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We were on Uniworld in Germany when a guest thought he was having a heart attack. Staff had him comfortable until an ambulance could come to the boat. We were near a town and they did dock quickly. A guest that had medical training, not sure if Dr or nurse, they were also with him. It did take a while for the ambulance and they did take him to the closest hospital. It was towards the end of the cruise. We heard he was in the hospital but going to be released soon.

I will add to this statement as I also want as many docks in town versus being in a bus to town. I know some stops do not have a choice but being able to hop on and off the boat like a hotel to grab a pint at the local pub or some after lunch shopping is part of the relaxation to me. The southern France itinerary was my favorite for that type of cruise. The Normandy cruise was not. Not saying I didn’t greatly enjoy it. To bring it back to the OP, rafted or not, nothing like river cruising. A brand and itinerary for everyone. You have to do you.

We started river sailing in 2012 with Viking being our first trip. Fell in love with river cruises from that first trip. I am now 58 (you can do the math) and I have never been the youngest on the boat. I use to fall on the younger side but plenty of “young at heart” passengers to enjoy and get to know. Last years river cruise on Uniworld which I have heard has an older crowd, I was right in the middle. Because of the smaller passenger numbers, you really get to enjoy many, and learn very fast the ones to avoid.

We have rafted a few times and sometimes it’s the other passengers that come through your boat and times you go through theirs. It really isn’t a big deal. In southern France, we rafted next to a boat that had a great band on the sun deck. (wish I could remember the brand because we wanted to try them after being next to them). I like seeing the other brands.

Agree. I like the all exclusive feel of Uniworld and have never had a bad experience with them. If I was buying the boat the decor would turn be away, but just borrowing it for a week or more, I can live with it. That said I am not brand loyal. This summer I will be on my first Ama and I am excited to try something new. I will be giving my 2cents review as I have taken the same itinerary with Uniworld two years ago. It will be interesting to compare. I have never had an issue with Viking, or Uniworld. (knock on wood)

@ak1004 That looks about where we were on the deck and I don’t remember it being any noisier. We have stay on the bottom deck twice and I never regretted staying there. In fact the first cruise, we laugh saying a swan could look in our window and the next morning we woke up with a swan looking in our window. I also like the laundry on my deck. I took half the clothes the second trip.

I usually sail on Uniworld and have been in the “swan view” and french balcony cabins. The amount of time you spend in your cabin is so minimal, I would just see what you want to do with the money. I much prefer drinks in the lounge or on top deck. I just use the cabin to change and sleep. We usually book so late we get what is left, which is fine with me. If you are one that would sit in your cabin and look out the window, then you want to upgrade. Otherwise, service is all the same, cabins are close to the same, and all decks have easy access to everything. (I am a shopper, so I can find something to do with the $$$)

@anthonyy7 I would love to hear a report on this trip. Only France river cruise we haven’t taken and I think I would love it. I already love Uniworld.

You can’t go wrong with your decision. After your first one, it will be easier to know what you want when it’s time to book the next one. And there will be another one 🥰 I love Basel and a great place to start a cruise. We spent 2 days pre-cruise and went back a few other times as it’s such a cute small city. I also agree Lucerne is not to be missed and in the fall won’t be as touristy. Personally, I will say my favorite cruise at this point is the Avignon Lyon cruise during Lavender season. But I have a large list of upcoming river itineraries I want to do. So many choices, so little time.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Everyone here is so helpful and can answer any questions you may have. As @Host Jazzbeau mentioned, we started with the Rhein Castle cruise on Viking. Perfect start to river cruising and it has been addictive. We then have taken 4 more on Uniworld. We are trying our first Ama this summer from reading CC reviews and @Canal archive has convinced me to plan one with Scenic next time. I also agree that prices do not vary greatly between the different lines. I would also say, per my experience that cabins don’t have a great difference like ocean cruises. My biggest advice is having a travel agent that has been on river cruises. For us, it was a great help with planning.

