Uniworld - Castles on the Rhine

We are currently on the SS Antoinette sailing upstream from Amsterdam to Basel. I thought I would write down my thoughts in the hopes it may help those that are sailing or considering sailing this itinerary.

We left Houston on Friday, April 22 and flew to Amsterdam. It was a smooth 8 hour flight and we arrived at approx. 8:30 in the morning. It was pouring rain but we found a cab very easily and headed to our hotel. The cab ride was about 20 minutes to the Banks Mansion. The hotel is very nice and a great location. I had emailed the hotel ahead of time to request an early check in but since we arrived so early that was not possible yet. The hotel stored our luggage and we decided on a canal tour and purchased the tickets from the hotel desk. It was about a 5 block walk to meet the tour. The first tour starts at 10:45 so we were able to take a leisurely stroll to get our bearings.

The canal tour was great because it gave us the chance to get an overview of how the city was laid out. After the tour, we headed back to the hotel and waited for our rooms to be ready. By noon, we were in our room and had the chance to freshen up and plan out our day.

I didn't mention that the rain came and went our entire time in Amsterdam . But we were prepared with rain gear and umbrellas. I had bought years ago a backpacking umbrella that its very lightweight and has a carabiner that I can hook to my travel purse. I could easily pull it out and put it back as needed.

We had bought our tickets for the Anne Frank house online about two weeks ahead of our trip. My suggestion is to buy them at least a month to six weeks ahead of time. The choices we had were limited. Our tickets were for 8:20 in the evening which turned out to be great because it forced us to stay awake and try to get our bodies changed to the current time zone.

We left our hotel about 4:00 with the city map in hand and navigated our way towards the shopping district and then to where the Anne Frank house is located. We found a place to eat and relaxed and watched the people of Amsterdam. It is certainly a different place that we were used to but were glad we had the opportunity to visit. We loved the Anne Frank house and then headed back to our hotel around 9:30 pm. We never felt uncomfortable after dark as we found our way.

We slept late on Sunday and enjoyed the hotel's breakfast buffet. We then headed out to do some more exploring. We walked the few blocks to the flower market and did some more exploring. The rain stopped and started but we just kept moving. We headed back to the hotel around 10:30 and finished packing back up. We headed down to the lobby checked out and requested a cab to the port. It arrived within ten minutes of our request and the ride to the port was about 10 minutes and cost 15 Euro plus tip.

When we arrived we didn't see the Uniworld boat but saw multiple Viking vessels and there was a red tent set up for Viking. But a man in a navy blue jacket spotted me as we got out of the cab and it was if he knew to expect us and immediately assisted us with our luggage and directed us to our vessel. We had to walk through one Viking boat to get to the SS Antoinette but it was an easy experience. Our luggage was whisked away and we checked in. As it was 11:30 we were told our rooms would not be ready until 2:00 but we were welcome to have lunch and wander around until then.

We headed up to the top deck and had a bit of lunch and then headed back off board. We wanted to see the Dutch Resistance Museum and so we caught a cab from the port and went to the museum which was about 6-8 minutes from the port. We really enjoyed this museum. It tells the story of how the Dutch were affected by WW2. It was told from both the Jews and non Jewish population It was very educational and we were very glad we went. The staff at the museum called us a cab when we were done and we were quickly back at the boat. Our keys were ready and we made our way to the boat and our luggage was waiting on us.

Enjoy - SS Antoinette was fabulous! Hope your weather improves, and looking forward to hearing more.

Looking forward to the rest of the review! Looking to to this trip next year, if space is still available :rolleyes:

We are in Cabin 427 which has a French Balcony. We have a lovely blue Toile print. We unpacked and had ample storage for all that we brought. We were both impressed with the roomy bathroom. It has a large drawer under the sink to hold all your toiletries and not have to clutter up the countertop. The shower is roomy.

