I'm going to break my review into some basic areas that really are the things most folks look for on river cruise. The Tours, Food, Accommodations, Ambiance and staff. Let me start with the easiest first...Staff. Staff: Uniworld certainly knows what it's doing when it comes to hiring the "best of the best" as we found each and every person on board to be kind, engaging, fun, service oriented and just lovely. In particular Adrian, our Waiter, was Amazing, as was a bar waitress named Sylvia. Always a smile, they remembered the smallest details: How you like your drink, or the type of coffee you enjoyed. Our stewardess kept the cabin SPOTLESS and we were so impressed with how quickly they did their work. Can't praise them enough! Food: Meal quality was a little uneven. In particular Uniworld always has some basics on the menu in case you can't find anything you like in the daily featured dishes at dinner. The "Everyday" menu included things like Chicken and Steaks and Salmon and while prepared pretty well, the quality of the ingredients seemed to be lacking a bit. Strongly suggest they look to their purveyors to up that quality of the proteins on board. The breakfast and Lunches are all buffets and they were really excellent always plenty of choices. The dining room is a bit tight with big comfy chairs but overall a very pleasant place to spend a good portion of the evening. Again, the staff shined with complimentary wine flowing. Overall dinners were OK, just not at the level we were expecting at this price point. Tours: This is where I feel Uniworld really shines and is totally the reason to pay a little more for Uniworld. We saw other lines with huge groups of people but Uniworld had these small intimate group tours around the various cities. We couldn't have been more impressed with the guides (they get the best of the best) and loved the 'do as the locals do" visiting markets, riding public transit with our guide and learning ever so much, about the daily lives of the locals. A++++. Accommodations: So Uniworld claims to have the best beds on the rivers and indeed they do. Seriously it's no joke, these beds are off the chart. It's like sleeping in a gloved hand, resting on a cloud. I could go on and on but suffice to say, you will want to try, as we did, to figure out how to get this bed home with you! The decor is really quite something, shall I say " Over the Top". Makes you feel like you are staying in one of the palaces that you've toured each day. Initially I was a bit taken aback, but quickly realized it was replicating the experience of old Europe and very quickly I fell in love with it all the tufts and frills. while I wouldn't decorate my home this way, the style and glamour immersed you in the European style and we loved it! Ambiance: Sadly on our sailing there wasn't a piano player in the lounge and that was a miss, as a little music during cocktail hour and afterwards would have made the product come to life a little more. Uniworld does bring on entertainment in some of the ports but would have loved a little more consistency in this area. I found the other guest on board to be quite social and we met tons of new friends. Bottom Line: It's worth the extra $$. You will be wowed and super comfy! Read Less

This was our first cruise ever. Was somewhat hesitant on cruising as we thought we would not have enough to do and things would be too micro managed. This boat was wonderful. Once met at the airport, Uniworld took charge of the bags and upon boarding the boat all bags were brought to the room. Room and boat were wonderful. All our needs were met on board and tours were arranged with very knowledgeable guides of the various cities. Our tours were well set up and there were options available depending on what your interests were. Our ship had some children on it and there was enough for them to do. We traveled at times during the day to take in the beautiful scenery, although some of the travel was done in the evening. The food was delicious. There was so much variety. Breakfast was buffet, with also an special order option. Lunch buffet with every day a special chef's carving station. Wine and drinks all day. Staff was just wonderful Special bar area for relaxing between meals and after a day of touring the various cities and several evening entertainment. Sun deck had lounge and tables available with bar set up during the day. Room was beautiful and heated bathroom floors and towel rack. My husband said he had never wanted to go on any type of cruise and here he is planning the next one. We can't say enough about how great this trip was!!! Read Less

