Christened at Lyon on 27 March 2026
The ms Lumière is new. Her hull was assembled at the Vahali yard in Sremska
Mitrovica, Serbia, then completed at the yard the Swiss shipowner runs in the
Netherlands. She was christened at Lyon on 27 March 2026 and has held the Rhone
and the Saone since.
One hundred and thirty-five metres, four decks, 68 cabins, 130 travellers at
maximum and fifty crew. Twenty-two suites of twenty-eight square metres,
thirty-four cabins of twenty-one square metres and twelve cabins of seventeen
square metres. More than four cabins in five reach twenty-one square metres or
more, which is generous for a river hull.
What sets this ship apart
The suites have two French balconies rather than one. These are sliding
windows with a railing, not step-out balconies: no ship in this fleet has one.
The sun deck carries a pool and a full bar, and the atrium is covered by a
glass roof.
The twelve first-category cabins can be booked with no single-occupancy
supplement. Few river fleets do this, and it changes a great deal for someone
travelling alone.
Our inventory counts forty-seven departures, eight in 2026 and thirty-nine
in 2027. One technical detail to fix on our side: this page's address carries
an accent, the only one in the whole fleet.
The other ships in the fleet
The ms Serene is her Seine cousin, christened two days after her. The ms Reverie joins her
on the Seine in 2027. The ms Savor shares the same length on the Danube. The ms Andorinha holds
the Douro.
The hull and the brand
Two companies share this ship. Scylla AG, of Basel, is the shipowner: it
had her built, it owns her, it maintains her. Tauck charters her exclusively,
installs its way of travelling aboard and sells her under its name.
The arrangement has held for years and produces well-kept ships. It also
has its fragility: in 2026 the shipowner called one hull back for its own
brand. A charter ends, ownership does not.
What you pay and what you no longer pay
You no longer pay for excursions, none of them, they are all in the fare.
You no longer pay gratuities to the crew, the guides or the cruise director.
You no longer pay transfers or luggage handling.
On board the ship, house wine, beer and standard spirits are included all
day. Off the ship, the rule changes.
You pay the international flight, its taxes, and your personal expenses.
Internet access is provided in a basic form, where available.
Accessibility, unrounded
No wheelchairs and no mobility scooters on the European river itineraries:
it is written in the operator's documentation, and the reason given is the
hallways, the steps and the ground on excursions. Scooters are refused across
all its trips.
Anyone needing help to walk, to reach the table or with personal needs must
travel with an able companion. A medical certificate may be requested.
No inventory of adapted cabins exists publicly on this fleet. A missing
figure is not a figure: we flag it instead of replacing it with a guess.
Why go through an agency here
Because this operator's contract sends you before the courts of
Connecticut, has you waive class action, and rests on no Quebec licence. The
only published registration is that of a California seller of travel.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. A trust account, the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel
Agents, and someone who answers when a connection collapses the night before
departure.
