Tauck has released the first images of the Andorinha, which
will sail Portugal’s Douro River when it enters service in April.
The Andorinha’s design details are heavily influenced
by Portuguese culture.
The azulejo wall map in the Andorinha's reception area.
Traditional painted ceramic tiles, or azulejos, are used
throughout the ship, including in a hand-painted tile mosaic map in the lobby
that depicts the Iberian Peninsula and its surrounding oceans.
A second recurring theme is grapevines. Cabins and suites
have decorative metal wall lamps and wallpaper suggestive of grapevines, and
the Andorinha’s reception area features a large, circular, domed ceiling light
that is meant to appear as if it in entwined in grapevines.
“The Andorinha is a truly beautiful vessel,” said Tauck CEO
Dan Mahar, “and I love the fact that -- while she’s distinctly different from every
other ship in our fleet -- she’ll still be instantly recognizable as a
Tauck riverboat to guests who’ve sailed with us before. We’ve successfully brought
our intimate and casually elegant style of Tauck river cruising to the Douro while still incorporating authentic local influences that
truly inform and enhance the experience.”
An Andorinha suite, showing azulejo-inspired wall art and grapevine-inspired wall lamps.