Uniworld Grand European 28 April to 13 May

[Ritabob]

Greetings from the River Princess presently docked in Vienna. I will try to post along the way and hopefully give a full report after we get home.

Overnight flight left on time and arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule.  Bags were coming off the carousel as we walked up to it.  So far air travel reminds me how it used to be a few decades ago.  A good start to our vacation.

RB 

[Ritabob]

Vienna is as wonderful as always. Yesterday (Saturday)was the change over day so there were no planned events. We were onboard by09:45, stashed our bags in the holding area, had a celebratory beverage at the bar and took off on our own to see the sights. When we got back we were able to get into our aquarium cabin and settle in.  The cabin is cozy(tiny) but functional.   I wish they would remove at least one of the two chairs and little table.  Those things use up valuable real estate.

Safety drill, overview of the next few days, dinner and bed .

[Got2Cruise]

Bon Voyage! Can’t wait to hear all about it. 

[Roz]

@Ritabob, agree with you about the table and chairs. 

[notamermaid]

Have a great cruise traversing Europe on this more unusual itinerary going from Vienna to Basel.

 

notamermaid

 

[Ritabob]

Sunday. Vienna 

In my heart I am still around 30 years old. The mirror does not agree. Neither do my knees, so we decided to go rogue from the planned tours. We booked a segway tour and covered a lot of ground complete with history lessons in three hours. It was a blast.

Uniworld is now offering 'Masterpiece Collection' tours. Read 'more income from our guests'.  Today in Vienna there were 3 of them: €189 for the Spanish riding school,€69 culinary walking tour and €109 for a private Mozart and Strauss concert. 

Free shuttles were available to the city centre and a trip to Schoenbrunn Palace were included .

Staff members are doing a great job despite this is only their second week with passengers on board.

RB 

[jklc123]

Gosh. We’ve been to Vienna twice with Uniworld, in the “old days.” The concert was included on both (although one was not private) and a culinary walking tour was included on one itinerary. Of course, I don’t know what included tours were offered.

 

Anyway, I will enjoy hearing about your trip.

[Ritabob]

Our view at breakfast .

[Canal archive]

Makes it all worth it!

[jpalbny]

Have a great time and looking forward to following along! Your breakfast view is spectacular, and much nicer than mine as I'm getting ready to head in to work. 

[Ritabob]

Tuesday morning breakfast , potato pancake with smoked salmon with a side of tiny island on the Danube.

We are heading toward Passau on a chilly gray morning.

Life is good.

[Ritabob]

Hello everyone, 

Sorry I abandoned this report a few days in.  I will put together a full one eventually.  Jet lag and allergies need to be tamed first.

RB 

[Ritabob]

Happy Victoria Day.

This is a statutory holiday here in Ontario, the unofficial start of summer, also known as the Two Four weekend.  Our beer comes in cases of 24 bottles or cans.

We have been home now for over a week and the cruise has faded into a distant memory.

 

Monday May 1st.  

after a busy day in Vienna it was nice to slow the pace .The morning in Weissenkirchen began with a lecture in the lounge about Jewish Life in Austria presented by Christian Basel. Christian was the cruise director on our first Uniworld cruise in 2008. A delightful gentleman with a lot of knowledge. After the lecture we had a choice of  wandering over the road to the village with a wine tasting  and some apricot schnapps or hopping on the bus to Melk Abbey with a tour that included the abbey and time to wander the gardens. After lunch there was a group that went for a hike in the vineyard.

The ship set sail around 2:30 in the afternoon so most people got out their phones and tablets and i-pads and got lost in their technology until cocktails and dinner. After dinner a 70's party in the lounge.

Tuesday May 2nd

The ship docked briefly in Engelhartszell for about 20 or so brave souls to sign waivers and take off on a guided bicycle tour to Passau.  The rest of the passengers either napped or connected to technology until lunch.  The cyclist beat the ship Passau but had to wait for the ship to raft up to a Viking ship. There was a power struggle between crew of both boats on how to fit the ramp from one upper deck to the other, but our captain pointed and things happened pronto. After lunch was a walking tour of the sights. 

A Bavarian Country Cooking Class was offered to a maximum 6 people for only 269euro per person. I did not hear of any takers.

A Bavarian Brass Band provided the entertainment after dinner.

