Our Grand France trip on Uniworld in August was 5-star. Both the River Baroness and River Royale exceeded our expectations.
The trip began in Paris, which was the least of our favorite due to the large number of tourists, pick-pocketers and an environment lacking authentic French culture. Paris today doesn’t compare to how we remembered it from our first visit 10 years ago.
The Baroness welcomed us with a lovely lunch, after which we were led to our 1st class cabin draped in fine fabric and offering a luxury bed, refurbished bathrooms, luxury bath robes and toiletries.
Our tour director ... for the entirety of the trip was Alexandra – she was very knowledgeable and well-organized, as well as willing to accommodate all of interests in local history.
The ship’s restaurant offered open-seating, allowing us to socialize with others and make friends right away. Of course there is the option of keeping to yourself, but this seems less fun. All of the waiters were very hard-working and provided attention to all of our needs.
We would like to thank Vasil and Violetta on the Baroness, as both made every meal so special for us. We would also like to thank Georgiev on River Royal, who served us wonderful meals with a smile, even through the pain of his injured foot.
Another thank-you goes to our wonderful chef Carlos Benedito - for all the lamb, fish, and escargot prepared in a small hot kitchen. You name it, he had it. Carlos was always interested in our approval and criticism and was attentive to our food restrictions. Merci beaucoup, Carlos.
The scenery and little towns were amazing, as were the bigger cities like Roeun, Lyon, Avignon. Our visit to the Normandy beaches was very special, as was Alexandra’s presentation and explanation of the history.
Entertainment on the ship was very relaxing – it included a piano player, invited performers, a French-singing couple and violinist.
The local guides were very knowledgeable: Christian and Laurent, to name just a couple, exposed us to so much history and local flavors. We found Quietvox to be very helpful, especially when taking 1,000 pictures and at the same time listening to the presentation.
We went on 4 optional trips: to the Cider farm and Versailles in the north, and to the truffle and olive farms in the south. All were very interesting and special, and we would definitely recommend them.
We met a lot of great people from Australia, the US, Israel, England, Taiwan, Hong Kong and France, not to mention our waiters who were from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and other Eastern European countries.
We also would like to thank our hospitality directors Georgina on Baroness and Eric on Royale for the smooth and personable service and great coordination of the staff. Eric – thank you for a wonderful gift shop.
We returned home reenergized, with many new experiences, new friends and the best memories in our hearts. Not to mention all the pictures we took along the way.
Thank you Uniworld for smooth sailing along the Seine, Saone and Rhone. We won’t forget this wonderful trip, which we took for our upcoming 30th Anniversary. Thank you for the celebration of my birthday, too, with the cake and warm wishes.
Merci beaucoup,
Alex and Elena. Read More...

We have returned from an exquisite Paris-Normandy experience. Uniworld provided Route Marine transfer from CDG: Our driver, Fabrice from was a delight and full of information. We were fortunate to have him drive us for all transfers on the trip; we were his only passengers in a new luxury vehicle. From the moment we boarded the River Baroness, greeted personally by Hotel Director, Sebastian, we were charmed by his effortless efficiency, patience, and supervision. Read More...

My experience on the Baroness in October was 4-Star. And especially stellar was the cuisine -- the creative genius of Chef Sousa and his staff.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! And keep up the good work --

(PS -- I plan to visit the Duoro region end of August, 2011 -- how about transferring Chef Sousa to that new vessel?)

I recently returned from a wonderful cruise with Uniworld. The staff was extremely skilled and attentive. We learned mid-cruise that many of our return flights to the US had been canceled due to the Iclandic volcano and the cruise manager along with the ship's crew went beyond the "call of duty" to arrange hotels, ground transportation and even help with airline re-bookings. They opened all internet and phone lines to us free of charge and even offered staterooms to anyone who wanted to repeat the trip at a very reasonable rate. I will definitely cruise with ... Uniworld again in the future. Read More...

My friend & I celebrated our 50th bday on this cruise, & had the best time ever. The service was exceptional the food was wonderful. Bike riding in these beautiful villages was breath taking. We especially appreciate Uniworld for accommodating us during the volcanic eruption & extra 7 day stay. Thank you to all the staff & crew for their great service, AJ.cruise manager, Krasin, Martijn, Mikoslav, & Martina to name a few they were all so very helpful! Sincerely, Eileen & Rebecca

When one thinks of a “Boutique” hotel, what comes to mind is small, intimate, well appointed, service oriented hotel.  All that and more was our experience on Uniworld.  It was certainly beyond our expectations and the personal touches were like the old golden days of cruising.  From beginning to end, the warmth and efficiency of the staff permeated the ship.  No wonder they call themselves the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. I would not hesitate to put my most discerning clients on their ships. 
Thank you for the fine adventure,
Stevie & Joe Friedman

Amazing trip. My mother-in-law and I had never been to the Normandy region of France. We fell in love with it. The battlefields at Normandy as well as the museum were overwhelming. Honfleur, Monet's Garden, and Versailles were breathtaking. And of course, Paris! The food and Uniworld staff were beyond our expectations. We have booked another cruise for 2010. This time we will be traveling on the Rhine.

Now that we are home and have had time to think back over our cruise, it was one of the most well-run, information packed cruise we have taken. Our first river cruise and hopefully NOT our last. Forget the big ocean liners, we really like the intimacy of the small groups. All the staff could not be more helpful. My husband has not traveled for the past two years due to back, hip and knee problems. The size of the boat, River Baroness, worked for him and he picked and chose his excursions ... and used a rollator. The cruise manager, bus driver and guides could not have been more encouraging for him and he came home with a vitality that I was so delighted to see. Thank you to all the wonderful crew and passengers on this particular sailing. We had a great time. Read More...

I wanted to tell you about the great experience we had on our recent Uniworld Cruise. It was the Grand France cruise that began for us in Paris on May 1. My wife had never been to France and I could think of no better way to thank her for thirty years of putting up with me than to try this river cruising experience. I admit it was a gamble. I did some research as a teacher would do and found your site. It contained a great combination of good scenery, relaxed yet informative locations, and an attention to details ... so I decided to book.

I must say the I was extremely pleased and satisfied with the experience. The cruise more than exceeded my expectations and my wife was absolutely enthralled by the entire experience. From the moment we landed in Paris to the departure from Marseille, the smile never left my face. The staff of both boats did their very best to make sure our stay was comfortable and friendly. I think you should continue the efforts you've made to keep the staff relaxed and friendly. On the cruise to Normandy our breakfasts and lunch were enhanced by the dining room "relaxed professionalism" of Miroslov who placed a turkey breast on my plate after I said I was hungry to which he responded "Not enough?"

On the "Epicurean" Cruise we were treated and pampered by waiters and waitresses like Zoltan, Anna, Daniella, and Luigi who who did a fantastic job day after day of providing impeccable service and enjoyable company. Zoltan and I (being the history teacher) quizzed each other daily on important historical events.
I'm sure I could go on and on ad nauseum but I wanted you to know that you and your staff provided a perfect anniversary to us and it was a five star hit. I'm sure you can't please everone but you sure did to us and our friends, the Sterns, the McGorrys, and Karen Deegan. We look forward to another cruise soon – we're now officially spoiled. Thank you so much and please convey our gratitude to the entire staff for a job well done.

Sincerely,

George and Bonnie O'Brien
Southport, North Carolina Read More...

We have just returned from the Grand France river cruises. We had a wonderful time and would like to compliment the staff of both ships, especially Martijn Karman, the restaurant manager on the River Baroness.
– Brian and Barbara O'Brien