Travel Diary: Rhine River Cruise, Uniworld 2021

Returning to European River Cruises

Pre-Cruise Health and Safety

Having recently been able to get back to ocean cruising in the Caribbean, which is my passion, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do a river cruise in Europe along the Rhine river. To preface, I got to Amsterdam the day before some of the new quarantine rules came into play, and no one ever asked to see the Health Declaration we filled out for the Netherlands. So things may be a bit different now. Uniworld requires all passengers to be vaccinated so we had to download our vaccination card and fill out a health questionnaire three days prior. When we boarded they took our temperature but no additional COVID tests were required.

Onboard the River Cruise

I was on the SS Antoinette, Castles Along the Rhine. We only had 40 passengers (normally up to 150, I believe). There were actually more crew than guests! I believe about 10 passengers were unable to make our cruise due to the added restrictions in the Netherlands. There were hand sanitizer machines at each entrance of the ship and going into the lounge and dining room. Masks were required inside the ship at all times except when seated, and on the open deck they were not required.

A typical day would start with a breakfast buffet that was served to you. Next you might take a tour with the group and come back to the ship for lunch. Most days the lunch was buffet style, however the last 2 days only a few people were onboard so they served it on the top deck with a menu to order from. You may have a tour in the afternoon or free time in the city.

Cocktail hour was from 6-7pm and at 6:45 the cruise director would go over the plans for the next day. Dinner was always at 7pm. They had QR codes on the table but would give you a real menu if you requested it. The food was delicious and the drinks were included all day, if you wanted. Three evenings we had local entertainers come onboard after dinner. Almost everyone was on the dance floor for the last band.

Exploring On Shore: Included Tours

One of the best parts of Uniworld is that most of the tours are included. The tours I chose were:

• Cologne Walking tour (vaccination card required to enter everything)
• Marksburg Castle
• Boppard village stroll
• Castle Vollrads wine tasting
• Baroque Palace of Mannheim
• Strasbourg tour with cathedral and Old Town walk

Of course one of the highlights was the 3 ½ hours of castles. The cruise director narrated it on the Quietvox and they served tea with honey and brandy. The earpiece was the best I’ve ever had! I have small ears and most of the earbuds are too big for me. This not only had a small earbud but it had a part that wrapped around my ear and held it in place.

Post-Cruise Wellness Checks

The day before the cruise ended they took about half the group to get their COVID tests, which was a nice option to have. I ended up extending my stay in town on my own, otherwise I would have done it. 

Overall I had an amazing trip! And please send Captain Jack some business, he was a great guy!