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Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection

River Cruises

Bordeaux

Europe - All

Europe - River Cruise

Africa

France

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Excellent

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Average

S.S. Antoinette

S.S. Maria Theresa

River Empress

S.S. Catherine

River Countess

River Duchess

Queen Isabel

River Princess

River Queen

River Tosca

S.S. Sphinx

Joie de Vivre

S.S. Beatrice

River Victoria

S.S. Bon Voyage

S.S. Sao Gabriel

Ganges Voyager II

S.S. La Venezia

Mekong Jewel

Bora Bora

Uniworld packages 3 voyages together as "Ultimate France", this covers week 1.

Bon Voyage has a bistro that you could book for dinner instead of eating in the main dining room.

Housekeeping:- cabin was clean and well maintained.

There were 97 passengers aboard the ship and even though BV was a small ship, it never felt over crowded.  About 30 passengers continued onto the next ship.

Food:-

As a whole, the buffet spread at breakfast and lunch were pretty decent (about what I would expect for buffet breakfast & lunch) but the sit-down dinners were a let down.  The dinners were more like comfort food instead of exquisite fine dining. For this first week, I thought that the dinner food was not memorable but ok and hoped the food would improve on the next 2 ships. Dining hall service was decent and the Maître d' took care to explain the gluten free choices to my friend every night.

The room service menu was very limited (turned out to be standard across all 3 ships) - no breakfast items, no hot food.  Only salad, cheese, charcuterie, baguette sandwich, dessert and popcorn/pretzels/cookies.   In the lounge, there was candy/cookies/pastries available for breakfast & the afternoon.  Pretty much, there was no way to have hot food outside of meal hours and no real options if you did not want to eat the food in the dining room.  This definitely surprised me for a luxury river cruise.


Excursions

The weather was very foggy in the mornings so we actually saw very few chateaus or countryside as we sat on the bus while going on excursions.  The Medoc oysters tasting was so so (the oysters were very salty and the oyster supplier seemed to be in a big rush to leave instead of continuing to shuck oysters for the group). The masterpiece collection cooking class was excellent although I had to chase to get the recipes (I got them after a week, not sure if people who did not continue onto the next cruise got the recipes).   The best excursion was visiting the flour mill in Libourne.

The excursion buses all had wifi onboard so that you could sync your photos to icloud since the ship's wifi blocked access to many sites including icloud and the apple app store.

Transfer to Paris by Train

Well executed - you left your suitcase outside your cabin and you were escorted onto the TGV train to Paris.  You were assigned by name to a seat on the train.  Everything went smoothly except that the Paris bus got trapped in a traffic jam because of a marathon.

Week 1 of Ultimate France Oct 2023 (please read all 3 parts!)

This is my 3rd Uniworld Cruise. I wanted to experience the wine region in a small interment way with like-minded people. 

It was a fabulous experience. And the scenery was amazing.

The wine tours were fun and relaxed and informative.

The tour guides also knew their stuff. 

Staff were helpful and waiters always interacted.

Bar staff were great and remembered your order (even down to the fact they knew your 2nd drink and you did not have to ask for anything twice.

You could be as active or lazy or as active as you liked. It was up to you and no pressure to do anything.

The 70's party was amazing as well as the visit to the Submarine Bunker from the second world war which doubled as a Gaudi exhibition.

If you are looking for a fabulous relaxing, all expenses paid holiday where you don’t have to keep packing and unpacking each day then Uniworld is the one for you.

The Food and Wine were amazing

We had previously traveled with Uniworld from Budapest to Amsterdam and loved the service.  We booked this years ago, but wound up like so many others delayed to 2022.  The voyage met or exceeded all of our expectations.  The service and warmth of the crew were evident from the moment we boarded.  The food as always was excellent, and the level of service and responsiveness from the dining and bar crews was exceptional.  The port stops were in interesting cities with excellent tours offered, and we found the standard (included) tours to be well run and enjoyable.  We loved every aspect of the trip.  This was a first leg of three trips on French rivers, and the Uniworld process of handling the transfers made the process simple.  Those of us transferring were accompanied to the train station, on the train, and to the bus to reach the next ship.  The only negative we might cite was occasionally spotty internet service, but that was hardly a hindrance to enjoying the voyage.  Thanks to Uniworld for another great experience.

