Uniworld Castles Along the Rhine/River Ambassador Just returned

[suspaul]

We just returned last week from the above river cruise on Uniworld's River Ambassador and could not have enjoyed it more. This was our first river cruise with Uniworld and it was top notch all the way. Great cabins, very small but no detail was left unplanned, very nice bedding, decor, food, crew, stops along the way, I just can't say enough good things about Uniworld. I did feel that the furnishings in the lounge area could do with a re-do but they were fine, just showing some wear and tear.

We began our trip with a few nights in Amsterdam, planned independently and not thru Uniworld, it was nice having time to truly get over jet lag and be ready for the cruise. Our cruise departed Amsterdam on 30.08 and ended in Basel on 6.09.2009 after which we did take the post-cruise extension to Lucerne offered thru Uniworld. The entire trip was wonderful, we met lots of very nice people, on a ship that small you were able to mix and mingle easily.

Food was very good - I'm a picky eater tho and did have their offering of chicken several nights, food included rack of lamb one night, baby veal another, several nights with seafood, very well prepared and presented, you won't go hungry. The portions are not large but they were adequate for us, especially with the appetizers, salads, entrees & vegetables and desserts. Unlimited beer and wine with your evening meal as well as coffee and tea. Breakfast was the usual bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, eggs cooked to your liking, cereals, fruits, yogurt, pastries, waffles/pancakes, breads, meats, cheeses, and as I said above, you will not go hungry. We didn't return to the ship for lunch most days as we ate in the town where we docked so I can't elaborate too much on what they offered.

We were booked into Cabin 111 on the lower floor, the cabins are all the same no matter the location and we found this just fine. We had a nice large window and the top part could be opened which was nice to get a little fresh air sometimes. Each cabin had its own thermostat for controlling temperature to your liking also. Tho the cabin was compact like I stated earlier it was very well arranged and worked out fine, one word of caution, the bathroom has everything you'd need or want but it too is very compact (tiny) especially the shower but again, it was just fine.

Each town we visited had local guides who provided excellent walking tours and there were several optional excursions offered, however we didn't take any of them as we travel to these areas frequently and independently and had been to them on prior trips.

Staff and crew were exceptional, always making sure you had what you needed and wanted. Our cruise manager Christine was one of a kind, always eager to help and made sure that everything went along smoothly. The wait staff in the dining room works very hard to make this an enjoyable vacation.

We did the post-cruise trip to Lucerne, what a beautiful town/city this is, fantastic scenery with mountain vistas and the beautiful lake, great green parks, historic buildings, good food.

All in all I just can not say enough good things about Uniworld and we will definitely cruise with them again. Great value for the money, wonderful customer service, everything we could have hoped for.

Sorry to be so long-winded, guess I should have done this as a trip report.
Susan

[pjtraveler]

Enjoyed your post--we had a similar experience on our first river cruise on the Ambassador in the spring of 2007.

[fred111]

Thanks for the trip report. We leave on Wednesday for Amsterday and take the same cruise a few days later. Anything special we should look for?

[suspaul]

You must be getting so excited.

I guess the suggestions I'd pass along right now would be to layer your clothing, the temps were a bit higher than we had anticipated but it does appear to be getting cooler now, also I'd be sure to take a small umbrella and always have it with you when in port, you will find full size umbrellas in the lobby area and in your cabins but it's good to have one handy, just in case. Be sure to take a waterproof jacket/raincoat and comfy shoes. Don't forget your camera, lots of scenic shots all along the way.

Sit back, relax and enjoy your trip. Would love to hear your observations once you return.

Have a great time.
Susan

[hillslife]

Suspaul - thanks for your post. We are doing a similiar cruise next year and will be arranging our own pre and post cruise in Amsterdam and Vienna.

Any hotel suggestions for either??? Thank you

[fred111]

Thanks for the suggestions. We are leaving in four days. Getting the house ready to go. We will start packing in a few days.

[pinballjulie]

I am trying to learn how much time we might have in each port. I realize that lock schedules,etc make it impossible to know the exact schedule, but would like an idea if possible. Can you share your time in ports? Were there any nights in port?

Thanks,

Julie

[jollyroger2]

Originally Posted by hillslife

Suspaul - thanks for your post. We are doing a similiar cruise next year and will be arranging our own pre and post cruise in Amsterdam and Vienna.

Any hotel suggestions for either??? Thank you

We sailed on the River Empress Amsterdam to Budapest and stayed in Amsterdam for 3 days before our cruise Oct. 11/09. We booked into the RHO, having read good reports on Trip Advisor. It is a 3-star but being 1 min. off Dam Square made it a great place. The staff is good and the included breakfast more than enough. If you book direct at least three months in advance you get good rates and bring Euros to pay you get a 10% discount! We could even go back to the room and use our own washroom when we had dinner and drinks at the pubs around Dam Square.
Youcan join up with the free walking tours at 11AM right at the suare. It was good to get a feel of Amsterdam, so we could then explore on our own. (Tip after the tour 5 Euro each is good) Also, they call the taxi to the crusie terminal which is a better price than making your own arrangements. Only about 10 min. to cruise terminal from hotel. We also used the shuttle from the airport at E12.50 each, gave us a bit of a tour on the way to town from the airport and way less expensive than a taxi, just took a little longer. Enjpoy Amsterdam. We go on the River Queen Amsterdam to Basel Sept 29. 2010 and are already booked into the RHO again!