cruisecriticmember

Yes, and then you have to wait until reservations open for your cabin class. That is 75, 60 or 45 days from embarkation date. Your invoice states your reservation date.

Thanks!

do you have to pay in full before you can book the specialty restaurant reservations?

Going on my first river cruise with Uniworld. I know it states tipping is included for all on board and on shore excursions. Has anyone who has traveled with Uniworld felt obligated to tip anyway. I know that I have paid for the tips in my trip cost. Thank you for your feedback.

All tips are indeed included with Uniworld. On our latest cruise, last month, we gave the Maitre D' an additional tip because of the exceptional service he gave us to be sure that my wife's food allergies were avoided in the food she was served even to the point of special, for her only (as far as we know), variations on what she was served.

This thread is getting ridiculous. So now half the passengers on the ship are fumbling in the dark and the other half are trying to sleep all night with the lights on because nobody can figure out the light switch! :D

 

I don't know what category room this, but here is a video tour -

 

 

(I sure wish this woman was on this thread, she evidently knows how stuff works.)

This is at least a Cat. 2 room as it looks exactly like the room I shared with my wife (who is Not the videographer). It was obviously recorded upon her first entering her cabin so we really don't know whether or not she had trouble working the push button controls for the lights/ airconditioning/TV, etc as all she says is that they control everything. In fact those controls did Not control All the lights in the cabin or the A/C which had their control module just inside the door. Yes it was all explained to us verbally by a woman with a rather heavy accent when we first entered our cabin and where we were probably paying less attention to her explanations than we should have. We suggested that for future sailings they include a written description of what turned out to be a rather complicated system, perhaps unnecessarily complicated.

Looking at the deck plan schematics and comparing cat. 4-5 with 2-3 I see the difference and the issue. In the 2-3 cabins the closet has three sections and it is the middle section that contained the three drawers and a shelf which had surface area to store the quietvox system for re-charging and the safe. It had room to store some clothing. The other two sections were for hanging clothes ( with shelves above for hats,etc. In the Cat.4-5 schematic the closet has only 2 sections and I presume they were both for hanging clothes, ergo No drawers for folded clothes as the OP stated.

Hummm better go back and see exactly how I worded things??? But a cabin with zero storage would certainly irritate me. Also don't think I like how it was handled on board, at least based on how the OP described the events.

Unworld is a very expensive option when taking a River Cruise. Not a company you would expect to allow poor cabin design.

Certainly would rather suffer in any Uniworld cabin than staying at home and reading CC!

"at least as the OP described the events" is a key phrase for me as my experience on the first voyage of this ship was the exact opposite. I must say it answered a question I had had, namely why did Uniworld give my wife and I a free upgrade from a level 5 to a level 2 cabin months before our sailing? Obviously the company did not want us to experience what the OP did. It's unfortunate that this flaw, which would annoy anyone, spoiled his entire cruise. Our experience in every facet was the polar opposite of his including the dining room staff who from the Maitre D' on down were extremely attentive, accomodating, and pro-active to my wife's food allergy restrictions even to the point of preparing variations on meals (especially desserts) that she could safely eat. Yes the wait staff asked whether we wanted coffee with our dessert at dinner but why should they assume that I wanted the same beverage every meal and bring it to me without asking? Maybe I want tea tonight, cappaccino, another beer, etc. There were design flaws on the ship when we sailed especially the handles for the door inside the cabin which as one fellow passenger stated "were chosen by decorators not engineers" as they were too large and round and notched so that they extremely difficult to turn. In fact twice my wife could not turn the handle and had to have the door opened from the outside! The staff said they would be changed during the next cruise and I can only assume they were since the OP did not comment on them. The other misstep was the duvet on the bed was just too warm for us and contained down which is another allergen for my wife. A simple request to have them changed to "American style" bedding (top sheet and blanket) fixed that one. I do agree that the light and air conditioning controls were complicated and took a few days to completely master. We suggested they include written instructions in the booklet describing services which was in our stateroom and apparently that was not done, or not done yet. Please don't let the OP's bad experience sour you on this extravagant ship, this cruise itinerary, or this cruise line. But caveat empetor do check that any cabin you book has drawers for your clothes.

Thanks for the dailys

Thank you for the dailies offer. Please do. [emoji4] [emoji106]

Absolutely would love for you to do this! Thanks!!

I am on that cruise right now (we are docked in Ghent today). We did the Nuenen footsteps of Van Gogh walk and it was very good. Those who went to the Liberation museum enjoyed it very much too. If you have never been to Bruges go there. We have so we are doing the Ghent walking tour.

