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Your Travel
Vive La Difference!
There are several great European river cruise options but outstanding attention to detail across service, décor, dining and tours creates an outstanding experience. Advertorial by Adrienne Witteman of Trendsetter Travel and Cruise Centre.
I know many of you think I live the life of Riley, hopping on and off planes and ships, on one long travelling party. Some even suggest they could be my ‘plus one’, or step in when I can’t go! However, I have to confess it is definitely not all fun - when something becomes habitual, it takes a special product to get me excited. I’ve just had that stand-out experience, escorting a Trendsetter Travel group of 31 golfers on a luxury river cruise from Paris along the Seine, through Normandy and back. What a terrific time we had! Clients ask us to differentiate the cruise lines on this route and it isn’t easy unless something stands out, as Uniworld’s Joie de Vivre did. Let me tell you I have done the same cruise on Avalon, and another on Tauck on the Danube. Both were excellent for different reasons. I just want to share why I enjoyed Uniworld so much from my bottom floor, no balcony, stateroom. The décor in public areas announce ‘this is a European ship’. Owner Mrs Tollman has a penchant for exuberant décor (think Versailles), with crystal chandeliers, antiques, original artworks, plus tassels, rolled cushions, and crisp linen everywhere to channel a smart French residence (your own chateau peut-être?) Then the food … dine in The Bistrot and you could be on a Parisienne sidewalk. There’s a table d’hote menu of typical French dishes taken to a new level of deliciousness. After dinner you might mosey along to Claude’s starry nightclub for a sophisticated cocktail, in what is actually the Club D’Esprit pool area, transformed nightly to be unrecognisable from its daytime role. On an intimate level you can join in the fun of a superb degustation dinner with 11 of your best friends at Les Caves des Vins – our group loved it. But you didn’t have to eat small to enjoy since the chefs produced bountiful taste sensations nightly in the elegant main dining room. Did I have an unsatisfactory meal? Yes one, a mere blemish on an otherwise faultless food experience, with specialty diets also done to perfection. Service was exceptional, down to the provision of foil so we could make picnic lunches for golf. Turndown at night came with a little treat and the staterooms, albeit small, were efficiently designed and perfectly cleaned. Our golf clubs were kept in style in the unoccupied Royal Suite (!) and out ready for us when needed. Every staff member, most employed by Uniworld for years, worked 100% to deliver a great experience. When not golfing we walked and cycled – we were not a sit-and-watch-thescenery group – and we were all up dancing on the last night. We took some excellent tours, notably a day trip to the Normandy beaches. It was a humbling experience summed up perfectly by one of our group, who remarked she had sore feet but “who am I to complain after what those boys went through …” There was beautiful but crowded Giverny, Monet’s treasured former home and inspirational garden, Honfleur with its prettily painted boats and houses, the Bayeux Tapestry, tours of Paris and a Moulin Rouge excursion … just a few of the highlights of this seven-night trip.
Do all the river ships sailing the same route do this? Sort of, yes, but not quite. Uniworld delivers a unique experience – it’s hard to grasp how special it is until you are on board. In a world where so much is homogeneous, this cruise experience really stood out. I’ll also never forget our guide en-route to the Normandy beaches. Despairing of our Franglais, she tried teaching us how to pronounce the word Rouen correctly. Apparently, one must exhibit Parisienne arrogance and superiority, stand in a haughty way and pout provocatively, while rolling out the R in a sexy, comehither manner. If you’d like a lesson, pop in and see me! Better still, contact my staff or me to hear why Uniworld should be top of your list when considering a river cruise. We know how to sort options!
Adrienne Witteman received a cabin compliments of Uniworld, as is generally industry procedure when working as a group escort. Uniworld was not consulted about the content of this article.
Lane Cove Shopping Plaza and 3 Northwood Road, Longueville Phone: (02) 9428 5900 www.trendsettertravel.com.au
