Uniworld - Enchanting Danube

[Nebraska Novice]

I am looking for advice and feedback about the Uniworld - Enchanting Danube - River Beatrice.

• Best Time to Travel
  
• Recommended Cabin Categories
  
• Favorite Ports
  
• Value of Pre/Post Excursions (Prague)
  
• Refugee Concerns
  
• Best Time to Book Travels
  

[beesKate]

We did this 2 years ago. I do have a review in the reviews section too.

 

• Best Time to Travel - We left around Columbus Day. It was cool (actually snow on the ground in Munich when we landed) but we had great weather for most of the trip. We heard the Uniworld ship a day or two behind us had rain following them the entire way. A little earlier you may have warmer temps. I saw some picture from shortly after we went and the autumn color in the Wachau Valley looked more intense.
  
• Recommended Cabin Categories - We like category 3. But you need to book almost as soon as they release the date. On the Beatrice I think we were in 304. We never had noise issues due to proximity to dining room, but it was easy to pop up & down the stairs. Category 3 is a bit less expensive, but the exact same size as Category 2.
  
• Favorite Ports - There is not a bad port. We really enjoyed the trip to Salzburg... it was my day of many pastries. It really depends what you like. Vienna is very much a big city, but we loved taking the metro out to Schonbrun Palace and walking the grounds. Budapest was also amazing -- and I would like to go back to see some of the things we didn't have time for.
  
• Value of Pre/Post Excursions (Prague) - We've never done the official pre-post excursion. The 36 hours we spent in Prague were amazing though. It depends how comfortable you'd be traveling on your own. The pricing places a premium on having Uniworld facilitate certain things, but Prague is very easy to get around on your own.
  
• Refugee Concerns - If you haven't booked yet, there's no way to know what will happen by next year. I wouldn't let this be a deciding factor.
  
• Best Time to Book Travels - We normally book as early as possible to get the rare category 3 cabin. However, they tend to have better deals in shoulder seasons.
  

[twinkletoes4445]

We took this trip on Uniworld in 2012.

 

I am not sure what the best time to travel is, but we went traveled at the end of August through the beginning of September. The weather was warm, with a little bit of rain, but most days were nice and sunny and not too hot.

 

We booked a suite and enjoyed it. We liked the extra room. You will not be in your cabin too much, so I wouldn't hesitate to book a lower cabin. We thought the River Beatrice was lovely.

 

The ports were all wonderful. We did the pre-stay through Uniworld in Prague. Our favorites were Prague, Passau, and Salzburg, although all were wonderful. We did the optional Slovakia tour, although I am not sure it's optional any longer. Our cruise was prior to Uniworld's switch to all-inclusive. We hope one day to repeat this cruise because it was so enjoyable.

 

We were very satisfied with the pre-cruise stay in Prague. We knew we could do it on our own for less money, but we are the types that want to be met at the airport and not think about a thing until we are dropped off at the end of the cruise. Our hotel was the Art Deco Imperial Hotel. The hotel was lovely. The staff was wonderful. The bed was so comfy. There is a Uniworld rep at the hotel. She was awesome. She arranged for us to have a private guide for our one free day. Prague is really a beautiful city. So much to see and do.

 

I don't know what will happen concerning the refugee situation, but it wouldn't stop me from booking this cruise. We're going next year to France and cruising Uniworld.

 

I'd book as far in advance as you are able to do if you want a specific cabin. They do seem to sell out far in advance.

 

Our concierge, Tania, arranged for us to have a private guide in Vienna, Salzburg (I wanted to see all the Sound of Music locations - and we saw all of them!), and Budapest. There is nothing wrong with the group tours they offered, but I had a knee issue and we wanted to be able to get a little closer to the sites without walking as much. For our upcoming cruise, we're going to do the Uniworld excursions.

 

Tania was so helpful! Make sure and talk with the concierge and he/she will make whatever you want to happen, happen. Uniworld is an amazing cruise line. They know the meaning of customer service. We loved every moment of our cruise and are thrilled that we have another cruise coming up next year. I am already looking at the Amsterdam cruises!

 

If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you. :)

 

Have fun!!

[jpalbny]

We're going on this cruise in April. I will eventually get around to starting a general roll call for all 2016 sailings, unless someone else has already done so. We are in a suite. This will be our third Uniworld cruise.

 

Agree that they have better deals early and late in the season, but the weather is a bigger gamble. They also seem to have availability for these sailings, even a few months from departure. We'll see how it goes!

[dusty1117]

Thanks for the feedback. We are booked on May 22 cruise. This will be our first river cruise. We got category 3 and it's been sold out for a while. Doing Pre Budapest on our own and Prague with group. Couldn't convince husband to do this on own since we had to arrange our own transportation from Passau. So far 90 have signed up. You should start a roll call. Uniworlds websites haven't been the best for finding out who will be on trip and reviews of this particular cruise. Using cruise critic and other sites have been great for info.