First review of Uniworld's SS Maria Theresa

[hiccups]

That is some seriously ugly decor. :eek:

 

I thought it was interesting the blog posted said that the décor is not as garish as one might think from the pictures... that in person it's not quite so overwhelming. I'm curious to see if I feel the same way once we're onboard River Queen in August. Although to be fair, from the pictures I've seen River Queen seems a bit more sedate.

 

I didn't find the cabin décor to be ugly, however; ornate, but not ugly. Not how I'd decorate my home, but I don't have a problem with it.

Edited May 15, 2015 by hiccups

[djett]

My wife and I are first-time river cruisers currently on the Maria Theresa sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam. Everything so far has been excellent. The ship, the staff, the food, the service. I hope to post a more extensive review when we return home. We're in stateroom 303 and we do have three drawers in the closet, two drawers in each nightstand and two drawers in the bathroom. I was talking with another passenger is in a less expensive stateroom and he has less drawer space which he finds is a drawback. So far the internet access has been excellent.

[KathyK13]

The decor on their boats is definitely not appealing to me either. It is overpowering.

 

Decor is just one element of course and we are hoping the overall experience makes up for it.

I also found it overpowering when we first started looking at the various river cruise companies. One of the photos in the brochure we received showed a room with bright red and white furnishings, definitely not restful! But decor is a very personal thing and I understand that many people love it. I wouldn't let the décor deter me if there was a cruise that perfectly matched our interests and schedules. As you say, it's only one aspect of the cruise. I hope you enjoy your first Uniworld cruise and post a review afterward! :)

[Gogie]

My wife and I are first-time river cruisers currently on the Maria Theresa sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam. Everything so far has been excellent. The ship, the staff, the food, the service. I hope to post a more extensive review when we return home. We're in stateroom 303 and we do have three drawers in the closet, two drawers in each nightstand and two drawers in the bathroom. I was talking with another passenger is in a less expensive stateroom and he has less drawer space which he finds is a drawback. So far the internet access has been excellent.

 

I'll be very interested in reading your TR. My wife and I will be on the SS Maria Theresa in August doing the reverse of your cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest). We're staying in a category 2 stateroom (310) so it is probably very similar to yours. Any comments you have on the room (especially the functionality of the "balcony") and the various ports (hints, tips, etc. on various ports and excursions) would be much appreciated.

 

Hope you are enjoying your cruise.

 

Cheers,

Gogie

[Peek-a-boo]

This thread is getting ridiculous. So now half the passengers on the ship are fumbling in the dark and the other half are trying to sleep all night with the lights on because nobody can figure out the light switch! :D

 

I don't know what category room this, but here is a video tour -

 

 

(I sure wish this woman was on this thread, she evidently knows how stuff works.)

Thanks for sharing this video tour! Just booked Maria Theresa June 14 2015 - Budapest to Amsterdam...can't wait!!

[hurwitz5]

We are going in our first river cruise on Viking in July. We have a veranda, category A cabin. My husband and I have sailed on 30+ cruises (Cunard, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL). Our favorite cruiseline is Celebrity. On a 14 night Celebrity Caribbean sailing, we had booked an inside cabin. We have booked many inside cabins and they were fine (all on high floors - not below the water line, as on river cruises). On this particular cruise, the location of the inside cabin wasn't great. It was near a service area, which was somewhat noisy. I spoke with the manager at the front desk about our problem with the cabin. We were moved (with no additional charge) to a balcony cabin, midship. The manager told us that the cabin was available because the original occupants of the cabin had to cancel at the last minute. We felt that Celebrity handled our problem, which was not major, in a great way. The cabin we were moved to probably cost twice what we had paid. This is what a cruise line should do - have happy passengers.

[papa B me]

I've hesitated since the beginning of this thread to post what I'm about to post but I really do want some perspective on my thoughts and why I may be totally off base.

