uniworld christmas market cruise

[wardengirl]

Hey everybody my mother and I have just booked a christmas market cruise with Uniworld for Nov 27th from Budapest to Regensberg. I was wondering if anyone has done this cruise before I am having a hard time finding comprehensive reviews on the uniworld river cruises.

Also I was wondering if anyone knew if the christmas markets and Germany, Austria etc took credit and debit cards of it it is cash only.

Thanks

[float]

i have not done the river cruise but was in germany nov. 2005 for the x-mas markets yes they take credit cards you will have a wonderful time it will make you feel like a child again my son lives in cologne and i got to cruise the rhine with santa i dont speck the language but sang-danced-and laughed with everyone

[wardengirl]

Thank you for the info, reading about everyones experiences with the christmas markets is getting me very excited to go, my mother was born in Germany so she is very excited to get back there and see the sights and sounds that she remembers as a child. Again thanks for the info.

[steamboats]

wardengirl,

 

Check this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=420506

 

In my answers I´ve posted one link to another thread where I provided information about Christmas Markets. I´ve also posted a link to a virtual Christmas market cruise review on this website which is very informative.

 

I don´t want to disappoint you but your cruise is quite early for the Christmas markets which usually do open on the first weekend of Advent which is Dec 1 this year. And you´ll miss the world largest and oldest market in Nuremberg which is not included in your itinerary.

 

steamboats

[wardengirl]

Steamboat,

 

Thank you for the link the information is very helpful. I had thought that the cruise may be early in the season but from the information on the individual city websites such as budapest and bratslavia it says that the markets will be open by the 25th of November so I am hoping that this is the case, if not I'm sure we will still enjoy the sights. We had hoped very much to see the Nuremberg market but we just booked last week and could not find an itinerary that we liked or could afford that included Nuremberg. Maybe next time!

[steamboats]

wardengirl,

 

So far to traditions! Obviously Budapest and Vienna lenghten the Holiday season by starting the Christmas markets prior to first of Advent. At least Passau and Regensburg don´t start any earlier. There it is the classic way, Dec 1 (Friday before the first of Advent) til Dec 23/24. Even Salzburg is starting Nov 23. Seems like in Austria tradition counts less than tourism. At least here in Bavaria there no market prior to the traditional date (which varies each year).

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

steamboats

[hobse]

wardengirl,

 

What would you like to know? We didn't take your itinerary, but we were on the Uniworld River Empress last December Prague-Vienna for the Christmas markets. We loved it !

[LuAnn]

We are taking the Viking cruise from Nuremberg to Vienna leaving on 12/17..then spending Xmas Eve & Day in Vienna and then on to Budapest until 12/30...steamboats...you have been very helpful over the last 6 months or so with ideas/info...thank you!!! Just booked Xmas Eve & Xmas Day dinners and Figaro for 12/26 in Vienna!!! The internet is so incredible!!! Any more thoughts/ideas/etc. ..are welcomed! LuAnn

[lawcruiser]

:cool: Loved the Countess last XMAS and had a great time... It included 2 nites in Prague at the Renaissance Hotel which was super. People on the boat were extremely friendly and a lot of fun. We got stuck on a sandbar:eek: and nobody seemed to mind....great attitude!!!:) I would travel Uniworld again....soon!

[lawcruiser]

:cool: Loved the Countess last XMAS and had a great time... It included 2 nites in Prague at the Renaissance Hotel which was super. People on the boat were extremely friendly and a lot of fun. We got stuck on a sandbar:eek: and nobody seemed to mind....great attitude!!!:) I would travel Uniworld again....soon!

[fuzzlekins]

Can't speak specifically for the Christmas markets but I can say that we were surprised at how many places in Germany DID NOT take credit cards. Even a huge Best Buy-like electronics store did not take them. Thank goodness we took a few hundred dollars in Euros with us b/c our luggage was lost and we needed to buy clothes and toiletries every chance we got and sometimes that meant having to pay cash. The more touristy places seemed to take credit cards, but many of the local shops even in the touristy areas did not. Best to have both on hand.

