Home > Compare River Cruise Companies > APT River Cruises vs Uniworld
APT River Cruises vs Uniworld
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of APT River Cruises and Uniworld.The Low Down
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
If you are looking for 5-star luxury with 6-star service then Uniworld river cruises should be at the top of your wish list. Uniworld's ships (while not the newest) are one-of-a-kind, exquisitely appointed, boutique floating hotels. Part of the Travel Corporation (which includes the sister brands of Trafalgar and Insight Vacations), Uniworld ships are slightly smaller with an average of about 130 guests, and are constantly being refurbished in their distinctive style. Half of the team at Global Journeys have embarked on a voyage with Uniworld and some us a few times! Uniworld pricing is now dynamic so can vary day by day, and the cruises aren't cheap, however you wont need to dip into your wallet once your trip begins and further savings are available if you were a past passenger on any of the aforementioned sister brands.
Stats
No. of Trips
66
No. of Departures
849
Avg. Trip Length
13 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$593
Fleet Size
10 Ships
Known For
Aussie Specialist
Ship Styles River Cruises
No. of Trips
89
No. of Departures
1,303
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$727
Fleet Size
18 Ships
Known For
Boutique River Cruising
Ship Styles River Cruises
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Life-enriching, relaxing and unique – an APT river cruise is the ultimate holiday experience. Discover unforgettable destinations as you travel in total comfort and style. From Europe to Africa and the mighty Mekong River, APT has a diverse range of river cruises, and you’ll wake up most mornings in a new location, ready to explore fresh and exciting sights. Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
Once you step onboard the world’s finest and most awarded river cruise line for the first time, we are quite sure the refined luxury onboard our fleet will sweep you off your feet.
We draw our inspiration for the design philosophy of every one of the 17 ships in our fleet directly from the destination in which they sail. The craftsmanship, the attention to detail, the art onboard, the handcrafted furniture and intricacy of the fabrics are lovingly assembled to be a masterpiece in and of itself. Stepping onboard is to step into a world of beautiful colours and one-of-a-kind details that truly bring your destination to life.
Crafting experiences you can’t find anywhere else, means continuing to elevate Uniworld to new heights year after year. From the addition of four new Super Ships in Egypt, Vietnam, Portugal and Italy, to the award winning service that comes from the heart, we’re putting even more emphasis on what’s onboard to enhancing several itineraries to accommodate guest’s diverse tastes for the future. We truly look forward to welcoming our Australian guests onboard.
Recent Reviews
4.8
Would definitely book again through Global Journeys. The river cruise was good but not quite what we thought it would be. Most day trips were only 2 - 3 hours in length. Fellow passengers were enjoyable company and the entertainment, Tori & Dave, were excellent. Maybe we are too young to be going on river cruises!!
The cruise itself was excellent, but wish that we had been informed that it was the rainy season. At least 3 day tours were spoiled by constant rain. The fellow travellers were great company, mostly from Australia, like us. The cabins were a little small. Had we known that you could upsize, we would have done so, but we were not told beforehand. The ...read more food was excellent, staff excellent and cruise director excellent.
The main drawback was the lengthy flight home. We left Wednesday 8th November 11 am, endured 3 lengthy unpleasant flights with Singapore Airlines to arrive in Sydney 10th November 10 am. We had upgraded to Premium economy, but there was very little difference between this and Economy. The Singapore staff were unpleasant and at times very rude. The plane was old and in need of repair/upgrade. The seats were uncomfortable and worn. There was water leakage from above on occasion. The food was not good quality. On the middle trip home of 13 hours, Joy fell asleep and missed 2 meals. When she awoke and asked for a cup of tea, having not drunk anything in 10 hours, she was told NO!!!!!!!!! When Joy later got up to go to toilet, she was told to sit down, even though 2 other people were lined up at toilet. On 2 of the flights we were in the same seats, which were opposite a large double cupboard, which was constantly being opened and slammed shut by the staff as they shuffled paraphernalia backwards and forwards with constant noise and disturbance. We would never travel with Singapore Airlines again.
APT tour was excellent. Overall rating on Tour was excellent. Overall rating on flights was TERRIBLE.
The main drawback was the lengthy flight home. We left Wednesday 8th November 11 am, endured 3 lengthy unpleasant flights with Singapore Airlines to arrive in Sydney 10th November 10 am. We had upgraded to Premium economy, but there was very little difference between this and Economy. The Singapore staff were unpleasant and at times very rude. The plane was old and in need of repair/upgrade. The seats were uncomfortable and worn. There was water leakage from above on occasion. The food was not good quality. On the middle trip home of 13 hours, Joy fell asleep and missed 2 meals. When she awoke and asked for a cup of tea, having not drunk anything in 10 hours, she was told NO!!!!!!!!! When Joy later got up to go to toilet, she was told to sit down, even though 2 other people were lined up at toilet. On 2 of the flights we were in the same seats, which were opposite a large double cupboard, which was constantly being opened and slammed shut by the staff as they shuffled paraphernalia backwards and forwards with constant noise and disturbance. We would never travel with Singapore Airlines again.
