Catching Up with Our Guests

One thing that has struck me time and time again during my time working at Uniworld is how deep and personal a connection many of our guests have to the brand. It makes me proud of what we do here and speaks to a central tenant of our philosophy: our guests are our family.

I found myself reflecting on that as we geared up to celebrate Uniworld’s 50th anniversary year. We have many guests who have been cruising with us for decades, and are, of course, always welcoming new ones into the family. Curious to hear firsthand what has forged that bond with our travelers over the years, and what draws new guests to Uniworld, I shipped myself out to Europe to talk to a few cruisers aboard their Belgian Holiday Markets and Magical Parisian Holiday cruises. Keep reading to hear what they had to say.

Donna Holmes
It was my pleasure to meet Donna on her very first Uniworld cruise, and she was “very excited about it.”

A few days into her trip, excitement turned into reality. As I was pleased to discover, we were exceeding her expectations. “How would I describe Uniworld?” she said, “Well, the way I’m going to be describing Uniworld to my friends is: ‘this is the one you want to take.” She made sure to call out the “fabulous food”—“the food is just so good” she gushed again later—and complimented our “incredible” bar selection.

A top consideration for her was how well the team onboard looks after every guest. “The crew makes me feel secure, which is a very good feeling.”

She also told me about friendships she’s already made with other guests, with whom they’ve been connecting for meals in the dining room and events in the lounge. "There's nobody who isn't nice,” she was pleased to say. “That’s been lovely.”

Joe & Theresa Divito
Joe and Theresa were such a wellspring of stories, told in such vivid detail, that I could have talked to them for hours. The pair were on their 6th cruise with Uniworld and were eager to tell me why they keep coming back to us, despite having tried other river cruise lines previously. “We had done another line,” Joe began, “and I thought this was really a great way to travel...” Later, a close friend invited Joe & Theresa to join them on a Uniworld cruise, claiming “it’s like a floating Ritz Carlton.” Turns out Joe agreed—“and it was! It was wonderful.” Suffice to say, they’ve stuck with Uniworld ever since.

What does “a floating Ritz Carlton” mean to the Divitos? “When we first entered the Antoinette, which was our first Uniworld cruise, and I saw a Murano chandelier hanging there in the middle of the lobby... it was like ‘I’m home’.” I remember thinking Theresa must have a lovely home.

“You’re immediately comfortable,” Joe agreed.

“Just beautiful, that’s what I would say,” Theresa later explained. “I like to be surrounded by beautiful things...” which is where Joe interrupted to tease her. “Like me?” he jested.

It’s also about the service: “The crew all pitch in and accommodate what you need.” They gave an example from their first cruise, when a bartender asked their favorite drinks and “the next day, they were waiting for us on the side of the bar. The day after that,” she continued, “they were waiting for us at the coffee table where they usually sat in the lounge.” The crew had even rearranged the seating the way they’d seen Joe & Theresa do to accommodate their large group of friends and had placed everyone’s favorite drinks in order of where they typically sat.

The food was worth a mention as well. Their answer to my inquiry about their favorite dish was an instant “the bread pudding!” from Joe, followed by an effusive “oh my gosh” from Theresa. Curious, I tried this bread pudding myself—and yes, it is that good.

Elaine Kirwin
This guest wasn’t sure how many times she’d cruised with us—if you’re reading this, Elaine, I’ve checked, and the answer is an impressive six cruises!—but did recall falling in love with our brand after her first cruise. Put simply: “it was a terrific experience.”

With a dry wit that added a good dose of laughter to my day, Elaine never wasted time getting right to the point. I wondered if she had any wishes for Uniworld’s next 50 years, to which she set us all bursting into laughter with a sarcastic “that I’m still alive.”

Jokes aside, she did have a great deal to say about the most memorable experience she had onshore: a visit to the Canadian memorial at the Normandy Beaches in France. “It was absolutely the most mind-blowing thing,” she told me. Miming wiping away tears, she claimed “it was probably one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen.” She went on to say, “I’ve never forgotten it, and neither has anybody who was with me.” After a moment of reflection, she gave some poignant insights into why moments like this are so important—and that’s that travelers often don’t get enough of them. “We’re so busy getting the trips and what we shopped for... but this is our history.”

As for what brought her aboard this holiday season? Her daughter wanted to travel, and Elaine wouldn’t let her settle for less—“it’s my money, honey.”

You make an excellent point, Elaine.

Theresa St. Mary
As someone who works for the company, I’ll admit I’ve been on a good handful of cruises in my few years. But eighteen? Theresa St. Mary has me beat. And what good insights come out of that history, too. Over our chat, Theresa expounded on the many little ways Uniworld turns the “mundane” to “magic.” She tells her friends that “on every different itinerary, there’s some bit of magic. And that’s Uniworld.”

Really, I should let Theresa write our newsletters for us. And I think she might take me up on the offer, too. When asked if she would change anything about Uniworld, she said only that “I would bless them with a little bigger advertising budget, because I get inundated” with emails from other river cruise lines, “and people don’t understand the reality, but I’m here to explain it as a living, breathing, walking ad.”

A woman after my own heart, truly.

I was struck by her love for the “community” of it all. “The thing I love most about Uniworld,” she said, “is it's like coming home to the people.” Aboard the S.S. Joie de Vivre alone, she recognized a waiter from her Venice cruise and a member of the housekeeping team. “The bar manager and I are close,” she joked.

If you’re having trouble picking your next trip, someone like Theresa, who has experienced so many Uniworld itineraries, is an excellent source of advice. “I've done the Venice cruise four times,” she told me, impressed by the way “it always changes, and it's always gorgeous.” If you’re looking for “pure pizzazz and wow,” however, her top suggestion is a Mystery Cruise. She tried one in 2024, and thought it “was absolutely amazing, because you did not know what was coming around the next corner.”

About the Author
Pictured here in Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors during our Magical Parisian Holiday cruise, Francine Mroczek has been working at Uniworld since 2016 and currently serves as our Director of Brand & Communications. With a deep love of travel and a passion for showing others what makes Uniworld special, she takes every opportunity to capture the experience through the eyes of our guests and crew.

Note: The contents of this article are accurate as of the publication date. Uniworld itineraries and inclusions are subject to change at any time.