Once we got settled in it was time for the Safety drill which was held in the Salon. It is the area where daily meetings are held and is also a bar. The meeting took only about 15 minutes and then most headed upstairs to watch while we sailed away. The weather was overcast but it wasn't raining. The boat provides blankets for those that needed them. We stayed up there for quite awhile and saw a lot of agriculture and eventually some windmills. My husband took a lot of beautiful photographs.

Our first port talk was at 6:45 in the Salon. The cruise manager, Tony, explained what would happen the next day and also described the optional excursions that could be selected for the rest of the week. We chose to sign up for the Marksburg Castle tour but didn't opt for any other ones that required payment.

Dinner was at 7. It is open seating so we just headed into the dining room and selected a table of six that was empty. Eventually, a couple joined us. We live in Houston, Texas but are both originally from San Antonio, Texas. The couple that joined us are from Fredericksburg, Texas. What a small world. The dress for the first night is casual and I noticed that most people were in the same clothes that they arrived in.

Dinner was slow paced but very good with wine or cocktails provided as requested. Since this is all inclusive trip - "adult beverages" are complimentary. I have only seen one passenger that seemed to over drink.

There was entertainment provided in the Salon or the Leopard Lounge but we decided to call it a night. We slept extremely well. You feel no movement and the engines are very quiet.

Bunnybear,

Thanks for all the detail. I am a little confused, though. Did you take this cruise beginning April 22 or August 22? I will be taking a cruise departing Amsterdam in the Rhine and Moselle and I am particularly interested in the weather as the cruise makes its way up to Basel.

Bunnybear,

Thanks for all the detail. I am a little confused, though. Did you take this cruise beginning April 22 or August 22? I will be taking a cruise departing Amsterdam in the Rhine and Moselle and I am particularly interested in the weather as the cruise makes its way up to Basel.

August 22 was a Friday (as OP mentions). April 22 was not, so this must be a typo.

First I must correct my dates. We left Houston, August 22.

Monday morning we made our way downstairs for the breakfast buffet. There was quite a variety of items to choose from. There is an omlette bar and the cook can also make over medium eggs. The scrambled eggs on the buffet were delicious, hot and fresh. There are also menu items available such as waffles and French toast. It is again open seating so we met other guests.

The majority of the 140 passengers are from the States, but there are quite a few from Australia and England. So the only language I have heard spoken onboard is English. The ages are approx. late 40's to late 70's. I would say the majority is in the late 50's to late 60's. Everyone seems very friendly and we have visited with a lot of our fellow passengers. We have met three other couples from the Houston area which is a small world again.

The weather was still cool and lightly raining. We headed upstairs to the L'Orangie for the Black Forest cake demonstration at 11:00. We then headed down the to the restaurant for lunch. Lunch is served buffet style. Again a good selection and there was a carving station of roasted pork. There are dessert selections but there is always ice cream of different flavors available. I had some of the pistachio and it was excellent.

At 1:30 we stopped along the Rhine and loaded on buses to head to Cologne. It was about a 20 minute ride. We were broken up into 6 groups of about 26 or so. We used our VOX boxes and was able to hear our guide very well. She walked us around the Cathedral and gave us the history of the area. We then visited the Cologne Cathedral which is supposedly the largest Cathedral in the world. It is quite impressive inside. We saw a huge gold box that also supposedly holds the bones of the three wise men. It was taken from Milan years ago in a dispute. After the tour we had some free time. I purchased a bottle of the original Cologne which I really loved the scent. It was then about a fifteen minute walk to the boat.

We were back on the boat by 5 which gave us time to relax a bit, take a shower ad prepare for the Welcome Reception which was at 6:15. Dress was just bit more dressy. Most of the guys had jackets on and the ladies were in dresses or dressy slacks. They introduced the staff and then discussed the next day's activities. We then went to dinner. We sat at the same table as the night before and were joined by our new friends from Fredricksburg but were also joined from a couple from Illinois. It was a delightful evening and we stayed for quite awhile visiting and getting to know our new friends.

