Uniworld Cruises

We took a French river cruise with Uniworld about 10 years ago and while the countryside was beautiful and the excursions good, our experience onboard the river boat left much to be desired in the way of food and service. The food was just okay - not what I'd expect on a smaller ship, especially in France. As for the service - it seemed like they grabbed a bunch of college students on summer break and said, "Now you're cruise staff and customer service reps."

It's been a while, and we're looking at a Uniworld river cruise itinerary that is very interesting. For those of you who have cruised with Uniworld more recently, have they gotten their act together?

I'd appreciate any information.

We took a French river cruise with Uniworld about 10 years ago and while the countryside was beautiful and the excursions good, our experience onboard the river boat left much to be desired in the way of food and service. The food was just okay - not what I'd expect on a smaller ship, especially in France. As for the service - it seemed like they grabbed a bunch of college students on summer break and said, "Now you're cruise staff and customer service reps."

 

It's been a while, and we're looking at a Uniworld river cruise itinerary that is very interesting. For those of you who have cruised with Uniworld more recently, have they gotten their act together?

 

I'd appreciate any information.

We did the south France with Uniworld a year ago and couldn't have been more pleased. The service was great, food also very good, tours done by knowledgeable tour guides and the ship was beautiful. I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose them again. We have the Po River booked with Uniworld in 2014 and really looking forward to sailing with them again. :)

Cole

I agree with Cole, we really loved our river cruise with Uniworld!! I can't think of a single thing I would have changed except maybe cooler weather but I can't blame that on Uniworld. I would recommend them without any reservations!!

We sailed with Uniworld in May, 2012---Nuremberg to Paris cruise/tour. It was very well done. I was impressed with the quality of the wines served at dinner and the cruise staff--from the CD, the spa masseuse to the waitstaff--were friendly and knowledgable. I found the food good to the occasional excellent.

We booked 2 Uniword trips this year--the non traditional river cruise tour beginning in Venice and the more traditional Christmas Market cruise,Nuremberg to Vienna. At this time, 3 weeks from today, we'll be enroute to Venice. Not that I'm excited or anything:rolleyes:

We've been on a half dozen Uniworld cruises in the last 5 years and all have been great. Crew, service, food, ships all top notch.

We sailed with Uniworld in May, 2012---Nuremberg to Paris cruise/tour. It was very well done. I was impressed with the quality of the wines served at dinner and the cruise staff--from the CD, the spa masseuse to the waitstaff--were friendly and knowledgable. I found the food good to the occasional excellent.

 

We booked 2 Uniword trips this year--the non traditional river cruise tour beginning in Venice and the more traditional Christmas Market cruise,Nuremberg to Vienna. At this time, 3 weeks from today, we'll be enroute to Venice. Not that I'm excited or anything:rolleyes:

Be sure and post your thoughts and experiences after the cruise from Venice. We have it booked for next year and are having a hard time convincing our traveling friends to join us because it is "non-traditional".

Cole

Be sure and post your thoughts and experiences after the cruise from Venice. We have it booked for next year and are having a hard time convincing our traveling friends to join us because it is "non-traditional".

Cole

I plan to post at least a mini-report. I'm thinking we'll enjoy the Italian Splendors itinerary since neither I nor my husband enjoy driving abroad. Heck, I'm not thrilled when he drives stateside:D. Last year, we also did a 2 week trip to the Scottish Highlands that involved bus travel--we had a great group of traveling companions and had a great time. I'm hoping for the same camaraderie. Reading what has already been written, it seems like most bus travel is done in manageable chunks of time........continuing the countdown....

We took the Uniworld River Royale cruise on the Rhone last year--our first river cruise-- and it was FANTASTIC!! Positives=100 (in every category), negatives=0--except cruise was too short. Spent 3 days pre-cruise on our own with reservations in Aix-en-Provence and a rental car and had a ball!!

Thank you to everyone for your comments. It certainly sounds like Uniworld has improved greatly. I think we'll be giving them another go.

We took a French river cruise with Uniworld about 10 years ago and while the countryside was beautiful and the excursions good, our experience onboard the river boat left much to be desired in the way of food and service. The food was just okay - not what I'd expect on a smaller ship, especially in France. As for the service - it seemed like they grabbed a bunch of college students on summer break and said, "Now you're cruise staff and customer service reps."

 

It's been a while, and we're looking at a Uniworld river cruise itinerary that is very interesting. For those of you who have cruised with Uniworld more recently, have they gotten their act together?

 

I'd appreciate any information.

Ten years ago Uniworld did not have a company owned ship on the Rhone. They shared a German ship owned by the Peter Dielman cruise line. A year after we took the cruise on the Dielman ship Uniworld launched the River Royale and, as you can see by the thread, the experience improved greatly. We have been on six Uniworld cruises and have never been disappointed, although the Rhone cruise on the Dielman ship was probably the least enjoyable of all.

We cruised the Danube/Eastern Europe with Uniworld last year and haven't stopped talking about it since. A truly exceptional experience, and one we would recommend without hesitation.

I've posted an extensive review of the onboard experience for our Enchanting Danube sailing on the River Beatrice - link in my signature. There are pictures included and I've tried to be balanced in my review, but overall it was an excellent experience.

I also did Grand France with Uniworld in 2012 end of March, and it was great. The cabins are tight IMO, but the food was fabulous and in comparison to the AMA/APT product, the only thing with AMA is their cabins are superior in size. I will forgo that size for nice crew, much better standard of food and the itinerary :)