What Makes Uniworld's River Cruises So Unique? I Sailed to Find Out

If you're thinking of hopping aboard one of Uniworld's River Cruises, you're in luck, because I just got a first-hand look at what you can expect.

When the company, known for its boutique cruises that go all around the world, asked me to review one of its newest ships, the S.S. Victoria, I was a little hesitant. For starters, I had never been on a cruise ship before, and thought I would overwhelmed by the length of the stay, how many people would be onboard and the dreadful sea-sickness that I'm prone to on boats.

But after spending seven days at sea, I can officially say, embarking was one of the best travel decisions I've ever made.

I was lucky enough to join Uniworld's 8-Day Castles Along the Rhine trip. I flew into Amsterdam, where the ship was embarking, and spent seven days onboard, making stops in Germany and France, and ending in Basel. This trip is truly unique because when you're actually on the ship, whether you're relaxing in your room, eating dinner or hang in the sun deck, you're constantly seeing stunning views of the Rhine River, one of Europe's longest and most beautiful bodies of water. Because you can embark from either Amsterdam or Basel, this particular itinerary runs weekly.

For 2024 and 2025, the company has options where you can sail for eight, 10 or 12 days. Some that stick out to me include:

• Enchanting Danube, where you travel from Budapest, Hungary to Passau, Germany.
• Milan, Venice & the Jewels of Veneto to explore the history and culture of the Venetia.
• Peruvian Rivers & Rainforest Discover, where you can experience the Amazon rainforest up close.
• Splendors of Egypt and the Nile, which sails along the Nile River, and has special activities for kids.

There are longer trips, including ones for nearly a month, you can take as well. I found that a week was perfect, especially if you're a nervous traveler or a first-time cruiser.

Uniworld's cruises are all-inclusive, and they operate just like any all-inclusive hotels and resorts you've been to before. That means, breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided, as well as all drinks, room service and snacks. For the Castles Along the Rhine trip, seven breakfasts, five lunches and seven dinners were offered.

Daily excursions are also included. Each day, you'll be able to go on at least one off-the-boat tour or trip. Some days, you'll have multiple options to choose from. Other days, there will just be one outing you can join. Of course, you don't have to do any of them, but I will say, for my trip, the guides walking us around the city of Cologne, taking us through different wines in Rüdesheim and giving us a history lesson through Breisach made all the difference when traveling to these spots.

You'll also have the option on some days to book a "Masterpiece Collection" excursion, which on my trip, included longer and smaller group tours and experiences. You could spend the entire day in the Black Forrest or take a cooking class near Doktorenhof. These "Masterpiece Collection" trips are not included in the price, and run roughly about $100-$200 per person. I stuck to the featured excursions, and was not at all disappointed.

A few things to note: The company did an excellent job offering up enough free time to explore on my own. Getting back to the ship for lunch and/or dinner was also a priority for the tour guides, so if you didn't want to spend money eating out, you didn't have to, which is a plus.

Transportation to and from the airport is included, as is all transportation for the excursions. You'll also find daily group workout classes offered in the morning (mine included yoga and stretching by the pool). Gratuity, entertainment and headsets are also baked into the price.

Uniworld has over 15 different ships, but I went on the S.S. Victoria, which is the company's newest ship. There are 55 rooms, and it's about the size of one-and-a-half football fields (okay, it's 442-feet long).

When you first walk onto the main deck, on the right, you're greeted by the concierge in one corner, a coffee and tea station in the other and the dining room right in the middle of the two. On your left, you'll find the staterooms. A spiral staircase sits in the middle, which will bring you up to the Rhine deck, which features the lounge area, as well as the other rooms. It's also where you'll access the two staircases that allow you to go up to the sun deck.

The sun deck has a bar, although, the hours I went there, rather than having a bartender, it seemed like a spot for the beverage service team to grab you a drink if you wanted. It featured rows of lounge chairs, regular seats with tables and plenty of coverage from the sun thanks to the canopies. The pool is located in the back of the Rhine deck. It's an indoor pool, although, there is a little balcony outside of it with chairs to sit.

The bar on the sun deck.