APT tour was excellent. Overall rating on Tour was excellent. Overall rating on flights was TERRIBLE.
The APT river cruise was fantastic. Went in Autumn and the scenery was incredible with lots of beautiful colours. The staff on the ship were great. Would recommend it.
We completed this same itinerary seven years ago with Viking at the same time period in mid October. There were obvious differences between the operators. Viking cruisers were predominantly from the USA whereas this cruise was mostly from Australia and to a lesser degree the UK. The Scandinavian design of Vikings ship was much preferred to that of both ...read more of the APT ships. This cruise was impacted by low water which we were aware could be a problem. As a result we were placed on a Travelmarvel ship after a two hour bus ride from our starting port of Budapest.
Unfortunately for many guests the planned activities for Budapest did not happen. APT did arrange for guests to travel by coach to have a lunch cruise the next day (6 hours of road travel) The staff on Travelmarvel tried very hard but it was obvious more training is needed. The food and wine advertised in APT’s brochures emphasises fine wine and food. The wine was far from fine and food was bland. Viking also excelled in this area. Passengers had no other wine option made available to guests. One house white and one house red and a sparkling. When off ship we purchased wine. APT’s advertising promotes that passengers will not need to spend any more dollars once you are aboard. Viking’s offering in this area was far superior!
We did approach a senior staff member about these issues and were told we should expect better when we changed ships. APT had ample time to upgrade wine and food menus prior to commencing the cruise .
The wine offerings continued to fall short on quality though you could purchase from a short list of wine around the 30euro mark.
Staff on the Amastella were more proficient and the cabin were meticulously cleaned. Viking was also rated highly in this aspect.
The off ship excursions were very good on both cruises. We have traveled on 3 Viking river cruises and have experienced high quality cruises. We cannot say this about our most recent APT experience.
Unfortunately for many guests the planned activities for Budapest did not happen. APT did arrange for guests to travel by coach to have a lunch cruise the next day (6 hours of road travel) The staff on Travelmarvel tried very hard but it was obvious more training is needed. The food and wine advertised in APT’s brochures emphasises fine wine and food. The wine was far from fine and food was bland. Viking also excelled in this area. Passengers had no other wine option made available to guests. One house white and one house red and a sparkling. When off ship we purchased wine. APT’s advertising promotes that passengers will not need to spend any more dollars once you are aboard. Viking’s offering in this area was far superior!
We did approach a senior staff member about these issues and were told we should expect better when we changed ships. APT had ample time to upgrade wine and food menus prior to commencing the cruise .
The wine offerings continued to fall short on quality though you could purchase from a short list of wine around the 30euro mark.
Staff on the Amastella were more proficient and the cabin were meticulously cleaned. Viking was also rated highly in this aspect.
The off ship excursions were very good on both cruises. We have traveled on 3 Viking river cruises and have experienced high quality cruises. We cannot say this about our most recent APT experience.
Thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone. APT provided excellent service, meals were great, daily excursions interesting. Good mix of people on board (though mostly Australian). Was a bit apprehensive at first as I was a solo traveller but felt welcomed by all. Toni did an excellent job with our cruise booking , airline booking and great accommodation ...read more in Prague. Looking forward to another trip in the future.
We highly recommend this trip. This was our first river cruise and APT did not disappoint, exceeding our expectations. The ship, The AmaVenita was like a 5 star hotel and nothing was a problem for the crew. Shore excursions and special events were excellent and run smoothly. All the tour guides were friendly and very professional. We really enjoyed ...read more Prague and the accommodation was excellent. As always Georgie did a wonderful job organising our holiday and look forward to our next adventure with her.
4.6
We didn't get off to a good start as the included transfer to the ship was 40 minutes late to meet us at Bordeaux airport but things improved from there. Overall the cruise was very good and well organized. The ship is in good condition and the cabin was well appointed, comfortable and very well serviced. The cabin size however is on the small side ...read more compared to other river cruise companies we have cruised with but we knew that when we booked and we know that you don't spend a lot of time in the cabin other than sleeping. The bathroom however was tight.
The food and service was very good and drinks were free flowing. The included excursions were all very good and the guides for the excursions were excellent. The passenger mix was about 50% Americans with the balance comprising Australians, British and Malaysians. We did enjoy the cruise but for a cruise longer than 8 days we would choose a river cruise company with larger cabins.
