Uniworld Egypt 2015

I decided I should start a new thread, since I'd been posting to the 2016 thread without really thinking.

We're booked on the October 17th tour. Just booked this week, and it's very exciting. First trip to Egypt, and probably the only one.

I'm going to book our air in a couple of weeks, and we'll probably fly through Paris on Air France and stop over for a few days to get over jet lag and enjoy Paris, so we can be fresh when we get to Cairo.

I'm taking advice from my TA who knows Egypt quite well.

Since we'll be flying independently, I asked if Uniworld was offering extra pre-cruise nights in Cairo. Apparently they aren't yet, but may later, which is a pain, because I want to get the air arranged soon. Don't even know if it would be a good thing to do or not, Cairo is one of those destinations where I'm not sure I'd be comfortable out and about on my own, especially right now. But an extra night in a hotel like the Four Seasons would not be too shabby, I'm thinking!

Uniworld apparently provides transfers even if we fly independently, which is nice.

No included alcohol--I've accepted that. We'll bring some liquor duty-free from Paris I expect, and just pay as you go on the boat.

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No included alcohol--I've accepted that. We'll bring some liquor duty-free from Paris I expect, and just pay as you go on the boat.

You might want to confirm that you can do that, otherwise Egyptian immigration might confiscate it (I have no current knowledge of this, I'm just saying check). You'd hate to buy some delicious french wine and not be able to get it out of the airport in Cairo! :D

don't know if it's offered, but if there's an extension to Jordan and you have the time and resources, take it!!! Petra was absolutely amazing and if you go, ride the camel there.

Other suggestion: take along a box of disposable face masks and a packet of disposable baby wipes. When we were in Egypt I had a terrible time with the air....not pollution, but very fine sand in the air....and be prepared to pay "baksheesh" every time you use a bathroom! If you don't pay, they'll let you go in but if you want toilet paper........I knew this ahead of time and carried kleenex in my back pocket everywhere! I always paid but sometimes you got 3 sheets and sometimes you needed more!

Thanks for the tips. I did do a cursory check and I believe the Customs allows you to bring in a bottle or two. Kleenex--will do, for sure. And I'll make sure to have small change as well. Masks and baby wipes--maybe I should--is it common to see people wearing masks? Remind me what time of year you were there?

When we went to Egypt for the Uniworld Jewels of Lake Nasser and the Nile, we bought a roll of Egyptian pound coins, which were very handy for all sorts of baksheesh situations. At the time (a few years ago), they were worth about 18 cents each.

I felt safe in Cairo and we wandered to restaurants and so on. We stayed at the Marriott, which was apparently King Farouk's palace at one time or another. Security is very much in evidence everywhere you go.

I highly recommend the Lake Nasser cruise, as you get to approach Abu Simbel by water, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

If they are using the River Tosca, I believe you are in for a treat. Large and bright staterooms, a beautiful bar and very nice dining area.

looking forward to hearing about your trip as we plan for 2016.

Thanks for the tips. I did do a cursory check and I believe the Customs allows you to bring in a bottle or two. Kleenex--will do, for sure. And I'll make sure to have small change as well. Masks and baby wipes--maybe I should--is it common to see people wearing masks? Remind me what time of year you were there?

We were there in January and the weather was wonderful. We saw a lot of people wearing masks at Abu Simbel. I didn't really need one in Cairo, but as we got closer to Luxor I was really suffering. In fact, they called a doctor to come to the ship and give me inhalation therapy.... and when he finished with me, he went to see 3 other people on the ship! Its not something that you can see in the air, like pollution, this is just the natural fine sand from the desert and it bothers some people and not others. I tell everyone to bring a small box of the disposable paper masks and if they need them, they'll be glad they have them. When you think about it, when you see pictures of the Bedouins walking with their camels, they usually have a scarf over their mouths!

More about the weather....in January it was perfect sightseeing weather. We wore jeans and capris and short and long sleeved shirts. I brought a fleece vest in case it got chilly at night. The Omar el Khayyam had a pool but it was too cool to use it. Good thing about going during their winter is the tours would start after breakfast and go all day. During the warmer months many times you'll have breakfast really early and start your tours at dawn so you can be back on the ship by 10 a.m. when it start getting HOT. Then you'll go out again late in the afternoon as it starts to cool down. I'm not sure when exactly it is, I think it's like March or April, when the area is prone to sandstorms. There was one a few weeks after we left that completely shut down the airports and you really couldn't go outside at all. Otherwise, I LOVED Egypt and Jordan...anything I can help you with, just ask away. :D

We were there in January and the weather was wonderful. We saw a lot of people wearing masks at Abu Simbel....

