new River Boat??
does anyone know if there is self serve laundry on the new River Boat. We leave 5/22 from Paris to Monaco? Boardfing the boat in Lyon a few days later....Also, what is the voltage for flat irons and hair dryers in France and on the boat? Thank You
0
Comments
Don’t think there is self serve laundry. Neither irons or flat irons are encouraged.
No Tauck river cruise ships in the past had self service laundry and I doubt the new ships will either. The will have laundry services at a fairly steep price. The showers usually have pullout hanging lines for sink laundry. And as answered in your other post, don't bring any heated appliances that aren't dual voltage. Its a safety issue.
Tauck boats all have paid laundry service, but no self-serve. The MS Lumière laundry was very fast: returned clothes the same day, twice.
If staying in the 300 sq. ft. cabin, they will debit your laundry fee from the €100 credit you will receive. I have only used the service once for a single item and found it to be fast and efficient. They even confirmed the item was laundered in cold water as I had requested.
These larger rooms also have an iron and ironing board in the walk-in closet.
Mikes can you give a review on the Lumiere? You must have been on one of the first journeys on this new ship.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/tauck/ms-lumiere?suppressTabs=1&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22770222941&gbraid=0AAAAADlvVIaPyRI_jZimnVE9o6qSG6JSo
Alina - I have time for just a quick review so this will focus on differences between Lumière and other Scylla-built river boats used by Tauck. Please look elsewhere for full reviews of this tour and Tauck river cruising in general.
Lumière is another of the 135 meter-long river boats that Tauck uses on most of their European river cruises (exception would be the shorter Andorinha on the Douro river in Portugal). Lumière holds 130 passengers max. Our cruise had 106 passengers in late March-early April and was the first for this ship, right after its christening ceremony.
Most of the deck plan details will be familiar to experienced Tauck cruisers. Notable differences are: (1) Arthur's is now located just forward of, and on the same level as, the Panorama Lounge. Arthur's serves a fixed menu for lunch and dinner, casual service, no reservations needed. (2) Space at the rear is now "The Retreat" which includes a workout room (2 treadmills, exer-cycle, rowing, bench with free weights), spa/massage room and a refreshment station with a 24/7 hot drink blender (coffee, espresso, latte, hot chocolate, etc.) and cookies; also light breakfast available at limited hours. (3) Floor plans eliminate the corner triangular rooms found at the end of corridors on other boats. (4) Room sizes seem to be the same as older boats. We had a Category 5 cabin (300 sf) and layout was mostly the same. There are a few tweaks to storage space that make the closet space much more useful, some minor changes in lighting so you can turn on a subdued light without bothering a sleeping partner (well, maybe). Gooseneck bedside reading lamps are the only real focused lighting options available: all other lights cover much more area. (5) Almost forgot to add that Compass Rose dining room seating has a few minor changes to seating choices but the basic layout is the same as others.
Speaking of boat size, just wanted to note that the "Longboat" designation by a certain well-known competitor is just markleting. Pictures below show the required size/passenger loading for Lumière and one of their boats docked next to us. Same length and breadth - only difference is higher max number of passengers on the "Longboat." Note that Tauck shows max of 130 passengers; not sure why the boat shows 146.
The ms Lumière
and a Longship. Not any longer or wider than Scylla boats
Thanx mikes. We'll be on the new Serene later this year so I've been very curious of the changes. Glad coffee and early breakfast are at the Retreat (former Arthur's location). I often take advantage of that when my spouse sleeps in. What were the Compass Rose changes? I know many people have wanted the option of 2 person tables though we've never cared.
Thank you MikeS. We have been on MS Grace in a category 7 cabin before. I was looking for a first hand opinion of the changes in the new ship. We are booked to sail on the Lumiere later this year, in a category 5 cabin. Your insight has been very helpful. Thanks again.