which side of boat? Uniworld SS Antionette

Hi All,

so looks like we are going to book the Rhine cruise with Uniworld that goes from Basel to Cologne during Christmas on the SS Antoinette (yay!) :)

Is there a better side to request our cabin?

thanks in advance for any advice!

The general consensus is that the port vs starboard side of a river ship matters very little. The sights are on both sides of the river, and the banks are visible from either side of the ship.

PS - have a great cruise; we really enjoyed SS Antoinette last year from Basel to Amsterdam.

that's kind of what we figured.. thanks for the reassurance! :)

we took this cruise on the Antoinette last summer, going other way--Amsterdam to Basel. I agree with prior post that you have mostly equal views from port or starboard cabins--lots to see. Most spectacular view day was the part of the Rhine gorge lined by many castles, and everyone was on top deck as they had great German music and food (worst & beer) to make it an even more enjoyable experience. You will love this cruise as it was spectacular in every way--especially the luxury of the ship and the super service of the staff. Make sure to take advantage of the special dinner one night on the top deck as it was really fun!

Yes, great scenery all around the ship, the side does not really matter much. :)

One thing I would like to point out though as you are going at Christmas: as you will be travelling downstream the sunset can be best enjoyed from a cabin on the portside. Unless you are moored in a port then usually on the starboard side, the ship being anchored against the direction in which the water flows. In Koblenz it is different as you will quite likely be docking on the Moselle. There it is not possible for me to predict how much or little you will be able to see from a cabin.

The sun sets around 4pm, you can look this up online.

Hope you will be able to see some snow at Christmas it always makes it extra special. :)

notamermaid

thank you all!

Make sure to take advantage of the special dinner one night on the top deck as it was really fun!

during Christmas!

While my husband and I did spend far more time on deck than pretty much anyone else on our cruise (except maybe the couple of smokers) we never had any services up there in December. But we loved to go make a coffee in the lounge and sit up top or in the front outside lounge (Avalon Vista) during the few times we sailed during the day:D

The top-side dinner I referred to is served in L'Orangerie which they close off and lay out some nice tables of 8, Not sure if this event has a name and if we paid extra (doubt it as most things were inclusive). The normal dining staff really went overboard in service and 'presentation" and these young folks seemed to have had even more fun serving us in style, than we did receiving their attention. Food was even more fantastic than usual. They used this same location--which can be opened up to an outdoor style event the afternoon of wurst, beer, & oompah music while we sailed past all the beautiful old castles. We lived in Germany for several years, and they are correct when they say Christmas time can be a bit cold-- but it is also one of the best times to experience this beautiful culture, as the Germans really know how to celebrate the season. Have a great cruise!

Ah, it sounded like you were talking solely about an open deck bbq/meal - which I know many lines offer, but not on the Christmas Market cruises.

Avalon also offers an evening meal in its lounge - limited to 20 people I think, a bit of a tasting menu. We thoroughly enjoyed it (no extra cost) and would have done it more often but the menu didn't change.