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Uniworld could have helped us!


amd1234
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We just returned from Uniworld's SS Antoinette fabulous trip and I will answer questions and also post a review when I recover from the long return flight .

 

We booked the post cruise ext. with Uniworld in Lucerne. Very expensive but we wanted no hassle and also we didn't want to have to worry about transfers . We were informed at the Hotel that we had no transfer to Zurich airport. Evidently after many emails to Uniworld and my travel agent there would be no transfer we were on our own. The travel agent sent me a copy of their email which I never received that stated we needed to give them info on our airline departure schedule. On our documents from Uniworld it said transfers and I assumed that when we arrived in Lucerne that the info would be at our Hotel. It was a huge distraction on our trip waiting to hear from Uniworld to try and resolve this issue. From Lucerne Uniworld only makes airport transfers to Basel. We had no knowledge of this! We paid $2000 for two days which was to include our transfer. We had to pay $235 francs for a car to Zurich airport. Needless to say we were upset ..

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Wow, this should have been such an easy fix. Very disappointing that Uniworld did not take the high road and provide the service you paid for!

 

Concerning that a company like Uniworld thinks leaving a guest stranded is ok???

 

amd1234 I would have been really upset also.... Terrible way to end a great trip and does leave a rather sour taste in your mouth.

 

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Edited by nana541
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You need a new TA. Your TA should have had all this worked out and understood by all parties, long before you got on the first plane. It's what they get paid to do.

 

 

I do have to agree with this.... Your TA is who the buck stops with and should have paid attn to e-mails and details from Uniworld. Just concerning that Uniworld could not have stepped in and saved a guest the "bad taste" of a vacation ending so poorly.

 

 

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Definitely you need a new TA. If Uniworld needed info about your flights your TA should have provided it. Not your problem.

 

Our TA arranges all our transfers without us even asking. She knows what I want and just does it.

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I'm also on the "get a new TA" bandwagon. I'm pretty sure that Uniworld would have asked your TA about your transfer details about three weeks before you went on your trip. We booked our upcoming Tauck holiday direct with them this time (their Australian agent are charlatans) and they just confirmed by email our transfer arrangements at the start and completion of our holiday which starts on our arrival on 9th August. Your TA has let you down badly.

 

I should also add, although it's not relevant to the OP's question, that I recently saw a very well made amateur video of the SS Antoinette and she looks a fine boat to travel on.

Edited by Ozjohnno
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We just returned from Uniworld's SS Antoinette fabulous trip and I will answer questions and also post a review when I recover from the long return flight .

 

We booked the post cruise ext. with Uniworld in Lucerne. Very expensive but we wanted no hassle and also we didn't want to have to worry about transfers . We were informed at the Hotel that we had no transfer to Zurich airport. Evidently after many emails to Uniworld and my travel agent there would be no transfer we were on our own. The travel agent sent me a copy of their email which I never received that stated we needed to give them info on our airline departure schedule. On our documents from Uniworld it said transfers and I assumed that when we arrived in Lucerne that the info would be at our Hotel. It was a huge distraction on our trip waiting to hear from Uniworld to try and resolve this issue. From Lucerne Uniworld only makes airport transfers to Basel. We had no knowledge of this! We paid $2000 for two days which was to include our transfer. We had to pay $235 francs for a car to Zurich airport. Needless to say we were upset ..

 

You could have taken the Swiss Rail direct to Zurich Flughafen from Lucerne for 14 francs each. We were in Switzerland about one month ago, and were very impressed by the rail system.

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I worked with an online TA to book my Uniworld trip (September 2014), and the booking confirmations she forwarded me last year clearly said that transfers were included for flights I bought on my own IF I arrived/departed within a certain time frame and IF our travel details were communicated to Uniworld at least 45 days before departure. It's in the standard confirmation language.

 

I hate to say it, but you should have read the entire confirmation. Especially if you booked with a discount/online TA like I did, it seems like you only get service when you ask for it. My TA is very responsive, just not very proactive.

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It's very possible that due to the OP booking thru a TA he never got the Uniworld confirmations but only the confirm issued by the TA. I always ask for the cruise line confirmation in addition to the one sent by my TA.

