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!
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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.

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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

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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.

Hello    
 
My husband and I just returned from a cruise on the River Empress from AMS/FRA.  It was probably one of the best vacations ever...and we'd go again...but for a longer trip.
 
We have been on many cruises..this was our first river cruise...I have to tell you that your Cruise Director, Rik, was the best we have ever dealt with.  He was great...never saw his roll his eyes with a sometimes difficult "older" crowd.  Luccia,. the Hotel Director, was also excellent.
 
We are most interested in the upcoming cruise to include the ... Flora Gala expo in AMS...Rik told us the info not out yet, but please keep us on the list.
 
Thank you for the trip of a lifetime.
 
Pam and Denny Schulstad
Edina, MN

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First, and far most, I want to THANK my Reservation lady, Annette Pesa for arranging a cake for my daughter’s birthday aboard ship the second night (happened to be the Captain’s Dinner at his Table).  The best present my daughter has ever had, so she said.  Outstanding, Annette, the presentation was great, cake was light and hit the spot.  Thank you, again, for all your hard work and time.  It was appreciated.

 

 

I’ve sailed on big ships and one other river cruise which did spoil ... me, but this trip takes the CAKE.  We were treated like Royalty in every sense of the word.  The ship was breath taking, the staff was at your beck and call and always eager to please you.  Yes, the staff would go that extra mile out of their way to assist or please you.  No request to large or small—they handled it all with a smile and a happy voice.  The food was outstanding and the wait staff was always ready to fill a glass or to see if you required something special to drink or eat.  You always felt welcome and at ease with any request you might have.   I took my own brand of coffee and requested a pot of water the first morning, didn’t have to request a pot of water afterwards they always brought it to me without my asking for it.  Shows how they pay attention to the guests and their needs.

 

 

Our room was continuously clean and ready to accept us when we arrived.  I have to admit that on one occasion, bad me, I flooded the bathroom.  It was reported immediately and before we could get seated on the couch there was a knock on the door and before he could get to the bathroom door another knock on the door—it was a maintenance man with a water-vac to clean up.  Next thing we had four (4) men working to clean up my mess.  It seems the door got out of adjustment and that caused the mess.  It was fixed immediately.  I really couldn’t figure out why when prior nights I had no problem at all then all of a sudden it floods.  They had it cleaned up in no time.

 

 

Sorry, Annette, I just can’t think of all the great things to say about the SS Antoinette or her staff.  Just wish everyone I know could make their next trip on that boat, because they would never stop talking about it or the people.  I know they would enjoy it because you just can’t help it.  I’m already trying to see when my daughter finishes school, so I can book our next trip on one of your other boats.  I can honestly say, “ UNIWORLD” has me not wanting to go if your boats do not go to that particular place.

 

 

I did mention I had been on another river cruise prior to this and it was on the River Queen.  That ship did spoil me to doing another river cruise which to me is really the only way to travel.  You feel like a family traveling together not a bunch of strangers.  That trip was really good and special things did happen, people were fantastic and it was relaxing the way it should be.  Since I’ve been on that ship it has been completely updated and the pictures look great.  In fact, my daughter and I have been thinking about doing another one on her soon.

 

 

Thank you,

Ann Dowdy

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We just returned from the most marvelous vacation on the Rhine river! Our week on the SS Antoinette exceeded our expectations. The ship is fantastic and the entire crew was professional, friendly and very well trained. The food was varied and delicious. The excursions were well planned and our guides very informative. We were blessed with outstanding weather which just added to the overall experience.

 

Lastly, thanks for the stateroom upgrade that you provided to both ourselves and the Palmquist party. The staterooms were beautiful. Your team is to ... be congratulated for the design of this supership. We have sung the praise of Uniworld to our friends and neighbors and already are planning our next cruise.

 

Best regards,

 

Jim & Dolores Flashman

 

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I can only give the highest of accolades about our river cruise through Burgundy and Provence trip this past month! This was our first cruise of this type and with Uniworld to celebrate a milestone anniversary and all our expectations were far exceeded! The transfers, the crew, the decor, the epicurean meals, the tours, the tour guides - everything - was first class all the way and has given us forever memories. Eric, A.J., Jeanette (our tour guide)and especially servers like Tibor, Tobor made our trip so enjoyable and fun. Thank you Uniworld and we'll see you next year - ... along with some friends - for a different itinerary and we can hardly wait to go again! Read More...