@CastleCriticThank you for the info. How I read the first reply I wasn’t sure if they put it on your credit card. The last number of cruises have been on Uniworld so haven’t had to thinking about tipping except when we wanted to give extra. And yes, we always have euros for tour guides and bus drivers especially as many in the summer are teachers or college students. Last spring we took a Celebrity cruise with family and they allowed you to pre-pay on their website. Hence, why I stated pre-pay. Wasn’t sure if river cruise lines had moved to that ability.

Can you pre-pay the gratuities with a cc, and have cash on hand for the above/beyond personal gratuities?

I started river cruising in my late 40’s and we were some of the younger on board. As we have been river cruising the word is out and we are in the middle at 57. The passengers seem to be getting younger by average. We like the lines that have the active excursions choices because it’s a win win for everyone. We usually go Uniworld, but we are trying Ama this summer. I am sure it will be wonderful. Viking was our first and second cruise, and they hooked us to this type of vacation. With all the positive Scenic talk, we will have to try them in the future. I just don’t know how anyone can go wrong choosing a river cruise.

@OneSixtyToOne Does Viking not include the American Cemetery with the Omaha Beach excursion? That was one of the most moving tours I have ever done.

I stand corrected. It was the ocean cruise and Uniworld. Our first river cruise was Viking Rhein but went on Uniworld a couple months after. They ran together. Uniworld has self laundry.

The longship that I have been on provided a complimentary passenger washers and dryers. They did provide a laundry service but never needed to use it as the washer/dryers were easy.

@m41475 yes you can go on your own. There are some stops that dock overnight or leave late. Some stops the boat moves to the next stop while you are touring and the tour bus takes you to the stop. Or you can stay on and move with the boat. The itinerary should let you know but it is not set in stone as they have to work with river levels and other issues that may come up. With that said, the walking tours are really great and usually still give plenty of time on your own. A lot of times it’s a historian or educator. The best part of river cruising is the idea of porting in or near the towns.

We stayed in a couple of places but Schweizerhof is our favorite which is right next to your hotel. We were going to eat at the GAIA but wasn’t impressed with the menu. (It is a very nice hotel)That is when we noticed a lot of business locals eating in the train station. The patio restaurants were outside city hall area. A lot of choices and the tram stops right there.

You might think this is crazy but my favorite meal was upstairs the train station. A lot of small restaurants and one over looked the tracks and sold pizza, flat breads etc, and I had a caprese flatbread that was delicious. There is a bank in the train station also if you need cash. Otherwise, across from the old market (i will look up the exact place) there are restaurants with patios on a no vehicle street. I think you will love that area. So convenient.

Hahaha That is what I get for trying to work and post at the same time. Airplane clothes. As in what I wore on the plane and would like to wear back home.

Thank you. I like washing airplane and undies.

On Antoinette there is a pool but it was very cold. It has a jet to swim against but it was too cold to stay in the water and this was in July. Beatrice did not have one that I can remember but probably wouldn’t have used it anyway. You will enjoy Uniworld.

My advice for going a few days early is to make sure that the Paris excursions do not include things you will see on your own i.e. Versailles. That just happened to a friend of mine last year. She went to Versailles and Latin Quarter and ended up doing both as cruise excursions without the lines and saw more with the tour guide. That will save some tourist time. The walking tours should be good excursions in the cities and towns they are offered. A lot to see in the beautiful Normandy area.

Have you ever been to Paris? I have been on the cruise with Uniworld and 8/5/23, I will do the itinerary again with Ama. Normandy is beautiful and the national cemetery is very emotional. Let me know what questions you have. I have been on Viking (just not that itinerary) and to Paris many times. One of my favorite cities.

To answer your question about Basel. We have been there 3 times and there is a lot to do there for a few days. We stay by the train station SBB as it has a major tram stop. You will get a free tram card at check in and we used them to go all over the city. Hop on..hop off. The Red Church is within walking distance. You can take the tram near the French border and there were some great restaurants, as well along the river. We then just took a taxi from the train station taxi stand to Viking. We have only flew into FRA and ZRH. Both are about approx. 1hr. Straight. Watch as some of the smaller boutique hotels do not have air.