This is the first trip I have taken abroad by myself.....not to worry. A Uniworld rep was at the airport to meet our scheduled transfer group when we landed. Everything went as planned. We met our lovely Cruise Manager, Mirela, at the hotel "meet and greet" session that evening. She was always cheerful, helpful and within easy accessibility. Our hotel, Crowne Plaza, was nice and served a lovely buffet breakfast each morning. On the 4th day we made our coach departure for the Istanbul airport without a hitch, and flew to Bucharest. All of our tours ... and meals, on and off the boat were fantastic with soft drinks, wine and beer offered during lunch and dinner. Our Cruise Manager spoke several languages fluently, and the local guides spoke very good English also. The tour transportation was always above expectations. After the initial shock when I entered the small stateroom, (really glad my husband didn't go with me!), I settled into a very comfortable room, with nice amentities....they know how to make the most of a small area. I was glad I had booked a room with a french balcony. Each morning I was able to slide the door back and enjoy the lovely and interesting views from my room. Until the last two hours of my stay in Vienna, the tour was perfect. The only "hiccup" was the transfer to the Vienna airport. The Cruise Manager told us there was airport construction and the driver for our van would assist us once we arrived at the airport... Wrong! He let all of us off at Terminal I and my departure was from Terminal 3. Not only did I have to find my way to my departure Terminal, (and it was lovely when I couldn't speak the language!) I had to carry my luggage down a flight of steps, as there wasn't an elevator or escalator. Would I take another Uniworld River Cruise.....ABSOLUTELY! Have I recommended Uniworld to friends since my return? ABSOLUTELY! Read More...

This cruise was our first river cruise, and we rate it a "5+ star" in all major categories. Even better than most of the "ocean" cruises we have taken. The staff were extremely friendly, courteous and always there to help. Our cruise director Gabrielle was totally awesome and ought to be on stage (in fact I heard at the end of our cruise that this is exactly what she will be doing)! 

We were certainly pleased with the luxury and comfort of our cabin, as well as the lounge and dining room. Our room steward, Csaba, was especially wonderful and took ... great care of us, often with a lot of patience. The food was "5 Star" at every meal, and the dinners were always delicious and well-presented. They offered a wonderfully diverse and delicious selection, especially at the daily lunch buffet. The dessert chef truly outdid herself! Our waitstaff were fantastic to a person--always attentive, polite, and very friendly. The wine selection was superb (this coming from a native of Napa California!), and the quality of wine served was only surpassed by the skill and panache of the wine steward Nicholas. Our glass never seemed to run dry.

The top deck was a bit sparse, but no loss as we seldom had the opportunity to use it, as were too busy exploring the local towns and villages at each stop along the way (or the lounge prior to dinner). We would recommend this cruise to anyone except those wishing to travel with teenage children or younger--they'd be totally bored. Uniworld is a wee bit more pricey than some other popular lines, but several of our travelling companions commented on "you really get what you pay for" and that Uniworld was worth the extra cost. 

We had been to France in the past, but this was our first time to explore the Burgundy & Provence regions. Travelling via the River Royale is certainly the way to go, and we especially enjoyed our four days in Aix-en-Provence on our own prior to boarding in Arles. Our biggest & warmest "thank you" and a bigger Merci, a bientot! to the entire crew!

Read More...

Just returned from a most wonderful adventure on the River Victoria. Although future travelers are warned that the ship is not owned by Uniworld and may not have all the expected amenities, we found her to be almost as wonderful as the fabulous River Beatrice, which we enjoyed on the Danube in 2010.

The ship is fresh and clean. We walked through several other river ships (all apparently made by the same company) when we were double or triple docked, and the Victoria is without doubt the most attractive of all the ships we saw. The ... dining room is larger than it looks on Uniworld's slides. The beds are really comfortable.
We had a balcony, which we used frequently as the sun didn't set until 11 PM.

The ship's all-Russian staff is friendly and eager to please. The itinerary is fabulous, from three very busy days in Moscow and in St. Petersburg to peaceful, relaxed cruising on the canals, rivers and lakes between the two cities. This cruise probably has the most time devoted to cruising day and night of all the river cruises due to the distance between the two cities. If you like a very active day every day and entertainment at night, this may not be the cruise for you. If you'd like to watch beautiful and historic scenery pass by and enjoy visits to places not seen on most land tours, plus of course the two fascinating cities, you'll love this cruise. Read More...