The Moselle deck (the very bottom), is where you'll find the spa, fitness room and laundry services for guests.

Signature French Balcony stateroom.

I spent a lot of time onboard in my room — look at that photo, can you blame me? I stood in the Signature French Balcony, which featured a king-size bed, television, two-sink bathroom with a shower, mini-fridge, small seating area and a large closet. The real treat is the large window that lets you see the Rhine River constantly. You can literally just be laying in bed and watch nature pass you by like a television show. Typically in these rooms, the window opens, but unfortunately, mine and another guest's didn't due to a glitch. But I was offered a “Masterpiece Collection” tour and onboard credit as compensation.

The dining room and lounge are spacious. In the dining room, you can essentially sit anywhere you want. I was told the crew likes to keep the dining area 20% empty when possible, so people have more space. There was only one night that it was crowded (I arrived a bit late for dinner!), but otherwise, I was able to sit anywhere that was free. This is key because you have the option to mingle with othe guests or be on your own if you want. There really isn't a bad seat in the house. The dining room is flanked by giant windows, so you can see the Rhine go by as you eat.

The same goes for the lounge, which has a bar and tons of seating. It's also where the nightly entertainment happens. After dinning, I noticed most guests visited the lounge — it could be because every day there were new desserts available there, as well as candy like marshmallows and licorice for the taking. There are also plenty of board games, which is a nice touch.

A look at the lounge.

Now, this is what makes the trip really standout from other popular cruise options: There are only 110 guests on board with 41 staff. Some cruises can fit thousands of people, so if you're looking, like I was, for a smaller, more intimate cruise experience, this is the way to go. By the second day, the staff knew my name and my preferred drinks. I spoke with other guests, who also said the limited number of people was a draw for them as well. Two couples I had seen dine together nearly every night later informed me they had just met on the cruise, and became instant friends.

Here is some more information that might come in handy if you're deciding on booking a trip.

• Cost: Uniworld is a boutique cruise line, and it's all-inclusive, so it's a bit pricey. The Castles Along the Rhine costs around $2,700 per person. Of course, that can go up depending on what room you're looking to book. It comes to about $300-400 per day, per person. But it's important to remember, all of your tours, transportation and dining is included. It's also significant to note that you're seeing multiple countries during your time, and essentially, if you didn't want so spend any money once you get onboard, you don't have to.
• Dining: One major thing is that the meals are served during certain hours, and then the dining room is closed. For example, dinner is served from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. You can order room service if you miss out, but just note that you won't be able to sit and eat in the dining room when it's closed. Another thing is that menu changes daily. Breakfast is buffet style, but dinner is sit-down. For dinner, you'll be offered a soup, salad, main, dessert and cheese options. All the food and wine offered is regional, so you'll be able to experience local dishes. There's also a "Wellbeing Treat" option that has better-for-you choices. You can mix and match from the menu to build your meal. Also, always on the menu are less-regional options, like steak.
  

• Outings: Each excursion will tell you how much activity you'll experience. Each tour has a slower speed option as well, where the group will go at a slower pace and make more stops to sit and rest. One thing I cannot stress enough is to always bring your headset and always charge it when you get back to the room. This is how you'll be able to clealy hear your tour guide, even if you wander a bit from the group to look around.
  
• Spa: If you want to treat yourself to some R&R, make your appointment right when you book your trip or as soon as you get onboard because the spa books up very fast.

In my experience, you can't go wrong with one of Uniworld's cruises. Once you arrive, everything is pretty much set up for you, so it's relaxed and easy. The cruise director and staff on my trip were top-notch, and I was impressed daily with how knowledgable and accommodating they were to guests. You get to experience countries in a different and off-beat way, which makes for a very memorable trip. It is expensive, but if you're planning a special anniversary or birthday trip, I would say it's very much worth it.

Michelle Manetti

Group Deputy Director

Michelle is the deputy director of the Hearst Lifestyle Group, where she helps oversee multiple brand's strategy efforts on digital. Previously, she was the deputy editor and managing digital editor for Good Housekeeping. She has over 10 years of experience writing and editing lifestyle content.