 

More about the weather....in January it was perfect sightseeing weather. We wore jeans and capris and short and long sleeved shirts. I brought a fleece vest in case it got chilly at night. ...

...anything I can help you with, just ask away. :D

Thanks, I will ask. We're going in October. For me jeans would be too warm I think. Did you ever feel like you had to cover up for cultural reasons (aside from mosques of course)? I am most comfortable wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt or knitted top--I've read I should wear ones that are loose and not form-fitting. I'll also bring long-sleeved cover-ups since I sunburn fairly easily.

I will look for inexpensive masks.

I don't know your age group, but at my age I cover up to leave the house!!! :D Seriously, I wouldn't wear anything that showed skin between shoulders and knees. It's a very conservative society and more so now than when we were there (before Arab Spring). When you visit the mosques you will have to cover your head and possibly your shoes. But all the mosques we visited had coverings available for those who needed them. October is going to be hot. Google Egypt monthly weather: Wikipedia has a very easy to read chart giving average monthly temps for Cairo and popular tourist spots. You may be doing your tours early morning and late afternoon. You will probably wear long pants more than you think...they protect from the sun and heat as well as the sand and insects. VIP: DON'T FORGET A HAT!!!

hydrokitty...I always love your great practical suggestions....

I contacted Vantage last week and no plans to offer Egypt again for 2015-16 but they may change their mind. Vantage did such a great job on the Irrawaddy (myanmar) that we hoped to use them again (trying to get a gold name tag...and >discounts :)) but may look into Viking or Uniworld.

Or maybe India instead.

We are considering the same trip but have some reservations I would like to share with you. Do you have any concerns about Egypt being safe? Are you arriving in Cairo early? Have you booked any private tours in Cairo? Do you have a recommendation on which cabin category to select? You mentioned liquor, can you bring your own onboard, you think? Hope I am not being a pest.

We have sailed with Uniworld before and the trip was beyond our expectations.

Liz:)

hydrokitty...I always love your great practical suggestions....

I contacted Vantage last week and no plans to offer Egypt again for 2015-16 but they may change their mind. Vantage did such a great job on the Irrawaddy (myanmar) that we hoped to use them again (trying to get a gold name tag...and >discounts :)) but may look into Viking or Uniworld.

 

Or maybe India instead.

Thank you for your kind words...Vantage has a tour to India and several other exotic places....I haven't heard anything about when they will be restarting Egypt, but I would guess if Uniworld has success they'll be back on board post haste. Only caveat with Viking is that I've read too many negative reports and I'm afraid after using Vantage, I would not be satisfied with Viking. Uniworld perhaps. But check out Vantage, they have some new tours that just might interest you....and the perks are nice!! especially that cabin upgrade that comes along when you least expect it. Ours was Russia from mini to full suite and boy did we appreciate it!!!

We are considering the same trip but have some reservations I would like to share with you. Do you have any concerns about Egypt being safe? Are you arriving in Cairo early? Have you booked any private tours in Cairo? Do you have a recommendation on which cabin category to select? You mentioned liquor, can you bring your own onboard, you think? Hope I am not being a pest.

 

We have sailed with Uniworld before and the trip was beyond our expectations.

Liz:)

Glad to hear, Liz, that you like Uniworld. This is all to me, river cruising, Uniworld and Egypt.

I'm taking advice from my TA on Egypt--right now Uniworld is not offering an "extra night" package for Cairo, and I'm a bit leery of being an independent traveller there. So no, unless they offer something soon, no we won't be doing extra nights, nor will we do private tours. We'll stick with the Uniworld program and do our pre-cruise probably in Paris.

We chose 203, on the Pharoah deck, forward on the recommendation of our TA. But it appears there are no bad cabins, all nice and big with balconies. We decided to stay away from aft for fear of fumes or engine noise.

I'm sure you can bring liquor aboard, haven't actually checked.

Caveat--this is all new to me, so I'm winging it.

