Just back from SS Catherine

Will be completing my review soon but am happy to answer any questions in the meantime.

We enjoyed our cruise but would never again visit Europe in summer. It was very busy and very hot. Cities which we very much enjoyed in fall were quite a bit less pleasant in July. I was reminded every day why I stick to October through May.

Will be completing my review soon but am happy to answer any questions in the meantime.

 

We enjoyed our cruise but would never again visit Europe in summer. It was very busy and very hot. Cities which we very much enjoyed in fall were quite a bit less pleasant in July. I was reminded every day why I stick to October through May.

Looking forward to your review! I am sure your friends appreciated you making an exception to your usual travel time and cruise line to join them. Hopefully the company helped make the weather a bit more tolerable :)

Did the unlimited chilled rosé help? :)

<Did the unlimited chilled rosé help? :)>

You bet! At least until they ran out of it as it was quite popular.

< I am sure your friends appreciated you making an exception to your usual travel time and cruise line to join them. Hopefully the company helped make the weather a bit more tolerable :)>

Our friends cancelled at the last minute due to the weather extremes. His doctor advised him not to travel due to extreme heat. He would not have done well in the conditions we had.

We did make new friends from Australia who were delightful!

I look forward to your review and your thoughts on Uniworld vs AMA.

I also am looking forward to your comparisons of Uniworld vs AMA. So sorry about the extreme heat. I would not have been happy with that either. We agree we don't travel in Europe later than very early June and not before September.

I submitted my review this evening and it was a straight revue of our cruise experience with no comparisons to any other line or vessel.

I will post some comparisons here between AMA and Uniworld for those interested. Hopefully tomorrow.

I submitted my review this evening and it was a straight revue of our cruise experience with no comparisons to any other line or vessel.

 

I will post some comparisons here between AMA and Uniworld for those interested. Hopefully tomorrow.

I think that many active posters here [including me] are more likely to read a review posted as a thread here than submitted to the review section [that's important too, because those numbers are apparently used to calculate the annual readers' awards]. So would you consider including the full review here along with the comparisons? Thanks!

JB, will so. I did not keep a copy but will post here when CC loads my review, and add comments.

In checking this morning, my copy did not save to the Review Section so I have now posted there and also here, for those interested.

We are just back from our 10th river cruise, and the first with Uniworld. Overall, we enjoyed our cruise on the SS Catherine very much.

Highlights:

- Cabin (category 2) was lovely and well laid out. Thoughtful touches included a cluster of USB and electric outlets conveniently located; very comfy bed with excellent bedding; plush towels by Christy of England ( a personal favorite); night light in the bathroom which was appreciated.

- Food and wine quality was overall very good. We had some meals that were excellent, others that were good and only a few misses. Food definitely was on the heavy side but the dining room manager and waitstaff were very attentive to my dietary preferences (light dishes prepared without fat) and I always found something to my liking.

- Truly open dining where we would wander into the dining room at any time during the posted hours was a treat. I wish other lines would adopt this policy; it made dining much more pleasant for us, as we prefer to have dinner around 8pm and dislike the cattle call on other lines where everyone rushes to the dining room at the same time.

- High quality beverage offerings in the bars; beautiful glassware.

- Loved the Concierge concept and Martin was simply exceptional!

- Astrid, the Hotel Manager, was very hands on and managed to be everywhere. She was impressive!

-Service uniformly was very good.

- The Go Active hike in the vineyards was unique and fun!

- Bar Leopard was our favorite spot on the ship.

- The guest laundry was very popular during our trip as temps were north of 100 most days and clothes needed to be laundered.

Disappointments:

- Evening entertainment was lacking; even though we were docked most every night, only two acts were brought on board for after dinner. One was excellent (wish more people had come to see him) and one had people leaving after a few songs. The onboard musicians were standard river cruise quality but, for us, this got old after a couple of evenings. Add to that the group we had aboard from Asia who loved Karaoke and had to sing every night. Ugh.

- Internet service was simply awful. For several days it was non-existent. I do need access and had to seek it out elsewhere.

- Too much time was spent in Avignon. We were there three separate times. It would have been nice to spend a night elsewhere so that we could get off the ship. The itinerary just felt awkward. We were told this was due to size of the ship as it could not overnight everywhere.