Uniworld is a top rated line. Called just two days before leaving for Budapest to check water levels and was told that all was great and we were "assured" that there would be no problem for our embarkation on 9/23. Not so! Got an email in the wee hours of the morning the day before telling us that the ship was in Vienna and we would have to stay in Budapest an extra night, because of low water levels, in another hotel. We would then be bused to Vienna. A nightmare. Got sent to a horrible hotel who had no idea of what was going on! No reservations held for us or other Uiworld passengers. We called Uniworld to no avail. Operators told us the office was closed and had no way to check on status. Our other travel friends didn't even get an email telling them of the delay or anything at all. Ended up in another hotel that was better than the wrong one originally sent to, but not great by any means. We were given 80 Euros per person for dinner and lunch the next day. Got on a bus the day after and sat for 3 1/2 hours to Vienna. Once on board, got a notice saying we would get $150 (US) each to spend on board. Of course, everything was priced in euros. This trip cost each couple $1,500 PER DAY. We virtually lost 2 days and this was the compensation. We were greeted warmly on board, and the staff was great. Food mediocre. Sailed in the evenings so saw no beautiful sites along the way. Only a short afternoon sailing in between 2 towns. The water levels cant be helped. We learned that they have been down for a very long time due to a dry warm summer. Uniworld had to have known this and handled this issue very poorly. They insulted us by offering to pay for a cab fare as we had to drag our luggage to the wrong hotel they gave us. Funny that all the 5 star hotels were available, yet they stuck us in cheaper ones. We then were offered $500 off, per person, a future cruise. Really! The better thing for them to have done was to reimburse us for THIS cruise. Do they honestly think I would pay over $12,000 to them AGAIN just to get a discount! No way! Many other lines to choose from. Very disappointed in Uniworld. Read Less

We started at Roomers hotel in Munich. We did not think much of this hotel. It is chic and stylish, but not for us. Everything was black and the room was not laid out for good use of space. We loved the SS Maria Theresa. The ship was exquisite. We were very comfortable in our room and loved the french balcony - it was the first time we had ever had a full wall window that would fully open. Service on the ship was outstanding, we can't say enough good things about all the staff. Especially the two Alex's at the bar, but also the desk, the dining room, Marko our room steward. Tours were enjoyable, we had fun on every one, and there were tours tailored to all paces - slow or fast. Food average. Corinthia hotel after disembark in Budapest was 5 star. This was our first river cruise, will sail Uniworld again. Read Less

We did a Uniworld cruise on the Douro about 5 years ago which we enjoyed. However, my husband was not anxious to do another for a variety of reasons. But I have always wanted to go to Budapest and Prague and a river cruise made the most sense. The photos of the ship on line made it seem like it was way too ornate and "frilly" so I kept my husband focused on the places and excursions. But I have to say, the ship is just gorgeous! Our cabin was luxurious feeling (although small compared to Seabourn) without feeling too over the top. The other passengers were fantastic, active and interesting and we made some friends and enjoyed meeting people. The excursions were well planned and the guides were all wonderful. I wish we had more time in certain places like Vienna and Melk, but that is the trade off of being on a cruise rather than a land vacation. We were usually the only ones in the fitness center, we took advantage of the free laundry room which allowed us to be away for 2 weeks with only carry on luggage. The crew was AMAZING! Everyone was friendly and professional. The housekeeping was immaculate. The food was really delicious...something for everyone, they made a great Manhattan, wine was flowing, etc. We never made it to the pool (why its indoors is still a mystery to me). We spent most evenings on the top deck but on the last night we went in to dance which was fun. I loved the morning hike in Passau and I hope they add more hiking options (and more active walking in general) to other cruises. I am not a bike rider, but people who did the rides loved them. I am also not a classical music or opera fan so the concert in Vienna and the organ concert in Passau were not my highlights. But I loved Budapest and cruising the Danube at night to see Parliament lit up, the cider farm in Linz, being, Bratislava was a pleasant surprise, the Jewish tour in Prague was wonderful and being able to walk off the ship at night is always a plus. We also spent 2 nights on our own precruise in Budapest and 4 nights in Prague post cruise. So this vacation was a great combination of action and relaxation We averaged about 20,000 steps a day (but this was not the norm especially in the extreme heat) I did a lot of pre-cruise research and it all paid off. And yet this still was way beyond my expectations and I woudl highly recommend Uniworld, this ship and this itinerary Read Less

