Roll Call: Uniworld "Tulips & Windmills" 4/17/06

Twenty days,... and counting! :)

We're really looking forward to our first river cruise.

Anyone else here booked on the same trip?

Flying direct from Washington, DC, Dulles to Amsterdam.

...Karl

Karl,

We are also doing a Uniworld cruise, Grand Value, Amsterdam to Amersterdam, on April 21st thru April 29th. I have been watching the posts on this site for quite some time and haven't seen much on the Holland scene!! Sounds like you may be on the regular Uniworld schedule, so we may have to wave as we pass each other on the water! :D

We have never done a river cruise....have done many Caribbean cruises and have been to Europe several times doing a self-guided car tour.

I understand that Grand Value is a new thing for Uniworld and I probably will not receive much feed-back until after we return. Most of these cruises were advertised by email and started in March, so I will be very lucky if we get a review before we leave.

I have been disappointed in the amount of discussion for the Holland cruises. Did we make a bad choice?!??? I am very excited about doing Keukenof Gardens, yet I understand that the Tulip display has been delayed due to the very cold winter. Hope we get to see the "fruits of their labor" before it cooses in May. We have never been to Amsterdam and are looking forward to seeing the a "great" snapshot of the Netherlands.

Keep me posted as I understand from previous posts that Uniworld has been notoriously late in sending documents. Saw one thread where they did not receive their documents until four days before leaving!!!! Not a pleasant thought.:mad:

Lanier Cruiser

We have never done a river cruise....have done many Caribbean cruises and have been to Europe several times doing a self-guided car tour.

 

Keep me posted as I understand from previous posts that Uniworld has been notoriously late in sending documents. Saw one thread where they did not receive their documents until four days before leaving!!!! Not a pleasant thought.:mad:

Hi,

Sounds like your cruising experiences so far are similar to ours. This will be our first river cruise, too. We chose the Holland itinerary (and Uniworld) based upon a web posted travelogue from April of last year, and it looked like fun.

Also, we're pretty upset we haven't gotten our cruise docs yet either. Our TA said Uniworld told her earlier this week they were busy getting out the April 1st departures. How is that possible? Even if they overnight them to the TAs, the TAs have to overnight them to their cruisers. There's quite a bit of good/current info on the Uniworld.com web site right now, so except for actually having the physical cruise ticket in-hand, I can't imagine there's a whole lot else we need anyway. I'm not optimistic about getting the docs prior to departure. I'm hoping upon hope, though, the on-board experience will be as terrific as the other (limited) posts I've seen.

Have a great trip!!

...Karl

We chose the Holland itinerary (and Uniworld) based upon a web posted travelogue from April of last year, and it looked like fun.

Here's the link to that travelogue:

http://stevefazzio.com/Holland_Amsterdam_1.html

Karl,

I've seen the fantastic site from Steve Fazzio earlier when I was doing research for this cruise....he has done a fabulous job!! Thanks for bringing it up for me and for new seekers!

I'm not very anxious about when we receive our docs....I realize that we've paid for the trip and we will be on board no matter what!!

I am very interested in hearing from you and other cruisers on our ship or other ships that have taken this excursion and what to expect! As I've said before....we are a "do it yourself" kind of couple and we're worried if we will feel comfortable in a "tour" kind of atmosphere. That is the main reason we decided on the Grand Value....it was not as structured as some of the other cruises.

The Amsterdam "threads" are limited, yet I am totally thrilled to be going!!! I invite anyone that has been on this trip or others similiar, whether your trip or mine to make comments.

I have lots of questions regarding dress codes, liquor on board (my husband is a die hard "Jack Daniels" fan...is it available??). I am a wine drinker....can we buy and bring back to the boat???... (not allowed on a Caribbean cruise?).Lots of super silly things like that!

Hope we get a little feed-back!

Thanks for your response....hope to hear more from you and others.

Carolyn

I understand from previous posts that Uniworld has been notoriously late in sending documents.

Got our cruise docs and tote bags from our TA in today's mail; fifteen days in advance.