 

[Ritabob]

Wednesday May 3rd

We woke up this morning in Degendorf .   There were two choices this morning and both included schnapps tastings. one group experienced a glass blowing demonstration in the Bavarian forest and the other group explored the inside of an old silver mine.  What attracted me to the silver mine tour was a scenic chair lift to the mine entrance.  Ooops . chairlift closed due to seasonal maintenance. After the two tours everyone was bussed to Straubing for lunch and shopping on your own.  Back on the ship which set sail for Regensburg.  Afternoon free to snooze or look at phones and ipads.

After dinner we had the pleasure of walking about 20 minutes to St. Caecilia church for a performance of the Regensburg Cathedral Choir.  They are fantastic, think of the Vienna boys choir.

 

Thursday May 4th

overnighted in Regensburg.  Guided walking tour of town or a scenic drive to the Hollertau hop growing region .  This area makes a beer drinker feel on par with a wine drinker looking at vineyards.  Our host at the Stiglmaeir farm was informative and fun.   Back on board for an afternoon of  sitting on deck and technology.

Before dinner was a cocktail reception for River Heritage Members.  I think about 1/3 of the passengers are now members. After dinner there was an entertainer in the lounge, but I never got that far.

[CPT Trips]

6 hours ago, Ritabob said:

The cyclist beat the ship Passau but had to wait for the ship to raft up to a Viking ship. There was a power struggle between crew of both boats on how to fit the ramp from one upper deck to the other, but our captain pointed and things happened pronto

 

Were the bikes off ship rentals or did the crew need to get them all back onboard?

[Ritabob]

An independent cycle company provided the bicycles and guides.

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, Ritabob said:

There was a power struggle between crew of both boats on how to fit the ramp from one upper deck to the other, but our captain pointed and things happened pronto.

Picard: "Make it so."  😀

[Ritabob]

 

Friday May 5th

The day started with a leisurely breakfast while the ship was sailing to Nuremberg. There was a lecture in the lounge about Germany, WWII and the role of Nuremberg. After lunch two tours were offered with a maximum number of participants of 45 for each. The first was a city tour with the rally grounds and documentation center visit. The second tour was a visit to Faber Castell Castle or museum with time to shop.  Who knew a lead pencil could 'lead' to an empire.  

This evening was the Captain's Farewell dinner. I think there may have been 4 or 5 men wearing jackets and the same number of women dressed to the 9s and wearing stiletto heals. The rest of the passengers were wearing something. After 9pm there was entertainment in the lounge, a singer, but as usual we grabbed a drink and went somewhere quiet to chat with others.

 

Saturday May 6th

This two week cruise, Uniworld Grand Central Europe Cruise was, in fact, two different one week cruises. Therefore today was the disembarkation / embarkation day. A bit of a waste for those of us doing both weeks, as there were no tours provided. What they did provide were shuttles to the city. No maps, no suggestions on what there was to see or do. Luckily we have been there a number of times and were able to wander with out feeling like we were missing something.  Back on board it was fun to watch the new passengers explore their new home for the next week.

We did say goodbye to a very unhappy couple who did not do their homework before their first cruise.  They complained it was too cold to sit up on deck and why can't the ship just cruise during daylight, they wanted to take lots of photos, and there was too much scaffolding around historic buildings.

[CastleCritic]

2 hours ago, Ritabob said:

We did say goodbye to a very unhappy couple who did not do their homework before their first cruise.  They complained it was too cold to sit up on deck and why can't the ship just cruise during daylight, they wanted to take lots of photos, and there was too much scaffolding around historic buildings.

I feel this, one of my favorite things to do (and I guess because it was one of the very first things to do on a river cruise) is just sit up on deck and watch the world go by, and this time of year...thats pretty hit and miss.  50-60 degrees outside on a moving ship is COLD...  I was on the lower Danube about the same time and savored any time I had where I could be up on deck (it was warm enough some days).  I tend to find the spots that have some wind blockage (our big during the day movement day it was also raining lightly, so I spent most of it sitting on my deck..which also didn't suck, but I still had a jacket on.

 

I also feel the "why cant we move during the day" since that cruise also tended to mostly cruise at night, but of course the flip side is that the day is when we go do stuff, and this opens much more time.

 

And yep...hate scaffolding.