We chose the Enchanting Danube cruise mainly because my husband wanted a trip for his 50th birthday which included a river cruise in Germany and the Neuschwanstein castle. Uniworld offered both, plus a Generations cruise for these areas so that our 13 year old son could have other kids on the ship to play with. We opted to arrive a day early to spend extra time in Munich. The hotel which Uniworld selected was Roomers. While the hotel was obviously fairly new, clean and had great staff, there were a lot of down sides. First, it was nowhere NEAR the center of town. That was very inconvenient unless you enjoy walking for an hour to get to the main part of the city. Second, the beds were hard and very uncomfortable. The hallways and elevators were very dark and there were a lot of mirrors. We found it a bit creepy, actually. The only restaurant at the hotel was very upscale Asian food with a strict dress code. Not the place to go after a long day seeing the sights. Now to our biggest disappointment. As I said earlier, our MAIN reason for choosing this cruise was for the castle. At the briefing the night before the trip started, we were informed of the land itinerary. And there was NO mention of the Neuschwanstein castle! When I inquired in the session about the castle option, I was told that Uniworld had decided to drop that option from the itinerary as they rarely had enough people who wished to go. There were 15 people in the room that day who had planned on going to the castle. I told her that I had inquired 4 times on the phone to Uniworld to make sure that the castle was still offered, and was told it was. The Uniworld representative was quick to point out that Uniworld has the right to drop any option and has no liability. I told her that I understood that, but with NO warning? I could have made our own arrangements if I'd had even a couple of days notice. The Uniworld rep stated that Greyline Tours offered the castle trip and the front desk of the hotel could help. So, my husband and I went immediately to the front desk. Greyline was, of course, completely booked for the next day. Our LAST day in Munich. We spent hours trying to find other options. By 10pm we had to give up. All the tickets were sold out for the castle tours. My husband had that castle on his bucket list for decades. And for him, THAT was the highlight of the trip. And now that was off the table. Next we went to Passau, a lovely city. We boarded the Maria Theresa there. We were brought right to the ship, and embarkation and settling in was easy and delightful. Lunch was being served so we could have a leisurely lunch while our luggage was brought to the room. The ship is lovely. Very ornate, gilt and mirrors, etc. The beds were outrageously comfortable. The staff, every single one of them, were helpful and cheerful. The food was a bit of a let down for us. It certainly wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as the reviews led us to believe. The desserts were ok. Not as good as some I had in local bakeries. There weren't enough German food options, which is what I was hoping for. I wanted sausages, cheeses, dumpling variations, schnitzels with various sauces, etc. And while there were a few items, not nearly what I would expect for a German cruise. We did enjoy the open air balcony in the room very much. Lovely touches included fresh chocolates in the room and 2 large glass bottles of water with the turndown service every evening. The activities ranged from amazing (a Mozart concert with opera singers in a small, intimate venue in Vienna, a city tour of Bratislava (a hidden gem!) and Budapest), to bleh (a tour of the church where Maria married Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music in the film took WAY too much time in Salzburg). This was a Generations Cruise, so they had activities for the children. There were about 30 children, I think, onboard. And the majority were between 11-15 years old. And one option was to …..draw and color in a monastery garden. Really? The activity said : Painting in the monastery garden. I thought that sounded great. My son and I could paint on a canvas in a wonderful spot, maybe learn a technique. But..no. Drawing and coloring. There were many bike riding options offered, but most of them were over 15 km. And that was a bit much for our 13 year old to do. And a parent would need to go with our son on any excursions. Adventures by Disney had many excursions for the children to do, AND had dedicated guides with them so the adults could do a different excursion. I had expected something similar, so that was disappointing. On the next to last day they finally offered some activities our son enjoyed. A mixology class onboard where the children could create their own Mocktails. And then a scavenger hunt. There was a pool onboard, but it was VERY small. You certainly couldn't actually swim in it. A cinema room was on the lower deck. A small room with seating for maybe 20, but that became the kids room during this cruise. There was a nice Viennese salon on the lower deck where a hot dog bar, television and a variety of cookies and cakes were always available. The salon also had a great self serve machine for macchiatos, espresso, coffee and hot chocolate. I really enjoyed that space. Our son, who tried the hot dog bar, said the hot dogs were good, but the buns, even when heated, were hard. There was a self serve washer and dryer as well. I didn't use it, but many of the passengers did. Summary: The hotel was not enjoyable. The ship was beautiful. The food was average. The staff was wonderful. The shore excursions were hit or miss. The room was excellent. Canceling a HIGHLIGHT of the tour with NO notice was inexcusable. We would not travel with Uniworld again. The prices were very high and if the experience matched it, my review would have been very different. Read Less