...Karl

Wow....I'm impressed, you either have a fantastic TA or Uniworld has improved.:) We booked directly through Uniworld and we leave on the 21st. I'll let you know when we receive ours.

Wow....I'm impressed, you either have a fantastic TA or Uniworld has improved

Don't know about Uniworld's administrative support, but our TA/CA is terrific; she kept in touch with Uniworld on a regular basis over the past few weeks.

Didn't see anything in the cruise docs that help us know what happens from our arrival in Amsterdam at 0700 and when we can board the boat after 1400 (or is it after 1600?).

We're hoping they'll get our checked bags to the boat from the airport without us having to mess with them, and perhaps have someplace safe to leave our carry-on bags during the day so we can walk around Amsterdam without the carry-ons. It's bad enough I look like the typical American tourist with my camera slung over my shoulder, but wheeling around carry-on bags, too, well, y'know... ;)

...Karl

Karl,

It seems that most people having this question have been told that the boat will keep their luggage, but passengers can not board until 16:00. I am assuming that we will need to accompany our luggage to the boat and then go explore from there.

We were debating about getting a hotel room for the day...only to freshen-up and have a place to keep everything. Our plane does not arrive until 9:10, considering getting our luggage, immigration, transfer to the boat, checking our luggage,etc. It will probably be noon before we can do any sightseeing. Guess we'll skip the idea of a room.

I checked the weather this morning....still very, very coldin Amsterdam! I'm worried that the tulips will not be blooming. It's in the 70's here in Atlanta and gorgeous, everything is blooming.:)

Carolyn

I checked the weather this morning....still very, very coldin Amsterdam! I'm worried that the tulips will not be blooming. It's in the 70's here in Atlanta and gorgeous, everything is blooming.:)

Just checked online for Amsterdam, too. Brrrrrrrrrrr! Rainy for the next 7-10 days with highs in the mid-40s to low 50s. Northern VA is in the 70s today, too, with the forsythias, cherry blossoms, daffodils, and croci blooming, and the dogwoods and tulips not far behind.

...Karl

Karl,

Wish we would hear from some of those people that took the late March cruise in Amsterdam!! I'm anxious to hear about their experiences. Broke down and purchased a new raincoat with zip out lining.....looks like the weather is not going to be great! Bah!

Still waiting for cruise docs....if your timing is 4 days ahead of us...they should be here any day! But...remember we purchased directly from Uniworld. Don't know what to expect.

Take care

Carolyn

I just found this site today. We leave for the Uniworld Tulips & Windmills this Saturday the 8th. I'll still be there when you leave so I won't be able to let you know how it's going. My hubby is taking the lap top but I don't want to make any promises.

Our docs came about 12 days prior - I would've preferred getting them sooner.

This is our first Uniworld cruise. We've done the Seine and the Danube on Viking River and LOVED it so I'm anxious to see how this one compares.

Have a terrific time!! We'll be boarding when you leave. Cheers!! :)

...Karl

Hey Karl..

Silly me...wrote a great and lengthly email and lost it before I sent it!!! I am not very savey at this chat room type of thing. This is a first for me.

Received our cruise docs yesterday afternoon. Very excited....we leave from Atlanta to Chicago to Amersterdam....doesn't make a lot of sense to me, we live north of Atlanta (which I understand is in the running for number "1" airport in the world.....Chicago is our competition)..........doesn't matter, We'll be on the plane.

Karl you and I have been chatting although we are on different cruises. It has been informative, as well as a great experience and I am sure we will both report back on our experiences. Early on in another thread, I found someone that was on my cruise (leaving 4/21/06) on my same ship (River Baroness). If she is following....would love to hear from her and see if we can meet up!!:)

I will keep in touch....have been reading all my tour books and trying to gain knowledge so I don't seem totally a tourist!

Karl keep the emails coming!!

Carolyn

Pray for warmer weather!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carolyn

Driving home last night I realized I had some info that you guys may find helpful. I've haven't done Uniworld before but this is how it was on my 2 Viking River cruises.