- The ship's AC could not keep up with the hot temps. Some days/nights the main lounge was just uncomfortable and the dining room quite warm.

- We went to the "Wine Tasting" which was not a tasting at all but a lecture (43 minutes before any "tasting" began) by the Sommelier and a taste of one white and one red as part of the 75 minute event. They need to change the name of this program to reflect the reality. Had it not been rude we would have walked out.

- More high energy Go Active Tour options would have been appreciated. While the crowd was mixed in terms of ages, much of everything was geared to an older demographic.

- Dinner in the Bar Leopard was a miss for us. Tables were not conducive for dining; service felt rushed and the meal was not our favorite. We would give it a pass where we were to cruise with Uniworld again.

- Bar Leopard was our favorite spot on the ship but was not available for drinks when dinner was served there.

- Furniture in main lounge was just not comfortable, especially those sofas. Perhaps this is why we rarely saw many people in this area. Normally, I will take a book or my laptop to the main lounge and hang out, but did not do so on this trip.

Wish they would change:

- The refillable water bottles are just a hassle. We much prefer bottled water and purchased our own in port. To carry that heavy bottle around once water was gone was more trouble than it was worth.

- Provide a bar of facial soap in the bathroom. We had shoppes nearby so I was able to provide my own but this seemed a small detail to overlook.

- Location of self serve coffee machines. These belong in main lounge IMO. Instead they were on Deck 2 near the laundry and Deck 4 at Bar Leopard. Seemed illogical to me.

Would have enjoyed:

- A pool that was outside on SunDeck

- A real balcony as it was too hot to lower the window and Sun Deck was closed a good part of our sailing time due to low bridges.

- Missed having a mini frig in our room.

All in all, the SS Catherine is an elegant lady with a refined style and elegant on board ambiance.

Comparisons (in no particular order):

- The same itinerary was more enjoyable on AMA in terms of structure, included excursions and overnights in port.

- Food was comparable on the Catherine to 4 of our 5 AMA cruises and better than food on AmaReina, our only disappointing cruise with AMA.

- We were very surprised at how casually the guests were dressed for dinner. Shorts and even flip flops in the dining room. On the dressier nights, less 10% of the men wore sport coats; far fewer wore ties. This is not what we expected based on comments here on CC.

- Entertainment on AMA was much better and with greater variety.

- Wines served at dinner on the Catherine were better than we have had on non wine themed AMA cruises. We drank some lovely wines. When we did not enjoy something, however, the Sommelier seemed to take it personally and we felt we were putting her out by asking for a change. When this has happened on AMA, there was never an issue.

- Even though it is an inclusive cruise, we tipped those provided exceptional service.

- Their open dining policy is wonderful and I wish AMA would follow suit.

- AMA provides self serve coffee in the main lounge, which is very convenient. The stations on the Catherine were not.

- The set up of Sun Deck on AMA ships is much nicer, with very nice seating areas and pools on their newer ships.

- The service on Sun Deck on the Catherine was excellent.

- The included excursions on AMA were much more varied than on the Catherine and many that were extra were included on AMA (Pont du Gard, the truffle farm, the olive farm, Les Baux). Some of the guides were the same we had on AMA last year and it was nice to visit with them for a bit.

- Staff was more formal in their service on the Catherine. We prefer the warmth we have always experienced on AMA from their staff and crew.

- The CM on the Catherine was not nearly as visible or engaging as any of the CMs we have had on our AMA cruises.

- The Catherine wins hands down for bedding.

- We prefer the power showers and clotheslines AMA has on their ships as well as storage in the bathroom. AMA has shelves and a cabinet for smaller items. The Catherine has two large drawers so I was always rummaging through everything to find something.

- Internet on our AMA cruises has always been decent to very good. Even when docked right in town, we had little to no access on this cruise.

- We prefer the bottled water and mini frig set up on AMA to the refillable containers Uniworld provides.

- We would have loved a real balcony on this itinerary. The small seating areas at the front and back were often full and the Sun Deck frequently closed.

- Attention to detail and small touches we experienced on our AMA cruises were lacking on Uniworld.

- Staff was less visible overall on the Catherine.

