On board the Uniworld River Royale in Bordeaux

[JPH814]

Hello everyone!

 

My wife and I are starting the second leg of our Tour of Majestic France. last week e spent on the Joie DiVivre and it was fabulous. Brand new,shiny, sleek and excellent. You can see my thoughts on another post.

 

The River Royale is a very different ship. But so far she is very nice. The cabins are similar but I will miss the larger marble bathroom (and shower!) of the JDV. But everything is high quality - furnishings, bed linens and all.

 

And what is also the same so far is the quality of the service. First impressions mean a lot and being greeted with a glass of champagne by a crew member welcoming me by name was impressive.

 

We arrived about 1:30, had lunch and were in our staterooms with luggage by 2:45.

 

I will post occasionally throughout the week, but please let me know if I can answer any questions.

 

 

 

 

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[cormike1]

Looking forward to reading your review. We have thought about doing this area of the world so I am interested in how you enjoyed it. Thanks again.

[Ritabob]

How was the train trip ? Did Uniworld do anything for you during the trip ?

 

RB

[jpalbny]

Happy to hear that you're in Bordeaux, and looking forward to enjoying this trip along with you. Have a great time!

[JPH814]

How was the train trip ? Did Uniworld do anything for you during the trip ?

 

 

 

RB

 

 

Train trip was fine - a little over three hours.(better than a bus ride. First class accommodations on the train. Nothing special.

 

 

 

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[JPH814]

Today was an awesome day in Sauterne. A 45 minute drive to a cool castle where the owner met us at the moat. A direct descendent of Henry IV. Wonderful rooms with authentic furnishings. Then a three course lunch paired with three different sauternes.

 

After lunch we were taken to a sauterne producer. A visit to the vineyard, production facilities followed by another tasting.

 

Today was a classic Uniworld day - wonderfully planned and executed in a typically special way.

 

 

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[JPH814]

Another somewhat random observation that risks sending this thread on a tangent: dress

 

It is very informal.

 

Last night was the gala welcome dinner. Attire really was not that different from other nights. Maybe half of the women wore nicer dresses, the rest pretty casual. Only about 4 or 5 men wore jackets and ties. No suits. Most just slacks and shirts. This also applied to last week on the Seine.

 

I am not making a judgement. While I used to enjoy bringing a tux or formal dinner jacket to a cruise, it does not apply to the Uniworld style anymore.

 

 

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[SuiteTraveler]

Today was an awesome day in Sauterne. A 45 minute drive to a cool castle where the owner met us at the moat. A direct descendent of Henry IV. Wonderful rooms with authentic furnishings. Then a three course lunch paired with three different sauternes.

 

After lunch we were taken to a sauterne producer. A visit to the vineyard, production facilities followed by another tasting.

 

Today was a classic Uniworld day - wonderfully planned and executed in a typically special way.

 

 

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That sounds absolutely great!

 

On our SS Antoinette cruise men wore jackets on the gala night and women wore sparkly tops, but nothing terribly fancy. However, everyone I saw was dressed in resort wear or country club casual throughout the cruise - men always had on shirts with collars and trousers - no shorts. Women had on dresses or nice pants with pretty tops. No t-shirts or casual jeans at all even while touring.

[JPH814]

Tuesday was our day in Medoc. A lovely bus ride and then a visit to a Chateau De Tetra - a Grand Cru producer of Cabernet blends from Margaux. Fascinating touring the bineyard abd the winemaking facility ending -of course - with tastings of two of their wines.

 

Last Night we had dinner in the Blue Fox -an alternative dining venue on board the River Royale. It is nice that Uniworld has started creating these alternatives on board. It was a set menu of excellent food in an enclosed patio on the top deck. Wonderful views of the banks of the Garonne as the sun was setting as we ate.

 

This morning we were in Baye. We started with an hour bus ride through the region ending up back in the town of Baye. There is a 17th century fortress we visited on a guided walking tour. Now we are back in board for lunch. About a third of the guests are doing a trip to the Remy Martin Cognac facility. I am not a fan, so I will hang out on board for a quiet afternoon until the 5:30 wine tasting.

 

A bit about the wines on board. I enjoy wine and generally can tell bad wine from good wine and good wine from great ones. What we have been served has been good. Better, for example, than the basic wines served onboard our recent Holland America cruise. But I also know that this cruise attracts some guests with very developed palates who routinely drink upscale wines. Some of them have expressed their dissatisfaction. Such is life.

 

 

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[Canal archive]

I was told, by an eminent wine expert some years ago that there are no bad wines but there are wines that either don't suit you palette or what you think your palette shouldn't suite. After various wine tastings and people watching I now fully understand what he meant. He alas is no longer with us but to have him on one of the wine cruises would have been so much fun. Just enjoy tasting the wine until you find one you enjoy. CA

[need2travel1]

This is one of the trips we're considering for next year so I'm enjoying following along. Looking forward to more installments as the week goes on. Enjoy yourselves!

[SuiteTraveler]

Oh my gosh this sounds like such a great trip! My husband would love going to Remy Martin - and I would go too although I only drink cognac rarely - usually in winter on a very, very cold night. Still, everything about this trip sounds just amazing! Live it up!

[gnome12]

I don't drink cognac at all, but I did a tour of Remy Martin a number of years ago and it was fascinating.

[JPH814]

Sorry I was out if touch the past few days. The internet on board this ship really is bad. There has been much discussion about this on board. I am not sure how much is a ship problem vs the land technology the tap into. But my guess is - within a couple of years - it will be a non issue.