The food and service was very good and drinks were free flowing. The included excursions were all very good and the guides for the excursions were excellent. The passenger mix was about 50% Americans with the balance comprising Australians, British and Malaysians. We did enjoy the cruise but for a cruise longer than 8 days we would choose a river cruise company with larger cabins.
Check-in was quick and efficient. Cabin and crew were great. Crew knew our names very quickly and you feel like one of the family. Fellow passengers were easy to get along with and you could choose to dine and/or chat with new people or have a quiet dinner. Included excursions were well chosen and organised. One can do as little or as much as desired ...read more each day.
If you are looking for a luxury cruise then Uniworld is the one. The Bordeaux, France, cruise is excellent for first time wine buff's to this famed area. The boat has had a very nice fit out and the lounge, dining room, top deck and cabins are a delight to be in. The food matched with Bordeaux wines was excellent, and there is always a number of choices ...read more for all palates. The cabins are fitted out with luxurious bedding and linens to ensure the best nights sleep. We thoroughly recommend this cruise and Uniworld.
It was our first time travelling with Uniworld and I would have to say it felt like you were in a floating luxury five star hotel and we were made to feel very comfortable, special and important. Would not hesitate to travel with them again. Just ready now to book our next global river cruise thanks to the wonderful service that we got with Jemma.
Grand France , indeed, back to back wonderful river cruising. 1 Eileen & David, WA, Australia, Jul 2022
July 2022 we left Australia to join Uniworld's Grand France on S.S Catherine and S.S Joie de Vivre. Luxury boats with all amenities. Beautiful boats, excellent staff, lovely sites and food, all along the way. All transfers on arrival and departure days were spot on and even an escort came with 7 of us on the TGV train from Lyon to Paris and our luggage ...read more was already in our cabin when we got there.
I probably shouldn't comment on other passengers but on the first leg there was a large group of Americans 60-70 guests, belonging to "The Presidents Club". They do" good work " and travel around the world on holidays together at least once a year, very jolly etc. Next time I think I would be inclined to enquire if there was such a big group booked in and might choose a different date!
Enough said , it really is a marvelous way to see France from South to North and the guides are excellent so knowledgeable and fun too. And still at the helm of Global Journeys, Georgie was there to guide us with all her expertise and knowledge, Thanks again, Georgie.
I probably shouldn't comment on other passengers but on the first leg there was a large group of Americans 60-70 guests, belonging to "The Presidents Club". They do" good work " and travel around the world on holidays together at least once a year, very jolly etc. Next time I think I would be inclined to enquire if there was such a big group booked in and might choose a different date!
Enough said , it really is a marvelous way to see France from South to North and the guides are excellent so knowledgeable and fun too. And still at the helm of Global Journeys, Georgie was there to guide us with all her expertise and knowledge, Thanks again, Georgie.
What an amazing country Egypt is! We travelled in November, temperature averaged around 25C and no humidity, perfect for touring the temples, low crowds. The River Tosca is a beautiful older ship with lots of timber and a relaxed atmosphere. Staff were absolutely amazing, as with all Uniworld cruise staff, remembering drink preferences and names after ...read more the first day. The food fresh and lots of choice, including local flavours. Plenty of fresh bottled water each day.
With only 60 guests on board (mainly American, 2 Brits and 4 Aussies; ages 17-70s) we were split into groups of 20 each with our own Egyptologist, Sabaa, and own full sized coach. Wonderful stories and explanation of everything we visited was given, we never felt rushed. Luxor and Aswan were beautiful and clean after crazy polluted Cairo. Hotel in Cairo was excellent. Very busy tour schedule with some early starts and long days. Highlights were balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings/Queens at sunrise, high tea at sunset at Old Cataract Hotel, bird watching on the Nile in a small boat, flying to Abu Simbel temples and of course the Pyramids. The locals were very friendly and welcoming, we didn’t feel uncomfortable in any situation, except for very zealous stall holders in the markets! Excellent security on board and everywhere we visited. If Egypt is on your bucket list, don’t hesitate! Amazing to be able to touch history thousands of years old.
With only 60 guests on board (mainly American, 2 Brits and 4 Aussies; ages 17-70s) we were split into groups of 20 each with our own Egyptologist, Sabaa, and own full sized coach. Wonderful stories and explanation of everything we visited was given, we never felt rushed. Luxor and Aswan were beautiful and clean after crazy polluted Cairo. Hotel in Cairo was excellent. Very busy tour schedule with some early starts and long days. Highlights were balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings/Queens at sunrise, high tea at sunset at Old Cataract Hotel, bird watching on the Nile in a small boat, flying to Abu Simbel temples and of course the Pyramids. The locals were very friendly and welcoming, we didn’t feel uncomfortable in any situation, except for very zealous stall holders in the markets! Excellent security on board and everywhere we visited. If Egypt is on your bucket list, don’t hesitate! Amazing to be able to touch history thousands of years old.
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