Another excellent Uniworld cruise

We wanted a special trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  My husband and I both love wine so decided upon the Brilliant Bordeaux cruise with Uniworld.  This was our first river cruise and we did a lot of research before deciding on a cruise line.   Ultimately we decided on Uniworld for two reasons 1) they had good reviews for dietary restrictions as I need to eat gluten free and 2) they were described as luxurious, and we wanted to treat ourselves for our anniversary.  Although our trip was delayed 2 years due to Covid, it was well worth the wait.  We are experienced cruises - traveling on almost every major cruise line out there, and we have never been spoiled as we were on the SS Bon Voyage.  The staff were outstanding, someone was always asking if we needed anything.  Sabrina the cruise manager was outstanding.  I don’t think she ever sat down!   She truly went above and beyond and made the trip so memorable.  Our waiter Patryk was also exceptional, remembering our preferences and assisting me so much with my gluten free requirements.   The servers in the lounge and sun deck also went above and beyond daily.  The staff made this cruise so special.  

The food was exceptional- regional specialties from Bordeaux along with local wines (thanks to a great sommelier).    

We liked the excursions- some were better than others.  Our favourite was Saint Emilion, and the bike tour in Libourne.    The art/wine tour in Blaye was really memorable, and my husband really enjoyed the Remy Martin tour.  

The sun deck was great - very nice to have a lounge area outside, so we could relax and enjoy some wine as we sailed by the incredible château’s.  Would have been nice if the restaurant/bar on the sun deck was open more - it was only available once during our week long cruise.  

Embarkation and disembarkation was a breeze - so easy.    Took the train from Paris to Bordeaux (and return) and it was very easy to do.  

The biggest surprise to us was how much we got to know our fellow cruisers.  With only 91 passengers on board, we had some lovely conversations with other passengers from the UK, Texas, California.  Dinner conversations were great!  

We loved our Uniworld vacation and are already planning our next trip with them!

Fantastic trip through wine country!

We like the top notch cruise experience that Uniworld provides. Embarkation was easy & quick. It is a beautiful ship & we were upgraded from a regular suite to a grand suite. I booked a suite as I wanted that large fabulous double sink bathroom; the grand suite has a tub in addition to a fabulous shower. Uniworld is very accommodating to any reasonable request. We had the best butler that brought a breakfast of our choice to our room every morning which was a real time saver since the excursions all start at 9:00 which is early on a vacation. The cabin was beautiful with 3 TVs, one in the bathroom mirror, another that came down from the ceiling by a push of a button & a large screen one in the living room. Window curtain were closed & opened electrically also. There was a fully stocked minibar with all in it included along with liquor & wine. A cookie jar was kept filled with different flavors each day along with an overflowing fruit plate. The balconies on this ship are very small one person wide, but the sliding doors opened wide to our living room so that was nice.  There was plenty of closet space  & drawers & USB ports. The laundry service was excellent. 

They are very Covid careful. Our cruise only had about 58 people, we wore masks except when eating or drinking, & servers gave you the food from the buffet & you had to have a mask on if you left your table. No one on the cruise came down with Covid. 

The bar did a wonderful job of making any cocktail we desired. I think the food could have been better, nothing stood out except the ice cream; it was good food but not great. 

The cruising on the rivers was a repetitive as we sailed the same sections several times, but at different times of day; at night the lighted bridges in Bordeaux were beautiful. There is not a lot of scenery except for fishing huts but it is relaxing. 

There were many excursions to choose from, most with wine tastings; we choose some that charged a fee such as the one to Rémy Martin. My husband enjoyed the bike tours. All excursions were well done. This cruise gives you 2 days in Bordeaux, on the first & last day of the cruise, & another evening on the third day. We spent two nights pre-cruise in Bordeaux & loved Bordeaux as it reminds us of a small Paris  

We enjoyed our time on the top outside deck. There is very small pool. 

