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Uniworld to lease 2 ex-Crystal river ships from Riverside

Daisi

By Daisi,
in River Cruising

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Roz Great Review Rare

Roz

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I received an email from Uniworld about 2 new ships - Victoria and Elisabeth.  One goes into service in 2024 and the other in 2025.  Are those the Crystal river ships?

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cruisewmn

cruisewmn

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This is fantastic news!  
We loved the Crystal ships (sailed the Bach on the Rhine). The cabins are really comfortable and feel larger than they are - nice bathrooms and walk-in closets. Great dining, lounge, coffee bar, and outdoor space.
 

We’re already booked on a Uniworld cruise on the Seine next summer. Hoping the 2025 itineraries include some others rivers. 

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Mrs. Claypool

Mrs. Claypool

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Crystal Bach has been named the Victoria and the Mahler is now the Elizabeth.  
 

We sailed down the Rhine and the Danube on the Mahler before “old” Crystal went under and it was an exemplary trip, everything done to perfection.  The food was the best I’ve ever tasted— on land or sea. 
 

If Uniworld can maintain this standard, we would not hesitate to sail on these ships again!

 

Emily

 

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Host Jazzbeau Great Review Rare

Host Jazzbeau

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6 hours ago, cruisewmn said:

This is fantastic news!  
We loved the Crystal ships (sailed the Bach on the Rhine). The cabins are really comfortable and feel larger than they are - nice bathrooms and walk-in closets. Great dining, lounge, coffee bar, and outdoor space.
 

We’re already booked on a Uniworld cruise on the Seine next summer. Hoping the 2025 itineraries include some others rivers. 

 

Neither of these ships can sail on the Seine (as Viking found out when they tried to put 135m ships there), but unless they are replacing existing Uniworld ships they should enable some expansion of itineraries.

 

4 hours ago, Mrs. Claypool said:

We sailed down the Rhine and the Danube on the Mahler before “old” Crystal went under and it was an exemplary trip, everything done to perfection.  The food was the best I’ve ever tasted— on land or sea. If Uniworld can maintain this standard, we would not hesitate to sail on these ships again!

 

Uniworld will gain the peerless cabins and public spaces of these ships, but the food and service will be whatever Uniworld chooses to provide – which I would assume will be the usual (very good, but not Crystal) Uniworld standard.

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AllisonJames

AllisonJames

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This is wonderful … we were booked to sail Crystal Bach in July 2020, it was going to be our very first river cruise and we were so excited…well, we all know how that turned out. Those ships are absolutely gorgeous (and very different from the typical Uniworld decor, which frankly, has kept us away from Uniworld) and so now maybe we can experience them!

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

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10 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

This is wonderful … we were booked to sail Crystal Bach in July 2020, it was going to be our very first river cruise and we were so excited…well, we all know how that turned out. Those ships are absolutely gorgeous (and very different from the typical Uniworld decor, which frankly, has kept us away from Uniworld) and so now maybe we can experience them!

I agree about Uniworld decor. I don't think we are alone in this.

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Ritabob "Live from...." Rare

Ritabob

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I think it is time for someone to defend the decor of the Uniworld ships. 😁

When cruising along the Danube or Rhine what are the top destinations you are going to see? Palaces! Churches! Cathedrals! Castles! Anything Maria Theresa and family ever touched!  You take pictures of the gilt and marble and mirrors amazed at the excess. So why not really indulge yourself in it for a week or two? Walk past a Picasso on your way to the lounge every day. Be waited on by fantastic staff. Sleep in luxurious comfort. Eat and drink until even your elastic waist pants don't fit anymore. 

Is this how I decorate my home ? Heck no, but its fun to live a fantasy while on vacation.

RB 

 

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

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45 minutes ago, Ritabob said:

I think it is time for someone to defend the decor of the Uniworld ships. 😁

When cruising along the Danube or Rhine what are the top destinations you are going to see? Palaces! Churches! Cathedrals! Castles! Anything Maria Theresa and family ever touched!  You take pictures of the gilt and marble and mirrors amazed at the excess. So why not really indulge yourself in it for a week or two? Walk past a Picasso on your way to the lounge every day. Be waited on by fantastic staff. Sleep in luxurious comfort. Eat and drink until even your elastic waist pants don't fit anymore. 