We have taken tours and had a nice time but never given a review.I feel this cruise deserves one.It was wonderful from the pre tour in Budapest(Hotel perfect, Our host guide "ROMALOFF" the best,city tour was good .Dinner and show a must to book)to the boat.Check in and check out was ordely and no hassle . The room, the service,and the food all perfect.If you wanted something all you have to do is asked and it is done. The only thing some of the paid tours were so so.The Artists village= jewery store stop not ... my thing.Bratislava tour was very good but dinner was not. We missed the classical music which we heard was wonderful.In Saizburg for lunch go to the top of Mirabell castle,the view is something to see.The tours were very organized and very informative.We did the post tour in Prague and the hotel was wonderful. Not too much for tours we were on our own most of the time we were spoiled by Romaloff in Budapest
We are looking forward to booking another cruise with UNIWORLD Read More...

I wonder who's in cabin 315 now.

On April 19, 2012 we departed Los Angeles International Airport for Budapest via Heathrow Airport in England. We were excited because this was to be our first river cruise, though we had enjoyed ocean cruising prior to this. My wife Rosalie was having a "big" birthday and always wanted a river cruise and loved a previous trip to Budapest. So naturally, a river cruise from Budapest to Passau on the Danube would be just the thing.

My Internet research indicated that the highest rated Danube river ... cruise was with a company called Uniworld so I booked a reservation on one of their highest rated ships, the River Beatrice. With great anticipation, we planned, packed and were on our way.

We arrived at the Budapest airport Friday evening, April 20th. Through Uniworld we had planned a pre-cruise day at the beginning of our trip but were unsure of our transportation needs at our arrival. We were pleasantly surprised to see Adam standing on the arrival ramp waiving a sign with our name on it after we cleared immigration. He gathered up our luggage, placed it in a modern van and we were on our way. Uniworld had made reservations for us at the Budapest Hilton. Upon arrival there, we signed in and were escorted to our room. The next two mornings we enjoyed complimentary breakfasts at the Hilton arranged by Uniworld.

The next day, Saturday the 21st, we chose to be on our own even though Romulus, the Uniworld local host in the hotel, had arranged a tour of the city for us and any others staying at the Hilton. We declined, not particularly caring for the 0815 tour departure, having arrived tired after approximately twelve hours enroute from Los Angeles.

We had a wonderful day wandering around Budapest, taking pictures and ending up for dinner at Fatal, a restaurant we remembered from our previous trip twelve years earlier. Returning to the Hilton, Romulus gave us the schedule for the next day, Sunday the 22nd; when to check out and how to leave our luggage in our rooms for the Uniworld crew to retrieve and place in the van that would take us to the River Beatrice. Rosalie and I thought this was a nice touch on the official start of our cruise.

On Sunday, April 22, we boarded the River Beatrice and were shown to our cabin, number 315 on the main deck. The River Beatrice registration procedure was flawless and pleasant and we were impressed by the beauty of the vessel. Our cabin, though "snug", was perfect with large sliding doors to a river view and a queen size bed that we found to be very comfortable. The cabin air conditioning was adjustable and the bathroom, " the head," was well appointed with ample counter space and a nice shower stall. Incidentally, the towels were monogrammed and luxurious. We had our first dinner aboard that evening.

We spent the next day in Budapest after our first night on the River Beatrice. Monday morning again we decided to do some touring on our own. Uniworld had arranged for a river shuttle boat to take any of us from our mooring on the Pest side of the Danube over to the Buda side. We took the shuttle, docked on the other side and walked a short distance to the famous Budapest Market, a very large two story building with food stalls on the main floor and gift stalls on the upper balcony. What fun. Rosalie bought Hungarian paprika in two decorative ceramic containers, our only purchase. She wanted these because we didn't purchase them on our last visit to Budapest. We walked back to the shuttle, which ran every hour, and rode back to the River Beatrice where we had lunch onboard.

Our meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the beautifully appointed comfortable dining room. This main dining room had many tables, some round seating eight and some straight seating either eight or ten. Breakfast and lunch each day were buffet style with a wide selection of dishes both hot and cold and delicious. And, additionally, a wide selection of desserts, wickedly sweet and delicious. How tempting and, of course, we tried out many of them. Complimentary wine and beer was available at lunch and dinner. The dinner menu featured dishes of the areas we visited each day - goulash while in Budapest, etc. Coffee was served by the friendly, courteous and helpful staff and, caffeinated or decaffeinated, was served in insulated Bodum French coffee presses. What a nice touch and what a way to keep the coffee hot and delicious.

