Uniworld Cruise : The basics

PHOTO: Jacuzzi on the rooftop

Uniworld is a fourth-generation owned, river cruise company with six vessels sailing in Europe, Egypt, Russia, India, China, Vietnam and Cambodia with a dedication to luxury. For those who keep score with Travel + Leisure Magazine's "World's Best" designations -- which you should, which I would say even if I didn't freelance for them -- Uniworld just won "World's Best River Cruise Line" in the 2016 awards handed out this summer.

I happily joined on the second day of the cruise in Bordeaux, France for a week onboard the SS River Royale for multiple wine tastings a day, a visit to Remy Martin, bicycling and general lounging. While I have not done very many cruises -- my first cruise was the epic Antarctica cruise by Seabourn, which was absolutely breathtaking and BEYOND fabulous -- I always enjoy the singular ability with cruises in having all of my things unpacked for an extended period of time. (After 18 months of non-stop travel, this truly is my favorite aspect of cruising ...)

Onboard Uniworld, the company's mantra of "No request is too large, no detail too small" is exemplified in the details within the stateroom and the friendly staff. Beds are hand-crafted by Savoir of England and then dressed in 300 count Egyptian Cotton sheets. Italian marble bathrooms (very small) are accented with Venetian mirrors (with great lighting) and L'Occitane products (I love the lotions).

PHOTO: Entry foyer with lots of sweets to tempt guests (c) Sery Kim

You can also get coffee, drinks, and there seems to be a non-stop stream of food options throughout the day, including some wonderful french fries (my foodie obsession) with delicious mayo (why are the cream/dairy products of Europe sooooooooooooooooooo much better than America!?!!!). It's only been two days and I have been indulging quite frequently. So sad since the gym only has three bicycling machines and one elliptical. I've been going on walks by myself after dinner to balance out the calories in but I really do wish they would put in a treadmill so I could run onboard!

Since these luxury cruises can scale towards $10,000 for one week, most of the crowd onboard is older so perhaps that is why there is a dearth of exercise equipment. Money is better utilized for impeccable staff or entertainment. As for any young people, I would say all the young people are either the staff or the journalists reviewing the cruise. But it's fun to be apart of a different dynamic -- and, of course, having endless cappuccinos and champagne make me a very happy girl.

Here's hoping I don't become a diabetic by the end of the trip! Cheers!!