- The Chef's Table on AMA is much more enjoyable than the dining experience we had at the alternative venue on the Catherine.

- We did not care for the decor, but we knew that going in. It was even more overwhelming in person than in the photos. That being said, it certainly did not detract from the experience.

All in all we had a very nice cruise and would consider Uniworld in the future. For us, AMA is a better fit for the exceptional staff, consistently warm and gracious service, superior entertainment, more diverse excursion offerings and their unique ability to deliver a premium experience that is also fun.

Great review, thanks! Can you give an example or two of the attention to detail and small touches on AMA vs Uniworld? Since you didn't mention a guest gift, I'm thinking that might be one!

Great review, thanks! Can you give an example or two of the attention to detail and small touches on AMA vs Uniworld? Since you didn't mention a guest gift, I'm thinking that might be one!

The guest gift is one. Fresh roses handed to all of the women at the Captain's Cocktail party is another that came to mind. A tube of high end hand cream for the ladies as part of the bathroom set up is another.

Caviargal - welcome back and glad you enjoyed your cruise! So unfortunate that your friends couldn't go with you, though...that must have been disappointing, given the weather conditions!

I enjoyed your review, especially the comparisons to AMA. I've read several ranking schemes that put AMA's food 1/2 star above Uniworld's, so your direct comparison was helpful in several ways. First, it's nice to know that we're not missing a huge upgrade if we stay with Uniworld. Second, we have friends who really enjoy AMA and I could see the group of us traveling together on AMA some day, so knowing that they are comparable would make that something to look forward to.

A few points about some specifics that you mentioned:

I'm glad you had good weather for the vineyard hike in Tain l'Hermitage. We were so disappointed that it was a rainy cold day. Must have been such fun!

I agree with you that nighttime entertainment was so-so. We had fun with the two musicians because we like to dance, so we would feed off each other in that they'd play a song, we'd dance to it, and in that way it encouraged them to be more lively and engaging. Were they Ulf and Rowena?

I sympathize with you 100% about groups who love Karaoke. They really can take over the lounge and completely usurp the entertainment, such as it is... We had that on our first Silver Explorer cruise. There was a large group that crammed into the lounge and wailed away for hours, to their immense enjoyment. Luckily, they seemed to do that only on alternate nights. But it still was painful!

Sorry to hear that they haven't improved the internet connection. It wasn't very reliable when we were there either. Luckily, we don't depend on it as much as you do, but if I did, I'd be disappointed.

On SS Antoinette, the 24h coffee machine is in the main lounge, as you enter on the right side. Very convenient location! Not sure why they moved it. We were on the 4th floor so the Leopard Bar was convenient enough for us, but we had to ask where it was.

Interesting to hear your description of the seemingly very casual dress at dinner. That did not match our experience at all on SS Antoinette or SS Catherine. I wonder if the ridiculously hot weather played a role? Both of our cruises have been very early in the year, April/May, where it's not a problem dressing in more traditional attire.

Astrid was our HM and it's good to hear that she's still keeping up the nice work. Wonder if it's the same CM we had? I think her name was Ingrid. She wasn't unfriendly, but a bit more serious and could appear standoffish; she certainly was efficient! It was odd to have a Dutch CM on our Provence cruise. Our CD from SS Antoinette was a sweetheart and we still keep in touch with her. I wish they were all like her.

Your wine "tasting" experience sounds terrible. Were they trying to make you twitch? We didn't have a wine tasting offered on our cruise; guess we didn't miss much! Try as I might, I can't remember the sommelier... Glad you enjoyed the wines as much as we did, when you finally got the ones you wanted.

Thanks for posting about your experience, and glad you had a fun time!

I agree with you that nighttime entertainment was so-so. We had fun with the two musicians because we like to dance, so we would feed off each other in that they'd play a song, we'd dance to it, and in that way it encouraged them to be more lively and engaging. Were they Ulf and Rowena?

 

Interesting to hear your description of the seemingly very casual dress at dinner. That did not match our experience at all on SS Antoinette or SS Catherine. I wonder if the ridiculously hot weather played a role? Both of our cruises have been very early in the year, April/May, where it's not a problem dressing in more traditional attire.

