RiverViews Newsletter August 2020

The Uniworld River Heritage Club E-Newsletter

August 2020

In This Issue 1 Ellen’s 360°

5 Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence

2 Uniquely Uniworld: Only the Finest Wines are Fit for Our Guests

7 TreadRight Feature: A Sustainable Cook-Along with Céline Cousteau & Uniworld

3 New Super Ships: An Exclusive Preview

August 2020

10 Book & Cruise with Confidence

#ExploreUniworld

ELLEN’S 360° Hello, everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well and enjoyed the crew takeover edition of our last RiverViews issue. I’m glad to catch back up with you all this month to share some exciting developments.

In this issue, we’ll be celebrating TTC’s official 100th Anniversary, bringing you a preview of our brand-new Super Ships S.S. La Venezia and S.S. São Gabriel, cooking a sustainable meal together and more!

I’m most excited to tell you about our new Book & Cruise with Confidence policies. Once it’s safe to get back to traveling, all you should have to worry about is enjoying your vacation, which is why we’ve made extensive changes to our booking process and onboard protocols. As you read through this issue, you’ll learn about how we’ve increased booking flexibility and strengthened our already high health and safety standards in order to continue to bring you on the most stress-free, all-inclusive luxury river cruises imaginable.

Wishing you good health and happy dreams of travel,

ELLEN BETTRIDGE

CEO Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

1

Only the

are fit for our guests

Whether a country has a vinicultural tradition going back centuries or a newly emerging wine scene, winetasting is a wonderful way to enjoy the local culture. Our expert sommeliers are very passionate about this and love to help guests connect with their travels through wine. Stop for a chat with your onboard sommelier and you’ll find they’re full of tips and opinions on the regional varieties to assist you in your own shopping onshore. And, of course, they’ll

Watch this video to learn about a few Bouchard favorites with a TTC sommelier!

introduce you to a couple wines every night, sourced locally and from top wineries around the world, specially chosen to complement the dishes being served that evening.

Some of the fine wines that can be found onboard all of our ships come from TTC’s own vineyards in South Africa, at Bouchard Finaylson, one of the most renowned wineries in a country already famous for producing excellent wine.

Our Uniworld sommeliers sent some fun clips of what they’ve been up to lately. Enjoy!

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NEW SUPER SHIPS an exclusive preview

We’ve just finished putting the final Tiny Noticeable Touches on the S.S. La Venezia and S.S. São Gabriel and we can’t wait to see them set sail for the first time! In the meantime, we’d like to give our River Heritage Club members a sneak peek at the first photos of our two newest Super Ships.

S.S. La Venezia 3

S.S. São Gabriel

S.S. La Venezia Ready to sail through Northern Italy, the S.S. La Venezia boasts three authentic dining venues, six new suites and a design that draws on the region’s multifaceted beauty. Warm, natural hues contrasted by brilliant blues and romantic gilding reflect the palette of Venice and the Lagoon, while an abundance of onboard greenery brightens the space and nods to the countryside’s farmlands.

S.S. São Gabriel The S.S. São Gabriel, on the other hand, evokes Portugal’s Douro River Valley with light, fresh colors to complement the generous sunshine and pops of the same vivid teal of the water this ship sails. And of course, we couldn’t very well build a ship to sail the Douro and not adorn it with plenty of gorgeous Azulejos, a traditional Portuguese tilework known for its high quality and beautiful designs.

We hope to welcome you onboard soon to appreciate these stunning new ships up close!

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Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence with

It’s official! Our parent company, TTC, is now seeing its 100th year since Solomon Tollman founded his first hotel in August 1920. We are proud to be a part of the world’s leading travel company and to be able to draw on the expertise of the Tollman family, now in its fourth generation and supporting a 40-strong collection of brands—each specializing in unique ways to see the world while making travel matter for you and the planet. In honor of this moment, let’s take a trip through the last century to see how much TTC has grown along the way.

Learn more by visiting TTC.com/100-years

1954

Solomon and Evelyn’s son, Stanley, marries Bea Lurie. The new Mr. & Mrs. Tollman spend the money they receive from their wedding on their first venture–the Nugget Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.

1920

Solomon Tollman opens the Paternoster Hotel in a coastal village in South Africa.

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1955

Bea, a self-taught chef and young mother, runs Johannesburg’s first world class restaurant, The Colony Super Club.

1969

The Tollmans branch into guided tours for the first time.

1980

Costsaver, operated by Trafalgar Tours is launched. Operations all over the world join the family during this decade.

1984

The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel in London is welcomed into the company.

1996

Bea Tollman founds The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, a line of unique and special luxury hotels.