I did Egypt in February 2008 with General Tours. They have not resumed Egypt tours yet but I agree with all of the above tips. I traveled as a group of 8 women. We all took shawls with us that we were able to use as head coverings and to cover our arms when we went in the Souks and bazaars. We actually went to the local bazaar in Aswan - not the one that tourists typically go to. We had our tour guide arrange with a taxi driver to pick us up from the cruise ship and also arranged for a time for him to pick us up at the bazaar. Our driver actually was standing at the exit to the bazaar and escorted us to his taxi, shooing away other drivers.

I recommend taking both a roll of toilet paper and also wet wipes. Our guide would rank the public toilets at each location from 1 - 5 stars and would let us know which ones we really didn't want to have to use except for in an emergency. Plenty of these toilets did not have any toilet paper to use and even when you pay the baksheeh you often didn't get enough to do the job. You will also find that paying baksheeh is just the way of life over there. A 1 Egyptian pound note was sufficient. We always paid in Egyptian money, never US money.

If you want to do pre-cruise days on your own, you probably could, but I would recommend that you hire a private guide to take you around. I would not recommend going unescorted in Cairo.

I did Egypt in February 2008 with General Tours. They have not resumed Egypt tours yet but I agree with all of the above tips. I traveled as a group of 8 women. We all took shawls with us that we were able to use as head coverings and to cover our arms when we went in the Souks and bazaars. We actually went to the local bazaar in Aswan - not the one that tourists typically go to. We had our tour guide arrange with a taxi driver to pick us up from the cruise ship and also arranged for a time for him to pick us up at the bazaar. Our driver actually was standing at the exit to the bazaar and escorted us to his taxi, shooing away other drivers.

 

I recommend taking both a roll of toilet paper and also wet wipes. Our guide would rank the public toilets at each location from 1 - 5 stars and would let us know which ones we really didn't want to have to use except for in an emergency. Plenty of these toilets did not have any toilet paper to use and even when you pay the baksheeh you often didn't get enough to do the job. You will also find that paying baksheeh is just the way of life over there. A 1 Egyptian pound note was sufficient. We always paid in Egyptian money, never US money.

 

If you want to do pre-cruise days on your own, you probably could, but I would recommend that you hire a private guide to take you around. I would not recommend going unescorted in Cairo.

I have to ask: Did you ever use, see or hear of a toilet (not in a hotel) that was more than 2 stars? :D:D I actually did bring a roll of toilet paper but I rarely used it, preferring the kleenex and baby wipes. But it's certainly not a bad idea.

We did Egypt and Jordan in November 2011. We had booked this trip 12 months previous, then there was the major uprising in Egypt in January-February 2011! Right up to the day we were due to leave London (where we had time prior to Egypt) for Cairo we were not sure whether our tours would be cancelled! We went with Insight - we were happy (reasonably!) that if they were still operating they had no issues with safety. We were a bit nervous about how safe it would be, but there was really nothing to be worried about - they took great care of us.

Tourist numbers were much reduced. This turned into a big plus, as sites were not so crowded. There were only 6 of us on our tour. Hardly any boats operating on the Nile and Lake Nasser. We included the cruise across Lake Nasser, and this I would highly recommend. Abu Simbel is amazing, and certainly one of our highlights of 30 years of travel! We had 3 goes at it - we went straight there from our flight Aswan-Abu Simbel, for a guided tour, then we did the Sound and Light Show in the evening (just a walk from where our cruise boat was moored), then early next morning the boat did a circuit on the lake in front of Abu Simbel, before heading up Lake Nasser. Brilliant view of it!

We stayed at the Marriott in Cairo, which was gorgeous, and very security conscious. We had an extra day in Cairo on our own at the end of our tour, before continuing onto Jordan. We just did our own thing. We caught the train down to Coptic Cairo and walked around on our own. We were a bit nervous, but did not feel unsafe. When we got the train back into central Cairo there were demonstrations in Tahrir Square, but we just walked across the other side of the square and kept moving. You just need to be sensible to stay safe.

When we left for Cairo airport we had a driver plus another man to escort us in a car with just us. We were taken right to the checkin counter.

The extension to Jordan is highly recommended. Though there were no issues in Jordan, the problems in Egypt were also affecting their tourist numbers. There were only 4 of us on our tour. We went to Jerash, north of the capital, Amman. We had not heard much about this place before we went, but it was very interesting and well worth a visit. Then we had two nights down at Petra. Another highlight of all of our travels! If you can fit it in, do it!