 

 

 

 

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I totally agree that you have a TA problem. I have booked your same cruise for next May. I considered doing the Lucerne extension at one point but my TA told me the transfer was only to Basel, and I was not sure I wanted to fly out of that airport. Consequently, I am not using Uniworld's post cruise expensive extension. I think you should contact your TA and ask them to contact Uniworld. You paid for something you did not get. They should go to bat for you and try to get the cost of the transfer refunded for you. Your TA has a lot more influence than you do.

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Frankly the TA should pay for the transfer the OP ended up taking! Aa the TA should have provided Uniworld with the info needed.

 

 

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Exactly! Just keep in mind: an average TA's commission (does not matter online TA or not) from a river cruise is about $700 - $1300...

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Exactly! Just keep in mind: an average TA's commission (does not matter online TA or not) from a river cruise is about $700 - $1300...

 

 

Depending on the fare but the benefits provided by my TA exceeded your figures so that is not necessarily the case.

 

 

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Bottom Line. Fire the TA! They are the ones that did you end with gross arrogance. I won't even waste time trying to get money back from the TA, in that I wouldn't want to have another conversation with them, ever. You did also take an extremely expensive alternate, with the private car, when the train is easy and comfortable.

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The Uniworld rep at our Hotel gave us the alternate choice of the train and it was also expensive. This required taken a cab to train carrying the luggage and the reason for our ext was not to do this. My husband is 73 and had knee surgery two months ago. We had no choice. Also Post script Zurich airport was just horrible no sense of order no signs for directions and a ton of walking. After all the walking we had to board a bus to get our plane. Would never choose this airport again!

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Bottom Line. Fire the TA! They are the ones that did you end with gross arrogance. I won't even waste time trying to get money back from the TA, in that I wouldn't want to have another conversation with them, ever. You did also take an extremely expensive alternate, with the private car, when the train is easy and comfortable.

 

The OP should at least let the TA know what happened and that it could have been avoided had the TA been more diligent. I do agree that Uniworld could have been more helpful in locating suitable transfers. As for the OP choosing a private car, under the circumstances, she may not have had the opportunity to research options. Not every traveler is comfortable using mass transit in another country where language is a problem.

 

This situation just reminds all of us how important it is to follow up on all our travel details making sure we know just what is included and how it will work out. We should be able to rely on our TA but in many cases that just isn't the case....unfortunately. I have had more than one incident where I have "caught" mistakes or oversights made by our various TAs. Actually, I have yet to find one that is really good...still looking!

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The Uniworld rep at our Hotel gave us the alternate choice of the train and it was also expensive. This required taken a cab to train carrying the luggage and the reason for our ext was not to do this. My husband is 73 and had knee surgery two months ago. We had no choice. Also Post script Zurich airport was just horrible no sense of order no signs for directions and a ton of walking. After all the walking we had to board a bus to get our plane. Would never choose this airport again!

 

We did the post-extension on AMA which ended in Zurich. They brought us to the airport and had several AMA reps guiding us through the "maze" to the right lines. I know we paid a premium for the extension vs DIY, but things like that made it worth every penny.

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The Uniworld rep at our Hotel gave us the alternate choice of the train and it was also expensive. This required taken a cab to train carrying the luggage and the reason for our ext was not to do this. My husband is 73 and had knee surgery two months ago. We had no choice. Also Post script Zurich airport was just horrible no sense of order no signs for directions and a ton of walking. After all the walking we had to board a bus to get our plane. Would never choose this airport again!

With regard to Zurich Airport the train station is directly under the Main Terminal.

I have never had a problem locating the relevant Airline's Check In desks.

 

When arriving by car/taxi, it is usually the case at Airports that a group of Airlines have a dedicated Terminal entrance specifically to minimise excessive walking to check in.

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With regard to Zurich Airport the train station is directly under the Main Terminal.

I have never had a problem locating the relevant Airline's Check In desks.

 

When arriving by car/taxi, it is usually the case at Airports that a group of Airlines have a dedicated Terminal entrance specifically to minimise excessive walking to check in.

Agree. Zurich airport is one of the easiest in navigation. Back in April we had no problem in finding a flight and the hotel shuttle.

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...

This situation just reminds all of us how important it is to follow up on all our travel details making sure we know just what is included and how it will work out. We should be able to rely on our TA but in many cases that just isn't the case....unfortunately. I have had more than one incident where I have "caught" mistakes or oversights made by our various TAs. Actually, I have yet to find one that is really good...still looking!