 

By all accounts most people in my life find me to be a very generous person so my feeling towards this subject make me feel anything but generous but I can't get these thoughts out of my head. For a bit of background I'm 51 years old and own my own business. I work 50-60 hours a week. We've been empty nesters for two years and am putting the last of our 4 children through college(with one all the way through law school). So needless to say money isn't unlimited when it comes to travel. However, when we started our empty nest traveling about two years ago I decided that we would travel first class with business air and suites. I began researching River Cruises and settled on Uniworld for our first river cruise. I scoured reviews and brochures and booked well over a year in advance in order to get a suite. I've done the same thing for the two River Cruises I have booked for this December and September 2016. For a one week cruise the Suite is $2000+ per person more then the least expensive room. I knowingly forfeit last minute deals in order to get the suite I want. I actually look at the deck layouts and request a specific room in the hopes to avoid any dissatisfaction with location.

 

With all that said, it really mystifies me the large number of people who believe that the cruise line should provide a higher grade cabin if someone is dissatisfied with the cabin they have chosen and if they don't it is a reflection of poor service. I actually feel it is a disservice to those of us who pay for the higher cabins for that to happen. I do believe there is a difference if there is a same tiered cabin available to move you to or if it is a last minute buy up where the cruise line can make additional money for an upsell. That is the price I'm willing to pay to choose my cabin in advance. But to just upgrade because someone doesn't like the cabin they choses seems somewhat unfair to those who have paid the price.

 

I believe there is also a difference for rewarding returning guests. Uniworld's policy is to upgrade returning guests one cabin level(other then suites) if an upgrade is available.

 

I do understand that the OP is in a slightly different situation in that the Maria Theresa had no review to know in advance about the drawer situation. However by his own review on CC he felt the food, service, and excursions were wonderful. His dissatisfaction was with the decor and the drawer situation. So still not sure it warrants a cabin that was not paid for.

 

Again, I have really hesitated in voicing this opinion and I may be the only one that feels that way. So if I'm wrong in my thinking I will take the feedback to my comments and try to change my mind if I'm wrong or at least get over the guilt of how I feel if I decide I'm right.

[MaxBuck]

I've hesitated since the beginning of this thread to post what I'm about to post but I really do want some perspective on my thoughts and why I may be totally off base.

 

By all accounts most people in my life find me to be a very generous person so my feeling towards this subject make me feel anything but generous but I can't get these thoughts out of my head. For a bit of background I'm 51 years old and own my own business. I work 50-60 hours a week. We've been empty nesters for two years and am putting the last of our 4 children through college(with one all the way through law school). So needless to say money isn't unlimited when it comes to travel. However, when we started our empty nest traveling about two years ago I decided that we would travel first class with business air and suites. I began researching River Cruises and settled on Uniworld for our first river cruise. I scoured reviews and brochures and booked well over a year in advance in order to get a suite. I've done the same thing for the two River Cruises I have booked for this December and September 2016. For a one week cruise the Suite is $2000+ per person more then the least expensive room. I knowingly forfeit last minute deals in order to get the suite I want. I actually look at the deck layouts and request a specific room in the hopes to avoid any dissatisfaction with location.

 

With all that said, it really mystifies me the large number of people who believe that the cruise line should provide a higher grade cabin if someone is dissatisfied with the cabin they have chosen and if they don't it is a reflection of poor service. I actually feel it is a disservice to those of us who pay for the higher cabins for that to happen. I do believe there is a difference if there is a same tiered cabin available to move you to or if it is a last minute buy up where the cruise line can make additional money for an upsell. That is the price I'm willing to pay to choose my cabin in advance. But to just upgrade because someone doesn't like the cabin they choses seems somewhat unfair to those who have paid the price.

 

I believe there is also a difference for rewarding returning guests. Uniworld's policy is to upgrade returning guests one cabin level(other then suites) if an upgrade is available.

 

I do understand that the OP is in a slightly different situation in that the Maria Theresa had no review to know in advance about the drawer situation. However by his own review on CC he felt the food, service, and excursions were wonderful. His dissatisfaction was with the decor and the drawer situation. So still not sure it warrants a cabin that was not paid for.

 

Again, I have really hesitated in voicing this opinion and I may be the only one that feels that way. So if I'm wrong in my thinking I will take the feedback to my comments and try to change my mind if I'm wrong or at least get over the guilt of how I feel if I decide I'm right.

