Uniworld River Cruise Reviews

Very enjoyable cruise - well organised and competent. We have done river cruises with other companies and enjoyed them more.

We were pampered from the moment we boarded. Global journeys and Uniworld were so easy to deal with, couldn't ask for any thing more from either.

We had a wonderful time on our river cruise and would like to do another tour in 2019 . This river cruise was of high standard and a quality service . We would recommend Uniworld tours to friends and family as it provided for all our needs and much more. We met wonderful people of same interests from around the world and have exchanged details with ...read more an opportunity to visit their countries . This would not have been possible if we had not done the tour. We would like to take our families next time but unsure if there would be something similar available in 2 years . Thank you very much for the great service .

We have had the most delightful holiday ever! Fantastic service, quality inclusions, fabulous food, wine, tours, room service. The whole trip beginning with the organisation with Global Journeys to our disembarkation went extremely well. Not one problem . Loved Uniworld and would recommend to anyone.

Uniworld provided a worry free holiday that you can only imagine in your dreams. From the moment we boarded River Empress we were treated like knigs and queens. We arrived at the dock in Amsterdam dragging our luggage and a staff member walked towards us and took our bags and introduced us to the front office staff. We were then shown to our room ...read more and given the run down on how things worked in our room and told lunch was available in the dining room. We unpacked and went to the dining room for lunch and we knew immediately by the attention of the dining room staff we were in for an amazing trip. The personal attention never faltered and we were made feel as if we were the most important people in the world for the next 15 days. They said "if you are happy, we are happy".

We enjoyed every aspect of our cruise, all the ports and excursions. There were excursions and activities to suit all activity levels and interests. We wish we could have sailed forever, although our clothes would not have fitted for much longer as the food was such high quality and there was so much on offer. Breakfast and lunch was buffet style and dinner was sit down. Uniworld definitely exceeded all our expectations, don't hesitate, just book. Thank you to Georgie for organising this trip for us, I have never spoken to her but she has provided a wonderful service.

We only had 76 on our cruise, very comfortable and gave us a chance to chat with almost everyone. Rooms are not big but comfortable. Very clean. Captain and all the crew were very friendly. Cruise director excellent. Each evening you were briefed on the following days activities. Bar stay friendly and generous. Washers and dryers on board excellent. ...read more There was no need to put your hand in your pocket for any other expenses. Excursions well run. Food excellent.

Ports of call were all good and lively. Opportunity to go on organised bike tours and pick up the boat further up the river or short hikes and a bus would drive you to the boat. Hard pressed to find fault with itinerary. Marvellous cruise. Uniworld are an excellent river cruise line.

Uniworld has done it again with their quality ship, service, food and on shore excursions. This was our second river cruise with Uniworld and again it was outstanding. Global Journeys again provided excellent handling of our bookings. Everything went as anticipated adding to an overall fantastic experience. Thanks to all.

This was our second cruise with Uniworld. Like the first, on this cruise we felt like royalty - the staff were attentive and caring, the food was excellent and the organisation of the shore excursions was very good. As there were only 60 passengers on this cruise it felt very personal.

This is a cruise along several rivers system that have been united through flooding of vast areas of land to make it possible. It covers some sections where you could easily swim from bank to bank through to others, that for all intents and purposes, you are in vast lakes that the shores are not visible.As a means of exploring the two principle cities ...read more of Moscow and St Petersburg and the huge land mass and towns in between this trip is ideal. Certainly St Petesburg with its Hermitage museum and the various ornate churches and palaces is a highlight but to stand in Red Square and visit the Kremlin in Moscow with all its history and current political situation is something well worth experiencing.

The cruise itself was well organised with a very attentive and caring crew. The ship is Russian owned and managed, as are the ships run by other river cruise companies (e.g. Scenic, Viking) and all appear to be of similar design and follow each other on roughly the same itinerary. The stair ways on the ship were very steep and, in my view, pretty risky given the age profile of most Uniworld travelers. There was a lift available for those that did not want to navigate the stairs.

The food on board was pretty good but not at the standard that you would get on a Uniworld European cruise. The only included beer/wine drinks were with dinner, which was a bit of a surprise when we had to sign for a coffee we asked for on our arrival. Again this is a different from every other Uniworld trip we have been on. Also there was a lot of non included side trips which were not cheap.