 

Astrid was our HM and it's good to hear that she's still keeping up the nice work. Wonder if it's the same CM we had? I think her name was Ingrid. She wasn't unfriendly, but a bit more serious and could appear standoffish; she certainly was efficient! It was odd to have a Dutch CM on our Provence cruise. Our CD from SS Antoinette was a sweetheart and we still keep in touch with her. I wish they were all like her.

 

Your wine "tasting" experience sounds terrible. Were they trying to make you twitch? We didn't have a wine tasting offered on our cruise; guess we didn't miss much! Try as I might, I can't remember the sommelier... Glad you enjoyed the wines as much as we did, when you finally got the ones you wanted.

Yes, it was Ulf and Rowena. We love to dance as well, and got in a few now and then, but it was very quiet and some variety would have been appreciated. And when the karaoke started as it always did, we left.

The CM was Emmanuel and truth be told, she was a bit of a snob and spent a good bit of time pushing the optionals. We did not find her to be at all warm and engaging, though she was helpful when called upon.

Hot weather could have played a role to some degree in how people were dressed but I would never appear in a dining room dressed as I do to wash my car. :cool:

The guest gift is one. Fresh roses handed to all of the women at the Captain's Cocktail party is another that came to mind. A tube of high end hand cream for the ladies as part of the bathroom set up is another.

Good to know! Those are things that aren't a major consideration for me, but since I want to do a Provence itinerary in the future, AMA is definitely on our list. DH wants the Seine first, though!

Good to know! Those are things that aren't a major consideration for me, but since I want to do a Provence itinerary in the future, AMA is definitely on our list. DH wants the Seine first, though!

I agree that they are not major considerations, just niceties that demonstrate the attention to detail we have come to appreciate.

We are looking at Bordeaux or the Duoro next. Unless AMA comes up with something new.:)

Thanks for your comments, Carviagal. We were on the Catherine in early May and while we enjoyed it very much, we had some vey minor disappointments. We think the Antoinette, while comparable in most ways, is better laid out: coffee machines, top deck eating area (when sun deck can be used), larger pool area, to be specific. Knowing from our trip on the Rhine that Uniworld has replaced daily plastic water bottles with the refillable metal ones, we took empty plastic bottles to fill every day as they are easier to carry.

We had just cruised the Seine the week before on the smaller, older Baroness. Several other passengers had as well, and we all seemed to think the Catherine staff was a bit more formal than on the smaller ship, but this feeling pretty much went away within a couple of days. Emmanuelle was also our CM, and she definitely has a different personality from our British CM on the Baroness, the very warm and personable Sharon. Having said that, we admired how Emmanuelle handled the itinerary changes required by unfortunately high water conditions. She was under stress, we could tell, but added excursions we had not expected and arranged coach travel to our ports when we could not be on the ship. I know she didn't do this alone but still things went very smoothly.

We enjoyed our dinner in the Bar du Leopard but agree it's not really set up for dining. We happened to eat there when escargot was on the dining room menu but not on our special menu. When guests in the bar asked for escargot, they were happily accommodated. I don't remember our sommelier's name either (a Roumanian young lady), but we were impressed that she wasn't satisfied with the wine selections until we were. My husband wasn't happy with the offering and she found a California wine he did like and reserved it for him each night. A lady we often dined with had the same experience-- she preferred a wine that had been offered earlier in the cruise, so the sommelier had it available for her. This is the attention to detail that we have come to expect with Uniworld.

We found that the guests on the Baroness dressed a bit less casually than on the Catherine, but we didn't see flip flops or shorts at dinner on the Catherine. Maybe JPalbany is right--the weather may have been a factor.

Having said that, if AMA has an itinerary we think we'd like, we may give that line a try.

Our Sommelier (sounds like the same young lady) was not particularly happy when we were not satisfied and asked for different wines at dinner, but she did oblige.

Emmanneulle was, as my husband described her, "very French" in her interactions with passengers. Perfectly competent but maintained a distance and was less visible that other CMs we have had in the past. Not a complaint, simply an observation.

We were addressed by name by very few of the staff and crew, another big difference from our AMA cruises, where we are greeted by name early on. We enjoy that more personal approach and attributed the difference to the more formal and traditional personality of the Catherine.

