scottjeanne

We were in the Antarctica, South Georgia, Falklands trip last February and March. (It was extraordinary by the way). The entire 29 days there was no crew or passengers that contracted covid. There were passengers that did not get to board as they tested positive before boarding. And masks were mandatory for the first half of the trip, including in the zodiacs and on shore in Antarctica. After March 1, they relaxed the mask policy a bit. Be cautious, but go and enjoy. It is truly a life changing voyage. Our weather was perfect and we had such a small number of passengers, we were able to do zodiac excursions twice a day. If you are able, take the Shackleton hike. It is challenging, but wonderful.

I had portable cleats/crampons for over my boots. They were a godsend. They did have to be carefully cleaned, but it was no big deal with the baths and brushes provided.

We were on a Uniworld Rhine cruise in July. Their written policy is that all passengers will be vaccinated but that was not the case on our cruise. It was a "generational" cruise with lots of young kids. One family of 10 caught covid and they were given the option of quarantining in their cabin for the rest of the cruise or going to a hotel. They chose the hotel and it is my guess they did not quarantine.

I was told 400

I just tried for a sailing in November and this is the message I received: Please ensure your sailing is within the next 30 daysPlease ensure there are no errors in the information you entered So I cannot access it until 30 days prior.

We were in Belgium for a week in July. Fabulous country. The trains are very easy to use. Very user friendly. We stayed in Brussels and took day trips to Ghent, Antwerp and Bruges. We were very lucky to see the Pageant of the Holy Blood. It went right past out hotel, so we watched it and it was great. have fun.

Our Antarctica cruise was to disembark in Buenos Aires in March of 2022 and they would not let the cruise ship in, so we disembarked in Montevideo and SS flew us to Buenos Aires. It made not sense if they allowed air travel and not cruise travel, but that was what occured.

You may not find it cheaper to do on your own. Our extension was $1569 per person. We had a two night three day stay. The hotel alone is $1500 per night. So the cost of the hotel without the tour and transfers is the same as using Uniworlds extension.

We did the post extension cruise with Uniworld ( Lucerne) and I have to say it was wonderful-private car and driver, private guide, topnotch hotel and private car to return us to Zurich airport. Could not have been better. Well worth the extra time and money. The other full two weeks both before and after the cruise, we made all our own arrangements, as is our usual preference, so booking with the cruise line was unusual for us.

Yes, the day we were cruising past all the castles (at least 25) was a daytime cruise with commentary from the cruise director. Other times, the ship sailed at 4 so you could have a drink before dinner on the sun deck.

The cruise was nice, except that it was a generational cruise, which we knew when we booked it. It was a sub for a Crystal river cruise and was smack in the middle of all the rest of our reservations, so we had to take the dates that fit. Uniworld usually does not allow passengers under 18, so this exception was truly an adjustment for them. The focus of the excursions and activities were on keeping 50 kids occupied. There was little interaction among passengers as there were families of 10 to 12, so they kept to themselves. They also did not adhere to their policy of "all passengers will be fully vaccinated". Since there were so many children, they could not be fully vaccinated, especially those under 5. But that is contrary to their written policies. The ship is lovely (if you like country French), which I do. The bathrooms are very small. You can not pick something up off the floor without opening the door, It is that tiny. Service was very good. When we were on the sundeck, a server came around every 15 minutes to offer beverages or snacks. They did have an odd way of serving dinner. They have open seating from 7 to 9. Whether you sat down at 7 or 8:30, everyone in the dining room received their entree at the same time. So if you sat down on the early side, there was a long wait for your main course. That was not a big issue for us, but it was challenging for families with young children.

We were on the River Empress, Amsterdam to Basel from July 2 to the 9, 2022. There was no issues with water level. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

We just returned from a Uniworld cruise with the Lucerne extension. Usually we book all extensions on our own, but I have to say this extension was a great deal. The hotel they choose is the Burgenstock, a large resort complex on a mountain overlooking the lake. The service, the views and the rooms were wonderful. Uniworld provides the transportation and a tour guide. We could not have booked this hotel for the price we paid Uniworld. They made it very seamless.

Fropa, Silver seas is billed as a luxury company, and in my very limited experience it met the mark. Food was not exceptional, but it was good. Service was inconsistent. On the other hand, the 24 expedition crew members (for 136 or 68 passengers- we did a back to back) were truly extraordinary. They were a wealth of knowledge and experience. We were on the last cruise of the season and they were as excited and as enthusiastic as if it were their first. Due to Covid, I used Silver seas air and pre and post extensions and they pampered us and held our hands the entire time. The only exception was we had to disembark in Monte Video instead of Buenos Aires and then fly to Buenos Aires, which makes no sense but that was Argentinas rules. Silver seas did not have the ground staff as they had at every other port, so it was difficult and messy. Overall, I would recommend them for the expedition experience. It was a trip of a lifetime.

I am with the original poster-I will only eat real maple syrup, not “maple flavored” goop. It sounds petty but there really is no comparison. If they don’t have it I simply skip pancakes and French toast.

We just left the River Empress. No one dressed for dinner. Lots of kids and extended families. Most wore shorts to dinner. We are in Europe for three weeks with just a carryon. I love to dress up, so I have several fancy tops and one pair of evening slacks. It is doable.

It was Silver sea.

Polar plunge was awesome. Well worth checking into it.

And some cruise lines that claim to require all passengers to be fully vaccinated don’t enforce their own rules!

We are on a Uniworld river cruise and we got a mid cruise survey today so they could immediately respond to any issues and not hear about them after the cruise is over.

The hotel was fabulous. They have a great restaurant and a bar the serves food as well as an orangery that does breakfast and high tea. We were leaving too early for our flight to iguazzu falls so they gave us room service-gratis. The room are beautiful and the bathrooms are huge with a tub and separate shower.

More than half the passengers on this cruise are children, many under 12, some under 6. Since the USA just started allowing children under 5 to be vaccinated this month, they cannot be “fully” vaccinated. And since the status was not checked, they are not following their written policies.

We boarded in Amsterdam yesterday. We had no issues but many people had the wrong luggage in their room. I have a major issue with Uniworld. We were assured that through 2022 all passengers would be fully vaccinated and we would need to show proof upon boarding. That did not happen. As this is a “generation” cruise, there are more children than adults and I am sure many are not fully vaccinated. No one is wearing masks so I am afraid of a massive Covid outbreak. This is a very bad policy.

My husband and I are doing s similar trip starting on Friday. We opted to do it independently. Belgium, Amsterdam, Uniworld river cruise to Basel, Lucerne, Oberammergau (Passion Play) and Munich. We shall see how it goes. The only headache so far is packing everything for three weeks in a carry on. As we are taking trains often, I did not want to schlep a big suitcase.

We stayed a the Alvear Palace and they held our luggage for us.