Uniworld: Update on High Water Levels in Europe

Due to record high water levels in Europe on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, we have made the difficult decision to cancel several cruise departures. Listed below are the departures that have been affected. A full refund and a $500 future cruise credit will be issued.

River Ambassador

· Grand Danube & Prague. Prague to Belgrade. June 7 cruise/tour start date.

· Danube Discovery & Prague. Prague to Vienna. June 7 cruise/tour start date.

River Beatrice

· Enchanting Danube. Passau to Budapest. June 9 cruise/tour start date.

We would also like to note that several cruises already in progress have been impacted. In these cases our ship staff and European-based headquarters staff are working on itinerary deviations and in, some cases, canceling the remainder of the cruises. In the case of a cruise cancelation with guests already on board we will be providing a full refund and a future cruise credit. Our guests will be given the option to stay on board the ship while we assist them in securing alternative arrangements or flights home.

The rise and fall of water levels can change rapidly, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely. We will continue to evaluate cruises scheduled to depart after June 9 and will provide a timely update to our website.

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, should you have any further questions. You may also reach us at customerservice@uniworld.com.

We want to sincerely apologize to our guests for having to cancel the above mentioned cruises and want to thank you in advance for your understanding. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the individuals who live in the towns along the rivers that have been severely impacted by the floods.

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

Great job Uniworld team. As a repeat customer with Uniworld, I am well pleased how well Uniworld takes care of its passengers. We are departing shortly,for our Grand France tour with Uniworld in a couple of days. Looking forward to it and keep up,the great work.

Dennis

Kudos to Uniworld for doing the right thing and putting passenger satisfaction ahead of maximizing profits during this flooding crisis.

Kudos to Uniworld for doing the right thing and putting passenger satisfaction ahead of maximizing profits during this flooding crisis.

Totally agree! Lets hope the other lines do the same!

Update - June 4, 11:54 am Pacific Standard Time

We have now completed an updated review of all sailings scheduled to depart between June 10 and June 16, 2013.

· Unfortunately we are forced to cancel one additional sailing – the June 16 European Jewels departure on the River Empress. The ship is currently in Budapest and given the current conditions on the rivers she cannot reach Amsterdam by the June 16 embarkation date. We did look at various scenarios, including using a different ship and/or changing the embarkation port. Unfortunately we could not come up with an acceptable alternative itinerary for our guests. With this knowledge we felt it was prudent to cancel with as much notice possible to give our guests the time to try to plan alternative arrangements. We would encourage guests to try to rebook an alternative departure date or they may receive a full refund. Whether rebooking or canceling guests will receive a $500 per person future cruise credit. This was obviously a very difficult decision and we do extend our sincere apologies to those guests that were booked on this sailing.

· With careful planning by our European operation team (and in some cases with us swapping ships) we are scheduled to operate all the remaining cruises scheduled to depart between June 10 and June 16.

Our Customer Service staff is in the process of contacting those guests (or their travel agent) booked on the June 16 European Jewels departure.

We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our guests and staff on board the ships and thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to find the most acceptable solutions. We will continue to monitor the river condition and post any relevant updates to our website.

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, should you have any further questions. You may also email us at customerservice@uniworld.com

For those guests that are scheduled to depart prior to June 10 please refer to the June 3 update.

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

Kudos to Uniworld for doing the right thing and putting passenger satisfaction ahead of maximizing profits during this flooding crisis.

Agreed. It's important for us that these companies step up and make quick decisions. We were totally impressed with Uniworld on our cruise, and even more so now that they are stepping up to the plate and dealing with this quickly.

My thoughts and prayers to the people of Europe who are dealing with this disaster...

Thank you everyone for your kind words of support in this challenging situation. It is truly appreciated.

We would also like to remind those scheduled to depart with us prior to June 10 to please review our original post dated June 3 and contact your travel agent or our office if we have not already spoken with you or your travel agent.

With our appreciation,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

We’d like to extend our sincere appreciation to our guests and travel agent partners for your patience and understanding while we work to manage the challenges presented by the severe flooding in Central Europe. We continue to monitor the situation daily with our Operations and Nautical teams in Europe, and we just wanted to update you that there have been no material changes to the communication we posted on June 4th.

To date we have focused on cruises departing through June 16. If and when the situation changes we will continue to provide updates. We are also now closely monitoring cruises departing after June 16 and will post updates as necessary.

As always, please contact your travel agent or Uniworld with any questions you may have.

With our thanks,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

After conferring with our Operations Office in Europe this morning, we are pleased to announce that all cruises and cruise/tours departing June 16 onward are expected to operate normally on the originally scheduled ship with the exception of the following program:

Highlights of Eastern Europe

· June 16, 2013 departure of the River Ambassador (Vienna to Belgrade) - the program will operate as planned onboard the River Empress. We will be contacting all bookings today to advise of the ship change.

