Tauck River Cruises
Joy
- Cruises
- 15
- From
- —
The verdict
Which should you choose?
Joy is an intimate Tauck River Cruises ship carrying 130 passengers, in service since 2016. Serene is an intimate Tauck River Cruises ship carrying 124 passengers, in service since 2026. Serene has no specs yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.
Choose Serene if you want more crew per passenger or a newer ship: it has a crew member for every 2.5 passengers (vs 3.8) and its maiden voyage was in 2026 (vs 2016).
Side by side
Specifications
marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.
| Joy | Serene | |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise line | Tauck River Cruises | Tauck River Cruises |
| Ship size | Intimate | Intimate |
| Maiden voyagenewer highlighted | 2016 | 2026 (better) |
| Gross tonnage | 1,000 | — |
| Passengers | 130 | 124 |
| Crew | 34 | 50 |
| Passengers per crew memberfewer is better | 3.8 | 2.5 (better) |
| Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier | 7.7 | — |
| Cabins | — | 62 |
| Decks | 4 | 4 |
| Length | 443 ft | 410 ft |
| Beam | 39 ft | — |
| Cruiseable ratingout of 10 | 10 / 10 | — |
| Cruises on sale | 15 | 8 |
| Upcoming sailings | 38 | 41 |
| Cruise lengths | 5–14 nights | 5–11 nights |
Bliss scores
How they rate, out of 10
Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Joy leads on 0 of the ten, Serene on 4, with 6 level.
- Active
- Adventure & nature
- Cultural
- Dining
- Entertainment
- Family friendly
- Party
- Romantic
- Spa & fitness
- Staterooms
Tauck River Cruises
Joy
Cruising exclusively along the riverscapes of the Danube, ms Joy is part of the Inspiration class of riverboats from Tauck River Cruises.
Highlights
- Twenty two 300-sq. ft. suites and 8 loft cabins with an additional view
- Complimentary Internet
Sailing now
15 cruises on sale.
Tauck River Cruises
Serene
Sailing now
8 cruises on sale.
Questions
Joy or Serene?
Which ship is newer, Joy or Serene?
Serene is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2026 against 2016 for Joy.
Which has more crew per passenger?
Serene, with one crew member for every 2.5 passengers against one for every 3.8 on Joy.
Which is better for families?
They score the same for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 6.0 out of 10.
Still deciding?
Tell us what matters and we will match the sailing
Send your dates, budget and who is travelling, and our partner travel agency will come back to you about Joy, Serene or a ship that suits you better.