Uniworld River Cruises – Luxury Cruises

You can gently float down a river all Huckleberry Finn like but I prefer a bit more luxury when I’m floating downstream. And when I think of a luxury river cruise I think of Uniworld River Cruises. Okay, technically the company is Uniworld Boutique River Cruise but I don’t know anyone who uses the “Boutique” part so I’m going with Uniworld River Cruises. hands down, Uniworld River Cruises is your number one choice for a luxury river cruise.

Goodness gracious this cruise line is opulence on water. Take the poshest hotel you can think of and slap it down on a ship. That’ll give you some idea what the ships are like.

One of the reasons Uniworld’s ships are so stately is they have teamed up with Red Carnation Hotels to design the interior of all of their ships. Red Carnation Hotels has some of the most spectacular hotels in the world. Take the Milestone Hotel for instance. Travel and Leisure named it one of the World’s Best 500 Hotels. It’s also been awarded Best Hotel in the UK and the Number 4 Best Hotel in Europe. It is swank on a stick. That’s the kind of glorious decadence you get on every Uniworld ship.

The Cézanne Restaurant

 The Ships

Uniworld River Cruises has an eighteen ship fleet, each one of them entirely unique. Let’s take a look at the S.S. Catherine, named in honor of the legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve. The ship was launched in 2014. Cruise itineraries include Burgundy and Provence, Grand France and Ultimate France.

As soon as you step on board you’ll feel like you’ve entered the Palace of Versailles. It is stunning.

This is what you step into. Looks a lot like my living room.

Wander the ship and you’ll discover spectacular artwork and antiques. And look at this below. Look at it! That’s the VanGogh Lounge. How opulent is that, I asked rhetorically.

I’d cut off my ear to have a drink in the VanGogh Lounge.

If you get tired of the scenery, and I don’t really know how that can happen, you can spend time in the spa, the health center or the heated pool.

The Staterooms

The exquisite staterooms and suites all have river views and come with either open-air or French balconies. The bathrooms are all marble and stocked with L’Occitane en Provence products. You’ll also find hoity toity towel warmers in each bathroom. I have a towel warmer at my house. I call it a dryer.

A sweet suite view

I find it hard to pull myself up out of the beds made by Savoir of England. Man are they comfy. Savoir has been around for 100 years and they started out making bed for The Savoy Hotel.

Oh come on! Look at how sumptuous that is!

You also get all of other standard amenities: bathrobes, slippers, flatscreen TV with infotainment center, etc.

When They Say All Inclusive They Mean It

 Many cruise lines say they’re all inclusive, but then you discover you have to pay out of pocket for drinks, shore excursions, gratuities, etc.

Not with Uniworld River Cruises. When the say all-inclusive they mean all-inclusive.

• All gratuities onboard and onshore.
• An endless amount of beverages. And not just non-alcoholic drinks. I’m talking all beverages. Wines, craft and regional beers, spirits and cocktails. Give me a fist bump for that news.
• Shore excursions with local experts as your guide.
• Free Internet and Wi-Fi.
• All arrival and departure day transfers.

I could sit here all day. Sort of like a hobo on a Parisian park bench.

Awards

Uniworld River Cruises collects awards like an Amsterdam prostitute collects Johns. Here are just a few:

• Cruise International Awards – Best Luxury River Cruise Line 2014 .
• SAVEUR Culinary Travel Awards Readers’ Choice Award – Best Culinary Cruise Line in 2014.
• Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List.
• Travel + Leisure – World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line.
• Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards – Best River Cruise Line.
• Zagat Cruise Lines Survey – top dining and top cabins in the cruise industry.

Not shabby. Not shabby at all.

What Else Could They Possibly Offer?

How about:

• Over 500 departures.
• Over 40 itineraries.
• Sail 9 rivers.
• Over 98% guest service satisfaction rate.
• One crew member for every three guests.
• An average of only 130 travelers on board.
• Professionally trained, all English-speaking staff.

What Are You Waiting For?

Book a Uniworld River Cruise today. You won’t regret it. Seriously.

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All images courtesy Uniworld