UNIWORLD for Christmas Markets - 3 Ships and Itineraries Pros and Cons!

[Epicureangirl]

Hello everyone,

I usually do Ocean cruises and am ready to try river cruising. I 'think' I have narrowed it down to Uniworld, and am looking at 3 different ships and itineraries.

 

Can anyone with experience on these ships let me know if one is better suited to a winter cruise then another, or if one offers additional food options/venues. I believe one of them has solariums on the top deck that could be used in winter for instance.

 

Itineraries and Ships we are considering are:

 

• Rhine holiday markets on S.S. Antoinette (Basel to Cologne)
  
• European holiday markets on S.S. Beatrice (Vienna to Nuremberg)
  
• Danube holiday markets on S.S. Maria Theresa (Budapest to Passau)
  

 

My husband and I are in our mid 40's, and are interior design and food focused -- some of the interior embellishments look a little over-the-top for us, but ultimately very comfortable and well appointed. The beds sound great, and I am hoping Uniworld offers a step-above (Viking, Ama etc) in terms of food quality. Honestly I am finding my river cruising research a little harder to accomplish than with ocean cruising. Any observations or suggestions are welcomed.

 

Thanks!

[English Voyager]

Personally, I consider a river cruise to be destination focussed, and, as such, would give priority to the itinerary.

 

Which of the three you have listed do you consider the most appealing?

[acwmom]

Hello everyone,

I usually do Ocean cruises and am ready to try river cruising. I 'think' I have narrowed it down to Uniworld, and am looking at 3 different ships and itineraries.

 

Can anyone with experience on these ships let me know if one is better suited to a winter cruise then another, or if one offers additional food options/venues. I believe one of them has solariums on the top deck that could be used in winter for instance.

 

Itineraries and Ships we are considering are:

 

• Rhine holiday markets on S.S. Antoinette (Basel to Cologne)
  
• European holiday markets on S.S. Beatrice (Vienna to Nuremberg)
  
• Danube holiday markets on S.S. Maria Theresa (Budapest to Passau)
  

My husband and I are in our mid 40's, and are interior design and food focused -- some of the interior embellishments look a little over-the-top for us, but ultimately very comfortable and well appointed. The beds sound great, and I am hoping Uniworld offers a step-above (Viking, Ama etc) in terms of food quality. Honestly I am finding my river cruising research a little harder to accomplish than with ocean cruising. Any observations or suggestions are welcomed.

 

Thanks!

 

All three ships are going to be similar. I doubt you'll be outside too much. I would rule out Budapest to Passau as you will miss some of the more famous Christmas markets that the extended trip to Nuremberg will offer.

 

 

The decor is a shock, but one we adjusted to within about 10 minutes. The beds are incredible. I've heard that Ama's food is superior, but haven't experienced it first-hand.

 

 

I would go with the Beatrice. On the Rhine, you won't be able to walk off into town in some of the towns, and some of the scenery along the way is a little more industrial.

 

 

Robin

[Epicureangirl]

Personally, I consider a river cruise to be destination focussed, and, as such, would give priority to the itinerary.

 

Which of the three you have listed do you consider the most appealing?

 

This is true, for my other cruises I choose the itinerary first. I guess I think of it being dark and cold, and these destinations all seem more appealing to explore in good weather. Austria is somewhere I haven't been yet, so that would push the Beatrice and Maria Theresa to the top of my list -- both have 3 Austrian stops.

 

I haven't really done my homework yet on each port, I do like the idea of walking off the ship and being there, instead of involving lots of additional transportation (such as with Ocean cruising).

 

Thanks for the reminder of concentrating on the itinerary!

[mozfoz]

We did the Danube Christmas Markets on the MT in December. Yes, the decor is over the top, but it was fun for a week. we liked it. Nice ports, markets and tours. Food was good but not great. Or maybe its was just the lack of variety that was my issue. Could be I was expecting too much. While we enjoyed ourselves, we have chosen Crystal for our next Christmas cruise, this time on the Rhine. Newer ship and bigger cabins, at the same cost. Plus, a refundable deposit up to 90 days.

[Epicureangirl]

While we enjoyed ourselves, we have chosen Crystal for our next Christmas cruise, this time on the Rhine. Newer ship and bigger cabins, at the same cost. Plus, a refundable deposit up to 90 days.

 

 

 

I hadn’t even looked at Crystal, I assumed it would have been even more. Sad to hear the food was disappointing, was that in relation to other river cruises you’ve been on? Or compared to ocean cruises?

 

 

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