Europe
Q: Which
direction of the cruise should I
book, which one is better?
A:
It does not matter which
direction, as each direction
contains the same included features.
Timings of course vary a little due
to cruising times
upstream/downstream but you will not
get more in one direction than in
the other. It is also a matter of
preference. For example, for the
Eastern European cruises, do I want
to start in Eastern Europe and work
my way up to Western Europe or the
other way around?
Q: Which
itinerary would you recommend?
A:
For first time river cruise
passengers - unless you have a
special interest, an excellent first
time choice is Amsterdam to Budapest
– four countries and some must-sees,
for example, Rothenburg, Nuremberg,
Budapest, Vienna and some hidden
gems like Wertheim, Miltenberg, etc.
Cruising highlights: Romantic Rhine,
Wachau Valley, Main-Danube-Canal
(marvel of engineering).
2nd or 3rd timers who have done
Amsterdam to Budapest or Amsterdam
to Vienna, can do the Black Sea
Cruise (if interested in culture and
tradition of Eastern Europe – very
educational cruise) or Legendary
Rhine & Moselle if you prefer to
stay in Western Germany and enjoy
lots of daytime sailing and lovely
scenery.
If you have already cruised along
the Rhine/Main/Danube rivers – we
would suggest Portugal along the
Douro River for the fabulous
scenery, a real hidden gem. The
entire Douro River Valley is a
Unesco World Heritage Site. Not many
ships are allowed on the river,
Uniworld is one of the very few
companies who operate a ship in
Portugal! Russia – sensational
sightseeing, ships are more basic
than Uniworld ships.
Q: Do we
always dock in the heart of the
city?
A:
It depends, in many places
docking is in walking distance to
the city center but there are places
where the river only touches the
outskirts of a town (i.e. Bamberg or
Nuremberg) and thus a motorcoach
transfer is necessary.
Q: Is
there a lot of walking on the tours?
A:
As we visit mostly historic
cities, many of the tours are partly
or entirely walking. Cobblestones
are also very common in Europe. To
be able to fully enjoy all
excursions, passengers should be in
good health and able to walk well
(also stairs), otherwise they may
not be able to participate in all
the tours. Riverboats are not
wheelchair accessible.
Q: Are
there ever any other ships docked
next to us?
A:
Yes, this happens and is a
normal part of river cruising. As
River Cruising has become very
popular, traffic on the rivers has
increased and it is perfectly normal
to moor next to another ship or
sometimes even between two ships.
The assignment of the exact berthing
is up to the harbor authorities of
the port of call and Uniworld nor
the Captain has any control or
influence over this.
Q: On what
side of the ship should I book the
cabin?
A:
It does not matter; there is no
"better" side of the ship. On some
days, port-side cabins will be
docked facing the shore, on other
days it will be the star-board side,
it differs.
River cruise ships always dock
facing upstream, and views from
cabins may occasionally be
restricted when the ship is docked.
The rule of thumb to remember is
that the ship will always dock
facing upstream. In addition, views
from cabins may be restricted when
other ships dock next to our ship.
River ships often dock next to each
other, as docking spots are limited.
The Harbor Master is always in
control of this not the ship’s
Captain.
Q: If
during our cruise a Christmas Market
is closed, what do we do?
A:
There is usually an arrangement
made for a city tour and/or free
time to spend in the city center.
Q: What
are the tipping guidelines?
A:
On our ships in Europe
(excluding Russia), our suggestion
for tip per day, per guest would be:
€2-€3 for the local guide and €1-€2
for the driver. At the end of the
trip there will be two envelopes to
be used for tips, one for the crew
and one for the tour manager. Our
suggestion for tips at the end of
your cruise would be: €3 for the
tour manager and €10 for the crew on
the ship - per day, per guest. Cash
only accepted for tips.
Q: Could
our trip be extended or customized
with our Uniworld cruise/tour
booking?
A:
Yes
Q: Which
ships have bath tubs in the
bathroom?
A:
Only three of our ships in the
suites have bath tubs - River
Countess, River Duchess, and River
Empress.
Q: Are we
able to take our children and is
there an age restriction?
A:
Passengers who are under 18
years of age must be accompanied by
an adult that is 21 years of age or
older. Uniworld’s long-term
experience is that most young
children (especially those under 8
years of age) do not enjoy or
appreciate the river cruise
experience. There are no special
arrangements, activities or
accommodations for children on
Uniworld river cruises and tour
programs. Adults accompanying the
children are responsible for their
behavior during the trip. An
exception to this is that we do
offer “family cruises” on select
itineraries during the summer
months, please contact our
reservations department at
800-539-1881 for more details.
Q: Is
there entertainment onboard the
ship?
A:
Yes, depending on the itinerary,
there could be local performers or
musicians on the ship.
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