· June 23, 2013 departure of the River Ambassador (Belgrade to Vienna) - the program will operate as planned. Embarkation will take place in Belgrade on June 23 onboard the River Empress. On approximately June 27 in Budapest, we will change over to the River Ambassador and finish the cruise on that ship. Please note the date and location of the changeover is subject to change without notice. We will be contacting all bookings today to advise of the ship change.

Thank you again to all of our guests and travel agent partners for your patience and understanding while we worked to manage this crisis. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those in Europe whose lives have been disrupted by the flooding.

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, if you have any questions. Should there be any further changes we will post an update to keep you informed.

With kind regards,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

In addition to the information we posted earlier today, we'd like to reiterate that the following cruise remains canceled:

• June 16, 2013 sailing of the River Empress, European Jewels program, Amsterdam to Budapest
  

All guests have been contacted.

Thank you very much.

Kind regards,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

We have an update on the following two cruises that we’d like to share with you:

June 16, 2013 sailing of the River Ambassador, Highlights of Eastern Europe, Vienna to Belgrade

Regretfully, the above referenced sailing has been canceled due to the closure of the lower Danube River south of Budapest that has just occurred as well as the closure of the Gabcikovo Lock between Budapest and Bratislava for repairs. The lock is expected to reopen on June 19. As a result neither the River Empress nor the River Ambassador can be in Vienna for embarkation on June 16, and we have no other alternate vessel available. We are processing a full refund and offering a $500.00 per person Future Cruise Credit valid on another Uniworld Europe or Russia River Cruise in 2013, 2014 or 2015. We are in the process right now of contacting all bookings affected by this cancellation

June 16, 2013 sailing of the River Beatrice, Enchanting Danube, Budapest to Passau

This sailing is currently scheduled to operate though the potential exists for sailing schedule deviations to occur. Contingency plans are in place if needed.

Thanks once again to our guests and travel agent partners for your continued patience and understanding. It is truly appreciated.

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, if you have any questions. Should there be any further changes we will post an update to keep you informed.

With kind regards,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

To all our guests and travel agent partners, we’d like to once again extend our sincere appreciation for your understanding and cooperation regarding the changes caused by the recent flooding in Europe. Conditions on the rivers have improved considerably, and we are looking forward to being back to full, normal operation in the very near future.

Right now, we’d like to provide this update on the status of our cruises that are currently operating as well as the departures coming up in the next few days:

Douro River

· Queen Isabel – the current sailing is operating normally. Upcoming cruises are also scheduled to operate normally.

Seine, Rhône & Saône Rivers

· River Baroness and River Royale – the current sailings are operating normally. Upcoming cruises are also schedule to operate normally.

Po River

· River Countess – the current sailing is operating normally. Upcoming cruises are also scheduled to operate normally.

Rhine, Main & Danube Rivers

· River Ambassador, June 16, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Belgrade = operating under a modified program on the River Empress

· River Ambassador, June 23, 2013 sailing, Belgrade to Vienna = scheduled to operate normally on the River Empress. Guests have been notified.

· River Queen, June 11, 2013 sailing, Budapest to Amsterdam = operating under a modified program

· River Duchess, June 13, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Vienna = operating under a modified program. Disembarkation may take place in Krems, Austria rather than Vienna, Austria due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock north of Vienna. The lock is scheduled to open on June 28

· River Duchess, June 25, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Giurgiu = currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Princess, June 11, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Vienna = operating normally on the River Ambassador. Disembarkation will be in Krems, Austria outside of Vienna due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock. All published sightseeing will be maintained.

· River Princess, June 23, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Paris = scheduled to operate as planned; however, embarkation will take place on the River Duchess in Vienna due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock. The lock is scheduled to open on June 28. On June 25 we will change back to the River Princess in Krems, Austria. We are currently in the process of contacting all bookings

· S.S. Antoinette, June 16, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Basel = currently operating normally; however, disembarkation will be in Breisach, Germany rather than Basel due to a low bridge north of Basel. The ship cannot safely pass under the bridge due to a higher than normal water level. No changes to the sightseeing program

· S.S. Antoinette, June 23, 2013 sailing, Basel to Amsterdam = currently scheduled to operate normally; however, embarkation will be in Breisach, Germany rather than Basel due to a low bridge north of Basel. The ship cannot safely pass under the bridge due to a higher than normal water level. No changes to the sightseeing program. We are currently contacting all bookings.

· River Beatrice, June 16, 2013 sailing, Budapest to Passau = currently operating under a modified program. The ship is in Vienna and cannot continue sailing to Passau due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock north of Vienna. The lock is scheduled to open on June 28. A land program is in place to continue the tour to Passau. The nights of June 21 and June 22 will be at a hotel in Munich

· River Beatrice, June 23, 2013 sailing, Passau to Budapest – scheduled to operate under a modified land and cruise program due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock north of Vienna. The lock is scheduled to open on June 28. We are in the process of contacting all bookings now.

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, if you have any questions. Should there be any further changes we will post an update to keep you informed.

With kind regards,

The Uniworld Team

We need to make one correction to the above post. The following sailing was actually canceled and is not operating. We apologize for the confusion.