Arriving at the ship, AMG had a lovely canopy and were taking the cases of their passengers, we had no one, took our own case to a row of cases then embarked. A sad first impression for 6 star, especially when the competition is doing more for their guests. Having seen the ship featured on a TV documentary we were excited to book and try our first river cruise, as seasoned ocean liner travellers at the top end, we could see this was our standard, and the price per night was actually more expensive than 6 star cruise ships so we feel we justifiably had high expectations. The ship is beautifully finished and very impressive looking, very elegant, the cabins were fine, after all is it a river ship so smaller is reasonable, and the en suite shower room was the best I have ever seen on a ship. The beds were great and small touches like chocolates in a jar were great. I hated the non provision of fresh cold water and no fridge, for 6 star I expect a cabin fridge and I am not interested in having to refill a tiny water bottle ever time I go out, then carry it around to bring back. I understand its about saving water and plastic, but this deep love for the environment was not extended to saving forests with loads of ridiculous letters, envelopes etc... being delivered daily. I don't mind the letters, but whilst I value the planet, on my holiday I would like some cold water provided on tours. Perhaps guests should be given a choice of refilling daily a small metal canister or having chilled bottled water for a tour. On arrival there was some fruit in the room, this disappeared after 24 hours. The cruise manager Kirsten was outstanding, and actually most of the staff were impressive, the reception desk staff were second to none, and bar staff brilliant also. I thought the food was exceptionally disappointing as was the whole dinning room experience, on occasion I felt more like I was at camp than 6 star. Buffet breakfast and buffet lunch, with tepid food and moderate dishes. Shared tables and slow clearing of plates, and slow drink delivery - such that often the drink arrived at the end of the meal. The evening meal served at 7pm daily was of a very low standard, cheap ingredients, I was looking forward to Lobster, Dover Sole, Scallops etc.... think more a bit of trout, a falafel ball or a bit of salmon. Usually cold, and on occasion the wrong order. 3 desserts, usually one of which being fruit salad, one being an ice cream and the other the main item, but often a cake. Ridiculously although the menu has the 3 desserts on occasion you are given without choice a special 'treat' dessert even if you don't want it. This was the worst dining experience I have ever had on a ship and not worthy of the hefty uniworld price tag. Heaven forbid you want to eat something outside of the very limited restaurant hours, the room service menu is dreadful and after 5pm even worse as it changes. The Viennese cafe, had a exceptionally limited range of offerings, but did usually have one nice, cake, come cheese and hot dogs. The tours were excellent, and the concert evening in Vienna very special. Be warned this is an action holiday, tours leave 8-9 depending on the day and you need to be ready and fed before departure. Thats fair enough, its the river cruise formula, although on some occasions we did wonder why they started quite so early as it did not seem necessary. On balance we did have a great holiday but we felt the price and six star offering were misleading, staff other than food staff were 6 star, the food was 3 star and value for money was very low. We will probably river cruise again, and whilst I am happy to pay for luxury, I am not happy to pay for it and then not get it, so I shall look very hard at the price and offering of the competition next time round. Uniworld, You need to up your game big time on the total experience the moment a guest enters the dininig room. It transforms 4-5 star to 2/3 star. Read Less

This was our 3rd Uniworld cruise and our last. The food was passable at best, with poor meat quality, limited fruits, and the worst bakery products ever. The chef is into recycling and as an example we had duck with sweet/sour red cabbage at night; the next day the remaining red cabbage was mixed with white rice. Another example of the quality is a snack when we returned from the Strauss Concert; hotdogs. pretzel buns, and goulash soup at 10:30 pm The buffet has limited hours and about 1/2 way though the opening hours items are combined to one side, cheese board never replenished, etc. Not one dinner entrée was outstanding ; the veal and beef items were tough. Soups were either salty or watery. Cakes were dry, breads choices repetitive and wine selection adequate. Service on Uni continues to be their best product. Our waiter "Z" was superb as was the entire staff. Excursions were a mixed bag with a superb tour of Linz, a spectacular concert in Vienna, and the remaining ok. Tours tend to stop for hours at churches eliminating the time in the cities. The guides were good for the most part; I am sure it is Uniworld who plans the itinerary. By the way Brataslavia is a find, and Uni would do well to spend more time there and less in Durnstein. Uniworld has decimated their value and you might as well take a mid range line with the largest cabin . Read Less

