U by Uniworld: New River Cruise Line for Millennials

Those hipster pictures!! Oy vey!! Haha. This will fail because it is set up for stereotypes.

But after paying attention to the brochure — the dining room is a deal breaker. It looks like an IKEA cafeteria. Where did they do the research? Maybe a couple of communal tables but entire dining room?

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Having just looked at pricing, there really isn't that much difference, for the difference in what you are/aren't getting......it was $100/person/day more for full service Uniworld.....

 

Robin

Good info thanks!

We're looking at Rhine cruises, which itinerary did you use to compare?

Good info thanks!

We're looking at Rhine cruises, which itinerary did you use to compare?

I honestly don't recall. I doubt it was the Rhine, since the cruises don't go to similar ports. Also, a lot of the discounted cruises have reached their capacity, so there may be more of a difference now (especially since they seem desperate to fill UbyUniworld.

Robin

U by Uniworld has had a slightly rocky start to its business, as we have heard, and here is an article on the subject: http://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/U-by-Uniworld-learns-the-challenges-of-marketing-to-millennials

The A has been launched now and is currently on her first cruise in new design sailing the Rhine upstream to Basel. I am looking forward to any feedback from passengers and would love to know what the age range as well as the mean age is on that journey.

http://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/U-by-Uniworld-second-ship-enters-service

Safe travels to the River Ambassador as the "A".

notamermaid

Thank you Chris.

Trying to catch a glimpse of the A as she sails past, I am following her on marinetraffic, she is approaching Bonn and the Seven Mountains range. I am a bit surprised she is sailing this stretch during daytime. Looks to me as if the timing for the itineraries is indeed different from some other lines' ones, i.e. reaching Koblenz in the evening rather than having an afternoon guided tour or similar. Glad to hear the excursions stand out. Hope the food is good and your staff is fed properly. Some nice pubs for a pub crawl in Koblenz. :D Recommend trying a "Koblenzer" beer, avoid the Schnitzel in the beer garden at Deutsches Eck, not so good. But the location is great.

notamermaid

Thank you Chris.

 

Trying to catch a glimpse of the A as she sails past, I am following her on marinetraffic, she is approaching Bonn and the Seven Mountains range. I am a bit surprised she is sailing this stretch during daytime. Looks to me as if the timing for the itineraries is indeed different from some other lines' ones, i.e. reaching Koblenz in the evening rather than having an afternoon guided tour or similar. Glad to hear the excursions stand out. Hope the food is good and your staff is fed properly. Some nice pubs for a pub crawl in Koblenz. :D Recommend trying a "Koblenzer" beer, avoid the Schnitzel in the beer garden at Deutsches Eck, not so good. But the location is great.

 

notamermaid

The cruisecritic instagram posts are just more marketing...

Have you thought of trying it out for yourself notamermaid?

Given your Rhine knowledge I'd love to also hear your thoughts compared to the competition ...

I have. With the age restriction gone I could sail now but, alas, time and money make it not feasible this year to go on a river cruise. I like the idea of the overnight stay in Koblenz and the fact that they actually stopped in Remagen. The first time I have read about a "non-European" cruise ship to do so. That might have something to do with the fact that the A is 110m long giving her access to a few more ports that could be restricted and not accessible to the 135m ships, not sure if it is the case in Remagen. And a cycle ride from Bonn to Remagen sounds good too. Amsterdam to Frankfurt is shorter than to Basel making it possible to be more port intense and reduce the sailing at night to cover much ground on the way to Strasbourg as many ships do. A good idea to end in Frankfurt with its museum and lively pub scene. I hope someone on board tries the apple wine that is typical of the area...

For my liking they have tried a bit too hard with the decor but the thought of a cruise on "my" river is very appealing. I have not seen all of the mighty Rhine yet.

While I have been writing the A has anchored in Koblenz having sailed through a glorious sunset (perfect timing!) and let her passengers out onto the Moselle river embankment. I saw her sail round Deutsches Eck on the webcam. I hope they are all having a great time. It is a lovely mild evening.

notamermaid

Here's a piece from our editor onboard. We have two staff members sailing. Both are in the "original" millennial demographic, with the writer of the piece in her early 30s and the other staffer in her mid-20s. They are both enjoying it immensely. Ellen Bettridge was onboard and we were able to talk to her; it seems several U innovations will be heading to regular Uniworld ships.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8569

 

We'll have a full review of the ship and other coverage once they are back. I am also looking to sail on The B later this summer (and I am what you'd call a Gen Xer, not a millennial).

Great article - thanks

We're kinda stuck in the middle. We've traveled with both demographics and are now in the middle - not as mature as the typical river cruiser but older than the contiki crowd. Can you provide any info on the mix of singles vs couples?

Perhaps some of these concepts will be incorporated into the more traditional cruises.

A more active choice for excursions would be welcome.

I do not liked the shared plate family style meals at all. Germ City.

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I do not liked the shared plate family style meals at all. Germ City.

