Unveiled in 2014,
Tauck's 130-passenger Inspire is one of the most intimate and upscale river ships sailing in Europe.
Shown here docked in Remagen, Germany,
the Inspire sails on the Rhine and Moselle rivers between Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland.
The Inspire is the first of Tauck's new Inspiration class of vessels that feature unusually large
(for the industry) cabins and a high crew-to-passenger ratio.
Here, the vessel's main entrance.
Upon entering the Inspire,
passengers encounter a lobby area that is at the center of the ship's public areas and cabin decks.
The Inspire's lobby is home to a reception desk as well as a travel desk staffed by the ship's cruise director.
A grand staircase at the rear of the lobby leads to three cabin decks as well as the ship's main dining room and other public areas.
As is typical for river ships in Europe,
the Inspire has one big,
forward-facing lounge where passengers gather nightly for cocktails and entertainment.
The Panorama Lounge also is home to nightly briefings where one of the ship's three tour directors map out plans for the coming day.
Located near the front of the Panorama Lounge is a semi-circular bar.
As on other Tauck vessels,
all drinks including wine,
beer and premium spirits are available at any time for no extra charge
an unusually all-inclusive policy that sets Tauck apart from many other river ship operators.
Clusters of seats near the front of the Panarama Lounge offer panoramic views over the ship's bow.
The Panorama Lounge features live piano music nightly during cocktail hour and after dinner.
Just in front of the Panorama Lounge is a small outside deck area with built-in benches overlooking the ship's bow.
As is typical for river ships in Europe,
the Inspire has one large main restaurant that can accommodate all 130 passengers on the ship at once.
Dubbed the Compass Rose,
the Inspire's main dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It offers a mix of table sizes and passengers can sit where and with whom they wish.
A glass-walled wine cellar is located near the entrance to the Compass Rose.
A second,
smaller lounge area called Arthur's is located at the back of the Inspire.
It also doubles as a second eatery,
serving an 'early risers' Continental breakfast and sit-down lunches and dinners.
Named after Tauck chairman Arthur Tauck, Jr.,
Arthur's has a cafe-like setting and features its own dedicated kitchen.
Arthur's also has a small bar that is staffed during mealtimes.
Coffee, tea and cookies are available in Arthur's around-the-clock at a self-serve station.
Puzzles at the ready for Inspire passengers in Arthur's.
The top deck of the Inspire features several seating areas including this one overlooking the bow of the vessel.
The Inspire flies the German flag while sailing in Germany on the Rhine.
The captain of the Inspire navigates from a wheelhouse located near the front of the Sun Deck at the top of the vessel.
Just behind the wheelhouse is a seating area with glass partitions to keep out the breeze on windy days.
More seating areas and lounge chairs are located toward the rear of the Inspire's Sun Deck.
The Sun Deck also offers a lounge area open to the sun.
Also on the top deck of the Inspire near the rear is a putting green.
Just behind the putting green on the Inspire's Sun Deck is a small pool.
One deck down from the dining room is a cluster of spa and fitness facilities that include a hair salon and a gym.
The Inspire sails with a full-time hair stylist who works in the ship's dedicated hair salon.
The Inspire has a dedicated treatment room for massages located next to the hair salon.
Across from the hair salon is a small fitness center with two treadmills,
stationary bikes and free weights.
The Inspire also has a sauna and steam bath located in a room next to the fitness center.
The interior of the steam bath.
A sauna is a relatively unusual feature for river ships in Europe,
which are limited in size due to the dimensions of locks.
The interior of the Inspire's wood-lined sauna.
The Inspire sails with several bikes that can be checked out at no charge during port stops.
The Inspire has a small library of books located in a nook near passenger cabins.
Among the notable features of the Inspire are cabins that are more spacious than those of almost any other river ship.
A third of the Inspire's 67 cabins are suites measuring 300 square feet that feature bedrooms and separate sitting areas.
Suites feature large bathrooms with walk-in showers.