[airport denizon]

My wife and I leave Saturday for a Uniworld river cruise on the River Countess. Our itinerary shows that the Christmas markets at the beginning of our trip will not yet be open but towards the end of the week the markets in Bamberg and Nuremberg will be in full swing.

[J&JinTN]

Hello Airport Denizon,

We are also leaving Saturday for the River Countess cruise. This will be our first river cruise and we are very excited to try it after doing several ocean cruises. Looking forward to meeting you.

 

John & Jill

[LuAnn]

We are leaving in mid December on Viking for the Christmas Markets..please let us know how it went for both of you! LuAnn

[MacMacGA]

<Hey everybody my mother and I have just booked a christmas market cruise with Uniworld for Nov 27th from Budapest to Regensberg. I was wondering if anyone has done this cruise before I am having a hard time finding comprehensive reviews on the uniworld river cruises. >

 

We took a October 28-November 12 cruise on the Uniworld River Empress from Budapest to Amsterdam. It was our first river cruise. My husband and I were very impressed with the entire operation. We had a level 400 stateroom on the same floor as the dining room. The stateroom was very comfortable. Here is a list that I compiled for my travel journal.

 

Here are some features of our room:

Comfortable beds; high quality linens. We have twins joined to make a queen size yet we each had our own duvet. There was one down pillow and one synthetic. Duvet cover over quilted wool blanket.

Thick towels, shower gel, shampoo mounted in shower, hand lotion mounted next to sink. Clean towels provided twice a day.

Ceramic bathroom glasses in wall mounted holders. Shelving under sink and well as counter space around deep sink.

Hand held shower with separate controls for temperature and force of spray. Once you set the temperature, we didn’t have to change it for the balance of the trip.

Shower with bifold door instead of curtain.

Good storage, bags fit under beds, two door closet with wooden hangers and pants hangers.

Safe in closet.

Six drawers and two open shelves under flat screen satellite TV.

Night stands with two shelves and individual reading lights. Radio in shelf unit. Room light controlled from bed.

Thermostat in room.

Room darkening shades over sheers.

Vanity table, mirror and stool with 110 volt outlet as well as 220 volt. Hairdryer provided.

One easy chair and small round table next to window.

 

The food was excellent with buffets at breakfast and lunch. Here is a description of the breakfast.

 

Our daily breakfast buffet offers something for everyone with oatmeal, cold cereals, fruit, juices, yogurt, pastries, omelet station, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and scrambled eggs and bread with one of those moving toasters. There is a "ask your waiter for the item" entree every day, such as eggs benedict, waffles, rice pudding, french toast with ham, etc. We find ourselves heading toward the hot oatmeal every day and I am a sucker for the raisin bread as are many others. If that is not enough, bagels and lox, and cold cuts and cheese are out everyday. The coffee is poured from French Press coffee pots and it is strong and good.

 

The lunch buffet featured regional specialties very day. Besides several salad offerings, sandwiches and fresh fruit every day, 4 hot entrees are available with various sides of vegetables. There is a pasta selections and a vegetarian offering every day. The dessert table was a popular location with a variety of tortes, cakes, puddings, etc varied by the region we were in.

 

Dinner was plated meals with a chef's choice selection for starter, entree and dessert on one side of the menu and other choices on the right side. A fish and veggie offering was always available. The meat portions were about 3-4 ounces (which is a normal portion). The accompanying veg or potato was also a smaller portion. The soups are outstanding, a smooth pureed quality not thick or too think.

 

Two dessert choices rounds out the dinner with ice cream as one of them. It was easy to overeat at breakfast and lunch but it not not an issue at dinner.

 

The tours were well-paced, the local guides very good English speakers and there was entertainment on board some evenings. Afternoon tea was offered on cruising days. It was a most relaxing and educational experience. It is also a great way to meet a variety of interesting well-traveled people during meals.