One of the bigger issues was that the ship was moored well outside central Moscow and St Petersburg. The traffic conditions into both cities was very heavy with Moscow's being horrific. The bus rides into town was easily over an hour each way which made it very inconvenient and encouraged staying in the centre rather than returning to the ship for lunch. However due to the very wet and cold weather conditions this was not a very comfortable option. The metro was located close to the ship mooring and presented a better option to getting around for those that felt confident using it. However despite the slight negatives, this is a trip well worth undertaking. I am not too sure how you could experience a country like Russia without the comfort and guidance given by the cruise managers. However be wary of the weather, mid summer was freezing. Everyone said this was unusual but be prepared for the worst.

3rd cruise with Uniworld, and are planning our next.......says it all! Yvonne at Global Journeys is always friendly and helpful.

We had a trip of a lifetime on this river cruise from Amsterdam to Bucharest over 24 days. Everything from the ship, food, drinks, staff, free shore excursions were excellent. The staff even remembered your name and bought you what you liked to drink! The Captain was also there each morning and afternoon to welcome you off and back on the ship, with ...read more Natalia playing music in the lounge on a grand piano. We would highly recommend this cruise or any other with Uniworld.

River cruise with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises through two different areas of France. The first cruise on River Royale through the Bordeaux wine region was beautiful. Our favourite part was a 'Go Active' locally guided bicycle ride to a vineyard, stopping on the way to learn more about the area and growing of grapes, tour of the wine production ...read more and wine tasting...then cycle back to the ship...lots of laughs. Also lunch at a beautiful Chateau and exploring the town of St Emilion. All great local guides.

The second cruise was on the SS Joie de Vivre. The newest ship in the Uniworld fleet. She is absolutely exquisite! Luxury cruising at its finest from the staterooms, beds, facilities and food but it's the staff that make it amazing, as on all Uniworld Cruises. The perfect balance of 5 star service with a smile, a laugh & genuine friendliness. Guest Ages ranged from 30 to 80, most being 50-60yrs. Lots of different nationalities made interesting conversation at each meal, as we sat with different guests each time. Our favourite part of this Paris to Normandy cruise was for me the visit to Monets Garden at Giverny. The Spring flowers were in full bloom mid-April and my husband played golf at Etretat. The most spectacular & challenging course he has ever played. On board our favourite was dinner at 'Cave du Vins' Cave of Wines where we donned chefs apron and hat and helped one of the ship's Chef prepare our 5 course dinner with paired wines. Only 10 guests, great fun and lots of laughs, delicious food! This was our 4th cruise with Uniworld and each one has been very different but exceptional.

Our booking with Global Journey's Hannah was fantastic. Very easy with all the information provided online and fast response to our emails and questions. We wouldn't hesitate in booking with them again. Thank you Hannah.

We had undertaken a very enjoyable trip down the Mekong a few years ago so when this one came up with Uniworld we thought why not go again? It did not let us down. Two days in Hanoi was the appetizer followed by a flight to Siem Reap where the wonder of Angkor Wat and several other temples was the highlight. This is one place that carries the tag of ...read more a "must see". The trip from Siem Reap to our boat by bus was a very long affair but with the provision of food boxes and a few comfort stops along the way the scenery and commentary provided by our local guide made it enjoyable.

The boat itself was from the Pandaw company on lease to Uniworld. Although this boat did not have all the up to date bits found on more modern vessels it more than made up by the attentive caring nature of the crew where nothing was too big an issue. The food on board was first rate. I understand that for future trips another more modern boat will be leased, hopefully the crew is as good as what we had. The trip down the Mekong was great with daily stops to scramble up the river bank to visit local communities, temples markets ect. The trip concluded with two days in bustling Ho Chi Minh, which is an experience in itself. This was an excellent trip. The only down side was the very high temperatures and humidity which made getting around uncomfortable. It was just after the wet season so it was normal for the locals (good they said!). The upside was that mosquitoes were still a few weeks away. Overall a great trip well worth doing.

It was a very nice cruise & you could be as busy or sedate as you wish. There were plenty of options and the guides were excellent. There was a good mix of people & everyone was there for the same reason - having a nice leisurely holiday and visiting interesting places. We were fortunate enough to have good weather for the bulk of the trip. Uniworld ...read more could improve their visiting on board entertainment - one was pathetically bad, the rest very good. They could also improve their internet service! On board wifi was ok but the internet cafe computers were useless. The meals were very nice & the staff very accommodating. I've now traveled with both Avalon & Uniworld, and for value for money I would pick Avalon, but both were memorable, comfortable, & interesting. I'll river cruise again!

