My husband and I just returned from our very first river cruise. We are fortunate in that we have been able to enjoy 15+ ocean cruises and have visited 67 countries. We were a bit skeptical about river cruising, but Uniworld's Eastern European Highlights itinerary look interesting & different, so we decided to book it.
We returned last week from our 8-day trip from Belgrade to Vienna. We absolutely loved river cruising and especially the outstanding service of Uniworld. From the minute we got close to the ship to embark, we realized the service was going to be special. We hadn't even gotten on the boat yet when the staff saw us walking toward the boat and came up to take our bags on and right to our cabin. (We had gotten to Belgrade a couple of days ahead of time and made our own arrangements to get to the boat.)
The service level was truly one of the best if not the best we have experienced on a cruise. (We have sailed on 9 other cruise lines. ) Uniworld personnel bent over backwards to make sure we were happy. Constantly. And we had the lowest cost cabin on board, so it wasn't just because we were in the Owner's Suite! Our cabin, though a bit small (I think they are all pretty much the same size unless you get a suite on this boat) , was tastefully decorated and had plenty of storage space for our 8 day cruise. Our first night on board, we were overnighting in Belgrade so our boat was docked, my husband and I were sitting on the deck by ourselves. Our captain appeared and came over to introduce himself. Instead of making a quick introduction and moving on, he actually sat down with us for about 15-20 minutes to chat. He was very personable and we appreciated the gesture. (I realize the captains of large ocean-going vessels can't do this sort of thing, but here is another example of the "personal touch" service we experienced the entire time.)
We had the lowest cabin on the boat. It was a bit small, but tastefully decorated, comfortable with adequate storage. We had a large window (not a porthole). Shower was good, plenty of hot water and pressure the entire time. It was quiet, could not hear neighbors or engine.