This was our first river cruise and we wanted a luxury experience while exploring the Rhine River. We have read and heard many wonderful things about the Uniworld cruise line, and the S S Antoinette specifically, and were not disappointed!
The rooms were very comfortable, beautifully furnished and the staff could not be more friendly and helpful. The Level 1 cabins allow you to have the "balcony" seating of an ocean cruise with a large power window that comes down for the outdoor feeling when the weather is nice. The robes provided are of high quality as is the bedding.
The excursions that are included with the cruise price are informative and Uniworld does it best to anticipate the needs of all the passengers from providing guides for those that want to move at a slower pace to allowing you to explore on your own. Uniworld has several optional tours you can take in addition to the ones included in the cruise price and we found them to be of good value and a great addition to the ones already offered. Our cruise had a starting point at either Basel or Amsterdam and we would definitely tell you to begin at Basel as the ports get larger, and the view better, from that direction. For the Castles of the Rhine, the 4th day into the cruise is when you will actually see all of the castles. Until then, you have several stops in ports for you to explore. Uniworld also arranged for transportation (cabs) for those of us staying in Amsterdam but not through a post cruise which is something you do not see with the ocean cruises.
Room 409....need to turn the nightstand in order to use the whole closet. Good view as near gangplank but not next to it. Your view may or may not get blocked by another ship depending on docking location at ports of call. Only happened to us once. Never heard our neighbors