Babcia7

We did this several years ago with Uniworld. On our way to Salamanca we had a comfort stop. While in Salamanca we had a guided tour and time for a delicious tapas lunch on our own. After lunch our Madrid based guides relinquished us to our ship's guides. We gathered in a ballroom of a beautiful hotel for more sandwiches, pastries and drinks before boarding buses that took us to our ship. The scenery along the way was beautiful. I always consider the bus rides to our destinations as part of the journey. We saw many stork nests and storks along the way which added to the fun of the trip, and our guide provided some commentary along the way which made the drive time very tolerable.

Thanks for all the replies. When I last checked our cruise there were 28 cabins available for the April 1 sailing, so the ship is definitely not at full capacity. I was advised by my trip advisor, and again by a rep at Uniworld to ask for a complimentary upgrade once we are on the ship. I do think it would make sense logistically for the ship to have passengers grouped on the same levels. We have sailed with Uniworld 8 times in different categories other than a suite, and other than the size of the window and place of the cabin on various decks, the dimensions of the cabin and the amenities are the same. Although I would like to be upgraded, from experience we spend little time in the cabin so it isn't a deal breaker for us if we are upgraded or not. Just wish Uniworld would acknowledge the fact that we are loyal customers, this being our 8th trip with them!

We are booked on Uniworld's Tulip and Windmills cruise next week (April 1). I just checked their website and right now there are 28 cabins available. Any chance of a complimentary upgrade? This will be our 8th river cruise with Uniworld. Our travel advisor suggested that we ask for an upgrade once we're on the ship. Has anyone had any luck with that? In years past, Uniworld would upgrade to the next category if you were a repeat customer and a cabin was available for upgrade.

Thanks for your review! We will be on Tauck's Venice and the Dalmatian Coast trip aboard Ponant's ship Le Jacques Cartier in August. It will be our first trip with both Tauck and Ponant, so it was good to read such a positive experience.

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are really looking forward to this trip!

Thanks for the response! Good to know that the ship docks so close to the old town. My husband and I always try to stay awake and outdoors on the day we arrive, and even though a bit jet lagged, we find that we adjust to the time change much better if we just opt for an early bedtime shortly after dinner!

We will be on Uniworld's Tulip and Windmills cruise April 1-10, and arrive in Brussels early Saturday morning. If all goes well we should be in Antwerp and on the ship mid morning, so we'll have plenty of time to do some exploring on our own. Any suggestions for places to go within walking distance from the port?

Thanks!

We'll be going on Le Jacques Cartier Venice and Croatia in August. We booked with Tauck, but this will be our first time on a Ponant ship. Are we still eligible for the first time discount? Also, we'll be flying to Venice a day early and are looking for suggestions for non-touristy restaurants. Any suggestions?

I disagree with CruisingAlong4Now. To me, the bus rides provide some scenic views from Milan to Venice. Uniworld makes a stop at Verona, which for the most part is very touristy, but they also stop at a wonderful vineyard for a delicious multicourse lunch with plentiful and splendid wine. Tour of the estate was also enjoyable. I definitely did not see it as a waste of a day, but to each his own.

Hi Bob, We took this trip in 2014 and enjoyed it so much that we booked the same trip (with the addition of Milan) in 2016! It is not a typical river cruise, since most of the cruise is spent in the Venice lagoon, but we loved being able to explore much of Venice and the surrounding islands. I think the itinerary has changed somewhat, with great additions. We especially enjoyed the after hours visit of St. Marks, Chioggia, Bologna, Burano and Torcello. We love Uniworld's product and have booked our 8th river cruise with them next spring!

Also, glad you confirmed what Don told us about the laundry, since we will be traveling for 6 days before the cruise! A question: Did people change out of their day clothes for evening/dinner? I'm not packing anything fancy, but I thought I'd want to change out of jeans for dinner. Was the top deck restaurant/bar ever opened during your cruise?

Thank you for your comments! We'll be on the ship next Saturday after a few days on the Rocky Mountaineer. So glad to hear that you had a wonderful time.

Thanks! Finally received all travel docs electronically yesterday. Also, was told that luggage tags would be available at the pre-cruise hotel. Leaving Sunday for what we hope will be a wonderful adventure!

We leave for our pre-cruise trip on Sunday and still haven't received travel docs from AQ. We were told we would get them electronically. We did get an email with a printable copy of the AQ luggage tag, which we were instructed to print out and somehow attach to our luggage. We're spending thousands of dollars for this trip, and the company couldn't sent luggage tags?!? I sure hope the experience on the boat far exceeds the pre-trip woes!