The Chief Steward must be complimented for his staff, all English speaking though mostly of Eastern European heritage. In particular I became infatuated with Sandra, one of our servers, a twenty-eight year old college graduate with a degree in hospitality management who soon will move to the reception desk in a new position on the vessel. Incidentally, only on two occasions did the dinner dress call for sport coats with or without a tie. Otherwise it was shipboard casual with many of us in jeans and sport shirts. Yes, I did pack a sport coat which immediately we hung in the spacious closet to hang out the wrinkles.

Once underway, we settled into a routine. Sumptuous breakfast buffet followed by either a bus or walking tour of the current city. Christine, the onboard excursion manager did a fantastic job of gathering us all up, sorted us into the correct buses or walking groups and assigning English speaking guides. We got used to following a guide holding up a large number sign that denoted our particular group. Lots of fun and we saw and learned a lot. Again, Uniworld is to be congratulated on how they conducted these various tours. The venues they chose were outstanding, many of unbelievable magnificence; churches and monasteries that appeared as if constructed of solid gold. Amazing. And while underway on the Danube we were treated to ever more amazing scenery as we sailed past story book village after story book village with castles and churches that looked out of the middle ages even though many were reconstructed and new.

In Vienna, Rosalie and I made a solitary pilgrimage to the Vienna Opera House, a magnificent structure and a dream visit for us as long time opera buffs. It literally brought tears to my eyes as we visited the inside lobby. I couldn't help but picture in my mind the tuxedoed burghers and bejeweled matrons of past decades ascending the formal stairway to hear the magnificent voices and spectacular music of past performances. Unfortunately that day the normal tour was not available but we were allowed by the Opera House ticket seller to take pictures even though ropes held us back from going up the stairs. We then visited the outside and around the corner Opera House bookstore. And we spent; a shoulder bag emblazoned with "Vienna Opera House" for Rosalie to flaunt back home to show we were there and some books, in German, picturing the insides of the Opera House and Natalie Dessau performing La Traviata there. We hated to leave this heart rending structure, but it became time to catch up with the tour bus and get back to the vessel.

I should mention that when leaving the vessel, we turned in our room keys and, for security, were given numbered shore passes. Upon returning, Jan, the vessel hotel manager, who is in charge of the hotel crew, would greet us, show us bowls of sweets, have us use a hand purifier that they use to keep outside viruses from coming aboard and guide us to the reception desk where Tanya or Martin would exchange the shore passes for our room keys. Additionally, this gave the desk a method to see if everyone had returned. We also were greeted with iced tea or soft drinks as we returned aboard from our excursions.

I also must say that the Reception Desk crew, Tanya, Martin and others, throughout our cruise, were extremely helpful. Martin, in particular, was the "go to person" for any wi-fi, iPad or laptop problem. The vessel had free wi-fi, mainly in the forward lounge, but, alas, was connected to the Internet via a satellite, after all, the vessel was cruising the Danube and not connected to shore. Vessel Satellite Internet is not configured for one-hundred plus people trying to connect at the same time on their iPads, laptops or assorted other devices. Usually we could download email but were unable to send messages. Such is life!

The River Beatrice also provided "low key" entertainment on occasion in the lounge. A piano player and local musicians presented short entertainment that was fun but not intrusive. This was a river cruise, not a large cruise ship with elaborate presentations. Very appropriate for us guests that spent each day on marvelous shore excursions and enjoyed a relaxing time in the lounge to meet with other passengers who became new friends.

Finally I must mention that our fellow cruisers were a nicely mixed lot and at no time did I feel out of place or uncomfortable. There was a nice mixture of gray and not yet gray hair with seniors like ourselves and younger people but no young children. Over all the experience was more than outstanding.

One unique experience I should mention was that as a retired officer in the United States Merchant Marine, I was allowed to visit the wheelhouse of the vessel while we were underway. I watched the Assistant Captain control the vessel with just slight hand movements on joy-stick like controls. Wonderfully modern on this vessel whose ships' bell indicated 2009 as the commissioning date.