Don't be nervous about sitting with other people at dinner. You will meet some lovely people this way and probably leave the cruise with them as friends.

Absolutely! One of the best things is to meet many different people from different backgrounds at the meals, on the tours, and in the lounge. We make it a point to try and sit with every/anyone who appears to be friendly and welcoming. Only once was there a group that wanted to insulate themselves from the rest of us and we were fine with letting them do that!:D

Unfortunately I misplaced the list sent to me from Uniworld but I do have a partial list of what will be included for No upcharge on the S.S. Maria Theresa: single malt scotch-Glenfiddich 12 years old, Glenmorangie 10 years, Oban 14 yo; beer: 3 varieties of Beck's, Erdinger wheat and NA, Gosser. sorry it's :oincomplete

Hi SuzCruise, welcome to CC!!

 

You have the same freedom on a river cruise as you would on an ocean cruise with respect to shore excursions. Most of them will be a walking tour which you are not required to take. Keep in mind that river boats generally dock in or near the port cities and it's vital that you are familiar with where the ship is docked in relation to where you want to go in say Passau so that you can find your way back to the ship before it's due to sail. Also, river cruises do not have the same freedom as ocean liners because if the water level of the river changes or there's a problem with a lock you may depart earlier or later than expected.

 

Pre and Post cruise excursions are ALWAYS optional and cost extra. Keep in mind that anything on a river cruise that costs extra is optional!!

 

Now that I've answered your questions, I'm going to offer some advice....Shore Excursions: usually included in the tour and can range from a walking tour of an hour to a half or full day trip to someplace nearby, like the organ concert in Passau. While it's great to go out and about on your own and certainly permitted....you risk losing a lot of information about the history of the port and tips regarding restaurants and shopping. Optional Excursions: virtually always cost extra but usually include a bus ride to a place of interest that could be an hour to 90 minutes drive, admission and tour to a castle with a guide, like Schoenbrun Palace in Vienna and a meal in a restaurant. We have always found the optional tours to be worth the money.

 

Pre and post trip excursions are always extra because they are mini-add on trips to the river cruise and while we've taken many of them and never been disappointed, it is a function of how much time you can be away and how much money you want to spend.

 

In many ways river cruising is more laid back than ocean cruising but you also do not have the many options for dining or recreation or entertainment. For instance: river cruise meals are served in one dining room with open seating; most river boats do not have pools and many of them do not have full balconies because of the lock size and entertainment is generally a local choir, small combo or dance troupe that comes on board after dinner and leaves around 10 p.m. I'm not trying to put you off river cruising, I've been on 6 of them and have 2 more scheduled for this spring and summer, but all of us here on CC want you to be well aware of the differences and will all tell you Viva le difference!!! :D

Great response to the OP. Question: have you found that the cost of the cruise line pre- or postcruise extensions have been worth the cost. To me them seem very expensive compared to DIY. Of course they do make it easy since they take care of all the arrangements and transfers. What other advantages have you found if any? Thanks in advance.

for us: Celebrity ocean cruises and Uniworld river cruises.

We'll see if they answer you before our upcoming cruise in 3 1/2 weeks.

I got a response (!) with the list that will apply to the SS Maria Theresa which has it's maiden voyage in March. I assume the other Uniworld ships have a similar selection. If you or anyone else has a specific brand they want to check on I will be happy to check the list. When I get time I will transpose the contents to this thread.

:o I sent an email to Uniworld asking for a list of premium wines/spirits or vice-versa a list of included wines/spirits but as the title says L...

On a cruise in China on the Yangtze River a few years ago our Safety Drill included how to don a life jacket and the pearl of advise that if we saw the Crew jumping off the boat, we should jump too..... Some things you just can't make up ;)

 

Note: this did not come from any River Cruise Co discussed on this board!

Priceless!

know its expensive,but after first cruise we booked another.

Food was similar to Oceania,but if you want really top of the line 6 star for all dinners,have really never experienced that in 11 different river cruise with all the main lines.

Second choice is AMA.

Can always have lunch etc.onshore too.

Where do you rank Uniworld?

I am trying to get my hubby to take a river cruise. He has gotten spoiled with quality of Oceania dining. I know that our first decision is itinerary but after that which river cruise lines are better know for their dining experience and food quality. Also what are the room like on a river cruise.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated. We are looking at a a possible Paris itinerary.