 

 

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I also hope this does not become a regular feature of any river cruise. The germs spread quickly in confined spaces i.e. a crowd stuck together and being in quarantine on a ship is far from pleasant as you have to stay on the ship even if you are still well (according to the reports). You either stick it out or are taken off the ship because you need to be in hospital. It has happened a few times on the Rhine and the reports on local TV are not nice at all...

notamermaid

I also hope this does not become a regular feature of any river cruise. The germs spread quickly in confined spaces i.e. a crowd stuck together and being in quarantine on a ship is far from pleasant as you have to stay on the ship even if you are still well (according to the reports). You either stick it out or are taken off the ship because you need to be in hospital. It has happened a few times on the Rhine and the reports on local TV are not nice at all...

 

notamermaid

How are shared plate meals any different than buffets? We had a shared plate meal on our cruise last month. There was a common serving utensil for each dish, much like the buffet. It wasn't a dig in to the dish free-for-all. We each had our own plate to eat from.

Robin

I’m glad U is making things more exciting. Some of the walking tours (Koblenz, Rouen, etc.) are ultimately boring and we usually go off on our own.

How are shared plate meals any different than buffets? We had a shared plate meal on our cruise last month. There was a common serving utensil for each dish, much like the buffet. It wasn't a dig in to the dish free-for-all. We each had our own plate to eat from.

 

 

 

Robin

Well for one the buffet is supposed to have the sneeze guard. I personally dislike buffets, period and avoid them. With all the norvovirus issues on ships the buffet is notoriously known for how it’s spread.

Some ocean lines [Oceania always, Azamara at the beginning of every cruise, others?] don't allow self-serve at the buffet – and their passengers are grateful for the health benefits.

For those of you who have been curious, here is our first full review of U by Uniworld ship, The A. I am going on The B later this summer: https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=1270

 

 

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Thanks for letting us know about the review being posted. I just read it, and found it to be balanced and realistic. I don't think I would sail on U, but it does offer a different product that may appeal to certain segments of the traveling population.

I'm not sure about the black ship - sort of looks like a small battleship :p - but that's just an opinion on aesthetics.

I prefer to travel in Europe in the late fall, one of the downsides being less daylight, so the later shore excursions don't appeal to me. I'd prefer to get up and get going and maximize my day.

Roz

Thanks for letting us know about the review being posted. I just read it, and found it to be balanced and realistic. I don't think I would sail on U, but it does offer a different product that may appeal to certain segments of the traveling population.

 

I'm not sure about the black ship - sort of looks like a small battleship :p - but that's just an opinion on aesthetics.

 

I prefer to travel in Europe in the late fall, one of the downsides being less daylight, so the later shore excursions don't appeal to me. I'd prefer to get up and get going and maximize my day.

 

Roz

Is cruising during the day all except one night the opposite to other Rhine cruises? If so that really will reduce sightseeing time ...

Do people in their 30 and 40s really value partying until late that much? I thought that was a singles 20s thing and people are coupled up by their early 30s

Thank you for your review. Interesting concept and some good ideas that could be incorporated into other ships.

Wonder why drinks are not included as on other ships (and Egypt in 2019)

Thank you for your review. Interesting concept and some good ideas that could be incorporated into other ships.

Wonder why drinks are not included as on other ships (and Egypt in 2019)

This is a party cruise and an open bar would be expensive and potentially dangerous

They emphasize Amsterdam and Frankfurt nightlife and do late starts and brunch rather than breakfast so people can recover from the night before

They targeted the Contiki tours market (Age limited to 18-35) but the article says they ended up with mostly 30s-40s, hence my question about a mismatch between that age groups sightseeing priorities vs the partying until late itinerary

Party cruise? Doubtful. At the end of the day it’s still a European river cruise which generally has a very senior demographic. Also it’s still not what you would call cheap. In fact some more inclusive lines might actually be less expensive. Now that all ages are being accepted, I bet you can expect the average age on U to creep up higher and higher. And if by being a party cruise means the boat is not a ghost town by 10pm, I’m all for it!

Party cruise? Doubtful. At the end of the day it’s still a European river cruise which generally has a very senior demographic. Also it’s still not what you would call cheap. In fact some more inclusive lines might actually be less expensive. Now that all ages are being accepted, I bet you can expect the average age on U to creep up higher and higher. And if by being a party cruise means the boat is not a ghost town by 10pm, I’m all for it!

Please refrain from casting doubt on my comments unless you have you been on a Contiki bus tour and have the knowledge to know that this cruise was conceived as an extension to their bus tours for 18-35 year olds

Please refrain from casting doubt on my comments unless you have you been on a Contiki bus tour and have the knowledge to know that this cruise was conceived as an extension to their bus tours for 18-35 year olds

I can cast doubt if I choose to. What U was conceived as and what it will likely become are two different things. The fact it’s open to all ages and the current price point suggest it will not be a “party cruise”. Add the fact that most 18-35 year olds don’t think “European river cruise” when they are interested in party time.