If it were possible to rate Uniworld and the River Beatrice with more than five stars, definitely I would. And Rosalie and I hope to take another cruise with Uniworld in the future.









Read More...

I traveled solo on the River Royale through Provence and Burgundy from April 29-May 6, 2012 and couldn't have enjoyed myself more. I am sold on Uniworld and river cruising. I kept a blog during the trip; if you are interested in reading about the shore excursions, meals, and my impressions, go to http://www.riverroyale.weebly.com. I also wrote a five-star critique on cruisecritic.com but it's a bit repetitive with the blog. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=102349 This was truly a trip to remember.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Cruise. The staff was very friendly and they covered a lot of locations. The food was simply marvelous!

We recently returned from Gems of Germany, Belgium & the Netherlands w/2012 Floriade. This being our 2nd cruise with Uniworld, we were generally pleased, especially with the ship's staff and the quality of the food. We just had a few issues:

Our flight arrived at 6:05 AM. We had requested early check-in, but were told when we boarded the ship that our cabin would not be available until 3PM. We were extremely tired, and I wasn't feeling well from the fatigue. After much pleading with the reception staff, they agreed to speak with the ... hotel manager, Celina. She agreed to make an exception to the rules and arranged to have our cabin available by 10:30 AM. This was greatly appreciated. My advice is if you have to arrive that early, arrive the previous day and book a hotel for 1 night. Hotels are more likely to have early check-in than the cruise ship.

Also, as I noted last year, some of the local guides did not allow sufficient free time. In Antwerp, our guide spent so much time in the cathedral that we had no free time to shop or enjoy this beautiful city. Uniworld should assure that guests have a minumum of 45 minutes of free time for all tours.

Finally, I am allergic to fish & seafood, and on this cruise, there was an abundance of fish on the menu. However, Zhivko, the restaurant manager, spoke to me personally about my allergy. The wait staff always made sure that suitable food was available.

In spite of these minor problems, I would still consider Uniworld for future river cruises. Read More...

Just returned from this cruise & tour and we miss everyone onboard already.
Everything was amazing...from the tours to the cruise, staff, food, ship and especially the new friends that we made.
We would highly recommend this trip to anyone especially with the extended 3 days in Lisbon.

I took my 88-year old mother, Millie, on her first trip to Europe last Spring on the River Beatrice. She had the time of her life. The staff and crew were amazing - they called her "Madame Amelia" which she loved to no end. Our fellow passengers were fascinating, and she made new friends and loved every minute of the trip.

Mom passed away last week, and I can honestly say that this trip was one of the highlights of her life. Thanks to Uniworld and the staff of the River Beatrice for giving her, and me, one of ... the most memorable trips ever. Read More...

this was our first river trip, we went with another couple and were pleased with everthing...the river beatrice was beautiful, the staff exceptional, the food was gourmet and the captain was a sweetheart. our husbands loved the fact that they could bike and my friend and I cuuld shop. we are planning on another trip since we so enjoyed our first.

April was beautiful and the tulips in bloom, had alot of fun. Wonderful service and food. Would take the same trip again just to see the windmills. Nice beautiful room upgraded to category 2 Room 312 was very nice, but expensive. Great big window to look out at the views while getting ready. I wasnt in my room much except to sleep and shower so i would pay less next time and go down a category like category 4 which has a water level view and smaller. Just make sure your room isnt next to an elevator or laundry or ... engine. Could be noisy, unless u bring a small fan or white noise device to drown out the noise. I would give the cruise an A+ everything went very smoothly never had to wait around for anything and the game room library we painted in watercolors, played scrabble, dominos, cards, great fun. Work out room gym great and for early risers coffee and croissants. Read More...

My partner and I recently experienced our first river cruise last month on River Royale through Burgundy and Provence. A fabulous trip and kudos to the fantastic crew and the wonderful guides who together helped make it so special. To view my blog with commentary, photos, video interviews with Captain Emanuel, cruise manager Emmanuelle, hotel manager Eric and more, visit garythetravelexpert.blogspot.com

Having recently returned from another great holiday cruise aboard a Uniworld ship, we are compelled to express our delight and overly met expectations for the second year in a row. We very much appreciate the attention to detail and caring nature of the entire staff. We look forward to more river cruising in the years to come.