We were up and moving by 8. The tour we chose for Koblenz was the Aerial Tram ride to the Ehrebreitstein Fortress. It was still overcast and lightly raining so raingear was called for. We joined a group and headed out. It was a lot of walking but well worth the trip. The tram ride was really neat and you could see a great perspective from the air of where the Mozelle and the Rhein come together. After the trip we headed back to the boat for a quick lunch because it was time at 1:15 for our trip the Marksburg Castle. The ship left Cologne shortly after we left on the bus and we would meet up in Boppard.

The tour of the Marksburg was great. I do want to mention that it is a little tricky walking up the ramp to get to the castle and up the uneven steps leading into the castle. This castle is one of the only one that was never destroyed by the French. It has been refurnished in the style that fit the time period. We loved the tour and am glad of our selection.

We headed back to the boat and was onboard about 4. We took a rest, cleaned up and attended the 6:45 port talk. There was a history lecture at 5:30 that we did not attend but I heard it was worthwhile.

Dinner was again great and we sat with our new friends. It was a great day.

Wednesday morning, we were up and eating by 7 and up on the top floor by 8:15. This has to be my favorite day so far. It was a bit cool and damp but we stayed upstairs until noon watching the Castles go by. Tony narrated and told us the name and history of each castle we passed. We passed by castle after castle and the most quaint villages with gorgeous churches and buildings. My husband took 165 pictures. It was as if we stepped into a fairy tale. At 10:30 they served in the top deck eatery a typical German meal with beer. We ate outside and continued to watch the castles go by. The sun finally began to peek through the clouds so the jackets came off and we didn't need the blankets.

At 1:00 we arrived in Rudesheim. We took a mini train ride into town and then were allowed two hours free time. We loved this town. It was darling. We ate the absolute best Apple Strudel we have ever had. We made our way back to the boat by 5:30.

Our evening schedule was the same. Port talk at 6:45 and dinner at 7:00. We are truly enjoying our trip.

Thursday morning was a lazy start for us. We had signed up for the Vinegar tour but not the Heidelberg tour. Since they had such a huge response to the Vinegar tour they had to stagger the departure time. We didn't leave until 10:00 from the boat. The trip to Doktorehof was about 20-30 minutes. We were able to see a lot of agriculture along the way. In fact we have seen agriculture all along the Rhine from Amsterdam. Beside vineyard after vineyard there are all sorts of crops along the way.

The Vinegar tasting experience was wonderful. I had read on Cruise Critic that this was not to be missed and I agree with that assessment. We enjoyed the trip ad bought some vinegar and mustard to enjoy at home.

We got back to the boat around 1:15 and had lunch. We then took the shuttle bus into Speyer. It is a lovely German town with beautiful architecture. There is a shopping area that is clothing, shoes and many little sidewalk cafes. We only spent an hour there and headed back on the shuttle to the boat.

So we are now caught up. I will update tomorrow after our visit to Kehl.

Our Uniworld Rhine cruise ended in Amsterdam on Sunday and you all hopped on there. Love reading your evaluation which I think is spot on! Tony is the best!!

Food is amazing!! The vinegar was not to be missed. We bought a number of bottle there and luckily they all made it home!! Enjoy the last few days..just a

great tour!!!

Rick

Bunnybear, thanks for the great review. Can you tell me if there are other options besides a group tour in most of the port towns? I am worried about feeling too herded and I know I will want to break away and possibly rent a car or do some other sight seeing on my own.

By all means you are free to do your own thing in every port but I have never felt herded. The groups are never more than 30. Tony will tell you in each place to feel free to do whatever you want. The only problem - we are docking sometimes in remote areas and it would be very difficult to get to somewhere to rent a car.

Your review has made me aware of how different supposedly similar river cruise itineraries can be. Our AMA cruise had the same starting and ending points as you, but our intermediate stops were quite different and even when we did the same town our timing led to very different coverage (sometimes less, sometimes more than you). We enjoyed the AMA cruise, but we could do your cruise and feel like it's a whole new experience!