The ship has an astounding massage therapist, Lakry who also led the daily exercise sessions. 

We had entertainment 3 evenings with the can can dancers & French vocalist the best. 

The crew was wonderful & took exceptional care to insure a great cruise.

Great service, crew, excursions, & ship


Dining 

The service was generally very good – not perfect, but quite good. Note – given only 46 passengers it should have been good.  Food was of a good quality and usually well prepared with good taste. A few items were overcooked and a bit tough, but most pretty good.  It is not gourmet and doesn’t feature the best ingredients.  Do not expect lobster, sole, turbot, caviar, or truffles.  A pate, oysters and beef tenderloin were each available once.  The beef tenderloin was good, but the sirloin steak was not a very good cut of meat – inferior to any decent steak house. There will always be a meat, fish, and vegetable option but nothing high end.  My point is the food is good and there is plenty of it, but it is not up to the standards of a good French Brasserie, let alone restaurant.  Personally, the reason I travel is to experience all a country/culture has to offer and the Uniworld experience comes up a bit short in dining.

Wine/Liquor 

There are a lot of included wines, but they are quite inexpensive and not well rated on an app like Vivino. I do believe I tried them all and found none to be better than OK.   Most are rated 3.5 or less, with few reviews – I agree. They were drinkable but none were great – very disappointing.  The average retail price seems to be 5-12 Euros. Which is what you might find in a low-end French grocery store. Almost all of the wines were from Bordeaux, which makes sense given cruise in Bordeaux, but very limited selection from other regions of France. Even more disappointing was the premium wine selections (which I would have gladly paid for – every night if they were good and well priced).  The only Pinot Noirs were from New Zealand or South Africa (None from Burgundy)!  I didn’t go on a French Cruise to drink mediocre South African wines that I must pay extra for. Also, I thought they were wildly overpriced based on the fact that drinkable wine was included.  The selection of liquors is better, but you do have to pay extra for a brand like Hendrix gin, when has always been included on the luxury cruise lines I have been on.  So an adequate, but not a luxury selection.  Although not on any printed list they did offer as an included wine, Jacquard Champagne which was good.  I drank it much of the time. 

Excursions 

The buses used is very nice, clean and not at all crowded. Plenty of room to spread out.  The tour guides were quite good. There are quite a few older folks in not great health so things move slowly. The trips generally ran on time. I enjoyed the bike rides, although they also moved much too slowly at least there was some ground covered. Based on my Apple Watch somewhere around 8 miles over 2+ hours…pretty slow, but generally enjoyable. 

Internet

It is great it is included and generally it is adequate but some things just don’t work as it is too slow.  For example, I was not able to respond to a Uniworld survey. When I contacted Uniworld I was told the link only works when connected to a strong signal, which is not when onboard. 

Ship

The ship was recently redone in 2019. I have been on several refurbished ships, and this is by far the best job.  I was not able to find anything that did not appear to be new.

Nice ship, good service but wine and food could be improved

The Outstanding:  This was a themed cruise and our hosts and fellow passengers were interesting, conversational and knew how to have a good time in spite of the vessel.

The Good:  Hotel Director Ivana was outstanding in resolving any issues and providing assistance.  Servers all worked very hard and remained pleasant even though they were overwhelmed.  The Captain was very personable and happily provided a tour of the bridge/wheelhouse.

The Bad:  Public areas including the dining room were understaffed to provide the promised 5-star service and always hot because of inadequate HVAC (the staff admitted this was a problem).  Buffet area woefully small, resembled an anthill and difficult to maneuver.  Food quality in general was marginal at best.  It seemed the Executive Chef was scrimping on product or his budget was inadequate.  I am assuming he is purchasing food locally. 

The Ugly:  The very expensive food and wine pairing dinner was a disaster.  Private room was extremely hot.  Lobster tail was a fragment of a lobster tail, tough maybe 1 once (this is no exaggeration) and appeared to be a leftover from a previous evening's main dining room meal.  Lamb was not lamb but rather pork.

