Travelling solo
The facilities on board are equally impressive and include a lush dining room and opulent salon, a spa, and even a small but perfectly formed gym – there are treadmills, stationary bikes, and a TRX suspension training set-up. Even better, wherever we tied up there were made-for-running boulevards and river walks. A great way to get a head start on the sightseeing.
Taking a river cruise is like taking your own boutique hotel with you at every stop. I expected a cabin. I opened the door to a spacious and luxurious hotel room. There were large picture windows that let us drink in the constantly changing view from bed. This boat was built for comfort. Eat your heart out, backpackers.
The food
Each river cruise boat prides itself on a particular speciality and the Maria Theresa’s is its food. If you’re expecting an ‘‘all you can eat’’ buffet, or dinner-plate-sized steaks, forget it. The evening meal was a four-course affair, with wine selected to go with each course. The meals were exquisitely cooked and presented, and the focus was on quality not size.
The guests
Not too little, not too big – a river boat seems like the Goldilocks option of cruising. You can have as much or as little to do with the other guests as you want.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the dining room where you could either dine alone, or share without seeming too try-hard.
Don’t be surprised though if people join your table regardless of your intentions.
Most of the guests were friendly and seemed to prefer the mix-and-mingle option. We got to know most of them by face, and some became friends.
Thanks to the flu we brought with us from New Zealand, we didn’t join the after dinner soirees in the upstairs lounge bar but the other guests said it was a pretty social affair and there were some late nights.
A quick show of hands revealed most of the passengers were Americans, followed by Canadians, and the rest of us from all over the world. We were the only Kiwis.
Most of the guests were seasoned travellers – a surprising number of them had even been to New Zealand. And many of them were on their fourth or fifth Uniworld cruise. It was the ease of travel, the friendships they formed on previous cruises, and the luxury and attention to detail that kept bringing them back. I was interested to know whether this was a good option for someone like my Mum, who is widowed. As it turned out, myself and my partner both got to try the solo option while the other one was bedridden. I got to know a couple of women whose husbands preferred to stay home. They wanted a holiday where the travelling was easy while they were pampered and fussed over.
Pros
Pros – all of the above, especially the ease of travel. Travelling by river is a relaxed and special way to see the world. We are considering Uniworld’s other cruises in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Getting sick wasn’t anywhere near as disastrous as it would have been travelling on our own. The crew were caring and solicitous. The upfront cost may be more but once you’re on the boat you really don’t have to spend a cent. Everything – meals, drink, excursions, entertainment – is included. That’s a huge advantage in Europe.
Cons
Stops are mostly only a day long - not enough time to really get to know a place. And the things that make travelling such an emotional roller coaster – the language barrier, trying to find your train, the money hassles, the tears and the joy of finding new experiences while you’re living among the locals – are some of my best travel memories.
A cruise will never replace those moments. But it’s nice now and then to let someone else do the worrying while you sit back and enjoy the view.
The writer travelled courtesy of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
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