Even the direction seems to make a difference - we did the same ship Basel to Amsterdam, and it was different in a number of ways. Lots of nice things to do in this area. Enjoying this so far, and looking forward to the Southern Rhine, which was our favorite!

Rick/eyeu, welcome back! Glad you had a great time.

Seabreezer, don't worry about feeling herded. Like you, we almost always do our own thing and rent cars in port when we're ocean cruising to try to get away from the crowds. We found this totally different - much smaller groups, and with the quietvox system you could wander off a little from the group if you wanted.

You can always do your own thing too; we did that a few times. You can leave the group tour early, or stay behind in town after they finish, or just go back into town after the tour ends. The difference is you're usually within walking distance of a town (though you're not always within walking distance of the particular town you're touring).

We never felt the need to rent a car on this particular itinerary, though, because they provided a shuttle bus to the town of interest for DIY folks.

Thursday evening was nice onboard. We had signed up for the "Fine Dining Experience". It was held upstairs at the L'Orangarie. It had a set menu with the entrée being a particularly fabulous tenderloin of beef. Not very many passengers participated so it was very intimate and we were given all the attention we could ever want.

Now it is Friday. We are off the ship early this morning to head to Strasbourg for the day. Unfortunately, it's misting rain and is cool again. We did not opt for the Black Forest tour so we plan on spending the day wandering around the town but the weather may hamper that schedule. We will just wing it.

Great review. If it is Tony J. that you have as a cruise manager, he is the best!!! We have had him on three different cruises and you can't beat his knowledge, personality, and professionalism.

It is Friday and we are docked in Kehl, Germany which is across the river from Strasbourg. The area we are docked is a very industrial area and we are actually tied up to an AROSA boat and had to cross it to get to the street. We had decided ahead of sailing that we were not going to take the Black Forest tour. This was based on many reviews on Cruise Critic about it being a long bus ride and that didn't appeal to us for this trip. So we took the canal cruise with a majority of the passengers in Strasbourg and then spent four hours just wandering around town. It is a beautiful, quaint town with gorgeous architecture, high end shopping (if that is something you enjoy) and a restaurant one right after another.

We visited the Cathedral which is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. The exterior looks like lace. The building was started in the 1100's and it is spectacular from the inside and out.

We then wandered around the streets and found a Creperia for lunch. I had an artichoke, tomato and cheese and my hubby had a ham, asparagus and cheese crepe. They were wonderful and served on tables outside. We just admired the surroundings and only heard French or German spoken.

My husband took pictures of beautiful buildings, and doors. We then found a pastry shop and I bought the best éclair that either one of us has ever had. For those that don't want to be with a large group of people - today will make you very happy. You are free to do "your own thing" until 5:00 when the last shuttle leaves Strasbourg to come back to the ship.

We really enjoyed our day.

Wunderbar!

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I also had Tony as my cruise director on the River Beatrice a few years ago and he really IS the best!! I was by myself and I felt like he took good care of me and watched out for me. Plus he was just so funny :-)

Bunnybear

We are yet another couple booked on the same cruise in late October but sailing Basel to Amsterdam, with three days booked at the Banks Mansion. Enjoying your comments and learning from them. It sounds like most attractions in Amsterdam are walkable from the hotel. We, too, think we will skip the Black Forest bus ride.

We were on the last Uniworld Rhine cruise. Had second thoughts about the Black Forest optional excursion. We decided to take it. The scenery was fabulous. The lunch was delicious. So happy we took it..though we did not buy a cookoo clock! However, had we wandered Strasboug during the afternoon that would have also been a great success. In other words, it is a win-win.

Time is limited so just do not look back. A great trip!!

Would post photos, but not sure how to link it up. ;(

Rick

My hubby took hundreds of photos but due to heavy clouds the day of the Castle cruising - his didn't turn out as well as your did. There is so many photo ops in this trip.