We sailed the August 26, 2015 Uniworld River Empress 7 night Castles on the Rhine cruise from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Uniworld picked us up at the Basel airport. We did the two night pre-cruise stay sponsored by Uniworld in Basel at the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois which I wholeheartedly recommend, a true luxury hotel directly on the Rhine, spectacular stay. Uniworld picked us up at the hotel and transferred us to the River Empress and our luxury cruise adventure began. Full disclosure, this was our first river cruise.

The reputation of Uniworld as arguably the best river cruise line precedes itself which is why we chose it - top food, top service, top educational enrichment programs. We are passionate devotees of Celebrity Cruises when it comes to ocean cruising. From the moment we arrived at the dock, we discovered how different river and ocean cruises are - of course, we knew that, but it was very interesting to experience it. For instance, the captain of the River Empress met us at the van and took our luggage from us, yes, the captain! Every staff member on a river cruise does double and triple duty. These boats are small, the River Empress holding only 130 passengers, so the staff has the time, the inclination and yes the duty, to wear lots of hats, but it's clear they are enjoying themselves. The captain on the River Empress also is very young, coming from a long familial line of Rhine River captains, and I think he just enjoyed being front and center, playing a very active role in the guest experience at all levels, which the guests definitely appreciated!

Our cabin, 312, was small, but we knew it would be. It was gorgeously appointed, top amenities and features, beautiful marble bathroom. Very posh. We loved our very large picture window which was like a giant flat screen TV frame looking out at the passing scenery as we would cruise along. We would sit on the chairs, our small table between us, enjoying the views. Going through the many sets of locks, looking out from your cabin, was very interesting, as the walls of the locks would be only inches from your window, the room darkens as if it's night, fascinating! Of course we spent most of our time when cruising on the top deck, moving all about the boat - there are many places on board to enjoy the views. There is actually little cruising time while you are on board, though, as travel is primarily at night, and during the day, you are on shore. The main body of cruising was the day when the boat sees the majority of the castles, a stretch on the Rhine when there are castles on both sides of the river, your head bobbing from side to side! The cruise director that day broadcasts a live commentary in the public areas explaining the historical significance of each of the castles, excellent. Read more