Windy56 Eats Crow - Get Your Tickets Here

[Windy56]

Earlier in the year I posted, what I thought was a balanced review of our Christmas Rhine river cruise aboard Uniworld's River Queen. There were many positive points including praise for the lovely design of the ship as well as the entertainment offered in the evenings. However, we did encounter some issues regarding service. The thread had many responses by posters who encouraged us to contact Uniworld about our negative experiences during the cruise. We fully intended to do so and sent a letter, followed by an email after a Uniworld representative posted a response, on Cruise Critic, informing us that the company had not received our letter.

 

I should add that I was a frequent poster on the Egypt - Uniworld Response thread, several weeks ago. I was critical of Uniworld's slow response to the escalating violence and their refusal to grant refunds for any future cruises to Egypt. My position on this is unchanged and I am critical of any cruise line that holds their passengers to their contract regarding travel to Egypt on any future cruises.

 

On one position, I was very wrong, however. I expressed a great deal of skepticism that Uniworld would provide a satisfactory response to our concerns in the email we sent regarding our cruise with them over Christmas. In fact, we received a prompt and lengthy reply acknowledging all of our concerns as very legitimate. The letter was a very well written and thoughtful response. The representative thanked us for coming forward and informed us that the letter would be used in the training session for Uniworld crew members in the next few months. We were offered a fair and reasonable cash refund for our cabin upgrade, coverage for our taxi fare in Basel, as well as a cruise credit voucher which was extended to any itinerary in the next three years.

 

The cheque and voucher were a most welcome form of compensation and the sentiments expressed in Uniworld's written response went a long way in restoring our confidence in this company. We were grateful and relieved that a company would recognize that standards of service were not met on this particular cruise and will be taking measures to prevent future cruisers from experiencing what we had to go through. I wanted to draw attention to this matter, on this forum, to present a completely honest version of the whole story from the unhappy start to the happy ending.

[GraNanny]

I followed your thread closely because I'm scheduled to sail on Uniworld in May. I'm so glad to hear that that responded to your concerns in a way that was satisfactory to your expectations!

[genmasjoy]

Windy, Thank you for coming back and reporting on the response from Uniworld. I am glad your complaint was resolved to your satisfaction. We are booked on Uniworld in April and I had followed your thread with interest.

[Windy56]

Well, fair is fair, right? I strive to be honest and in this case it would be a grave injustice to not report back about this company's response, given how critical I had been of them on this board.

 

To the previous posters, I wish you both a wonderful time on your upcoming cruise!

[franski]

Windy56 -

 

I am pleased that you received a response from Uniworld that addressed your concerns. I am also pleased to hear that they will use this as an opportunity to review their customer service practices - so that another customer will not experience the same disappointments that you did.

 

I have sailed twice with Uniworld - and have had a very pleasant experience both times - so it was disappointing to hear that the service was not consistent. You say "fair is fair" in relation to this thread... however, I don't believe that everyone would be so willing to post after the fact. Thanks for posting the update.

 

Fran

[Windy56]

Windy56 -

 

I am pleased that you received a response from Uniworld that addressed your concerns. I am also pleased to hear that they will use this as an opportunity to review their customer service practices - so that another customer will not experience the same disappointments that you did.

 

I have sailed twice with Uniworld - and have had a very pleasant experience both times - so it was disappointing to hear that the service was not consistent. You say "fair is fair" in relation to this thread... however, I don't believe that everyone would be so willing to post after the fact. Thanks for posting the update.

 

Fran

 

You're welcome, Franski. Thanks for your feedback and best wishes on your upcoming vacation. You must be starting to get really excited!

[franski]

Windy56 - we are getting quite excited... Have received our documents from Scenic - just waiting for our plane tickets (bought independently - so we could fly direct).

 

Have lots of stuff happening here unrelated to travel. Have bought a new house - and trying to sort through 25+ years of "stuff" and memories so we can get ours on the market. Hoping that it sells *before* we leave for Amsterdam - as it will be a nightmare to try and do a real estate deal from another continent.

 

Not the best timing, but we will be in our new house before our trip to NZ in June --> so it will be easier for my Mom as she will be coming to stay while we are gone.