 

Here are a few things from the last few days:

 

A day in St Emilion. I have been looking forward to this for many years. The town with its chapel were astounding. Many people stayed in town for lunch. Afternoon was a visit to a winery. This one was very corporate compared to Margaux. Wine was good, but tour so so.

 

That evening we gathered 5 other couples we met on board and had a dinner in the claret room on board. No extra charge and the menu is the same as the main dining room. But it is a wonderful atmosphere with extra attentive service. Do it if you are on board. There is one long table that holds up to 12. You sign up - first come first serve basis. The best evening meal of our cruise.

 

The city of Bordeaux was a surprise. I large city with great history but much more manageable than Paris. Spectacular cathedral with a beautiful organ. We had an evening open-air bus ride and then a two hour walking tour the next morning. Our guide -Sara- was also our guide for other tours during the week. Almost all Uniworld guides are very good, but Sara was a gem!

 

Sunday we went to a local church for mass and then visited the new wine museum in Bordeaux. The museum is only about a year old but very well done. Save about 2 hours to see it.

 

So now we are at the airport Marriott in Paris after a long train ride sunday evening. I will post some more thoughts and - hopefully - some pictures when I get home this week. As always, let me know if I can answer any questions about our trip.

 

 

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[luv2travel90266]

Heading on the Uniworld Bordeaux cruise in a few weeks. As a comment about the poor wifi I have arranged to rent a personal hotspot for this trip. Approx $1/day cost for unlimited data and you have 24/7 wifi for email, skype, gps, etc.

[FuelScience]

As a comment about the poor wifi I have arranged to rent a personal hotspot for this trip. Approx $1/day cost for unlimited data and you have 24/7 wifi for email, skype, gps, etc.

What hotspot did you rent for $1/day. The ones I'm familiar with are typically $7-$10 per day.

[luv2travel90266]

What hotspot did you rent for $1/day. The ones I'm familiar with are typically $7-$10 per day.

 

My apology. Very bad typing. The hotspot is approx$10/day with free delivery to the hotel and prepaid return envelope through hippocketwifi. The cost is 5.90 euros/day for 1GB. I chose unlimited (actually throttled after 4GB ). Some of us still have to work when on vacation. :(

[clcmdse]

We were "ships" passing when you were in Bordeaux. We were on the Oceania Sirena docked in Bordeaux at the same time. I am thrilled to be reading about your Uniworld trip. We take our first river cruise and it is with Uniworld next summer on the SS Antoinette.

 

Catherine

 

 

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[caviargal]

We were "ships" passing when you were in Bordeaux. We were on the Oceania Sirena docked in Bordeaux at the same time.

Forums

 

When we did our river cruise in Bordeaux, we saw the Silver Muse docked a few hundred yards away. Decided that would have a better way to see this area than by river. And we are not ocean cruisers, with the exception of Oceania and a small handful of others.

[clcmdse]

We had an excellent itinerary, to be sure. We started in Portugal. During the cruise, Our ship docked in Le Verdon where our wine guide met us. We toured the day in Medoc region and then joined the ship when it repositioned in Bordeaux. The next day was St Emilion.

 

We are looking forward to our first river cruise from Budapest to Prague. JP and Chris, I just read your outstanding blog on your trip last year with a similar itinerary. Thank you for all the helpful information. We are excited!

 

 

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[surfcitymichelle]

Sorry I was out if touch the past few days. The internet on board this ship really is bad. There has been much discussion about this on board. I am not sure how much is a ship problem vs the land technology the tap into. But my guess is - within a couple of years - it will be a non issue.

 

Here are a few things from the last few days:

 

A day in St Emilion. I have been looking forward to this for many years. The town with its chapel were astounding. Many people stayed in town for lunch. Afternoon was a visit to a winery. This one was very corporate compared to Margaux. Wine was good, but tour so so.

 

That evening we gathered 5 other couples we met on board and had a dinner in the claret room on board. No extra charge and the menu is the same as the main dining room. But it is a wonderful atmosphere with extra attentive service. Do it if you are on board. There is one long table that holds up to 12. You sign up - first come first serve basis. The best evening meal of our cruise.

 

The city of Bordeaux was a surprise. I large city with great history but much more manageable than Paris. Spectacular cathedral with a beautiful organ. We had an evening open-air bus ride and then a two hour walking tour the next morning. Our guide -Sara- was also our guide for other tours during the week. Almost all Uniworld guides are very good, but Sara was a gem!

 

Sunday we went to a local church for mass and then visited the new wine museum in Bordeaux. The museum is only about a year old but very well done. Save about 2 hours to see it.

 

So now we are at the airport Marriott in Paris after a long train ride sunday evening. I will post some more thoughts and - hopefully - some pictures when I get home this week. As always, let me know if I can answer any questions about our trip.

 

 

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Looking forward to seeing your pics and hearing your overall final thoughts about this experience in specific as well as your Majestic France experience overall. Have you done their Burgundy & Provence cruise? It's apparently the only itinerary you're missing from among Uniworld's Ultimate France trifecta sailings!

 

Kinda bummed to hear the disappointment in your voice about the wines on this segment and am wondering if others who've done this itinerary have had the same experience or not.

 

I'm wondering if the BUD-AMS/AMS-BUD sailings have better/worse food, wine, service. The hunt continues!

[mommamd]

We are doing the Bordeaux River Royale cruise as part of a group charter June 2018 - I am looking at booking one of the Michelin restaurants in St Emilion for lunch also - it looks amazing!! Also the oysters in that regions are great. I am thinking 5 days in Paris prior to the high speed train down to Bordeaux - there is a lot to recommend this area.