 

Although I have a full time job, I am also a registered TA :) But usually only do bookings for ourselves and our friends/acquaintances.

So back to the subject: definitely need to pay attention to every detail at the time of booking.

Checking later if there are any changes won't hurt either.

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amd1234, sorry to hear that your otherwise excellent cruise ended on a sour note. I hope over time the good memories cloud the bad one, and that you have better luck (with a new TA) next time!

 

I will say that almost all European airports are similar to Zurich in that (1) check-in desks can be far-flung and hard to find; (2) there is a lot of walking, especially if you have to clear passport control in addition to security, and (3) taking buses to your plane is commonplace everywhere in Europe, especially if it's an inter-European flight. Jetways are unfortunately not universal.

 

We have learned to manage by (1) looking at the information boards as soon as we walk in the airport; the appropriate check-in desks are listed for every flight and usually numbered in a logical fashion; (2) asking the check-in agent where passport control is located and if there is a priority line (when we fly business), if we haven't clearly seen yet walking to the check in desk; (3) trying to pack light so we don't have to lug too much stuff on and off the buses when they pop up unexpectedly.

 

I sympathize with your husband if he had to do all of that only 2 months post knee surgery. I hate to pile more blame on your TA, but an experienced one probably should have been able to warn you about what different things to expect in a European airport, and maybe (through the airline) they would have been able to secure some assistance with the trekking.

 

I just looked at Uniworld's website for the Lucerne extension and they do clearly say that they provide transfers only to/from Basel airport. Again, not blaming you, but your TA most certainly should have picked this up when your return flight was clearly from ZRH. I will comment that of all the good things Uniworld does, their transfer process does leave a bit to be desired, as I mentioned in my review.

 

I hope the experience doesn't sour you on another river cruise or trip to Europe - now that you know what to expect next time... :) Next time it will hopefully be all part of the adventure, and the knee surgery will not be an issue! Then you can take the train - European trains are usually great, with good connections to the airports, and something to try if you can!

Edited by jpalbny
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We just returned from Uniworld's SS Antoinette fabulous trip.

 

The travel agent sent me a copy of their email which I never received that stated we needed to give them info on our airline departure schedule. On our documents from Uniworld it said transfers and I assumed that when we arrived in Lucerne that the info would be at our Hotel. ..

 

 

Sorry for shortening up your Original Post, but I think I just discovered the key phrase in the whole mess! Other than the TA did it!!

 

The telling statement here is the TA sent you an Email from Uniworld that you never received. Well of course you never received it, if you booked thru a TA ... ALL correspondence goes to the Travel Agent and NOTHING ever goes direct to the client. So your TA got this correspondence and failed to follow up on these very important details. Who booked your Air? Uniworld, you or the TA???? Did Uniworld pick you up when you arrived in Europe? How did they get those details and why did they not have the other flights.

 

I'm sorry you TA has misled you and likely even lied to cover up her own incompetence. That reminder e-mail was sent to her and never to you.

 

It appears from your first post you did not realize there was even an issue until after you left the ship (is this correct?) so the ability to offer assistance from the main office was a very last minute detail, with the time difference and all. The agents on the ground don't have any ability to pay for transfers, those arrangements are made by others ( though if other Uniworld travels already had transportation arranged it seems an easy fix to just send you along. Remember those folks are outside vendors hired by Uniworld to be on the ground and provide pre-arranged services. No authority to spend $$ however.

I'm not sure Uniworld owes you anything other than to feel bad they did not have enough notice (they had less than 48 hrs and a 9 hr + time difference) to offer you assistance.

I'm betting had they been aware early in the week they could and would have fixed this mess.

 

Next time, log into you account online with whatever cruise line you sail with. Make sure all your derails are correct. Then just read the details offered on the sight. Travel Agents are not perfect and mistakes happen. I act as a second set of eyes and ears for my TA and she has stopped me from making some very big mistakes!

 

Hope now that you are home you can put this behind you and enjoy the memories & pictures of a great trip!

 

 

 

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Edited by nana541
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Well it's been a few days and I really appreciate all the responses to my transfer issue. I am not going to pursue this issue what's done is done. It was an expensive lesson learned. I will be more vigilant in the future reading documents. Lucerne was so amazing it was just such a distraction worrying over our transfer issue. ...thanks again ..

Edited by amd1234
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