wanderingoz

58 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

A quick loss of about US$400 if you bought yesterday.

As has been mentioned previously, only a loss if you sell today.

1 hour ago, icat2000 said:

Tempting but I gonna wait on Sapphire deals next week. 

Brochure received today with list prices.

Been a bit quiet here recently so here is a last minute if it suits.

Norwegian Jewel

Fri 14 - Fri 28 Feb (14 nights)

EMBARK Sydney, Burnie (Tasmania), Melbourne, Dunedin (Port Chalmers), Akaroa, Wellington, DISEMBARK Sydney, Australia

Balcony Guarantee (Sailaway Balcony in their terminology)

A$1808 pp + A$300pp pre-paid Service charges.

On the cruise line's website.

Thanks to all for their contributions to this thread and particularly Notamermaid for all the wonderful information.

I have been tracking the Uniworld River Duchess from Amsterdam to Bucharest as we are scheduled to board her for the cruise back to Amsterdam from October 2.  She has been docked at Regensburg, upstream from Pfelling, for a couple of days and is now headed back upstream towards Nuremberg instead of continuing down the Danube as scheduled.

It looks to me like a ship swap has occurred with the River Princess. She was docked at Vilshofen, downstream from Pfelling, and is now back at Passau.  If anyone has any first hand info it would be appreciated.

I am guessing that even if the level at Pfelling rises next week so ships can get through, Uniworld will swap us at some stage to get the ships back on schedule.

Off to do some research on the River Princess 😃.

12 hours ago, HappyTvlr said:

The minimum on ours was 25, and only 8 signed up.  Not sure which direction you are going, but for us this was the last day before flying unless you extended on your own.  We were certainly "cooked", and couldn't face a long coach ride.  We did the Dictator's home which was over the top extravagant, and the MC people's palace.  Palace has interesting history, and was beautiful inside.  It lacked a bit of wow factor when compared to other things we visited which is saying a lot, but well worth a couple hours and few euros to see. 

We really loved Bucharest.  Easy to city to walk, fantastic local food in old town, great restaurants in the hotel, and ridiculously good craft beer.  Safe city, but we were told to beware of pick pocketers.  Not unusual.

We are starting in Bucharest so this is our first day after the delightful flight from Australia.  5+ hrs on a bus isn't the most enticing of propositions.

Your description of Bucharest is exactly what we are hoping for so depending on how we are feeling we may just spend the day exploring.

Pickpockets are pretty much a given now.  I couldn't believe how good the ones in Barcelona were.

Cheers

Steve

2 hours ago, HappyTvlr said:

I was interested in it as well, but decided against it when I found out about the driving time required. The drive out was about 2.5 hrs, and return 3.5 depending on traffic. They didn’t get the minimum to sign up, but offered to organize a private trip for the 8 interested at a slightly higher price. Not sure if anyone ended up going.

 I am guessing they won’t sign people up pre-cruise because they want everyone aware of the journey. I appreciate this because it avoids non-refundable prepayment issues.

Hmmm.. that will make us think twice about it as well.  While I'm sure the castle is spectacular I doubt it will be the last castle we get to see on the trip.

I wonder what the minimum numbers would be?  Many minivans are 8 seaters and quite common for tours of that length.

Steve

5 hours ago, HappyTvlr said:

It was a combination with the change in Budapest.  It was flawless for those of us staying onboard, and they even planned a day trip to two wineries.  It was fantastic.  We lost and gained around 100 people which was interesting.  We had a good group of 30+ that stayed on, and I think did a great job of integrating with the new passengers.

That's good to know about the tours in Budapest. I've been investigating what we could do ourselves for that day.

Steve

6 hours ago, Roz said:

 

Are you doing the 25-day Ultimate European Journey?

 

Roz

Yes that's  the one.

41 minutes ago, pully8 said:

It looks as if Amsterdam to Bucharest is a combination of 2 cruises?

did you have a change of passengers on the cruise?

Yes it is a combination, back to back in ocean cruise parlance, but marketed by Uniworld as a single, complete, option as well.

I am gathering there will be some change of passengers at Budapest as we have a Captain's Farewell Dinner on Day 8 and a Welcome Dinner on Day 10.

