Out here working hard for YOU.
I’m just back from spending the week on Uniworld’s SS. Maria Theresa on the Danube. Over the last three years, I’ve seized opportunities to sail on multiple river cruise lines to help me better match up my clients with the right cruise and cruise line for them. The sacrifices I make for you people.
Some observations from my week with Uniworld:
The décor- In print and online, their ships look like . . . a lot. In person, the Maria Theresa is more inviting than anticipated, and the ship’s interior is less gaudy, more sumptuous. I liked it much better than I expected to.
The ‘regular’ cabin.
The cabin- I started the week in their standard French balcony. It’s not the biggest ‘regular’ cabin I’ve cruised in, but it may be the nicest—super luxe bedding (featuring like a $15K mattress, I’m told—and it is comfortable), heated floors in the all-marble bathroom, a heated towel rack, antique fixtures, and a huge drop-down window opening to the river. You know, I could get used to this. (But I didn’t have time to.)
The suite- The second day on board, the sales team offered an upgrade to an open grand suite, the biggest on board. I’d have been happy in my original cabin; I was ecstatic in the suite—featuring a huge bathroom with double sinks, a TV, and a tub (I didn’t take bubble baths—but I could’ve), a living area with another TV and a bar stocked to the guest’s wishes, a separate bedroom with a drop-out-of-the ceiling TV and a king bed, included butler service, included laundry service, and other included goodies. It turned a fun cruise into a week of a lifetime. You know, I could really get used to this.
[Below, the grand suite on the Uniworld SS Maria Theresa.]
O look, it’s my butler, showing the passengers how to saber a champagne bottle.
The service- I’ve had generally good to great experiences on other river cruise lines, but the service on Uniworld exceeded expectations. I guess I should have expected that, but it was really next-level—and not just because of the move to the suite. Staff members tend to stay with Uniworld, which gives them an experienced and knowledgeable crew, and it shows in the service across the ship.
The inclusions- On top of the above-mentioned inclusions, alcohol is included, as are almost all excursions (there are some special, over-the-top ones that may come with an extra charge). The pricing is competitive, given the inclusions--and of course, booking with me gets you the current Signature incentives.
The excursions- There are a lot of tours to choose from, and I tried to pick things I hadn’t done before, like Mythos Mozart in Vienna (which was very cool—an immersive multi-sensory experience) and a castle tour in Grein, Austria, where we got to meet the count. Food tours, museum tours, city walking tours—lots of variety.
A special dinner- I was also lucky to be included in a progressive dinner that took us on a crew-led tour through aaallllll of the areas of the ship, from the bridge to the engine room, the kitchen, crew mess, and laundry. It was a really cool experience in an otherwise also really cool week aboard. [Seen below.]
Uniworld just previewed a new ship, the SS Emelie, with Gustav Klimt theming and Viennese Secession-era touches. I’ll be eager to see that in person—suite or no suite.
A bit more river cruise fun: I also snuck aboard the newest Amadeus ship, the Nova, and found it a step above the Cara, on which I sailed last year. I like Amadeus for its value proposition: less is included, and it’s generally very competitively priced even when you add their comprehensive excursion package.
[Seen here, the standard cabin on Amadeus Nova.]
I also snuck aboard the Scenic Opal, and grabbed pix of each of its stateroom types. It’s another luxury line, essentially the opposite of Uniworld with very modern, sleek décor. I’m sailing them next, and have some group space on a Bordeaux cruise (think WINE) with them this fall. HMU for details on that. [Seen here, their balcony cabin.]
Want to talk about if a river cruise is right for you, and which cruise line is the best fit for your vacation? 👉🏻 You know what to do. 👈🏻