Is this how I decorate my home ? Heck no, but its fun to live a fantasy while on vacation.

RB 

 

Honestly - I think it would give me a headache. if they only knew how many will not travel with them due to their decor. There are other quality lines out there that won't drive me crazy and will get me to the same places. Glad you like the decor, for me it appears like a nightmare.

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UDChE89 "Live from...." Rare

UDChE89

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2 hours ago, Ritabob said:

I think it is time for someone to defend the decor of the Uniworld ships. 😁

When cruising along the Danube or Rhine what are the top destinations you are going to see? Palaces! Churches! Cathedrals! Castles! Anything Maria Theresa and family ever touched!  You take pictures of the gilt and marble and mirrors amazed at the excess. So why not really indulge yourself in it for a week or two? Walk past a Picasso on your way to the lounge every day. Be waited on by fantastic staff. Sleep in luxurious comfort. Eat and drink until even your elastic waist pants don't fit anymore. 

Is this how I decorate my home ? Heck no, but its fun to live a fantasy while on vacation.

RB 

 

As someone that did Danube cruises on both the Maria Theresa and the Thomas Hardy, I’ll take the Thomas Hardy every single time.  I found the Maria Theresa’s furnishings overdone and, except for the bed, uncomfortable.  Someone described the Maria Theresa decor as “Liberace threw up all over the ship” and that’s a pretty fair statement.  It was especially annoying trying to find the door to the public restrooms the first time due to the decor.

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GetOnTheWater

GetOnTheWater

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What does this mean for Riverside Luxury Cruises who acquired the Crystal ships. They have launched the Mozart and Ravel and were set to launch the Bach next year. Does them now leasing the Bach to Uniworld mean they are having problems? I had been planning to book a trip with Riverside next year.

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, GetOnTheWater said:

What does this mean for Riverside Luxury Cruises who acquired the Crystal ships. They have launched the Mozart and Ravel and were set to launch the Bach next year. Does them now leasing the Bach to Uniworld mean they are having problems? I had been planning to book a trip with Riverside next year.

I think bookings are soft right now, but they're the new people to the market. They don't have name recognition yet.

Edited by Coral
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SuiteTraveler

SuiteTraveler

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, GetOnTheWater said:

What does this mean for Riverside Luxury Cruises who acquired the Crystal ships. They have launched the Mozart and Ravel and were set to launch the Bach next year. Does them now leasing the Bach to Uniworld mean they are having problems? I had been planning to book a trip with Riverside next year.

That's a good question. I was just on their website and tried to look at June 2024 cruises and it wouldn't let me.  I don't know what is going on?

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Gourmet Gal

Gourmet Gal

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9 hours ago, Ritabob said:

I think it is time for someone to defend the decor of the Uniworld ships. 😁

When cruising along the Danube or Rhine what are the top destinations you are going to see? Palaces! Churches! Cathedrals! Castles! Anything Maria Theresa and family ever touched!  You take pictures of the gilt and marble and mirrors amazed at the excess. So why not really indulge yourself in it for a week or two? Walk past a Picasso on your way to the lounge every day. Be waited on by fantastic staff. Sleep in luxurious comfort. Eat and drink until even your elastic waist pants don't fit anymore. 

Is this how I decorate my home ? Heck no, but its fun to live a fantasy while on vacation.

RB 

 

Picasso is a modern artist and while the juxtaposition of modern and vintage is fun, I can do without more vintage after looking at it all day on shore.  However, I wouldn’t refrain from booking Uniworld if I like the itinerary.

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Casey12

Casey12

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I recently planned a river cruise for a bunch of friends. They like high-end cruise experiences. They're only requirement was that was not on Uniworld due to the decor. We have walked through several of their ships. We ended up going with Tauck. Uniworld really needs to re-think their design philosophy.  

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