Our Grand France trip on Uniworld in August was 5-star. Both the River Baroness and River Royale exceeded our expectations.
The trip began in Paris, which was the least of our favorite due to the large number of tourists, pick-pocketers and an environment lacking authentic French culture. Paris today doesn’t compare to how we remembered it from our first visit 10 years ago.
The Baroness welcomed us with a lovely lunch, after which we were led to our 1st class cabin draped in fine fabric and offering a luxury bed, refurbished bathrooms, luxury bath robes and toiletries.
Our tour director ... for the entirety of the trip was Alexandra – she was very knowledgeable and well-organized, as well as willing to accommodate all of interests in local history.
The ship’s restaurant offered open-seating, allowing us to socialize with others and make friends right away. Of course there is the option of keeping to yourself, but this seems less fun. All of the waiters were very hard-working and provided attention to all of our needs.
We would like to thank Vasil and Violetta on the Baroness, as both made every meal so special for us. We would also like to thank Georgiev on River Royal, who served us wonderful meals with a smile, even through the pain of his injured foot.
Another thank-you goes to our wonderful chef Carlos Benedito - for all the lamb, fish, and escargot prepared in a small hot kitchen. You name it, he had it. Carlos was always interested in our approval and criticism and was attentive to our food restrictions. Merci beaucoup, Carlos.
The scenery and little towns were amazing, as were the bigger cities like Roeun, Lyon, Avignon. Our visit to the Normandy beaches was very special, as was Alexandra’s presentation and explanation of the history.
Entertainment on the ship was very relaxing – it included a piano player, invited performers, a French-singing couple and violinist.
The local guides were very knowledgeable: Christian and Laurent, to name just a couple, exposed us to so much history and local flavors. We found Quietvox to be very helpful, especially when taking 1,000 pictures and at the same time listening to the presentation.
We went on 4 optional trips: to the Cider farm and Versailles in the north, and to the truffle and olive farms in the south. All were very interesting and special, and we would definitely recommend them.
We met a lot of great people from Australia, the US, Israel, England, Taiwan, Hong Kong and France, not to mention our waiters who were from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and other Eastern European countries.
We also would like to thank our hospitality directors Georgina on Baroness and Eric on Royale for the smooth and personable service and great coordination of the staff. Eric – thank you for a wonderful gift shop.
We returned home reenergized, with many new experiences, new friends and the best memories in our hearts. Not to mention all the pictures we took along the way.
Thank you Uniworld for smooth sailing along the Seine, Saone and Rhone. We won’t forget this wonderful trip, which we took for our upcoming 30th Anniversary. Thank you for the celebration of my birthday, too, with the cake and warm wishes.
Merci beaucoup,
Alex and Elena. Read More...

I wanted to tell you about the great experience we had on our recent Uniworld Cruise. It was the Grand France cruise that began for us in Paris on May 1. My wife had never been to France and I could think of no better way to thank her for thirty years of putting up with me than to try this river cruising experience. I admit it was a gamble. I did some research as a teacher would do and found your site. It contained a great combination of good scenery, relaxed yet informative locations, and an attention to details ... so I decided to book.

I must say the I was extremely pleased and satisfied with the experience. The cruise more than exceeded my expectations and my wife was absolutely enthralled by the entire experience. From the moment we landed in Paris to the departure from Marseille, the smile never left my face. The staff of both boats did their very best to make sure our stay was comfortable and friendly. I think you should continue the efforts you've made to keep the staff relaxed and friendly. On the cruise to Normandy our breakfasts and lunch were enhanced by the dining room "relaxed professionalism" of Miroslov who placed a turkey breast on my plate after I said I was hungry to which he responded "Not enough?"

On the "Epicurean" Cruise we were treated and pampered by waiters and waitresses like Zoltan, Anna, Daniella, and Luigi who who did a fantastic job day after day of providing impeccable service and enjoyable company. Zoltan and I (being the history teacher) quizzed each other daily on important historical events.
I'm sure I could go on and on ad nauseum but I wanted you to know that you and your staff provided a perfect anniversary to us and it was a five star hit. I'm sure you can't please everone but you sure did to us and our friends, the Sterns, the McGorrys, and Karen Deegan. We look forward to another cruise soon – we're now officially spoiled. Thank you so much and please convey our gratitude to the entire staff for a job well done.

Sincerely,

George and Bonnie O'Brien
Southport, North Carolina Read More...

We have just returned from the Grand France river cruises. We had a wonderful time and would like to compliment the staff of both ships, especially Martijn Karman, the restaurant manager on the River Baroness.
– Brian and Barbara O'Brien

Dear Uniworld I recently took the Southern France cruise
(July 6-13, 2008 - River Royale) and had the time of my life. I would like to commend Emmanulle, our cruise director, as she made the trip very much more enjoyable than I could have ever imagined. She and I bonded on the bus trip from Marseille to Arles and the trip continued upward from there. This was my first trip to France after having dreamed of going for twenty years.
– Sincerely, Rudi J. Bertrand