 

For what it's worth, I agree entirely, though no one regards me as particularly generous. :cool:

[Got2Cruise]

We sail Aquarium Class. Aquarium Class cabins have the same amenities on Avalon as other cabins. When one books a cruise one should expect some basic features in the cabin. Having a place to unpack your suitcase and put away your clothes is one of them. Having to book a "Suite Class" cabin to have a basic need met doesn't seem reasonable. It's not about wanting something you didn't pay for. Any reasonable person would not believe that you need to pay extra for a set of drawers.

[Woodrowst]

I want to thank everyone for the thoughful responses to my original post. I have now posted a complete review of the Maria Theresa on the member review section of Criuise Critic.

 

Please know that while we will look to another line for our next river cruise (perhaps Tauk or AMA) we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and realize how privledged we were to be able to have such an experience.

 

David

[Host Jazzbeau]

papa B me -- Since I read a lot of posts on several ocean-cruising forums here on Cruise Critic, I am in full agreement with your sentiments as regards many "entitled" posters who expect upgrades and/or compensation for seemingly trivial lapses or things that minimal research would have alerted them to. This case, however, does seem different to me because the lapse on Uniworld's part is a major fail and OP had no way to find out about it in advance. Also, Uniworld isn't a budget line where you can say "you get what you pay for" -- they are known as one of the top luxury river cruise lines, so one would expect that even their cheapest cabins would be as nice as the cheapest cabins on the average boat (all of which are presumed to include drawers).

[CPT Trips]

I don't see how moving pax to another cabin in order to fix a problem devalues the experience of any other pax. It's no different than an airline upgrading me because I am willing to give up my seat to allow a family to sit together or a hotel coming me to their concierge floor.

 

We had a problem with our cabin, on the cheapest, on a recent cruise. It was not the type of problem one would anticipate unless you stayed in it (or a similar location) previously. I spoke to the hotel manager who offered me another cabin. Turns out it was an upgrade to a balcony, but I did not know that until we moved.

 

If there is a problem with a cabin and there are empties, the cruise line makes a move for you. If it's an upgrade, consider yourself fortunate and it really doesn't cost the cruise line. If it's a downgrade with no offer from the hotel manager, negotiation is appropriate.

[papa B me]

papa B me -- Since I read a lot of posts on several ocean-cruising forums here on Cruise Critic, I am in full agreement with your sentiments as regards many "entitled" posters who expect upgrades and/or compensation for seemingly trivial lapses or things that minimal research would have alerted them to. This case, however, does seem different to me because the lapse on Uniworld's part is a major fail and OP had no way to find out about it in advance. Also, Uniworld isn't a budget line where you can say "you get what you pay for" -- they are known as one of the top luxury river cruise lines, so one would expect that even their cheapest cabins would be as nice as the cheapest cabins on the average boat (all of which are presumed to include drawers).

 

Thank you for your response. I read a lot of posts on other ocean-cruising forums which may play into my response as well. I do believe the the OP's situation was different then those we are referring to on the Ocean forums. I am though one of those few posters on this thread who wouldn't have had quite the same response to this issue as the OP. We are all different though in how we view things. But thanks again for the reasonable response.

[Peek-a-boo]

My wife and I are first-time river cruisers currently on the Maria Theresa sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam. Everything so far has been excellent. The ship, the staff, the food, the service. I hope to post a more extensive review when we return home. We're in stateroom 303 and we do have three drawers in the closet, two drawers in each nightstand and two drawers in the bathroom. I was talking with another passenger is in a less expensive stateroom and he has less drawer space which he finds is a drawback. So far the internet access has been excellent.

So glad to see this post! Are you having a fabulous time? I cannot wait to read your review. I will be boarding on June 14 - same itinerary. I am in stateroom 318 which seems to be the same category as yours. Can you please tell me if you have American Plugs/outlets in your room? Is there any place to set up my laptop in the cabin? And, is the internet just as good in the room?

Thanks for all of your help! Enjoy!!

[papa B me]

Check out this gallery from USA TODAY:

 

Cruise ship tours: Uniworld's S.S. Maria Theresa

 

http://usat.ly/1M7eHYk

 

 

USA Today travel section on line has a nice photo layout of the Maria Theresa. I pasted the address above.

[eyeu]

We were in #314 last month on the Tulips and Windmills cruise. Found the internet access to be quite good in the room. The best quality was when we were near a large city. No sure if that is co-incidence or what.