Steve

Thanks HappyTvlr for coming back and reporting on how your trip went.  I would love to hear more about your overall impressions if you are willing to share.  My email is my CC username at gmail dot com.

I recall our previous discussions about this same issue before you left. Sorry that it seems to have caused you so much irritation despite your best efforts to get clear information before you boarded.

It certainly sounds like the process is inconsistent and that is why it is so worrying.  It's hard to understand how, with a capacity of only 130 passengers, it is so difficult to offer the "included" excursions to every passenger.  Even if everyone wanted to do the bus tour to wherever, it should be available, without any undignified jostling for position and concern about missing out.  This is supposed to be a "Top Shelf, High End" operator.

I understand the minimum number provision so I guess we would just have to suck it up if that happens.  What is harder to understand is why forward bookings can not be made if a passenger is certain they want to do a particular Masterpiece excursion.  I don't even mind paying for it at the time of booking.  If it is advertised that there are limited numbers available, those who wish to leave it to the last moment, take their chances.  This could easily be made clear in excursion documentation.

Hopefully the experience of others reported above and in other threads will prevail and all will be fine.

Cheers

Steve

19 minutes ago, Mimosa09 said:

Hi there Steve,

   We are the other couple on the trip with you. Just over a month before we arrive in Bucharest and we are finally getting ready for the trip. 😀 We cruised with Uniworld last fall out of Bordeaux & liked Uniworld very much. Like Travlr21 stated before, sometimes the bike tours are limited & fill up quickly as we saw on our cruise with Uniworld. I too looked around on Cruise Critic about the Masterpiece excursions & I what little I saw basically said we had to wait until after we arrive (or board) before we could sign up for those excursions. So we are crossing are fingers & hoping for the best. 

   We recently had a change in plans for the end of the trip in Amsterdam.  Our daughter & her family just moved there so now we are spending a few days there instead of flying directly home. Since we made the change, we decided to book some tickets for Anne Frank’s house & did just that today. 

   Looking forward to meeting you. 

- Rose & Alan

Looking forward to meeting you too.  We received our Uniworld parcel last week so it's all very real now.

I was mostly concerned about the Peles Castle tour at the start of the trip but all the advice above has been reassuring. We will definitely be signing up for some of the other excursions as soon as we can.

We have one extra day in Amsterdam before hopping the train to CDG Airport in Paris and picking up a hire car. Another new experience for me, driving in France.  Will be avoiding Paris though and heading back north to do some exploring.

34 days on my countdown now 😃

Steve

4 hours ago, Roz said:

Steve,

First apologies.  I was reading your username as Wanderinroz instead of Wanderingoz (as in Australia).  Duh!  

🤣I did wonder about the comment earlier.

It all sounds very organised and reassuring.

Cheers

Steve

Thanks RB & Roz for the reassurance.

You are right about the anxiety as I'm a bit of a details person and TBH I don't have a lot of confidence in our agent. I'm sure things will work out.

We are booked in to the Uniworld hotel (Radisson Blu) in Bucharest and the timeline is as you say.

Looking forward to it immensely.

Cheers

Steve

28 minutes ago, Ritabob said:

The bike tours are usually lead by an outside company that provides touring bikes.....not the Uniworld bikes on board.  We have always been accommodated.

Be aware that some excursions you have to sign up for may not happen because they do not meet  the minimum number required.

The first day when you get into your cabin, read , or at least glance through the papers there.  There may be a page with all the choices for every day listed as an 'at a glance'  spreadsheet .  That will note which activities you have to sign up for, and by what day.  Once you've got an idea, go to the lobby desk and sign up.

Have a wonderful trip.

RB

Thank you RB, more great tips.

We have gone through the existing information and chosen most of what we want to include based on that so will check for anything different once we board.

I'm trying to reach out to Uniworld at the moment regarding the first day of our trip as there is an excursion listed we want to do but this is even before we actually board the ship.  So hopefully we will have some contact with Uniworld staff while still at the hotel.

Thanks to everyone for the assistance.