Suites also have large walk-in closets with rows of shelving and areas for hanging clothes.
The Inspire features seven categories of cabins in all,
including this Category Four cabin that measures 190 square feet.
Category Four rooms have contemporary bathrooms with a single sink,
toilet and walk-in shower.
The walk-in shower in a Category Four cabin.
The Inspire has three cabin decks that each offer two rows of outward-facing cabins divided by long corridors.
Smaller than the Inspire's 22 suites but still large by river ship standards are the ship's 10 Category Five cabins,
which measure 225 square feet.
Category Five cabins have floor-to-ceiling French balconies with one sliding door that opens.
Category Five cabins feature a pillow top Queen-size bed that can be reconfigured as two twin beds.
It measures 62 by 77 inches.
Category Five cabins have a sitting area with two chairs and a table.
Like other Inspire cabins,
the ship's Category Five rooms have stylish,
contemporary bathrooms.
A stairway leads down to the Emerald Deck,
the lowest of Inspire's three cabin decks.
Among the most innovative and unusual cabins in the river cruise business are the Inspire's eight Category Three rooms found on the Emerald Deck,
which offer a raised seating area next to soaring windows.
Category Three rooms on the Inspire measure 225 square feet,
which is unusually large for cabins on the lowest level of a river ship.
Carved out of space from the deck above,
the raised seating area in Category Three rooms is filled with light from soaring one-and-a-half-deck-high windows that open at the top.
Category Three rooms feature large,
contemporary bathrooms with walk-in showers.
High-end touches in Inspire cabin bathrooms include Villeroy & Bach sinks.
Walk-in showers in Category Three rooms feature a rainfall shower head as well as a traditional,
wall-mounted shower head.
Bathrooms on Tauck's Inspire feature high-end Molton Brown toiletries.
Category Three cabins have built-in armoires along a wall near the bed.
The interior of the built-in armoire's in Category Three cabins have room for hanging clothes and drawers.
Built-in drawers in Inspire cabins offer plenty of storage space.
All of the Inspire's cabins come with a miniature refrigerator stocked with complimentary water and soft drinks that is replenished daily.
Inspire cabins also have Nespresso espresso machines for passenger use.
Coffee pods for the machines are complimentary and replenished daily.
Inspire cabins are wired with both U.S.-style and European-style outlets.
Inspire cabins feature side tables next to beds with iPhone docking stations.
Inspire passengers can open and close their cabin curtains from switches located next to the bed.
A control area on the wall of Inspire cabins lets passengers regulate the sound level of ship-wide announcements
or turn them off completely.
Portable Vox audio systems located in each cabin allow passengers to listen to guides during shore excursions.
Like a growing number of river ships,
the Inspire has a key slot near the door that activates the rooms lights and television.
The Inspire's reception desk.
Bins of umbrellas near the Inspire's reception desk are available for passenger use on rainy days.
The Inspire offers a small store selling jewelry,
scarves and other items,
located in the lobby across from the reception desk.
The Inspire has an elevator connecting all interior decks.
The interior of the Inspire's elevator has room for several people at once.
A relatively unusual feature of Tauck river cruises is the presence of Tauck buses that follow the ship from port to port for use during tours.
The Inspire's ceremonial bell noting its christening in 2014 is located at the front of the vessel just outside the Panorama Lounge.
A second, larger ship's bell is located on the Sun Deck.
Launched in 2014,
the Inspire was built at the Vahali shipyard in Belgrade, Serbia.
A map of Europe's waterways is located in the Inspire's lobby near the reception desk.
The Inspire's complimentary drinks menu includes a wide range of top-shelf brands including Glenlivit single-malt Scotch and Hennessy cognac.
Passengers who grow hungry between meals can order a snack to their rooms.
Passengers enter the Inspire through entryways located on both sides of the vessel.
The Inspire sails with its own exit ramp that it deploys in ports with a mechanical arm.
The Inspire is one of two Inspiration class vessels that debuted at Tauck in 2014.
Two more of the ships are due in 2016.
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