 

AlSO I agree on a 14 day joined itinerary cruise that on the changeover day from the shorter cruises there SHOULD be an excursion for the through passengers, pretty sure there was for the cruise I joined halfway the second half for (wasn't on my schedule as a boarding passenger but its on the web site itinerary)

Edited May 23, 2023 by CastleCritic

[gnome12]

17 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

AlSO I agree on a 14 day joined itinerary cruise that on the changeover day from the shorter cruises there SHOULD be an excursion for the through passengers, pretty sure there was for the cruise I joined halfway the second half for (wasn't on my schedule as a boarding passenger but its on the web site itinerary)

When I did Vienna to Basel with Uniworld in 2011, it was actually 2 legs Vienna to Nuremberg and Nuremberg to Basel. They did have an excursion for those of us staying on board. However, it was 12 years ago.

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, Ritabob said:

We did say goodbye to a very unhappy couple who did not do their homework before their first cruise.  They complained it was too cold to sit up on deck and why can't the ship just cruise during daylight, they wanted to take lots of photos, and there was too much scaffolding around historic buildings.

Not much sympathy from me on this.  (a) AccuWeather has a 'monthly' tab that lets you check the weather last year and historically for almost any location on any cruise [even Patagonia!]; and (b) this forum has many threads advising first-time river cruisers about what to expect, and frequently warning that most sailing is done at night to provide maximum time for shore excursions [and suggesting that if daytime sailing is the goal, the Douro is the river].

 

So you are correct that they didn't do their homework.  And as a retired teacher, well you get my drift...

[Ritabob]

My point was if they could sail during the day then the historic sites and buildings would be  closed to tours, in the dark and covered in scaffolding. 

[Ritabob]

Sunday May 7th

Bamberg

Two tours to pick from this morning. Guided walking tour of town or a 'hike' in the beechwood forest of Steigerwald near Ebrach to an observation tower.  During the port talk the previous evening the Cruise Director discouraged people from going on the hike unless they were in top physical form. Those who did go couldn't understand what the big deal was. How unfortunate to miss a walk in the woods even without climbing the tower.

In the afternoon if you wanted to visit a local brewery and taste some smoked beer you had to pay 59€ .  The last time we were in Bamberg the beer tasting there was no upcharge.

Our second Captain's Welcome reception of the cruise was just like the first except last week's captain was on vacation and we were introduced to the new captain. Captain du jour. 

 

Monday May 8th

Volkach

What a lovely area to have so many Franconian wine country  villiage day choices .  Wine and chocolate...walk and meet vintners...bike...canoe.  Naturally we did the divide and conquer.  Chocolates and wine for me and just wine for the hub.

In the afternoon there was the Romantic Rothenburg Express. Dish out another €69 for something that was included with previous cruises.

After lunch we took some bicycles and rode back into the villiage and then along the river. Such a peaceful area.

A trio entertained in the lounge to a small crowd.

 

Tuesday May 9th

Wurzburg 

Finally a warm sunny day.  Two choices.  A hike up the hill to the Fortress Marienberg or a tour of Wurzburg Residence and court garden. After touring the Residence there was an option to walk back to the ship with the guide via the bridge and a glass of wine. As the weather was perfect for sitting on the upper deck we decided it was better to drink the wine under the bridge in comfort rather than in a crowd of tourists on the bridge.

A trip to Castle Weikersheim was cancelled due to lack of interest. I think it was the €59 surcharge.

The ship set sail around 4pm so we finally were able to enjoy watching the world go by and the many locals along the water's edge soaking up the sun and heat.

70's to 90's disco in the lounge after dinner.

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Ritabob
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[Got2Cruise]

I’m enjoying your trip report with photos very much. It seems like off the beaten path stops which are less touristy. 

[Ritabob]

Wednesday May 10th

Miltenberg  and Eichenbuehl

 

A cool damp morning in my favourite town. The guides met us at the ship while groups were sorted out. The walkers set off on a 8km trek to Eichenbuehl where the rest of us would meet up with them later.  We joined the tour of the town and heard the story of how Miltenberg flourished at the beginning of the pandemic. One of their main industries produces toilet paper!

After some free time we boarded the bus to Eichenbuehl to meet up with the hikers who were already enjoying the vibe of entertainment by the local mayor and other civic leaders who greeted us with local wine and beer and open-faced sandwiches with local produce. This all took place in the park like area behind city hall. We had the option of walking a short way to see the inside of the church and ring the bell.

On the bus back to he ship for a late lunch and an afternoon free to wander the streets in Miltenberg or get caught up with napping or social media.