“My Rolling On The Rhine Experience”
I have a confession to make, At first I was skeptical at the sound of a river cruise in Europe even if it was a U by Uniworld one. I felt like it would be monotonous, quite boring, restricting and what could actually be better than being on land??
Turns out I couldn’t be more wrong.
As far to say, I am already looking at booking my next river cruise.
“U By Uniworld – Sightsee around Europe without ever leaving your bedroom.”
Enter U by Uniworld (now first off, before my Australian readers tune out) – this has absolutely no relationship with a university. Uniworld (the mother brand) represents “one world” or “Universal”. Much to my original dismissal, thinking that this would be just another budget, young person cruise aka – piss up, which didn’t interest me in the slightest.
In fact, I honestly have never had a more enjoyable experience of sight seeing. It’s a great way to see lots of different locations with all of the hard work already done for you. (Think of the amount of time we spend checking in to hotels, checking out, packing, unpacking, and packing up again, lugging everything to the next destination just to unpack everything again). It gets pretty tiring especially for Aussies who do the big European summer trips with lots of baggage.
Being able to wake up in a new town, a new part of the world, from the same room after a good night sleep and ready for another day of adventure & sight seeing to me is a no brainer.
My trip started from Frankfurt and made her way down to Amsterdam. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do the Amsterdam leg of the trip. I had to get off on our last port in Germany due to other work commitments which was a massive shame! it looked like I missed out on a lot from what I saw from other girls’ Instastories 🙁
The Room
I was pleasantly surprised with the room situation. The photos on the website make the rooms look pokey and small! However, when we boarded, my presumptive manor got the better of me. My room was albeit cosy, but with everything you need for a 7+ day stay. With clever fixtures such as under bed luggage storage, side board cupboards and a large wardrobe. The bathroom yes was small, but having mirrors on every angle, you kind of didn’t really mind!
Tip: opt for the balcony room as the view from your bedroom with the windows open is unmissable!
Tip: As I was travelling solo (when it came to the room situation) this time round, my room was just perfect for me. However, if I was travelling with my partner, I would have definitely booked the suite, it was exceptionally large and did not feel like you were indeed on a ship!
Food & Beverage
In true millennial style, the dining arrangement was somewhat communal, with power outlets everywhere you turn (so no phone dying mid meal).
The morning buffet was my favourite, with a vast range of healthy eats (along with your not so healthy, for those wanting to indulge). It was a bit of a funny sight seeing the chefs load on trays upon trays worth of potatoes and fresh product in an almost military style long line to get from the side of the ship, down into the kitchen! Team work at its best.
Not to mention, the service of food was really good + all of the herbs were from their very own herb garden!
Pool, Gym & Washing
Again, I was honestly surprised walking into the gym at 3.30am (thanks to jetlag), for a ship the gym was extremely spacious. It might get a little crowded if you had more than 4 people in there, although I have been in smaller gyms located in big hotels!
No pool to speak of but if you felt it was absolutely necessary there is a whole river to jump in. Although I’d advise against this.
The ship has its’ own coin laundromat which is very convenient.
Pros:
- The bed (seriously so good!)
- The concept – as I have mentioned, a luxury river cruise stopping at multiple locations is genius and something I had never really thought about!
- The food – again, I was worried that the food on a ship would be average. I was mistaken.
Cons:
- Being a foodie, and always wanting/needing food. I found that the meal time in between breakfast and dinner was quite large. As I am a early riser, having to wait until breakfast at 9am (being the first in the door) then waiting until 8pm was a little long for me. Although there are quite a few options for those that want to eat as snacks (however, not too many GF & DF options were available)
Overall:
Let’s just say for my next European adventure, I am already looking at another U By Uniworld river cruise with my partner! It’s perfect for solo travelers, couples or groups of friends and for most Aussies travelling overseas it’s a great way to break up those longer European summer holidays by just being able to keep all your belongings in the one place, while not being in one place.
U by Uniworld
River Cruise
1300 730 010
www.ubyuniworld.com
