Q&A with Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection President Ellen Bettridge

New article on Cruise Critic:

Q&A with Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection President Ellen Bettridge

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7680

Could I ask CruiseCritic for a favour, please? As I have mentioned the Uniworld S.S. Joie de Vivre as being shorter for the benefit of docking in Paris - and Uniworld have just confirmed this again - could the ever dutiful :):) Chris please inform us about the exact location of the S.S. Joie de Vivre when she is at the christening. I am not sure what Uniworld means with "Heart of Paris". The boundaries of Paris are, well, quite large.

It would be much appreciated.

notamermaid

Still anxiously awaiting the itineraries and pricing for U by Uniworld. To stick to their "this month" promise, we should see it this week!

Cruise Critic just posted an article about the Christening, which includes this hint of an answer to notamermaid's question:

“We’re standing between the Eiffel Tower, the sign of progress, and the Statue of Liberty, the sign of freedom, celebrating Joie de Vivre, the joy of living,” the glamorous godmother [Joan Collins] said.

Dame Joan Collins Christens Uniworld's New River Ship, Joie de Vivre, in Paris

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7683

Still anxiously awaiting the itineraries and pricing for U by Uniworld. To stick to their "this month" promise, we should see it this week!

We've heard they will cater to the 18 to 30 year Olds, with an emphasis to staying in ports late or overnight so passengers can experience nightlife with the locals. The cruises will not be all inclusize, nor as luxurious.

Hello from Paris

Yes, the heart of Paris!

As mentioned in my christening article, we really are in the city.

You can see the Eiffel Tower. You can walk to Champs Elysee in 40 minutes. You can get a taxi anywhere in a few minutes. The ship was built small enough so that it could dock in the city - and it does. The location is called Quai de Grenelle. Quite amazing! (It's not the only ship that can dock here but Joie de Vivre is beautiful and oh so French :)

Louise Goldsbury

Australia Editor

Cruise Critic

Looking forward to traveling on her in Dec. Will be our 7th Uniworld trip. Pat:D

Oh hey, look what I found. Just want to see itineraries and prices!

http://ubyuniworld.com/

Looking forward to traveling on her in Dec. Will be our 7th Uniworld trip. Pat:D

We are aboard next month. I will be posting a detailed review when we return.

Cruise Critic just posted an article about the Christening, which includes this hint of an answer to notamermaid's question:

“We’re standing between the Eiffel Tower, the sign of progress, and the Statue of Liberty, the sign of freedom, celebrating Joie de Vivre, the joy of living,” the glamorous godmother [Joan Collins] said.

 

Dame Joan Collins Christens Uniworld's New River Ship, Joie de Vivre, in Paris

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7683

Thank you, certainly answers my question. It's been a long time since I have to Paris, but I can sort of picture it. Lovely!

notamermaid

Hello from Paris

Yes, the heart of Paris!

As mentioned in my christening article, we really are in the city.

You can see the Eiffel Tower. You can walk to Champs Elysee in 40 minutes. You can get a taxi anywhere in a few minutes. The ship was built small enough so that it could dock in the city - and it does. The location is called Quai de Grenelle. Quite amazing! (It's not the only ship that can dock here but Joie de Vivre is beautiful and oh so French :)

Louise Goldsbury

Australia Editor

Cruise Critic

 

 

Thank you Louise,

yes, other ships can dock there, you have probably seen the CroisiEurope ships that due to the fact that they are 110 metres are allowed to dock there. Or a few others I do not recall the names of.

Dame Joan Collins, a beautiful new ship in typical Uniworld "overindulgence in French interior design" :D, and the Eiffel Tower in the background... just great!!!

Have a great time on the Seine.

notamermaid

Caviargal, we will be in cabin 302 in Dec. If you get a chance could you take a peek and let us know what it is like. Not my ideal choice location wise, but we and friends got the last 2 non suite cabins available on this cruise. It will be our 7th Uniworld trip and 4th Christmas market trip.

Thanks i advance, Pat

I'll be in 303 and our friends will be in 304 starting on april 23. I try to remember to post some cabin pictures.

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our friends will be in 303 in Dec. and we in 302. Have a wonderful cruise and post pics please. Pat

Caviargal, we will be in cabin 302 in Dec. If you get a chance could you take a peek and let us know what it is like. Not my ideal choice location wise, but we and friends got the last 2 non suite cabins available on this cruise. It will be our 7th Uniworld trip and 4th Christmas market trip.

Thanks i advance, Pat

Our friends are in 302 and we are in 303 so this will be easy!

I cannot believe they still have no photos on their website of the actual ship and staterooms....very disappointing.

Be aware that one of the dining venues is an extra charge, and a hefty one at that. Omitted that from their site as well.

There is a flip side to having some excursions and dining options that are an upcharge. We get obc through amex platinum. Sometimes, it's hard to use the obc when the itinerary is too all-inclusive. So having a nice option to use obc on, imo, could be a positive, for us.

But I do agree that this should be mentioned prominently. It's not fair to talk up a new dining venue, and forget to mention that it's not included in the base fare.

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It also seems disingenuous to tout the line as "all-inclusive" when it charges for things that other lines include. Nobody includes massages, so I'm not objecting to stuff like that. But AMA includes the specialty restaurant and optional tours that Uniworld charges for, yet Uniworld claims they are "all-inclusive."

There is a flip side to having some excursions and dining options that are an upcharge. We get obc through amex platinum. Sometimes, it's hard to use the obc when the itinerary is too all-inclusive. So having a nice option to use obc on, imo, could be a positive, for us.

 

But I do agree that this should be mentioned prominently. It's not fair to talk up a new dining venue, and forget to mention that it's not included in the base fare.

 

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While this may be true, it is IMO disingenuous to advertise a line as all inclusive when there are several extra charge options: Excursions, dining venues, port charges. Either they are or they are not. They were not when we cruised with them in 2015 and that was clear upfront. For 2017 they claimed to be but are not. And for 2018, despite management claims to the contrary, there are extra charge options. Best practice is to be clear and upfront so that passengers are not surprised by up charges, we are now for this trip.

Scenic was truly all inclusive. No hidden costs. I am not a fan of surprises.

C-G, what a serendipitous coincidence!! Will be looking forward to the pics and your usual very fair report! Will be interested to hear about the specialty restaurant because our friend has a milestone birthday while we are on the trip. Pat

C-G, what a serendipitous coincidence!! Will be looking forward to the pics and your usual very fair report! Will be interested to hear about the specialty restaurant because our friend has a milestone birthday while we are on the trip. Pat

We plan to give it a pass. Since we are in France and have several overnights in port, we prefer to spend the money on a great meal at a local restaurant rather than pay for an extra charge venue aboard. I am celebrating my birthday while in France and have made reservations for lunch in Rouen that day. I will keep my ears open for you as I am certain we will meet others that do give it a whirl.:D

We plan to give it a pass. Since we are in France and have several overnights in port, we prefer to spend the money on a great meal at a local restaurant rather than pay for an extra charge venue aboard.

That makes sense to me. If I were planning to pay a few hundred for a nice French dinner, I'd probably go to a land-based restaurant with a full kitchen. Not that I think Uniworld's food is bad, mind you, but most land-based restaurants have more extensive facilities than a ship's galley. And larger wine cellars! [emoji1]

If I had OBC to spend on this, however, I'd be all over it. But I think we'll probably visit this area independently at some point, rather than by river cruise. So my theoretical analysis will likely remain just that.

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Here is another article about the christening, with photo: http://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Uniworld-affirms-commitment-to-Paris-with-new-river-ship

notamermaid