For those who have sailed Uniworld multiple times

[papa B me]

We leave next week for our 3rd Uniworld cruise. I'm contemplating booking my 4th while on board. Has anyone ever booked while on board? Was there any additional savings over and above early booking and heritage member discounts?

 

Thanks

[Babcia7]

We have booked the last couple of cruises with Uniworld in the fall, when some of their cruises are offered to past customers at a discount of almost 50%, better than any offer we've seen while onboard. Those offers in the fall are for select cruises (dates and itineraries). Don't know if they'll continue those deals.

[amd1234]

We are taking our third Uniworld cruise in August. We had no plans to take another cruise this year but a wonderful deal on a travel site last year was irresistible. My TA was able to book deal for us. We also received a great air fare from Uniworld. Bottom line there are better deals then booking on ship. This cruise is 13 days and almost half price but just two dates to choose from...So just wait Uniworld is always having a promotion..

[jpalbny]

Yes, it's a few hundred dollars extra off depending on the length of the cruise, perhaps.

 

When we booked out 2016 cruise on board our 2015 cruise, it was $100 per person additional savings for booking on board. That was on top of an early booking discount, an additional (double) early booking discount, and the river heritage discount. So in all, four discounts. And since they were fixed $$ discounts, they were applied at full value. Sometimes they are % discounts so they lose value when applied sequentially.

 

We did not book another cruise on our most recent 2016 and 2017 cruises, so I don't have more recent information. I hope that you book one, and let us know! ;) Have a great time!

[beesKate]

We had the same experience at JP. You don't really "book" the cruise, you just fill out something that says you're going to take it. It's pretty open -- no money until they actually have a schedule out when you can really book, but it goes in your customer record so they take the $ off when you do actually book. I think you get a confirmation or something.

 

I don't remember anything being said about that benefit on our last cruise. It may have been somewhere in the papers they give you, but no one mentioned or encouraged it all during the port talks. It's like you need to know the benefit exists to ask about it.

[djett]

While on the Windmills & Tulips cruise in May (our second Uniworld cruise), it was announced that anyone booking a future cruise while on the ship would receive a 20% discount. This included River Heritage and early booking discounts. We went ahead and booked our next cruise for January. The cruise director called Uniworld from the ship and I gave my credit card information to confirm the booking. When we arrived home, my travel agent had already received the information from Uniworld. Several weeks later we got a promotional mailing from Uniworld offering a 30% discount on Asia and Egypt cruises. Our travel agent called Uniworld and our discount went from 20 to 30% and they refunded over $1000 to us.

[ewizabeff]

Similar to djett's experience, I was told a few years ago that one of the benefits of booking on board is that you would be given any additional discounts that are offered for your particular cruise after the date you book. We booked our Vietnam/Cambodia trip while onboard our Danube trip in 2014 and didn't have to pay for 30 days...but it sounds like the procedure has changed since then.

[papa B me]

Thanks for all the good feedback. I'll give an update on what I find out when on board the end of next week.

[Gourmet Gal]

Wow, sounds like very generous discounts compared to other luxury companies!

[Ritabob]

We have been on 8 cruises with Uniworld and can only remember once hearing someone promote booking the next cruise before leaving that one. No aggressive hard sell at all.

That being said, there is paperwork in the cabin as well as the brochure for next year's cruises.

 

I usually deal directly with Uniworld and they have matched the advertised price of a discount TA. We have been lucky with a half price deal and then gambling on a free cabin class upgrade on top (successfully). Plus the heritage club discount. And sometimes their air fare is a better deal and sometimes I can do better. Research, research, research.

RB