Rick

[hiccups]

I don't see how moving pax to another cabin in order to fix a problem devalues the experience of any other pax. It's no different than an airline upgrading me because I am willing to give up my seat to allow a family to sit together or a hotel coming me to their concierge floor.

 

We had a problem with our cabin, on the cheapest, on a recent cruise. It was not the type of problem one would anticipate unless you stayed in it (or a similar location) previously. I spoke to the hotel manager who offered me another cabin. Turns out it was an upgrade to a balcony, but I did not know that until we moved.

 

If there is a problem with a cabin and there are empties, the cruise line makes a move for you. If it's an upgrade, consider yourself fortunate and it really doesn't cost the cruise line. If it's a downgrade with no offer from the hotel manager, negotiation is appropriate.

 

I don't see it the same as an airline upgrading you if you're willing to give up your seat--you're doing something to earn that upgrade.

 

I'm not sure where I stand on this case. I'm surprised they weren't upgraded if indeed there were available cabins, but OTOH, a cabin not having drawers is an inconvenience, not something major like loud engine noise. I'm not saying it wouldn't bother me, and I definitely would have appreciated being moved, but maybe this is a case where it was up to the hotel manager and they just didn't think the issue was big enough to warrant an upgrade.

[Peek-a-boo]

We were in #314 last month on the Tulips and Windmills cruise. Found the internet access to be quite good in the room. The best quality was when we were near a large city. No sure if that is co-incidence or what.

Rick

Were there US style plugs or do I have to bring an adapter? Thanks!

[papa B me]

According to Uniworld's brochure Maria Theresa has both 110(US) and 220(Europe). I was on the sister ship SS Antoinette last year and there were US plugs in both the bathroom and cabin. Some people take a power strip but we didn't find it necessary

[CPT Trips]

I don't see it the same as an airline upgrading you if you're willing to give up your seat--you're doing something to earn that upgrade.

 

I'm not sure where I stand on this case. I'm surprised they weren't upgraded if indeed there were available cabins, but OTOH, a cabin not having drawers is an inconvenience, not something major like loud engine noise. I'm not saying it wouldn't bother me, and I definitely would have appreciated being moved, but maybe this is a case where it was up to the hotel manager and they just didn't think the issue was big enough to warrant an upgrade.

 

OK, how about the airline seats me in a broken seat. One the will not remain in the "full upright" position. They move me to a functional seat resulting in an upgrade. How does that adversely affect someone that paid for the upgrade?

 

FWIW I was responding to a pp who posted -

I actually feel it is a disservice to those of us who pay for the higher cabins for that to happen. I do believe there is a difference if there is a same tiered cabin available to move you to or if it is a last minute buy up where the cruise line can make additional money for an upsell. That is the price I'm willing to pay to choose my cabin in advance. But to just upgrade because someone doesn't like the cabin they choses seems somewhat unfair to those who have paid the price.

I just don't see how moving someone devalues another cruiser's experience. Does one enjoy the new car, TV house etc. any less because another got a better price, more options etc.?

Edited June 8, 2015 by CPT Trips

[hiccups]

OK, how about the airline seats me in a broken seat. One the will not remain in the "full upright" position. They move me to a functional seat resulting in an upgrade. How does that adversely affect someone that paid for the upgrade?

 

FWIW I was responding to a pp who posted -

 

I just don't see how moving someone devalues another cruiser's experience. Does one enjoy the new car, TV house etc. any less because another got a better price, more options etc.?

 

Again, apples and oranges. I paid for a seat that is not functioning in the manner it is supposed to function. If there is another seat in my same category, that's where I would expect to be moved. If not, and the only seat is an upgrade (unlikely these days, from what I see when I travel), then I would expect to be put in that seat. I would hope that others in that category would understand why I was placed where I was. At least I know I would, and that's all I can go by.

 

Maybe you wouldn't enjoy your trip any less, but if I paid a couple thousand more for a cabin and found someone that paid for the lowest class was upgraded for a reason like no drawers in the cabin, yeah, I'd be a bit miffed. For me it would depend on the severity of the issue that necessitated the move.

