Uniworld Amsterdam to basel

Even though this is a SeaDream board, thought you might be interested in our impressions of our first river cruise -- and Whatnot's second. Uniworld is all inclusive now so comparisons might be apt.

There are 10 of us and we board tomorrow-- may cross post on the river cruising board as well.

We all arrived in Amsterdam yesterday and are at the Doubletree at Centraal Station-- great location! Trams are close by and take you anywhere'. First impression of Amsterdam is an interesting city -- varied population-- some neighborhoods better than others. Red light district interesting but not fascinating-- Anne Frank House very moving. Tomorrow is Van Gogh museum before we board. Did an Indonesian "rice table" dinner tonight that was fabulous! Strong Indonesian influence here dating back to the days of the Dutch East India Co.

The weather forecasts are pretty good, so we'll see what the week brings!

Vandrefalk

Looking forward to hearing about your adventures--

Hope all is going well on the river. Hoping to hear the full report as it is most definitely on "the list".:D

Sorry not to have posted sooner -- wifi issues! Works intermittently and it's been too cold to sit outside!

The ship is lovely -- has140 guests and 60 crew so not as good a ratio as SD. This ship has a cpuple more gathering spaces than most -- in addition to the lounge and dining room that most river ships have, sS Antoinette has the Orangie (used for private dinners and light lunches) and the Leopard bar which is quite delightful. They are not always open as. They must be lowered when going through the locks. Cabins are compact -- unless you are in a suite but they work. Bathrooms are efficient and a tad bigger than SD. Food is excellent -- two wine choices each evening as well. Crew is very nice and you do get to know them a bit, but not as well as on SD. Of course, this our first on Uniworld!

The itinerary has been great! Cologne cathredral is impressive but not the city. It was pretty well destroyed in WW2 so it's all post modern. Koblenz was interesting -- German Corner a nd an extensive fort. The day sailing past all the castles was spectacular! Rudesheim was charming and touristy -- vinegar tasting outside of Speyer was a hit -- who knew? Strasburg cathedral and tarte flambe (pizza with cream base, onions and bacon). Today was a couple of Alsatian wine villages with colorful half-timbered houses. Tomorrow we disembark in Basel and spend another four days there!

Weather has been much colder than expected but not much rain really. All in all, it's been a great experience! Will try to add some pictures and final comments when we get home!

Vandrefalk

Sounds great. Thanks for checking in. This is the route we want for our first as well. Glad it is living up to expectations. I guess one of the tricks is picking the right line.

We are currently at the Heathrow Airport Hilton after flying from Basel today. Will fly direct to Raleigh tomorrow morning. It has been a great trip but we are ready to get home. Two weeks is about our limit. Liked Uniworld even better this time. The all inclusive makes a big difference. The Antionette is a LOVELY ship! We had a suite and it was fabulous along with our Butler. We could send out clothes to be laundered or pressed for free. Never paid for anything extra except for gift shop purchases. Was disappointed that the WiFi only worked in public areas not the cabins. Basically SD has better food and service. Uniworld has better ships and more up to date accommodations. Uniworld also has consistently better tours and tour guides which are almost all included. SD can be hit and miss in that category. SD also wins on crew but Uniworld rates very high.

Will try to add more when we return.

Thank you for your comparison to SD, Whatnot. It helps a lot. I hear much about river cruises from friends, but they have never been on SD and experienced the level of service we receive there, so I'm not always confident in their recommendation.

Good to hear that you had such a good time. Safe travels home.