We had great weather. Hot, but not overbearing. It was a good time of year to go.

Definitely go prepared with tissues and wet wipes! We found Egypt to be rather dirty. You will notice all the rubbish in the streets, particularly in Cairo. The toilets varied greatly!

We have travelled with Uniworld elsewhere in the world, not in Egypt. They are sure to look after you! Enjoy!

I just started looking at the 2015 Egypt river cruises and will monitor this thread with interest.

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Thanks for all the tips guys. We're going the second half of October, so I imagine we can count on the days being hot but not unbearable and the evenings being pleasant.

I've carried small rolls of toilet paper with me in many places, but a packet of kleenex works nicely as well. Are toilets mostly squatters? I can cope with them, if I have to.

I've also read that there's a patent medicine that's available in all pharmacies that's the local remedy for "Nile belly". My TA says it works a treat. I'm sure she can give me the name (she carries it for her clients when she takes a group), but wondered if anyone had encountered this problem and/or solution. (In SE Asia I carried cipro and immodium--made use of the latter, but not the former.)

I guess if we do an extra day in Cairo we would certainly find a guide. Uniworld will take us to Salah al-Din, Alabaster Mosque, the Egyptian Museum, the Giza Sound and Light show, and Ancient Memphis sites, including the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. If we did add a day or two, what further should we make sure to see in or around Cairo?

 

I've also read that there's a patent medicine that's available in all pharmacies that's the local remedy for "Nile belly". My TA says it works a treat. I'm sure she can give me the name (she carries it for her clients when she takes a group), but wondered if anyone had encountered this problem and/or solution. (In SE Asia I carried cipro and immodium--made use of the latter, but not the former.)

 

I guess if we do an extra day in Cairo we would certainly find a guide. Uniworld will take us to Salah al-Din, Alabaster Mosque, the Egyptian Museum, the Giza Sound and Light show, and Ancient Memphis sites, including the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. If we did add a day or two, what further should we make sure to see in or around Cairo?

Hi Wendy....I don't have the name of the drug with me, but I can look it up for you. It's available OTC all over Cairo and if your TM has it, and most of them do carry it, I wouldn't worry about it. It does work great and drugs purchased in the US do not work because this drug is bacteria specific to one found in the Nile and is not found in the US. I didn't have to use it, but one of my friends did and she was feeling better within hours. Best thing is to avoid getting it and I will tell you how because it's easy: DO NOT DRINK ANY WATER, ANY WHERE, THAT DOES NOT COME FROM A BOTTLE THAT IS OPENED IN YOUR PRESENCE AND MAKES THE SSSSSS SOUND! Tattoo this on your brain!!! This means: when you shower keep your mouth closed; when you brush your teeth, use bottled water only;

when in a restaurant order bottled water and listen for the sssss when it's opened (this won't be a problem because the better restaurants are all use to it); you cannot drink water from the tap ANYWHERE, including your 5 star hotel; do not wash your hands in a public place, use your wet ones and an anti-bacterial gel and if you do wash them in a public place, keep them out of your mouth! Watch out for fruit and vegetables that you eat without peeling first, like berries. These will be ok to eat on the boat and in places where your TM tells you they wash them with bottled water but if you're not sure, stick to things that have a skin you peel away or have been cooked; lastly (well probably not) NEVER NEVER NEVER BUY WATER FROM A STREET VENDOR EVEN IF YOU'RE DYING OF THIRST! Why? Let me tell you what I personally observed outside of the Cairo Museum: I'm sitting on a bench waiting for our group to finish and I see a local gentleman carrying a plastic garbage bag filled with empty plastic water bottles. I think he's picking up waste, but nooooo, he went to the hose that was watering the lawn at the museum and began filling water bottles! Now, you don't need to be a genius to figure out what he's doing with those refilled bottles! A word about the boat you'll be sailing on: most of them have water purifying on board and the hotel we stayed at on Kitchener Island did as well so we ate delicious strawberries, but this does NOT include the tap water in your room or shower.

The bathrooms outside the hotels are often pit toilets. The plumbing system is still kind of primitive so even if you find a regular toilet in a restaurant, often you will see a sign that says not to flush any toilet paper. There will be a small can next to the toilet and that's where you put the paper. Some of the toilets at places "off the beaten track" are nothing more than holes in the ground, literally.