Gail and John Ogden

On the River Countess on December 22, 2009, was a trip of a life time. From the moment we boarded in Nuremberg until we debarked in Budapest it met and exceeded our expectations. While we weren't blessed with snow, it was a fairytale Christmas experience, Christmas eve in Regensburg cathedral, with the choir singing silent night at midnight, brought tears to everyone, a cocktail hour with the Princess brought history to reality, the grand New Years eve gala could not have been recreated by a Hollywood set. It makes it sound like we didn't enjoy the ship and ... crew, far from it, the above included excursions set this cruise line head and shoulders above other river cruises. The stateroom was comfortable, the staff attentive, the itinerary exceptional. The food and dining staff were far better than the other rivership company we traveled on one year later. Marcus our cruise director kept us busy and informed. Even with the beginning of the trip and weather situations, the Captain and Julie the Hotel manager were actually running back with a car to various airports to get lost luggage for passengers. Uniworld goes the extra mile, it is a top class organization. Keep up the good work. We plan to revisit this tour again in December 2012. Read More...

I was on the River Beatrice in August, 2011. What a wonderful time. I travelled alone but never felt lonely. Everyone was great. Now if Uniworld could only get some single guys to go on my next trip (Leaving April 8 from Brussels) I would be eternally grateful.

Janet

I was on the 3rd of the River Antoinette's cruises on Castles on the Rhine when I had a bad fall in Strasburg. The staff were magnificent, I was looked after from the time I fell, through the ambulance trip and through the hospital (I didn't speak German). Each day thereafter until I left hospital (5 days later) they rang the hospital to ask how I was going and whether they could help. My husband left my jewellery behind when he hurriedly packed up my things (with the help of a kind steward) and when I realised ... a week later that it was missing, rang the boat and they had them in safekeeping and sent them registered mail straight home to Australia.

From Amsterdam to my early departure in Kehl/Strasburg, I had a wonderful time, the cruise was magnificent and the whole trip met my expectations and more. Would have loved it to end on a better note but it is in times of adversity that you find out how good the staff are - and they were magnificent. Read More...

My husband and I wanted to write and tell you what a first rate job Hubert did as our Tour/Cruise Manager. (We were booked on the Grand China and the Yangtze, Sept. 19 - Oct. 6, 2011. Our booking number was 416918.) Hubert was well organized, well informed and took expert care of troublesome chores...like having our luggage checked at the airports and having it arrive in our assigned hotel rooms. His guidance certainly made for less worry on our part so we could concentrate on more fun things with our tour mates. We know ... that one of his goals was to give us a better understanding of the Chinese Culture and he did that with ease. We felt fortunate to have Hubert guiding us. He was exceptional!
Read More...

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...

I love the River Countess. The staff is top notch!!! The food was excellent. The views on the river was amazing!!! A great trip trip to take, I recommend this cruise to everyone!

My wife and I just returned from our 12 day cruise on the Uniworld River Queen. We took the Legendary Rhine and Moselle trip from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam. This was our second cruise with Uniworld and third river cruise overall. As with everything at Uniworld, it was the tops in service, accommodations and dining. The included tours were very good and covered all of the important points of interest, but we were given plenty of free time to explore on our own. These small French and German villages along the Rhine and Moselle are best when you are able ... to meander through the streets by yourself or with another couple that you met while on board.
The friendships we made on this cruise will be remembered all our lives. The fun and companionship we shared made the trip even more special.
You are treated like a guest in someones home and the casual elegance is unmatched. A great trip and we will certainly think of Uniworld first on our next holiday. Read More...

S.S. Antoinette July 2011- Basel to Amsterdam

My wife and I had long been tempted to try river cruising. We kept it as a backup idea mainly because we thought it was more expensive than ocean cruising for a trip of the same duration. This year we were tempted no more and took the plunge. An airfare discount was part of the incentive and did the trick to get me to book “Castles on the Rhine” aboard Uniworld’s S.S. Antoinette.

Our expectations were exceeded for service, food, itinerary and atmosphere. Our only regret is our cabin was ... small, we booked late and upper deck cabin were not available, so we took a water line cabin. The cabin did fit us and all of our stuff so I do not regard the cabin as a detriment. It does bring up the advice to book and get a upper deck cabin, the S.S. Antoinette is new for 2011 and the boat is comfortable and tastefully decorated. There is a lounge with views on both sides, a dining room, and a top deck dining room ad a separate lounge. The Antoinette even has a pool, no Olympic venue but sizable for a boat that is only 36 feet wide.

