Uniworld s.s. Maria theresa- recent reviews

We are looking for recent reviews (2018) of Uniworld's: S.S. Maria Theresa. Would love to hear from you!

We returned from our 3rd Uniworld cruise recently. This cruise was on the ss Maria Therese

Our previous cruises were superb . The recent cruise was very disappointing. Do you have any specific areas such as cuisine,tours,service,rooms,entertainment?..

Glad to give you our impressions

We just returned from a cruise on the SS Maria Theresa (3 days ago). It was our second Uniworld and we LOVED it! I wrote a review and I am waiting for them to post it. I was nervous because the recent reviews were not that positive. But we had an amazing time. The crew and staff were friendly, professional and always working. We loved the free flowing wine and they made a really good Manhattan! We both really enjoyed the food. It is a heavy red meat cruise because that is the diet of the region. But I also had wonderful fish and vegetarian options a couple of times and the dining staff was very accommodating. We were afraid the ship would be too "over the top" but in person it is really lovely. We used the fitness center at least 4 or 5 times, we did our own laundry 4 times (we only travel with carry-ons), we sat on deck as we went through the locks, we made friends, we thought all the tour guides were wonderful. We loved the hike in Passau and wish that Uniworld offered more early morning hikes. There were a few people on board who did nothing but complain about everything so we kept our distance from them. We booked 2 nights in Budapest on our own and 2 extra nights in Prague on our own and I do think Uniword shoudl have included airport transfers, but that is really no bid deal. This was a fantastic vacation.

Thanks for posting this review. We too read a few negative reviews and were getting worried about our upcoming cruise. This is our first river cruise and we have high expectations. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!

Hoping to hear from others about the S.S. Maria Theresa.

We returned from our 3rd Uniworld cruise recently. This cruise was on the ss Maria Therese

 

Our previous cruises were superb . The recent cruise was very disappointing. Do you have any specific areas such as cuisine,tours,service,rooms,entertainment?..

 

 

Glad to give you our impressions

What were you disappointed with on the Maria Theresa? Was it the food, service? Please share your thoughts.

My brother, sister-in-law, and her mom (our regular river cruising companions) plus her 2 brothers and spouses were on the Maria Theresa in May and had a great cruise. For DB, SIL and her mom this was their 4th Uniworld cruise and for every one else their first river (and Uniworld) cruise. The entire group liked it so much they booked another in the spring of 2019. I just need to get them on a better schedule so we can go with them - this year's cruise conflicted with our immediate family Alaska cruise and next spring's cruise is a month before our Norway cruise (although that isn't stopping DB and SIL from doing both)!

This was our 3rd Uniworld cruise and it began and ended on a slightly sour note. We met the rep, should say we waited for the rep over 1 1/2 hr in the Munich airport until he appeared. Then we walked quite a distance with luggage in hand to to coach. The nice rep did not have enough beverages for the passengers. On departure we had a 10am flight from Budapest , and Uni insisted we depart at 6am for the 30 minute drive to the airport. Airlines would not check anyone in as most desk personnel do not arrive before 7am

Food: A huge disappointment from our previous Uniworld cruises. Breakfast buffet had the appearance of a Residence Inn buffet with precut cheeses, no danish, little fresh fruit although you could get berries on request, waffles that could double as hockey pucks and weak coffee. There was always a lady making egg dishes and she would disappear 45 minutes before the buffet closed. Lunches were also buffet always with a soup , sandwich, salad bar, pasta dish, vegetables and a few poorly executed desserts. Most of the items were recycle from the evening meal . Our 2nd cruise on the Catherine offered superb pasta creations, divine desserts and exceptional local items; the Maria Therese was the exact opposite.

Dinner was a seated dinner and nothing was well prepared. We were a group of 4 and met other past passengers who were in the same group of passengers who were questioning how there could be such a decline.

Tours were a mixed bag with some great guides and others who were mediocre at best. Our guide in Budapest was a disaster, leaving us at ABC for over an hour and then taking us on an abbreviated tour of the glorious city. Passengers would ask knowledgeable questions regarding sites; she cut them off.

There was an evening Mozart concert in Vienna; it was a delight. We returned to the ship(10:30pm) to Frankfurters and goulash soup; not exactly an evening snack.

Bar service was great, and wines were fine; albeit very low budget wines. Tea time should be missed

Service is very polite, and most make every effort to please passengers.

We were in the highest category of rooms and found the beds to take up the entire room. You might as well take a lower deck, and save $

Good friends were on the Joie de Vivre at the same time and voiced similar issues with the food. A simple request for a small green salad was denied..Now I can see this on a large ship with reduced staff but not Uniworld where you pay top dollar.

I certainly get having a bad meal or 2, a bad guide, etc . When cutback are very noticeable I abandon the vendor, and in this case the cutbacks are glaring.

Our next river cruise is on Crystal; stay tuned