correct in that Tauck will reserve some—6 cabins—for guests traveling alone. A total of 68 cabins limited by Tauck to no more than 130 guests.
I, too, have seen a tour director exit a room on the diamond deck. It could be that they get to stay in unoccupied cabins when bookings are not at maximum. Good for them. They deserve it.
I am a solo traveler and have only stayed in Category 1 cabins. Cannot imagine 2 beds in that space!
You can get a Cat I cabin with no single supplement, but to the best of my knowledge they are not ‘reserved’ for solo travelers. I have done twelve small ship or riverboat trips, and the TDs have always been in regular passenger cabins. They travel with a ‘ton’ of luggage, and other ‘valuables’ that would make staying in crew quarters unworkable. They also work odd hours, and sleep is a valuable commodity.
Similar on land tours. On the Singapore and Bali tour the TD stayed in the room right next door to us in the Raffles Hotel. We had three in our room, she was a solo. I don't think Tauck is tight on the TD's accommodations.
Sealord - I deduced that by doing the basic arithmetic. It’s a moot point anyway. I’m just delighted to experience new boats and itineraries.
Belated birthday wishes.
Goddess, the cabins have queen sized beds that can convert to 2 twins. All cabins have those. They split them apart, put a nightstand in between and I think change the top layer. The Cat 7 suites are a few inches wider but the same concept.
And no the Cat 1 cabins aren't all reserved for solo travels. Ran into this when a friend needed special approval to go over the allotted number to reserve a Cat 1 so she could join us on the cruise. I think it has more to do with available hotel rooms for her Gift of Time.
68 cabins = a capacity for 136 guests
That's just math.
at capacity - the math is correct; I know the beds break into two, but still can't imagine how tight that is with 2 people sharing
Sometimes two people sleep in the same bed! Even in Category 1.
Maximum capacity and what Tauck dictates are two different things. To arrive at their 130 limit, the difference of six (6) presumably comes from limiting the amount of double occupancy of the smallest rooms. First grade arithmetic and the power of reasoning should not be difficult concepts to comprehend. The takeaway should be the understanding that Tauck, not Scylla, designs their boats.
What matters to me is that I am fortunate to travel with a company I trust. I don’t concern myself with things out of my control.
This is fun!
Yes physical capacity of the ship clearly doesn't dictate how many guests Tauck aims to limit the tour group to. Pointed that out 2 posts ago.
No one is forcing anyone to participate in a discussion they find irrelevant.
Yes Goddess a 150 sqft cabin is very tight for two. Its what we had on our first cruise and never again. We still had a marvelous time and came back for more.
Astonishing, British, not fun although I guess it can be considered comical. Silly me for attempting to provide clarity on what should be common knowledge.
Most questions here on the forum are common knowledge if people would read information that Tauck most always provides. Yes, comical. I’ve only taken one river cruise with Tauck so I’m no expert . My first comment was that the new ship seemed to accommodate more passengers than when Tauck boasted about their smaller capacity ships in the past compared to the competition.
Well, while the LOFT cabins are our favorite, there are times we can't afford the upgrade, as we often prefer to spend our extra money extending more time pre & post cruise in Europe -- so we are MORE THAN HAPPY to be in a 150sq.ft. CAT 1 room, in Europe, on a RIVER, with TAUCK. It is truly just a place to sleep, shower & change clothes for us. Goes to show we all have different styles & needs. While I am sure a CAT 7 is AMAZING - we will always choose to spend another week or 2 in Europe over a larger room.