Conclusion:  Never again.

The Good - The Bad - The Ugly

Good points - Savoir Bed great, cabin small but good standard overall, boat clean and outside areas very comfortable and plenty of shade, small hot top, trips ok, guides very good, drinks included, extra trips were the best ones - trip to Remy Martin really good. 

included trip to St Emillion not to be missed.

Bad points - at airport we had to wait an hour for another couple who never arrived - we were the last couple to arrive on the ship just in time for the safety drill - could hardly get unpacked - could not get a seat in the lounge and generally could not hear the drill or speech by the Captain - felt very rushed.

breakfast - described as sumptuous by Uniworld - think this is a misnomer - just a buffet and no chance of fresh cooked eggs - one chef with two electric rings to cook for over one hundred guests - think this is really poor as this is an expensive cruise and the egg station situation in my view was pathetic.  Breakfast ended every day at 9am in the main dining room and on day at 8.30am with no explanation as to why early.

Time of daily trips - all started at 9am - too early - even 9.30am would have given you the feel of being on holiday -most trips were only for a couple of hours and not that far away. this made breakfast rushed and not enjoyable start to the day - this is a holiday after all!!

Daily updates - there was a talk by the excursion manager at about 6pm every night.  If you did not attend you did not know what was going on.  We did not attend as couldn't get a seat and couldn't hear on our first night - thought it would all be repeated in a daily newsletter or on the tv - no mistaken - so we missed out on a trip to a wine tasting which happened after a walking tour to a mediocre local market -no idea it was on!!!  Again we are on holiday - who wants to be dressed for dinner by 6pm and listen to a talk for an hour and then go straight down to dinner at 7pm?   All a bit regimented for us and a bit early.

Food/drink/ service  The food in my view is just ok - had far better on Cunard. The wine served was mediocre. The waiting staff were ok - one overstepped the mark with us at breakfast by making quite a political comment about our home town - I was shocked - never have had this on a cruise - quite upset - didn't want to cause issues on the cruise - but still really annoyed. Not good to be insulted first thing in the morning on a cruise! We stayed on the ship one day instead of the daily excursion - the food/drink service then is very patchy - they really want you all to get off.

Port visits - Just ok - apart from Bordeaux and Libourne there is literally nothing there to get off and look at unless you go on the organised excursions.

Needs attention to detail - not quite there

We have been on multiple ocean cruises and wanted try to a river cruise. I have to say this was the best in terms of total relaxation. To glide along the river on the amply seated top deck with you beverage of choice is an immediate stress reliever. The ship is beautifully decorated in shades of blue and green.  Staff is attentive. Dining is buffet style for breakfast and lunch. Sit down meal at dinner. The relaxed vibe continues at dinner with no formal dress up required. Resort casual for men and women with men occasionally in a suit jacket at dinner.  The pre-dinner talk by the cruise director regarding the next days excursions and the sommeliers description of the wines to be served at dinner was very informative and entertaining.

Food was good, wonderfully prepared and presented. Big eaters beware portions are small at dinner. I felt the excursions had enough variety. Wine tastings were plentiful as were other other alternatives such as an excursion to learn about barrel making. Being able to dock close to town and the extended length of time spent in ports allow for easy on and off to explore the towns on your own. Many of the people we met were 3+ travelers on Uniworld which speaks volumes about the cruise lines commitment to the quality of service that brings people back again and again. Overall this was a great experience with the following exceptions. The French Balcony cabin is extremely small. One needs to develop a system for two people to navigate around the room without one having to crawl  over the bed. I would not book this cabin again on this ship. Beautifully appointed bathroom but again small. I would not recommend the chefs specialty dinner with wine paring. The experience did not support the additional charge compared to others we have been to. While this is the most all inclusive of all the river cruises there are still some charges for premium liquors. Ask before you order. I highly recommend cruising on a river and would certainly highly endorse Uniworld as a first choice

First Time River Cruise

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