Due to high water levels, passengers were loaded in Speyer, 3.5 hours down the Rhine. No advance notification even though they knew at least 3 days ahead that the situation was not going to improve. Pax were met by 2 persons who said they worked for UniWorld, told to leave the luggage riverside, told to get into a van, taken to a skanky restaurant down the road, told that there was no time to order a meal, waited on the pavement for a big bus, waited for more pax, then driven to the ship. Told on the ship by the Cruise Manager that this happens all the time on river cruises and it is an "act of God" shrug of the shoulders and dismissed. Next day, we are told to fill up our water bottles (gift of UniWorld in our rooms) given 15 euros each for lunch money and sent back on the bus for 3.5 hours bus ride to Colmar, the first town on our itinerary. Ditto for the second day, albeit a shorter 2.5 hour drive to Strasbourg. Really, is 15 euros what a lunch is worth on UniWorld? Basically it was a bus tour with sleeping on a ship. On the fourth day, the cruise director triumphantly announced that our cruise will now begin. For this, they gave $1,000.00 credit for a future cruise.

Future cruisers, please be forewarned that your river cruise on UniWorld could end up to be a bus tour for parts that God acted on. As it happens all the time, this is the arrangement you will receive.