Dress code: Very casual. I wear jeans/sweats during the day and for dinner business casual. I took 1 cocktail dress and it was more dressy than need be. They do have the captain's night and people dress a little nicer for that but no suit is required. Some people even worn jeans and tennis shoes to dinner (I don't, just personal preference - I'd rather wear dress pants and a sweater to dinner).

Liquor: They had a fully stacked bar on both ships. I'm not a big drinker and didn't order any mixed drinks but it seemed to be pretty extensive and reasonably priced. I recall (don't hold me to this) that a 1/2 carafe of the house wine ran about 5 euros.

We bought wine locally and brought it aboard almost everyday. The cruise line did not seem to have a problem with this and after the 2nd time we stopped "smuggling" it on board in the back pack. They do however have a $10 corkage fee they are "supposed" to charge for opening any bottles. The 1st cruise I was able to blink eyelashes at the bartender and wasn't charged. The 2nd cruise we took our own corkscrew and that was great. We would fill up before the talk in the lounge then refill on the way past our room going to the dining room. The plus of a small ship!

Luggage day of arrival: They let you store your luggage in the lounge until your cabin is available later in the day. They usually have a light lunch set out for a few hours, sandwiches and drinks, which is a nice perk. Same for last day - they will hold luggage for a few hours.

BTW, dress warmly. A lot of tours are outside walking and it's colder on the River than you would expect. I hope this helps some of you.

Driving home last night I realized I had some info that you guys may find helpful. I've haven't done Uniworld before but this is how it was on my 2 Viking River cruises.

 

Nice review. Short and to the point.

Tvl Queen.............Thank you sooo much!

Good concise information. Particularily good regarding the lounge and the wine info along with the dress code. I think that has been worrisome for a lot of peopleincluding me. Do they have an ice machine on board these ships in case you want to keep something cold? (Like wine!) Is it like a regular large cruise ship where the room steward fills it everyday? ;)

Have a wonderful, safe trip. Please remember to give us a quick review when you return.

Lanier Cruiser

Carolyn

Driving home last night I realized I had some info that you guys may find helpful.

Really appreciate your comments, especially the clue to dress warmly. We leave for our Uniworld cruise a week from tomorrow. We're a bit sad the Amsterdam extended forecast for this coming week is still rain every day and highs only in the upper 40s and low 50s, but hoping the tulips don't notice and choose to surprise us nine days from now. Or, hope upon hope, the cold and rains get it out of their systems now so we have more nice days than rainy days while we're there. Cheers! :)

...Karl

Karl,

Hope you and your companion have a wonderful trip....the weather is not what we expected when we booking this, but it is an adventure! We'll have a great time no matter what!! Today was over 80 in Atlanta...can't hardly think of going back to 50's in the Netherlands. I would gladly do it for the sight of the tulips ...if they peek their heads out of the ground. :)

Have a safe and fun filled trip....looks like you might get some sunshine next week. Can't wait to compare trips.

Carolyn

Hope you and your companion have a wonderful trip

Carolyn,

Hope you and your husband have a terrific trip, too.

My wife's been packed for a week now, and I've thrown (too much) stuff into my suitcase, so I have to start the traditional paring-down sometime today. I think I'll be pulling the short-sleeve shirts out of the suitcase for sure. Today's extended forecast for Amsterdam has some breaks in the rain/showers for Tuesday/Wednesday next week, but then it's right back to "showers" every day and temps around 50. I don't mind the temps, but I could do without walking in showers every day. :(

We know we're going to have fun regardless of the weather, from the first time the plane's wheels pull up leaving Washington Dulles.

Again, hope you and your husband have a safe enjoyable trip! :)

...Karl

We just returned last evening. We had a wonderful time on our first river cruise... along with it also being our first cruise with Uniworld. Needless to say, our internal clocks are still running six hours ahead of local time here in northern VA, so my random thoughts might be a bit more scattered than usual. ;)

Ship, crew, itinerary and daily stops, food, local guides, bus excursions/transfers,... all terrific. Exceeded our expectations. No complaints at all.

