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Ship comparison

National Geographic Quest vs Sapphire

Tauck River Cruises

Sapphire

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The verdict

Which should you choose?

National Geographic Quest is an intimate Lindblad Expeditions ship carrying 100 passengers, in service since 2005. Sapphire is an intimate Tauck River Cruises ship carrying 98 passengers, in service since 2008. Sapphire has no Bliss scores yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.

Choose National Geographic Quest if you want more space per passenger or more cruises to choose from: it has 29.1 gross tons per passenger (vs 20.4) and it has 24 cruises on sale (vs none).

Sapphire does not lead by a clear margin on any measure we track, so pick it for its itinerary or its dates.

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

National Geographic QuestSapphire
Cruise line Lindblad Expeditions Tauck River Cruises
Ship size Intimate Intimate
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2005 2008 (better)
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted 2017 2017
Gross tonnage 2,906 2,000
Passengers 100 98
Crew 35 36
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 2.9 2.7 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 29.1 (better) 20.4
Decks 4 4
Length 238 ft 361 ft
Beam 45 ft 37 ft
Speed 14 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 8 / 10 9 / 10 (better)
Cruises on sale 24
Upcoming sailings 102
Cruise lengths 4–13 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $3,200

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday.

Sapphire has no Bliss scores yet.

  • Active National Geographic Quest: 10.0
  • Adventure & nature National Geographic Quest: 10.0
  • Cultural National Geographic Quest: 7.0
  • Dining National Geographic Quest: 5.0
  • Entertainment National Geographic Quest: 5.0
  • Family friendly National Geographic Quest: 6.0
  • Party National Geographic Quest: 5.0
  • Romantic National Geographic Quest: 7.0
  • Spa & fitness National Geographic Quest: 5.0
  • Staterooms National Geographic Quest: 5.0

Tauck River Cruises

Sapphire

The river cruise ship ms Sapphire from Tauck glitters along the waters of the River Seine as it explores France's from its rural villages to Normandy’s beaches and Monet’s Giverny.

Questions

National Geographic Quest or Sapphire?

Which is bigger, National Geographic Quest or Sapphire?

National Geographic Quest is bigger at 2,906 gross tons, against 2,000 gross tons for Sapphire. National Geographic Quest carries 100 passengers and Sapphire carries 98.

Which ship is newer, National Geographic Quest or Sapphire?

Sapphire is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2008 against 2005 for National Geographic Quest.

Which has more space per passenger?

National Geographic Quest, with 29.1 gross tons per passenger against 20.4 on Sapphire. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Sapphire, with one crew member for every 2.7 passengers against one for every 2.9 on National Geographic Quest.

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