Shoeman1

We arrived home Sunday from a week on the SS Catherine, Lyon to Marseilles. The ship is in superb shape; it is clean to a fault. The staff are total professionals in every sense and when we had an issue with the makeup mirror in our room it was repaired immediately. The food is superb, and rivals Crystal, Silversea and Regent. We dined Alfresco one evening and enjoyed beef tenderloin and many other well prepared specialties. As the trip is in Burgundy and Provence many dishes and wines of the region are highlighted at each meal. If you prefer Caesar Salad (excellent), steak with a choice of sauces, salmon and chicken are prepared for you. One of the highlights of the cruise is a stop at the tiny town where Valhronna chocolate is manufactured . You will have bowls of chocolates on the dessert area and the best chocolate ice cream ever. By the way if you go the factory you can sample to your hearts' delight. Don't miss the hot chocolate.:)

Tours are from a few hours to a day long. The guides are top notch. If you prefer a more active lifestyle bicycles , and a kayak tour are available.

As for shorts yes a few wore them during the day as it was warm. I never saw shorts in the evening rather a nicely dressed and very interesting well traveled group of passengers.

We have toured with Viking, the original Premicon Queen and Uniworld; there is no comparison IMHO.

Glad to answer any questions.:)

Great discussions. We have done both, and to us the only similarity was being on a river. Uniworld provided a very plush atmosphere, superb service, good meals and well versed guides. Our Uniworld cruise brought together a number of folks from down under as well as travelers from the US and Europe; these passengers were well traveled and interesting. On our Viking cruise it was Americans only and for many this was their first venture out of the US. The tour groups on Uni are small in number with great guides; Viking had much larger groups. With Viking you had a fixed dinner hour; on Uni you could enter the DR between hours. The service on Uni was special to us as many of the waiters were students from the Eastern block countries who were making $ to continue their education. The staff were reluctant to accept our gratuities and thanked us profusely for being so gracious to them. Uniworld is just a great company who trained the staff well.

We plan to take another Uniworld cruise next month and have crossed Viking off our list.

I will give Viking credit for the advertising on US television. I think it has paid off for them.

Indeed the UW personnel are very easy to spot. Our lovely little lady who met our plane spoke passable English, and combined with my passable French all went quite well. We arrived at the ship around 11, and were led to lunch. Your luggage will soon be in your room and you can unpack much earlier than the 3pm room guarantee.

Thierry was our leader and I agree totally , he is a master of his craft.

Several in our group of 8 had not seen Versailles and did take the tour. They felt it was well worth the extra Euros.

We had a small ceremony at the US cemetary ; not nearly the elaborate one posted above yet very moving.

When it comes to service UW is exceptional. The word No is not in their vocabulary.

I know you will have a marvelous trip.:)

We just returned from a river cruise, Paris to Normandy, on Uniworld. A few suggestions, Rouen is small and one of the guides mentioned that you can walk the entire city in 30 minutes. We docked near the city center and enjoyed the afternoon on our own taking in a superb restaurant and other sites. It is easy to navigate; and a lovely city.

Regarding the American cemetery our guide said there are over 9000 markers and I think she mentioned that there were 300 Stars of David. Each marker is engraved with the name of the soldier, their hometown and their battalion. There are many whose names are unknown and the marker says "There name is known only to God". The cemetery is maintained beautifully and if you want to visit a certain gravesite do take the time to ask at the Welcoming Center.

We did not partake of the many museums relating to WWII and met a couple who said the museum in smallest city near Omaha Beach is not to be missed.

This was our 3rd river cruise and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

I posted a review on this cruise. Our experiences were positive; Uniworld does an exceptional job. The ship is older and well maintained; the rooms are tiny, well decorated, maintained to perfection with white tile baths, TV imbedded in mirror, small but adequate closet, safe, umbrella, great bath robes, slippers, and other assorted amenities. One more time, the bedrooms are tiny so if space is an issue this might not be for you.

Tours are very well organized and there are multiple options daily. Slow walkers have no issues. There are a few optional tours such as a dinner and show at Maxims

Liquor is included at all times and the lounge serves assorted nibbles with your beverages. A cappuccino machine is available 24 hr., and assorted candy and cookies are always nearby. Breakfast and lunch are buffet, with lighter options in the lounge. -Dinner is a multi-course affair, and you do not have to be seated at the dining room opening time. If the main choices have no appeal, a nice sized steak, Caesar salad, chicken breast, salmon and baked potato with all the condiments are on the menu. You will never leave hungry.

Service was incredible! The crew uniformly could not be more professional, and more attentive to your needs. If you made a request it was honored.

I was concerned about the internet speed; it was fine.

For those interested in the location of the ship in Paris, it is Quai Andre Citroën, very close to the Eiffel Tower. While this is in the 15th arrondissement taxis abound and you are close to some of the best shopping in Paris.

This was our 3rd river cruise and we found Uniworld to be a superb company.

We just returned from Uniworld Paris to Normandy. Indeed Biking tours were included as well as the use of 14 bikes. While we did not take advantage of the biking tours we met others who did and loved the trips.

Amsterdam is an easy city to navigate and everyone speaks fluent English. The Museum area is on Tram lines and do consider using the exceptional narration provided by the museums. Each room has laminated sheets describing the famous paintings, and you can travel this museum on your own. By the way the renovation included adding a lovely café serving meals and snacks, and you sit among the great paintings of the world.

We found the canal trip to be interesting. Like so many attractions you can do this on your own.

Amsterdam is full of exceptional tour companies and your hotel probably will have a few to add to the list.

Just wear comfortable shoes

Lucky you, it is a gorgeous city. The city of Bordeaux has a very well established tourist bureau offering a multitude of tours. They are well executed and sensibly priced. Also take a look at Trip Advisor for current information. We went on-line far before our cruise to plan our tours. If you are adventurous please find the La Rose du Tunis bakery for some unexpected treats, and a walk in that part of the city was very enlightening for us.

I agree that the Oceania tours are pricey.

Have a wonderful trip!

Indeed you are sent a note regarding your scheduled class. I wanted to try 2 other classes and did get into one of them. On the last day of the cruise the chef (who did have quite an attitude) gave out the menus of all classes held during the 10 day cruise, nice touch.

I did pick up a few tricks along the way. My cooking partner and I agreed that the menus were not items we would serve.

Interesting side note that the head chef noted that the heavy cream was not as thick as what has been used for years. I think this is reflective of the "downgrading" of many of the high end food items served now, such as beef and veal. With new owners come changes and not all are positive.