I was a little worried about embarking on this trip gathered several negative reviews written about it. All I can say about those, is that some people need to get a life. Yes it was not a Uniworld boat, it was leased from a Portuguese company, but so what? The service was first rate, the included tours were all excellent, the food was excellent and ...read more even the wi-fi worked which is more than can be said for some of the other European river cruises. The Douro river and its valley are truly magnificent. The scenery far exceeds what you experience on the Rhine and the beauty is that the boat only sails during the day and stops at night meaning you can actually see it all. It is truly a world heritage area that should be visited. The Queen Isabella is a great way to go. The only slight negative is that the QI is a little smaller than the other European boats and thereby cabins are also smaller but they are adequate. The dining room, particularly at dinner, needs some sort of acoustic dampening as it was difficult to have conversations due to the noise from the many discussions being had. Overall an excellent trip. Thanks to Hannah for pulling it all together, it all went very smoothly.

Had a wonderful holiday with Uniworld. Was so glad we didn't bypass Istanbul. It was a highlight and due to the recent bombings and troubles, tourism was down 80% and there were no queues anywhere and very few tourists. We were looked after so well and never for a moment felt threatened. The cruise manager (Daniel) and local guide ("Doc") were fantastic ...read more hosts and even did a special free Istanbul by night with guests who wanted to see a bit of night life which was great fun. Still a very vibrant city actually with magnificent sightseeing and history. We joined the ship at Bucharest and found all the varied sightseeing choices on a daily basis were excellent and hard to choose sometimes as so many interesting options were included. Eastern Europe was quite an eye opener with horror tales of past history and violent rulers and more recently recovering from communist suppression.

Then of course the legendry sail from Budapest to Amsterdam, beautiful scenery, great weather , fascinating medieval towns and always with interesting local guides along the way to keep us informed and usually with a good sense of humour too. First class ship, though cabins slightly cramped but still plenty of storage and comfort. Dining was amazing, gourmet food almost 24 hours a day and most professional and efficient service throughout.Travelling companions were a happy crowd and most mixed well on outings and enjoyed various evenings entertainment. Our Cruise Director, Daniel, was also the best looking after everyone, guiding and keeping us well informed ( and a good dancer too !!! ) A truly wonderful holiday. Thank you Uniworld, and not forgetting Georgie at Global Journeys who never lets us down with her first class service, knowledge and advice and look forward to next time.

Uniworld left no stone unturned in making our journey one we will remember forever. We were treated like part of the Uniworld family from the time we boarded the boat until the end. Daniel Tarr our cruise director was nothing short of fabulous. Supremely efficient and willing to go the extra mile to assist us whenever needed. He interacted with everyone ...read more in the lounge each evening and being a wonderful dancer he managed to make us all feel like dancing queens once the music started. We thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary our only regret being that we opted out of the Istanbul section which according to all who travelled there was magnificent. Excursions offered were varied and enjoyable. We did not have to put our hands in our pockets at all. When they state that everything is included in the initial price they truly mean it. The quality and variety of food was delicious.

Drinks flowed freely ... Anything your heart desired at anytime. The crew were marvellous and such a cohesive unit .... They too worked together as one happy family. Various singing and dancing groups came on board and entertained us in many of the places we visited. When a lock broke down and we had to spend extra time in town due to the boat having to queue on the river we were given 40 euros per couple to buy lunch. Extremely generous. No receipts required. Gifts were left on our beds each evening and being previous travellers with Insight, a sister company, we were not only given a beautiful throw as a thank you gift when we boarded the River Duchess but were also entitled to one bag of laundry each and every week ... Washed and ironed and returned to our cabin within a few hours. I cannot recommend them highly enough and look forward to travelling with them in the near future.

We travelled with Uniworld on the River Duchess on the tour titled North Sea to Black Sea during August. On ship for approx 3 weeks and had a great time. Our cruise was mainly Austns with Kiwis, Canadians and travellers from the US as well. People mixed and got along really well. Crew members were fantastic and really looked after guests. Our cabin ...read more was spacious with a good view. Daily excursions were well organised with excellent guides. Meals on the cruise were amazing and drinks aplenty. A good time was had by all. Only caution is to make sure you exercise to avoid adding too many extra kg's. No hesitation in thoroughly recommending this cruise provided you can cope with 22 back to back Christmas Days.

From the moment we were met at Istanbul Airport to our departure from Amsterdam, Uniworld representatives were excellent. The ship's staff were very polite and couldn't have been more helpful. The Cruise Director (Gabriel) was excellent and nothing was too much trouble. The individual tour guides for the included tours were also very good. I have ...read more no hesitation in recommending this trip!

Our Uniworld cruise was the highlight of our five week holiday. Beautiful ship and our stateroom was excellent, as were the lounges and dining room. The food was fantastic. The staff, including the tour guides, were lovely, friendly and accommodating. We met some really nice people amongst the other passengers and there was a range of age-grou ...read moreps.