My unease and perception at cost difference between Ocean ships versus River boats was resolved when I realized that 1 excursion per port was included as well as included wine beer or soft drinks at dinner. The dinner waiter was very dedicated to keeping my glass full. The meals were good of high quality with larger than expected portions. This was no “scale model food” involved.

The crew was fabulous from the stateroom attendants, front desk staff, waitstaff to the Captains (Capts Peter and Freddy). All were professional and focused on the guests. My highest praise goes to our cruise manager, Christine. She was always around when we were touring, open to questions or just conversations. She demonstrated resourcefulness on the morning of day#5, just as the boat was about to pull out of Rudesheim, we got word that no movement was allowed because of a bad barge accident further up river. Within one hour Christine arranged for busses to take us up to our next port at Koblenz and the optional excursion to Marksburg Castle. Since the busses could not be in Rudesheim until the afternoon, she also arranged for complementary morning activities.

As an experienced Ocean cruiser I, found that this river cruise was better than the large ship ocean cruise I have been on. Rather than being 1 passenger in 1600, you are 1 in 140. You can get to know everybody on the boat and there is an intimacy that you can’t get on a mega-ship. True there won’t be a broadway-style show in the front of the ship, you may have to be happy with a piano player and a singer, but the absence of lines and crowds more than make up for the absence of the glitz. Read More...

We have just returned to the UK from our Vienna to Amsterdam cruise. We enjoyed it so much.

As very experienced river cruisers,....we first discovered river cruising in 2000!!... we have travelled with many cruise specialists. However, we have never experienced the level of service and quality food that we did on the River Countess. This is surely due to the professionalism of Hotel Manager Julie and her entire team. WE made some lovely friends and look forward to travelling with Uniworld again and regularly in the near future. They really could not have been better.

Thank ... you, Uniworld!!!

Toni and Edwin Fine, London, England Read More...

Hi there, just wanted to tell you what a wonderful holiday we had from May 21-June 7 of this year. Our Travel Agent Tom did all the bookings for us, we chose European Jewels with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, it was fantastic, we flew Vancouver, B.C. Canada with KLM Airlines to Amsterdam, met by a Rep. from Uniworld & taken to our ship "The River Empress" where a lovely brunch/lunch was awaiting us. The Cruise Manager Monika, Hotel Manager Jerry all the Staff were so friendly, accommodating, everything was so well organized. Our Stateroom was great the Food that was ... prepared everyday was good. We Thoroughly enjoyed all the Ports of Call, my 1st trip to Europe, Cruise the Rhine, seeing all the Castles, Germany with so many Roman Ruins, cobblestone streets, palaces, Vienna, Budapest, wow it was a Dream come true for my Husband and myself, one of the best Holidays we have taken and we love to travel. We also booked the extended days in Budapest and was amazed at our Hotel The Corinthian Royal, 5 star and it certainly was in every way, from our rooms to service to the food to the pool/spa. We have been on 3 trips with the larger ships and we could not have asked for anything better. In Budapest we also booked a Hungarian Dinner with the Gypsies, taken by coach and we also did some sightseeing. Again the guide was great and we really enjoyed this.  I also want to mention that we really enjoyed the smaller ship as you get to know your fellow passengers, the only way to travel from now on.

Every tour was so well organized with guides waiting for us, we were so surprised that between the two of us we took about 1500 photos, thanks goodness for digital cameras.

At the end of our trip we were asked to fill a survey, well what could we say we could not find one thing to complain about it was such a wonderful time for both of us. Thanks go out to all the Crew of the River Empress for being so outstanding we are now left with so many wonderful memories for Fantastic Trip along the Rhine, Main, Danube.

Read More...