Took this trip as a Christmas Market trip- Uniworld delivered. However, I would do the Danube River again and make sure we took in more of the historical parts of the cities - we missed out on that - to be fair we booked a Christmas Market trip - so it wasn't a Uniworld thing. Cities are amazing. Ship is spectacular. Clean, beautiful, crew was friendly and helpful. We found we had issues with one particular high profile crew member that really didn't do anything wrong so to speak- it was just a lack of what we have come to expect from that type of position.... it makes for a less than great experience overall. Cabin and steward were amazing. Pretty typical cabin size- bathroom was laid out different so felt spacious but we banged elbows in the shower trying to shampoo... storage was fine in closet and bathrooms. Room was always clean. Dining was good. Some days the food was amazing! Other days it was just fine. I don't care for buffets - and they had those more than not. The staff in dining room was terrific- we really enjoyed getting to know some of the crew. Very nice people. We found we missed the little things we found on Viking- treats when you return to the ship- more socializing with the program director and other officers - lots of little things were missing. There was a small lounge at the back of the boat if you didn't want to be in the larger lounge, there was also a pool which we didn't use, and a small workout area on board. Tours were all nice- hit or miss with a few of the guides - but we still loved the tours and cities. We did slots of exploring on our own after the ship tour. There was some confusion with a few tours being offered then not enough space for everyone- things like that were deflating to many of the passengers. Overall - the ship and most of the crew were just fine- I think for the price I paid and the overall feeling of what was delivered - I wouldn't go on Uniworld again unless their pricing was more in line with others that included airfare etc. I feel like I paid for the Ritz Carlton concierge level service and got the Ramada Inn... Read Less

My wife has always wanted to travel down the Danube so for her birthday I booked a suite on Uniworld's SS Maria Theresa departing from Passau. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and spent the first night in Munich at the airport Hilton, arranged by Uniworld. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of accommodations (for an airport hotel) and the breakfast buffet was among the best we have experienced anywhere. The SS Maria Theresa is a stunning vessel. The decor is a bit like what might happen if Laura Ashley and Liberace had a love child but having said that, the detail is high end, inviting and comfortable. Our suite had two floor-to-ceiling picture windows, one at the foot of the bed and one fronting an adjacent sitting area that could be opened to waist level. When the ship was moving it was like having your personal travel video scrolling in front of you. If you book a suite, butler service is included, which we found to be a nice touch. The Uniworld staff were clearly selected and trained to provide service excellence. They were adept at solving problems and were committed to making the trip memorable for everyone. I had heard that the food selection and quality was excellent on Uniworld but again our expectations were exceeded. Much of the food and wine were locally sourced and the attention to detail in terms of prep and presentation were what you would hope to experience in a fine dining restaurant. Wines were local and thoughtfully chosen to match the food. Liquor was top shelf. If you absolutely had to have Dom Perignon or a rare brandy not included in the main bars they had a "diamond collection" at an additional charge. Shore excursions were selected for all levels of activity from "gentle" tours that featured slow paced walks and buses to more strenuous bike tours, hikes, and "do as the locals do" walks. My favorite was a 20 mile bike ride from Melk to Durnstein. The relatively flat course wound through forests, vineyards, and small towns, and then ran along the Danube into Durnstein. It was truly magical. The guides at each destination were local, knowledgeable, their love for their respective cities was contagious. Enrichment activities made each stop even more memorable - visiting with a gentleman trying establish Saffron as a crop in Durnstein; a family who runs a cider farm outside of Linz (who also make some of the best Schnaps I have tasted); an historical scholar from Vienna who gave a mesmerizing talk on Maria Theresa. Bottom line - we are already planning our next cruise with Uniworld. Read Less