mquist2014 wrote a review Jan 2025

Atlanta, Georgia21 contributions2 helpful votes

A horrible experience for so many reasons. We chose highly recommended Uniworld to take us to two magnificent cities that we had never experienced and they WOEFULLY failed to deliver. We boarded the SS Maria Theresa on Sept 15 in Linz, which was supposed to be our 2nd stop, but the ship was stuck there. They managed to carry on the promised programming for the first 2 days while keeping hope alive that the ship might actually move from the dock one day. The river was experiencing flooding and Uniworld was scrambling to get bus to take us on excursions (unlike Viking, docked next to us that had oodles of buses lined up). Once the Programs Manager (NOT the absent Captain) announced to the entire ship that Uniworld was NOT GOING TO EVER get us to Vienna or Budapest because they were “closed”, we were left to our own to figure out the best course of action for this trip interruption. Uniworld’s plan B was to bus us for 10-12 hours a day to unplanned destinations until they could bus us to a modest Crown Plaza between the two cities and still NEVER tour us to either city. NOT AT ALL what one would expect of a supposedly high end cruise line (but woefully unprepared for plan B). Thus, we took fate into our own hands and hired a driver to take us to Vienna and then took the train to Budapest. As the photos indicate, BOTH cities were indeed OPEN and WELCOMING to tourists and we had a marvelous experience touring on our own. SO, it seems unfathomable that Uniworld would only offer all passengers on this trip a discount on a future trip. Uniworld never even refunded us for the premium Schoenbrunn Palace tour that was abandoned. Why in the world would we have to hear from fellow passengers that Uniworld would offer a 20% refund if PRESSURED TO DO SO. I could go on about the tired cramped rooms, etc, but no need since the BIG picture is a disaster. As a side note, our travel insurance was useless since Uniworld never cancelled the trip.…

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Helpful

melody wrote a review Sept 2024

5 contributions1 helpful vote

Cruising on the Danube, solo!

Although the ship itself is rather kitschy, it is the service and the exclusive itineraries that win in my books. You get to visit popular attractions like art galleries, museums and churches between 30 minutes and an hour earlier before they open to the other tours, which is great as you get to visit BEFORE the huge crowd rushes in. And boy do they rush in ... The staff of SS Maria Theresa were lovely and attentive too. Shoutout to the waiter Bojan, bartender Branislav and housekeeper Elena. As for the ship: Amenities are great, the pool is tiny but good enough for a soak. The movie theatre is cool and I do appreciate the 24-hour gym, and the laundry room too (general washing is complimentary, dry cleaning etc is not)! The food options are also great, and the daily activities - the talks on wine, perfume, waltz lessons, 70s disco party etc were great! My cruise route on the Danube: Passau - Linz - Melk - Durnstein - Vienna - Bratisllava - Budapest.…

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

judgeopinion wrote a review Aug 2024

Antigua and Barbuda16 contributions25 helpful votes

Poor customer service

This cruise was okay the first couple of days, however we have cruised twice on AMA and much prefer that line. Our cabin was very cramped and all the ornate decor and low ceiling make this ship seem small. The staff made zero effort to learn our names and over all were very somber compared to the upbeat atmosphere on AMA. In addition, on the second full day I took a bike ride that was supposed to be an easy flat ride on the Danube. Our guide lead us off the bike path down a very steep pedestrian walk way and as I was coming down two bikes came up. I fell off the bike into a ditch and broke my shoulder. I had to go to a hospital in Austria and leave the cruise early. The staff did very little to help my husband exit the ship. All the bike leader seemed to care about was his bike. After returning home Uniworld failed to answer either my formal written letter or my numerous emails. Only when my TA reached out and he had to contact three different people, did they even acknowledge the incident. Of course, they assumed no responsibility. I would not recommend this cruise line. Try AMA instead, cheaper and nicer.…