One thing I forgot to mention was the excellent massage I had on board for a very reasonable 60E. I highly recommend it!

Our Sommelier (sounds like the same young lady) was not particularly happy when we were not satisfied and asked for different wines at dinner, but she did oblige.

 

Emmanneulle was, as my husband described her, "very French" in her interactions with passengers. Perfectly competent but maintained a distance and was less visible that other CMs we have had in the past. Not a complaint, simply an observation.

 

We were addressed by name by very few of the staff and crew, another big difference from our AMA cruises, where we are greeted by name early on. We enjoy that more personal approach and attributed the difference to the more formal and traditional personality of the Catherine.

 

One thing I forgot to mention was the excellent massage I had on board for a very reasonable 60E. I highly recommend it!

Do you remember how much massages were on AMA ships?

Do you remember how much massages were on AMA ships?

60E for the hour and we always have at least one and have never been disappointed. The slots fill quickly so we book as soon as we get onboard. Same for Chef's Table.

60E for the hour and we always have at least one and have never been disappointed. The slots fill quickly so we book as soon as we get onboard. Same for Chef's Table.

Thanks. When we were on the AMACerto a few years ago they had to beg people to eat at the Chef's Table. Several people ate there a couple times because it was never full.

Thanks. When we were on the AMACerto a few years ago they had to beg people to eat at the Chef's Table. Several people ate there a couple times because it was never full.

We were on AmaCerto in 2012 and had dinner there a few times. We thought it was wonderful as was the entire experience. AmaCerto was our best river cruise so far.

Thanks for the review - esp a comparison.

excellent review and comparison with ama. useful to know differing features of cruise lines. cannot beat word of mouth rather than rely on just the glossy marketing.

agree about the timing of the cruise too we would avoid summer in Europe and much prefer spring/autumn. thanks for the details.

Caviargal,

Thank you so much for your review and comparison. It continues to confirm my belief that there are many companies to sail on that provide great food, service and overall experiece. For those looking to for the first time to do a river cruise this is what can cause such a challenge but also should provide some reassurance that its hard to make a major mistake since the overall experience will be so positive. I am glad you enjoyed Uniworld but do wish the weather had been better.

Like JP we sailed the Antoinette last year and I am puzzled why they change some of the layout on the Catherine and the Maria Theresa such as the coffee stations and the pool. I will see for myself on the Maria Theresa in December.

It does sound like a few of the things you experienced are not the norm. We never saw anyone in flip flops or shorts at dinner on our cruise. I would agree with the assessment that this may have been strictly weather related. We were fortunate that we didn't have to deal with any karaoke while on board. It certainly sounds like AMA provides more nightime entertainment. This wasn't a negative for us as most nights we went back out to walk or bike ride after dinner and then were happy with the piano and singer for an hour or two before bed time. As a matter of fact we actually missed the entertainment they brought on board as we were off the boat.

I thought I would mention a few things for the sake of those reading who are looking at Uniworld for a first time. The Catherine, Maria Theresa, and Antoinette all have 300 sq ft suites. The suites do have a balcony to sit out on which I found wonderful for early morning reading or to watch the river go by. They also have a nespresso machine and tea kettle in room which limited the times I went to the coffee station. They also do have a refrigerator that is restocked daily with sodas, beer, juice, wine, etc..(as well as bottles of spirits on the counter). The suites also provide butler service which takes the personal service to a whole different level. The butlers provide free laundry service so you don't have to wait for a machine. The butler also came by moments after checking into the suite with a selection of soaps to choose from. When my wife couldn't decide which one to take he gave her one of each. There was a gift given of a bottle of wine at the end of the trip to take home as well. Many other extras in the suite such as room service for breakfast, daily fruit trays, one included in room massage per person, cookie tray daily, canapes each evening, etc....

I believe that AMA and Uniworld compare nicely in regards to food, service, ships, etc.. with each one having an edge over the other in certain areas. I also believe that most choose not to sail in a suite and it isn't fair to compare the suite benefits to non suite on AMA. But for those who are considering a suite or higher category room I wanted to provide the above information.

Thanks again for your review and comparison and I feel that I will be sailing AMA sometime in the future but continue to feel good about sailing with Uniworld.

Brian