Steve

There has been some discussion about this previously.  Seems some are and some aren't.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2137518-are-the-walls-magnetic/

10 minutes ago, travlr21 said:

We did 2 Uniworld cruises this spring, Paris/Normandy and Bordeaux. In both cases the excursion presentation was held after the first excursions took place. In one case, the excursion we wanted the first day was limited capacity. Those in the know booked at the front desk as soon as they boarded, something people new (like us) to the line did not know about. We did eventually get on that excursion but we were disappointed about the process. When you board and you see something you really want, try to book it right away. (Our only other river cruise had been with Viking and we booked our excursions well before we boarded.) Enjoy your cruise.

Great tip, thank you.

They don't mention anywhere in their literature that numbers may be limited. 🤨

I'm imagining the Walking Tours would not fill up but some like the Masterpiece excursions that are extras may very well fill. 

Thinking about it more, the Bike tours may also fill as they only have a limited number of bikes available on board.

Does anyone recall if payment for any Masterpiece excursions was expected at the time of booking?

Thanks Roz,

That's exactly what I needed to hear. 👍

Cheers

I am having some difficulty finding as much information as I would like about some of the Uniworld excursions. (Ultimate European Journey, Bucharest -> Amsterdam)

Can I ask of anyone who has cruised the Danube or Rhine with Uniworld, whether they have information sessions on board before excursion selections are made?

If so, are these usually the day or evening beforehand?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

On 8/1/2019 at 10:15 PM, G.M.T. said:

😨😭😇

 

OK, if you (when you) get beaten and loose the Ashes, then you can drown your sorrows.🍻🥨🍻

Or perhaps celebrate? 🥂😉

17 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

🍻

We all know that, I prefer the latter part  so that the rush of tourists, Italians, Aussies and Kiwis are over time I get there.🍻🍻

Sorry to disappoint you. We will still be there.

14 hours ago, hsack said:

Ok - I'm done worrying about all of this.

The weather is in God's hands and there's nothing I can do about it or the level of the river. My attitude is all I can control, so --- I'm going to have the BEST trip of my life with my wonderful husband, family and friends! Thanks everyone for your information.

Bravo.  My attitude exactly. 

HappyTvlr,

You are getting very close to your cruise, lucky you.  We are booked on the same cruise in September/October and I have also been confused by the lack of information from Uniworld re their Masterpiece excursions.  Did you ever receive any clarification?

Steve

14 hours ago, HappyTvlr said:

Thanks for the information. How did you get it? I am on the 28 July AMS to BUC river cruise and can't figure out their schedule. On some days they clearly list choices, but on some days they have multiple AM and PM options that I assume we choose from.  I have only been on Uniworld in India where there weren't overlapping options.  Can I assume if there are AM and PM options that both will be possible? The current schedule lists Peles in the AM and Peoples in the PM, but it seems like a push to get back for the Peoples.  Any info would be appreciated.

Info came from Uniworld via Facebook.  Be best to contact them direct re the timing. 

On 3/26/2019 at 11:51 AM, Janman said:

Can anyone tell me the price of Uniworld ‘s extra cost Peles Castle tour out of Bucharest?

Happy Cruising!

Received this information today.

Here is more information but please note that both of those Masterpiece Collection Excursions are only available to be booked onboard.

Sinaia: Peles Castle and Winery Lunch & Tasting Prices are subject to change: € 79 After a scenic ride through the Carpathian mountains you'll arrive at Peles Castle for a guided tour followed by free time to explore the gardens. After the castle visit you'll have a guided tour of the Azuga winery and restaurant with wine tastings and lunch.

People’s Palace – Delusions of Grandeur: Prices are subject to change: € 31 A guided tour of the Palace as well as going through a small section of dazzling rooms, huge halls and quarters used by the Senate (when not in session).

On 3/31/2019 at 11:57 PM, gnome12 said:

Just remember the people who hang around this board are the people who like river cruising. Those that don't are here to complain for one cruise and never come back.

In my limited experience I have encountered 4 distinct types of posters here.

- those that wish to research and learn

- those that wish to genuinely assist and share

- those that wish to complain

- and those that wish to pontificate.

I know which of these I listen to.