River Ambassador, June 16, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Belgrade = operating under a modified program on the River Empress

Thank you very much.

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

We're pleased to provide an update on a few more cruises departing near the end of this month:

River Queen, June 25, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Basel - currently scheduled to operate normally

River Empress, June 30, 2013 sailing, Budapest to Amsterdam – currently scheduled to operate normally

S.S. Antoinette, June 30, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Basel – currently scheduled to operate normally

Thank you very much, and updates are being posted on our website as well at www.uniworld.com.

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

I see that only one chamber of the Altenworth locks will be open by the end of June. How will this affect July cruises in that area?

Thanks for the updates.

Keith

We are pleased to advise that water levels in Europe are normalizing, and all of our ships are currently sailing. The Altenwörth Lock north of Vienna remains closed, and is scheduled to reopen on June 28th. Therefore, there are no new changes to our programs other than what was announced on June 19th.

Some of our ships are operating under modified programs and others are operating under their normal programs. Here is an updated list of the status of current and upcoming cruises:

Douro River

• Queen Isabel – The current sailing is operating normally. Upcoming cruises are also scheduled to operate normally.

Seine, Rhône & Saône Rivers

• River Baroness and River Royale – The current sailings are operating normally. Upcoming cruises are also scheduled to operate normally.

Po River

• River Countess – The current sailing is operating normally. Upcoming cruises are also scheduled to operate normally.

Rhine, Main & Danube Rivers

· River Ambassador, June 23, 2013 sailing, Belgrade to Vienna - Operating normally on the River Empress.

· River Ambassador, June 30, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Nuremberg – Currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Beatrice, June 23, 2013 sailing, Passau to Budapest – Operating under a modified land and cruise program due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock north of Vienna. The lock is scheduled to open on June 28.

· River Beatrice, June 30, 2013 sailing, Budapest to Passau – Currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Duchess, June 25, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Giurgiu - Operating normally

· River Duchess, July 6, 2013 sailing, Giurgiu to Vienna – Currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Empress, June 30, 2013 sailing, Budapest to Amsterdam - Currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Empress, July 14, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Budapest – Currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Princess, June 23, 2013 sailing, Vienna to Paris – Operating normally. Embarkation took place on the River Duchess in Vienna due to the continuing closure of the Altenwörth Lock. The lock is scheduled to open on June 28. Today, June 25, our Guests boarded the River Princess in Krems, Austria, and the cruise is continuing as per the original itinerary.

· River Princess, July 7, 2013 sailing, Paris to Vienna – Currently scheduled to operate normally

· River Queen, June 25, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Basel - Operating normally

· River Queen, July 7, 2013 sailing, Basel to Amsterdam – Currently scheduled to operate normally

· S.S. Antoinette, June 23, 2013 sailing, Basel to Amsterdam - Operating normally

· S.S. Antoinette, June 30, 2013 sailing, Amsterdam to Basel - Currently scheduled to operate normally

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, if you have any questions. You may also email us at customerservice@uniworld.com.

Should there be any further changes, we will post an update to keep you informed.

Thank you very much.

With kind regards,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM

Dear FolsomMike,

Thanks for your question, and we apologize for the delay in responding. We've been advised as well that only one chamber will initially be available when the Altenworth Lock reopens. We do expect to experience delays at the lock as all of the ships that need to get through do so one at a time. With that said, we remain confident that these delays will not severely impact the fulfillment of any of our cruise programs.

Please be assured that we continue to monitor the situation closely, and, as we have been doing, we will certainly reach out to our guests and travel agent partners should changes to any given cruise become necessary.

Thank you very much, and please feel free to email us at customerservice@uniworld.com if you have any further questions or concerns.

With kind regards,

UNIWORLD GUEST RELATIONS

Our Nautical Team has advised that the repair work on the Altenwörth Lock will be assessed on June 28 with the expectation that the lock will reopen with one functioning chamber on June 29. We expect that with only one chamber open there will be delays at the lock as ships pass through one at a time, but we do not anticipate these delays to be significant enough to impact the operation of our cruise programs. We continue to monitor the situation and will post further updates as information becomes available.

Please do not hesitate to contact your travel agent or a Uniworld representative at 1-800-733-7820, Monday – Friday, 6:00 am to 6:00 pm PDT, and 6:30 am to 3:00 pm PDT on Saturdays, if you have any questions. You may also email us at customerservice@uniworld.com.

Thank you very much.

With kind regards,

The Uniworld Team

Dear Valued Uniworld Guests,

We are pleased to announce that the left chamber of the Altenwörth Lock has opened earlier than expected, and ships are slowly beginning to make their way through. There is a considerable backlog of vessels to get through, so we expect delays in the near term; however, this is a very positive turn-of-events.

Given that the lock is now open and water levels on the Rhine, Main and Danube continue to be at normal to near normal levels, we are confident to be back to regular operation very soon.

As always, we continue to keep a close eye on the rivers, and we will update this page as needed.

With our appreciation,

THE UNIWORLD TEAM