Fellow cruisers seemed to be in the age range of mid-50s to mid-70s and weighted towards the older ages, with one very nice woman who was 88 and traveling with her adult daughter. Most had cruised/traveled extensively, some with Uniworld on extended itineraries, so there were always great adventures to talk about at meals.

Weather was, in a word, "changeable". The mornings it was clear, it was overcast and threatening rain in the afternoon. The mornings it was overcast and threatening rain, it was sunny and beautiful by mid-day. Temps hovered around low 40s overnight, in mid-to-upper-60s during the day. Definitely adviseable to pack with layers, because days started off chilly, got warm mid-day, then got breezy again in the late afternoon.

Couldn't report during the cruise because the ship's 'net access had been down for weeks, and the story they were telling was they had to wait for someone from "home office" IT group to meet up with the ship to attempt a fix. We asked them to mark a local map each day for possible public access points. Until almost the end of the cruise, though, the land-based access points were either temporarily offline for repairs, or the hours the places were open didn't correspond to our free times to get to them. I had my Palm Pilot along with us, hoping to snag onto somebody's wireless access point near our dockings, but in the few places where I could pick-up a wireless signal, they had properly secured their nets so I couldn't send/receive. Not a big deal, but still something you may want to plan for before you sail.

My favorite staff member was our cruise manager/director, Heiner. Unlike any of our prior eleven cruises' managers/directors (who were more like sing-song-y American TV game show hosts or Miss America wanna-be's), Heiner was a knowledgeable, personable host. He kept us on-track, on-schedule, but he also accompanied us on most walking tours, absorbing additional/new historical and local culture from the local guide(s), just like we were. He even had to fill-in for a local guide one day (because the guide had a last-minute family emergency), and he did a wonderful job. Perhaps this cruise manager/director personality difference was indicative of the hiring practices required for only 110 passengers on a smaller craft, but it was a unique experience. Heiner truly was a joy. Everyone looked forward to his entertaining pre-supper "Blah-blah" sessions in the lounge, where he'd review our current day's adventures, and preview our next day's schedules. My wife and I agree we'd love to cross paths with him again, either on a cruise or somewhere land-based.

Because Amsterdam, in particular, and The Netherlands, in general, have had a long cold winter, the tulips were almost a month behind schedule. In the major gardens, the daffodils and hibiscus (sp?) were in spectacular full display, and a small percentage of the very-early-blooming tulips were just starting to bloom. Fortunately, there were indoor exhibition halls where all of the hundreds of varieties of live blooming tulips were displayed, so we did get a chance to enjoy everything. I'm guessing the tulips in the fields will be in full bloom next week.

Okay. I'm sure I'll come back later to edit/add/correct this post, but for now, just wanted to check in. Cheers! :)

...Karl

Karl,

Thank you for your favorable impressions of your cruise on the River Duchess. We will be going aboard in early June for a Vienna- Amsterdam cruise. Here's hoping Heiner will still be on board! Also glad to hear the good report on the food and service. We have been on one river cruise about six years ago, but this will be our first with Uniworld.

I am curious about one thing - with 110 passengers going on tour I hope that everyone would be split up into smaller groups. Could you comment on how that worked?

The bootom line appears to be that you had a great adventure, and we are certainly looking forward to ours.

I am curious about one thing - with 110 passengers going on tour I hope that everyone would be split up into smaller groups. Could you comment on how that worked?

Hi,

In most places, it meant three buses of 30-35 apiece, since not everybody chose to attend the included excursions. Each bus had its own local guide on board. Once off the bus, depending on the location, there would've been more local guides once we arrived, so there'd be maybe 25-30 in each. We never felt like we couldn't keep up with the group or were too far away from the guide to hear what was going on.

Hope that answer helps. Cheers! :)

...Karl

We will be going aboard in early June for a Vienna- Amsterdam cruise.

Just realized you're scheduled for the itinerary we REALLY want to book for 2007 as soon as Uniworld starts accepting deposits.

Please, please, please... report back on the forum when you return.

Have a terrific cruise!!

...Karl