U by Uniworld
Steve Hartridge joins The A for a cruise on the Rhine
The 50 or so bikes, locked firmly in place at the front of TheA, caught my eye as I boarded the sleek-looking ship in Frankfurt.
I guessed right then that I would probably enjoy a cycle by the river more than I would the two silent discos that were planned during my five-day Rolling on the Rhine cruise. I was right, but more about bikes and discos later.
U by Uniworld first took to Europe’s rivers in April, launching with two 120-passenger matte-black ships, The A and The B.
Billing itself as ‘the first river cruise line dedicated to a new generation of adult travellers’, its initial target sector was those aged 21-45, but when the bookings failed to materialise the concept was broadened to include young-at-heart adults of any age.
Consequently, the average age of clients this year was around 35, but will be closer to 45 in 2019, the company says.
The lady in black
The A is undeniably eye-catching: stylish, sexy and very black. A little ominous looking, river cruising’s version of Darth Vader takes me from Frankfurt to Amsterdam, with stops in Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Cologne and Düsseldorf.
There’s four suites, 26 balcony bedrooms, 29 studio bedrooms and two studio bedrooms made for three, all with waterfront views.
Facilities include communal tables for dining, a spa and two bars, including an ‘ice bar’ on the top deck. Also up top are several comfy clamshell loungers and deckchairs.
Dinners, mostly buffets featuring ‘locallyinspired farm-to-table cuisine’, were always tasty, if not gourmet.
My suite was huge – big enough for a queen-size double bed, a wardrobe, a table and two chairs, TV, fridge, mini-bar and sliding doors that opened to the Rhine. A large bathroom, full of marble, had a walk-in rain shower, double sinks and Gilchrist & Soames BeeKind toiletries.
I also liked the funky common areas, with their flashes of neon, black-and-white chessboard patterns and pop culture art pieces.
A funky innovation on this ‘paperless’ ship is the WhatsApp group that all cruisers are asked to sign up to keep abreast of the day’s programme and activities. This worked great for those who were used to the free texting service but perplexed those who weren’t. That said, the full cruise itinerary and programme for each day is listed on the in-room TVs.
Technology aboard is everywhere, such as the Bluetooth connectivity in each room and the USB ports scattered all over the ship.
Free excursions
Guests can choose from a couple of daily ‘free activities’ – which is how I got to experience those bikes as we cycled from a village near Koblenz to Bonn, a four-hour trip.
There are also optional excursions, for a fee, such as a visit to Eberbach Kloster in Rüdesheim for wine tasting. The monastery is where The Name of the Rose, with Sean Connery, was filmed.
By Uniworld’s own admission, its U product has had some teething problems this year. On my early-summer cruise, for example, a few of the advertised activities just didn’t happen (and without explanation), like the onboard Cheese Academy, which billed itself as “a class where guests would learn how to make traditional handcrafted cheese and pair it with the finest Rieslings in a historic brandy factory.”
Similarly, the promised onboard ‘local beers from breweries in the German cities we stop at’ never once materialised. Oddest of all, we stopped for the day in Dusseldorf, which wasn’t on the advertised itinerary.
And those silent discos, along with the ‘famous’ Dutch DJ who came aboard to spin his House Music tunes, were met with general apathy – which suggests even millennials don’t need or want to party hard every night.
It struck me that a pianist, Jazz musician, Rat Pack crooner on the top deck or even a DJ playing ABBA would have been more popular.
New for 2019
Uniworld’s line is that U was something of a work in progress in 2018.
“This first year was all about disrupting the industry – quite literally ‘testing the waters’ as we debuted a never-before-seen product,” said Ellen Bettridge, Uniworld’s President and CEO, on a recent visit to London.
“We have listened to customers and learnt a lot about what they want. We have already made changes and have more planned for 2019,” she added. “For example, many guests requested an early continental breakfast option, so we introduced that.
“Guests also asked if they could sleep under the stars on the top deck, so now they can camp on the rooftop (around £53 per tent, which sleeps two), complete with a nightcap cocktail and breakfast picnic basket.”
Other planned changes for 2019 include new onboard activities such as rooftop barbecues, karaoke nights, giant board games and themed parties. A new itinerary in Northern France, on
The B, will be introduced on April 21.
The A’s eight-day itineraries on the Rhine start from £1,339pp including return flights or Eurostar, seven nights on board, two meals daily, and some activities and sightseeing.