[papa B me]

Again, apples and oranges. I paid for a seat that is not functioning in the manner it is supposed to function. If there is another seat in my same category, that's where I would expect to be moved. If not, and the only seat is an upgrade (unlikely these days, from what I see when I travel), then I would expect to be put in that seat. I would hope that others in that category would understand why I was placed where I was. At least I know I would, and that's all I can go by.

 

Maybe you wouldn't enjoy your trip any less, but if I paid a couple thousand more for a cabin and found someone that paid for the lowest class was upgraded for a reason like no drawers in the cabin, yeah, I'd be a bit miffed. For me it would depend on the severity of the issue that necessitated the move.

 

Since I'm the one that started this conversation I guess I should jump in one more time. I never said it devalued by trip and in all honesty there would be no way that I would ever know if someone had been upgraded from the least expensive cabin to a better cabin. So in no way does it affect my enjoyment of my trips. I'm just challenging the expectation of what should constitute an upgrade. But I did want to bring the other side of the discussion to this thread for those who are considering the Maria Theresa for a cruise. Thank you hiccups for understanding why I stated what I did.

 

I think a better analogy to the airplane situation is if I was in the least expensive seats and I demanded the flight attendant move me to a better class of seat because I'm unhappy with the leg room at my seat.

 

I do believe that many of us will have to agree to disagree on whether not finding drawers rises to the level of warranting consideration of an upgrade. Certainly if the bathroom didn't work, the air conditioning wasn't working, etc... in my opinion would be a different situation. However, it does appear there are closets in this least expensive cabin and I will admit I don't see this as severe since even in a suite last year I left one suitcase open and under the bed to pull out less used clothes as needed. I didn't consider it packing and unpacking. Just additional storage area.

 

As I said in my original post I do believe the OP's situation is slightly different in that it was one of the first cruises and no way to know in advance. There are only 5 cabins in this class so doesn't seem to be an issue in the other classes of cabins from what I can tell. I don't sail Maria Theresa until December but will try to catch a glance at this cabin and report back as to what I see. I know it is two closets instead of 3 and one of the closets does include the safe.

 

So I will end my side of the debate with this post.

[hiccups]

I do believe that many of us will have to agree to disagree on whether not finding drawers rises to the level of warranting consideration of an upgrade. Certainly if the bathroom didn't work, the air conditioning wasn't working, etc... in my opinion would be a different situation. However, it does appear there are closets in this least expensive cabin and I will admit I don't see this as severe since even in a suite last year I left one suitcase open and under the bed to pull out less used clothes as needed. I didn't consider it packing and unpacking. Just additional storage area.

 

Exactly... for me it would depend on the issue. It wouldn't lessen my enjoyment of the trip, but I'd certainly wonder why I spent the money I did if all it took to get a better cabin was to be unhappy with some aspect of the cabin I paid for, if it wasn't a problem that affected my comfort such as no A/C.

[Oceans&Rivers]

I am reading this while looking at the heavy silk drapes and embroidered wall coverings in our suite on the Uniworkd SS Catherine. Because it's a suite we have more drawers, shelves and hanging closet space than we need. Got a laugh out of your comments about the mirrors. We do have a lounge with a forward terrace with a few tables and chairs. We were double rafted for 3 days with a Viking ship and thought the decor we saw was rather refreshing. You can see from my signature that we are Uniworkd fans, but we don't travel with them for the decor.

 

Although I do think the decor is perhaps a little over the top on S.S. Maria Theresa (from pictures, not experience), the furniture looks significantly more comfortable than what I have seen on pictures of Viking.

 

The heavy draping actually serves a functional purpose: sound insulation.

 

If we book a river cruise, Uniworld is one of the lines we are considering. Friends of ours loved their Uniworld cruise from Basel to Amsterdam last year.

 

We would choose only deck 3 or 4.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Oceans&Rivers

[whatnot]

Just returned from the Antionette from Amsterdam to Basel. Did not think it was over the top. As a matter of fact I thought it was very tastefully done and in keeping with its name. Beautiful ship!

 

I agree with previous poster, I would definitely do deck 3 or 4 if i could get them. Deck 4 with the balcony with the glass that you hit a button to lower was Fabulous!

 

Papa Bear, I agree with you!