Reading in Conde Naste that Uniworld was rated the number one river cruise company, we signed up for the their May 2012 Nurnberg to Paris 11-day trip. We were joined by another couple that we had sailed on Wind Star cruise ships with 3 times previously. Passengers mean age was about 68. Most passengers were well traveled, politically and historically astute.

As a couple in our mid-fifties, we found most of the piped in background music in the dining room not enjoyable (music from the 40's & 50's). Occasionally we would hear soft tunes from the last 15 years, but very rarely. In Uniworld's defense, the median age on our river cruise was close to 70. Two couples were in there 40's, we were perhaps the only couples in our 50's and the other 63 couples in were 60's & 70's. Most were quite healthy and capable of participating in walking tours without canes and walkers. Most were capable of climbing stairs and elevations readily.

Most passengers had done a lot of traveling around the world and seemed to have reasonable knowledge of world affairs, history and politics. 20 were Aussie, 6 were Canadian, 4 were South African, 4 were New Zealanders, 10 from the British Isles, 2 from China and the balance of the 132 passengers were American. Read more