It has always been an ambition to see the Iron Gates of the Danube, and Vienna and Istanbul are two of our favourite cities, so when I saw the Imperial Capitals of Europe cruise advertised, we decided this might be the one for us. It was a decision we will never regret, that led to a memory which will remain with us for the rest of our lives. The whole experience was fantastic, from the home pickup to being delivered back after the cruise. I cannot find enough superlatives to describe the boat, the crew, the accommodation (although understandably a ... little cramped), the food and the magnificent organisation, Above all we will always remember the friendly attitude and superb service provided by all the staff, even in difficult circumstances. As a Yorkshireman I have always had an ambivalent attitude to tipping, especially to being told exactly how much I should tip, but I had no difficulty in overcoming my natural aversion in view of the excellent service provided. When the boat’s engine gave up the ghost towards the end of the cruise, we thought things would get worse, but this proved not to be the case. Thanks to some inspired organisation and planning, an alternative programme was implemented that did not detract from the overall experience and resulted in a stay at one of Europe’s best hotels in Bucharest. (Thanks to Bart, our tour manager, for this and his efficient organisation throughout the trip). On top of all this, Uniworld offered us a generous credit of $500 each towards our next trip. We will find no difficulty in accepting their kind offer next year. Our thanks to everyone concerned in giving us such a memorable and enjoyable holiday. Read More...

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the River Countess in July 2011. The food was fabulous. We enjoyed trying new dishes. The fruit was plentiful and fresh. The sauces were wonderful. The meats cooked to perfection. The cruise director - Mirela Varga - was outstanding. She genuinely cared about each guest and did her utmost to accomodate every need. When an optional tour didn't have enough requests to be viable, she found a way for the interested people to get to the destination on their own. When we ... couldn't find a particular store we were looking for, she walked us down the street to the location. The rooms were comfortable. The showers were more than adequate with good water flow and plenty of hot water. We were particularly impressed with the fact that the ship was not looking for extra ways to charge us fees. We had all the water we wanted in our room for free. We had snacks between meals for free. We had soft drinks at lunch and dinner for free. They even handed out umbrellas for us to use for free when it rained. The crew went out of their way to make every guest feel welcome and cared about. The daily tours were well planned. We particularly enjoyed the wine tasting in the wine cellars of Wurzburg, the gondola ride in Rudesheim, the organ concert in Passua, the castle ruins in Heidelberg, and the Document Center in Nuremberg. The only disappointing day was in Deggendorf. The ride through the Black Forest was not a "carriage"; it was a wagon and the ride went mostly through some farm fields with only a few minutes in the forest. And the glass factory was not in operation.

All in all, it was a restful, interesting, and enjoyable vacation. 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...

We recently enjoyed a wonderful 15 day cruise on the River Empress from Budapest to Amsterdam, which began on the 8th May.

The cruise was the most enjoyable holiday we have ever had.

The staff from the Captain down could not do enough to make everything run smoothly.

We would like to thank all the staff for such a pleasant trip. Could you please pass on our thanks to Captain Bot, Cruise Manager Monica and Hotel Manager Lucia.

We will certainly recommend Uniworld to our friends.

Regards

Jim and Jan Doyle

Now that we are finally back and "sort of" in a routine again, we would like to take this time to thank your whole team for putting together such a wonderful, educational trip!!!  We were so happy with the Ship, River Duchess, AND her staff.....everything was first class the whole way!

I was particularly impressed with the way my allergy to garlic was handled, no cruise before has held a candle to the service your team provided!  Chef Orlando was most gracious, making all my food just as special as everyone else's, and I had not one problem the whole trip.  Thanks ... goes also to our table waiter, "Vinni" as we called him, he was an absolute charm!  The whole staff felt like family, from the engine room to the wheel house, it was a wonderful, wonderful experience!  We have absolutely NO negatives about the trip at all, from the minute we arrived at the dock in Amsterdam to the time we disembarked in Vienna!  We can not see anything we would change other than the fact we wish now we had gone the whole way to the Black Sea!!!! We just can not say enough, we are most certainly going to book another cruise with Uniworld, and would have done it from the ship but, have friends who want to do a trip too (actually they are the ones who had to cancel because of an unfortunate fall)  We need to consult with them of course to make this perfect for all of us.

We certainly hope the tips we left got to all the very deserving staff! 

Looking forward to sailing down another river with Uniworld soon!  Thank you so much for making it such an exciting experience.

Sincerely 

Lynne and Dave Gregory

Read More...

We just finished a multi-generational trip with our twin 11-year old girls and had a wonderful experience. They made friends on board and had a lot of fun on the guided tours. Having a designated "family" tour group was a wonderful idea. The tour guides had kid-friendly fun facts as well.

Although the kids did not start using the kids' room right away, it became their meeting place for fun - it was their "club" room.

As for our experience as parents - in one word, "pampered".

Thanks to the crew.