If staying on in Cairo and your tour does not include it, the Coptic Church (Hanging Church) is absolutely beautiful; also at the pyramids there's a little museum that's not usually included. It houses a boat that they discovered in one of the tombs and is really worth seeing if there's time... and there's a lovely park where we had lunch on the day we flew to Jordan with spectacular views of Cairo with the pyramids in the distance. I'll try to find the name of it if you're interested. Food was good too. If you're really daring, try the "hubbly bubbly" it's a trip!!:D

Thanks Hydro, I appreciate your advice. We won't be travelling with our TA, so hope to get the name of the drug from her or someone, in a form that I can write down or print so I can buy it when we arrive.

The toilets, not surprised. The water, not surprised--it's that way in SE ASia as well. But if the bottle goes "sss", doesn't that just work for sparkling water? What about still? I presume you can buy bottled water in convenience stores that is safe? (I got into trouble in Bangkok probably by either eating a lettuce leaf or forgetting about the toothbrushing, in the Hilton, btw--by the end of the trip I was able to eat a salad with no consequences.

Thanks Hydro, I appreciate your advice. We won't be travelling with our TA, so hope to get the name of the drug from her or someone, in a form that I can write down or print so I can buy it when we arrive.

 

The toilets, not surprised. The water, not surprised--it's that way in SE ASia as well. But if the bottle goes "sss", doesn't that just work for sparkling water? What about still? I presume you can buy bottled water in convenience stores that is safe? (I got into trouble in Bangkok probably by either eating a lettuce leaf or forgetting about the toothbrushing, in the Hilton, btw--by the end of the trip I was able to eat a salad with no consequences.

The drug is called Antinal and it was readily available from every pharmacy without Rx. It was also pretty cheap, but this was in 2008 so things could have changed. I know that Immodium will not kill the bacteria that's causing the diarrhea. If you're going with an organized tour, I would imagine your guide will have some handy. I know ours did, but his wife was a pharmacist. Only one of our group got sick and she wasn't very sick, just annoyingly sick if you know what I mean. I'm no scientist, but I thought all bottles sss when they open them. I only drink sparkling water, so I can't really be sure. Since you've already traveled to third world countries, you know the drill....just follow it in Egypt. I trusted our guide and when he said a place was safe to eat or drink, we believed him, within reason and only ordered cooked food. (The food by the way was delicious, but then I eat plant based so I'm good with veggies and things like chick peas). I didn't have any fresh lettuce or strawberries except for the one hotel in Aswan and that was the Movenpick on Kitchener Island, which was fantastic! On the ship the captain took us on a tour of the kitchen and made it a point to show us the water purification system and how it worked. He said no fresh fruit or vegetable, served raw, was served without having been scrubbed with this water....I guess he was telling the truth cause nobody got sick!

When I went to Egypt, one person in our party got sick but she was foolishly taking Cipro prophylactically - which you shouldn't do. She was given a does of the Antinal and was feeling better within hours.

Another thing to add to what Hydrokitty has said: Do not get ice in any drinks at most restaurants. Your hotel may be safe, and the ship should be safe, but don't get ice in other locations. This is something that a lot of people forget about and causes them to be sick. Also - don't eat any salads with kale, spinach, lettuce - again - you don't know how it is washed. Cucumbers were okay - make sure they are peeled. We only ate raw fruit and veggies that were peeled. Anything cooked you should be fine with.

We only encountered 1 squat toilet and that was at one of the temples. I don't remember which one. None of the bathrooms were really clean - at least according to Western standards, but most did flush. Take lots of hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Our tour guide provided us with bottled water every day and we were also provided with 1-liter bottles for each passenger on the ship every day.

When I went to Egypt, one person in our party got sick but she was foolishly taking Cipro prophylactically - which you shouldn't do. She was given a does of the Antinal and was feeling better within hours.

 

Another thing to add to what Hydrokitty has said: Do not get ice in any drinks at most restaurants. Your hotel may be safe, and the ship should be safe, but don't get ice in other locations. This is something that a lot of people forget about and causes them to be sick. Also - don't eat any salads with kale, spinach, lettuce - again - you don't know how it is washed. Cucumbers were okay - make sure they are peeled. We only ate raw fruit and veggies that were peeled. Anything cooked you should be fine with.