Do you live on a Kibbutz or do you like to to joke with people (which I would spell kibitzer)?:D

I truly understand that each persons financial situation and personal desires vary greatly as well as each persons personal experience but like you when I compared apples to apples I didn't find the price difference that great when I compared Uniworld to Viking. Especially when comparing suites. Uniworld provides an early booking and/or prepayment discount, all gratuities included, transfers included(even if you don't book airfare through them), alcohol at all times and not just meals, etc...When I put a number on all of the different pieces Viking was about $200 per person cheaper when I finally booked Uniworld. But for me personally it was worth it. By the way there was absolutely no pressure or expectations for additional tips. Service was amazing.

Add to the equation passenger/crew ratio and 1/3rd More passengers on Viking ships and for me the scale tips further in favor of Uniworld. One Uniworld cruise I took had only 100 passengers. Disclaimer: I have only cruised with Uniworld.

Berlitz also publishes a book that focuses on river cruises: "River Cruising in Europe." I haven't read it, but it is mentioned on the AMA website because AMA ships took the top 11 spots in the rankings (out of 280 rated ships). You might find it at your local library.

This book is worth your time as a newbie to river cruising. Just remember it is one person's opinion even tho he calls himself an "expert". I think he gave my favorite line, Uniworld, short shrift compared to how I have experienced it. This line really focuses on the onboard experience,( as well as destinations and tours), while other lines have less fancy ships and accomodations.

Well, I do know the peanut butter ice cream is great. ;)

Is this available in the buffet area, the MDR at certain meals, both, or elsewhere?Will there be hot fudge or choclate sauce to go with it?:D

Vienna to the Black Sea.

Celebrity is my favorite ocean cruise line and while I see no reason to change I am curious as to what is Your favorite line (if Celebrity is not) or your second favorite line? I did sail the Caribbean on RCCL and liked it as well as Carnival which for me was a once (and only once) in a lifetime experience.

I've traveled all-inclusive with Tauck and it was everything I wanted it to be.

 

In Australia we have consumer laws that prohibit companies claiming something then not delivering. In a case recently on these boards where a company claimed an all-inclusive cruise but then had optional tours that could be purchased could not be advertised down here as all-inclusive as it would breach the Act. In a company forum a very well respected company told us that "they were mainly inclusive". To me that's like being just a bit pregnant.

 

I like the all-inclusive concept because it eliminates "tipping" (it's included in the price) because "tipping" is totally foreign to me and I never want to embarrass myself or my Country by tipping incorrectly. I like it that Scylla staff are doing all that fine work because that's the way they're trained and not because they expect a tip. It's been our custom to give staff a small Australian token of either a small Koala or an Australian animal pin. I have many photos of the genuine smiles.

 

I like the fact that except for Laundry costs I don't have to put my hand in my pocket at cruise end to pay for "optional extras". If my wife and I feel like a pre-dinner drink we can order what we like. There is no optional Top Shelf items in a Tauck Bar. I was impressed that the wines served on my cruise was very good quality from very well recognised vineyards of the area and not a generic cruise company brand and they changed every day. Food and service on-board is very personal and subjective but I appreciated the time taken by Scylla staff to explain the food and wine make-up.

 

I appreciate the Tauck transfer system that picks you up and delivers you to either the airport, train station or a hotel whether you used Tauck air or not. I like the all-inclusive feature of being given a free night at a five star hotel either before or after the cruise. I like all that Tauck offers but I realise I may be in the minority here.

 

I've read many posts that do not like all-inclusive costing because it inhibits their freedom to be independent and do their own thing. To have the choice of how much they tip. To arrange their own transfers. Those people correctly believe that all the things I spoke about and more are included in and thus inflating the cruise price. No one should argue against that but in planning my holidays with Tauck I, as many do, research, research and research and I challenge those who do not like all-inclusive to do an honest after cruise costing and you'll be surprised, as my sister was, that the "optional extras" add up and in the end your cruise and mine were not that far apart in the end price.

 

I have no problem with those who prefer not to take an all-inclusive cruise because all cruises are the "best holidays in the World" irrespective of your favourite cruise line but please remember that as an old retired Australian media guy I will always argue that if some cruises by some companies have "options" then they are not all-inclusive. Down here, I repeat, you can't be a little bit pregnant.

 

My thanks to the OP for the opportunity to post in what should be an interesting topic. I look forward to the differing opinions.

 

Rod

But where does your definition of "all" inclusive end? Should everything in the gift shop be free for the taking? Should every passenger get a free massage every day? And since different cabin categories are "options" then no cruise that charges different rates for different cabins is "all" inclusive.

Well, they could invite me. ;)

They will... when they meet in Canada!:)