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Helpful

traveldan21 wrote a review Jul 2024

Culver City, California835 contributions427 helpful votes

First river cruise was a delightful revelation

This was our first river cruise. We've been on a handful of ocean cruises and believe they are still great for large groups such as extended family vacations. But especially after the pandemic. we decided to avoid the huge cruises and tour groups. We took a very nice multi-city tour last year and enjoyed it. But it did get tiring having to unpack and pack, put your luggage outside your room at 7 am every other day, get on the tour bus every day, etc. Good friends of ours recommended a river cruise and specifically touted Uniworld as a higher-end cruise. We decided to give it a try. This 8-day "Enchanting Danube" river cruise on Uniworld was a revelation. What a difference it made unpacking only once time for a week, while still being able to visit multiple cities and countries. The stateroom on the ship was much larger and better appointed than any ocean cruise we had been on, and the bathroom was a definite step up as well. We stayed in a "French balcony" room that had a button you can push to raise or lower a floor-to-ceiling window. Once it is open, it provides an airy, open feeling even though you can't actually sit outside on a balcony deck. The staff were uniformly terrific and the food was quite good. I especially enjoyed the bountiful breakfast buffets. When it comes to food, that is another big difference between a giant ocean cruise ship and the smaller river cruise ship: the food is never-ending and essentially a part of the entertainment on an ocean cruise; the offerings on the Uniworld ship were tasty but more limited in scale and one main dining room. If I had one criticism, it would be to note that there were only two meals I can recall that involved shellfish. It would have been nice to see more of that. The itinerary on this cruise was outstanding. And the local tour guides were terrific--especially the guide in Passau who was a trained opera singer and who regaled her group with a bit of opera and selections from "Sound of Music." We also enjoyed being able to have a bit of free time simply walking off the ship when docket at various ports and being in the heart of a city in a few minutes. That cannot be done on an ocean cruise. I think some of the special things Uniworld offers on its cruises is worth mentioning because they were highlights. The night we pulled into Vienna, Uniworld took us to a private concert at an impressive museum-like space where we got to see and hear an excellent small orchestra and opera singers. The next morning, our city tour started at a large Vienna museum where we were among the only people visiting for a full hour before the rest of the public were admitted. It was remarkable standing in a spectacular gallery room looking at world-class art from legendary artists--and literally being the only ones in the room. I only had one main gripe about the cruise: I like to do a lot of advance planning for any trip and, in this case, arranged to spend extra nights in Vienna and Budapest before the cruise started. Based on the information on Uniworld's website, we thought we understood what we would be seeing in each port. But that information was either incomplete, incorrect or changed/updated. As a result, in our independent time in the two cities prior to the commencement of the cruise, we made sure to see and do things that we thought we'd otherwise miss on the cruise--but, as it turned out, the cruise tours did, in fact, cover some of the same sights we saw on our own. In other words, we would have made some different choices about what we saw independently if Uniworld had provided more or correct info on its website. One simple example: we read everywhere that taking a simple cruise at night on the river in Budapest was a must to be able to see the glorious buildings lit up at night, and based on where the Uniworld ship was docked, we assumed would not be able to see this.. So we booked that cruise only to find that after embarkation in Budapest, the Uniworld ship turned around and redocked at a different place after dinner--meaning, that we would be able to see the lit-up buildings on the deck of the Uniworld ship. There was nothing on the Uniworld website about seeing the buildings in Budapest lit up or where the ship would be redocking; the latter information was also important for planning since it turned out it was close to one of Budapest's famous baths. (As you can see from the photo I'm attaching, seeing the Parliament Building at night truly was a can't-miss experience.) If Uniworld could update the information on its website as soon as more firm information is known about the specifics of its itinerary and tours, that would make life much easier for those like me who do planning.…

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

peace_luv_sun wrote a review May 2024

Michigan269 contributions216 helpful votes

Fun on the Danube!

We cruised the Danube, visited 4 countries and had a ball. Our time on the ship was great. Food was delicious, staff was perfectly professional yet fun, entertainment was good and off ship excursions were varied and interesting. Since it was our first trip to Europe, it was nice to get lots of historical info while taking in sights. The weather was unseasonably warm so when we would return to the ship, we had lots of top deck lounging on a comfy chaise while sipping cocktails in the sun. We just had the best time. I would recommend the Uniworld line to all.…

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Helpful

Showing results 1-5 of 24

Uniworld S.S. Maria Theresa Deck Plans & Reviews

Uniworld S.S. Maria Theresa

Overview

Decks

Cabins

Activities & entertainment

Upcoming itineraries