 

We only encountered 1 squat toilet and that was at one of the temples. I don't remember which one. None of the bathrooms were really clean - at least according to Western standards, but most did flush. Take lots of hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Our tour guide provided us with bottled water every day and we were also provided with 1-liter bottles for each passenger on the ship every day.

OMG..how could I have forgotten about ice cubes!! We got used to drinking water that wasn't ice cold and like you we were given liter bottles every time we got on and off a bus, boat or plane and in the hotels and on the boats we had bottled water in our rooms every day. Hand sanitizer is a MUST of course, and use it often. You were lucky to only encounter 1 pit toilet.....I think the only place we had flush toilets was on the ship and in the hotels and restaurants, but we did have the cans for toilet paper because apparently the infrastructure couldn't handle the increased usage.

But in spite of these things, wasn't it one of the best trips ever!!!

So I e-mailed our travel agent about traveling to Egypt in Feb. 2016 and what did she think. Right now the Canadian Government updated their security website for traveling to certain countries. They listed "an increase risk of attacks around Jan. 25th, 2015". Avoid non-essential travel.

I know this is for right now but there is no way you could get my husband to even look at Egypt with this warning. That is what happened when we had our trip all booked before. The CDN gov't said no travel and we couldn't go.

I AM NOT taking it off my #1 spot on my bucket list!!!

The drug is called Antinal and it was readily available from every pharmacy without Rx. It was also pretty cheap, but this was in 2008 so things could have changed. I know that Immodium will not kill the bacteria that's causing the diarrhea. If you're going with an organized tour, I would imagine your guide will have some handy. I know ours did, but his wife was a pharmacist. Only one of our group got sick and she wasn't very sick, just annoyingly sick if you know what I mean. I'm no scientist, but I thought all bottles sss when they open them. I only drink sparkling water, so I can't really be sure. Since you've already traveled to third world countries, you know the drill....just follow it in Egypt. I trusted our guide and when he said a place was safe to eat or drink, we believed him, within reason and only ordered cooked food. (The food by the way was delicious, but then I eat plant based so I'm good with veggies and things like chick peas). I didn't have any fresh lettuce or strawberries except for the one hotel in Aswan and that was the Movenpick on Kitchener Island, which was fantastic! On the ship the captain took us on a tour of the kitchen and made it a point to show us the water purification system and how it worked. He said no fresh fruit or vegetable, served raw, was served without having been scrubbed with this water....I guess he was telling the truth cause nobody got sick!

Thanks Kitty, I drink a lot of water, most of it still, although I do like fizzy water too. I love Middle Eastern food so I'm looking forward to that, but will watch to avoid the fresh things like tabbouli I guess. I'm sure we'll have good guides to keep us hydrated most of the time.

As for immodium, all it does is plug you up, so to speak, and for that it is very, very useful. Used it in Bangkok and didn't even take the antibiotics.

Thanks very much for the name of the drug!

So I e-mailed our travel agent about traveling to Egypt in Feb. 2016 and what did she think. Right now the Canadian Government updated their security website for traveling to certain countries. They listed "an increase risk of attacks around Jan. 25th, 2015". Avoid non-essential travel.

 

I know this is for right now but there is no way you could get my husband to even look at Egypt with this warning. That is what happened when we had our trip all booked before. The CDN gov't said no travel and we couldn't go.

 

I AM NOT taking it off my #1 spot on my bucket list!!!

Well, I was aware when we booked that Canada still had the advisory up for Egypt, but it's sufficiently high on our list that we overlooked it, and in fact, are not concerned. We were in Bangkok when their protests were going on last winter, and didn't see a sign of trouble. Our TA was in Cairo during the second wave of protests there, with a travel group, and they were able to avoid the troubled areas quite easily.

But, this might work with your husband--Uniworld has a "cancel for any reason" clause in its insurance. If that clause is invoked, you don't get your money back, but get a credit for another, different, cruise. That seemed fair to us, and makes us feel more secure. And if things get bad again, I'm sure Uniworld would cancel out and give us our money back.

As I may have said elsewhere, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself, CSA, with whom we have booked insurance many times for ocean cruises, has stopped covering Canadians for some reason, so we decided to go with the cruise companies for both of our upcoming river trips.