2003

TTC welcomes Atlas Reizen, African Travel, Lionworld Travel and Grand European Tours into the family of brands.

2004

Uniworld joins TTC to bring the company’s penchant for luxury and service to the rivers.

2008

The TreadRight Foundation (originally TTC Conservation Foundation) is launched to help the TTC brands Make Travel Matter.

2018

We launch U by Uniworld, the world’s first river cruise line for the young and young at heart.

2020

The Travel Corporation turns 100!!

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MEET CÉLINE COUSTEAU 7

Founded in 2008 by our parent company The Travel Corporation, The TreadRight Foundation’s mission is to safeguard people, wildlife and the planet for generations to come. In 2015, TreadRight welcomed CĂŠline as our oďŹƒcial ambassador to help us tell the stories of our projects and partners in our Planet Pillar. Since then, CĂŠline has worked to shed light on various sustainable travel topics.

As a documentary filmmaker and gifted storyteller, CĂŠline has traveled all over the world working to help amplify the voices of the amazing individuals who are working to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and people.

Passionate about our planet and the role of sustainable food sourcing in preserving it, CÊline recently joined Uniworld’s own Chef Edward in a live cook-along to share how fun, healthful and delicious farm-to-table dining can be! Sustainable and local food sourcing is at the core of Uniworld’s culinary program, and also a priority for The Travel Corporation.

Not only does local food sourcing ensure organic and authentic dining and travel experiences that support local economies, it also supports sustainable agricultural practices that in turn provide food security for the community—and local suppliers are becoming more crucial than ever during these times of distancing and isolation.

Onboard our ships, you can enjoy the benefits of this philosophy by joining our master chefs on grocery runs to nearby farmers markets, sampling local treats, or simply enjoying the fresh cuisine onboard.

From the Uniworld Kitchen

MARKET HEIRLOOM TOMATO & GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE SALAD TEXTURED PÉRIGORD WALNUT & BORDEAUX WINE VINAIGRETTE Ingredients HEIRLOOM TOMATOES: 80 grams Heirloom tomatoes of 4 different colors (pre-cut accordingly) Sea salt to taste

GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE: 1 cup whipping cream ½ cup goat cheese, crumbled 1 bay leaf 1 clove 1 clove garlic 1 small shallot Fresh thyme

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GARNISH: Herb sprigs (parsley, dill), micro cress, bread crackers

@TreadRight

WALNUT & RED WINE VINAIGRETTE: 2 tbsp walnut oil 2 tsp roasted and chopped walnuts 2 tsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp orange juice, plus zest ½ cup olive oil 1 tsp white sugar Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE: 1. Gently heat together cream, bay leaf, clove, garlic, shallot and thyme to infuse the flavor.

2. Whilst still hot pour through a sieve over the goat cheese.

3. Whisk together to ensure the goat cheese is fully melted.

4. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to incorporate air.

5. When at room temperature place in the fridge & continue to whisk occasionally to incorporate as much air as possible.

6. When cooled, transfer the goat cheese mousse mixture in a piping bag and reserve for plating.

RED WINE AND WALNUT VINAIGRETTE: 1. In a mixing bowl add the Dijon mustard, orange & red wine vinegar.

2. Mix together the walnut oil & olive oil.

3. In a thin stream begin to pour the oil mixture slowly whilst whisking the mixture to begin emulsifying the ingredients together.

4. Once complete, add the toasted walnuts & orange zest to the mixture, Season to taste & reserve for plating.

TOMATO PREPARATION: 1. Wash and prepare the tomatoes by cutting them in varying shapes in order to provide additional texture to the final presentation of the dish.

2. Reserve, lightly salt to taste and set aside until plating.

Presentation 1. Place the pre-cut tomatoes in layers as per photo achieving height.

2. Pipe the mousse onto the tomatoes – 5 positions.

3. Dress the salad with 2 tbsp of vinaigrette.

4. Garnish with the herbs, micro cress and bread crackers.

5. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

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9

YOU’RE IN THE BEST HANDS Book & Cruise with Confidence

We’ve missed traveling with you during this hiatus from river cruising, but we’ve been doing everything we can in the meantime to prepare for the moment that we can welcome you back onboard! As part of the TTC family of travel brands, which has stood strong through the rapidly changing world of the last 100 years, we have the expertise and financial stability to promise you peace of mind in all of your travels with us. We’ve adapted every part of the cruise experience, from how you book to life onboard, to make sure you can continue to enjoy the height of luxury cruising.

We are happy to offer added booking flexibility, which gives us and our guests the freedom to follow advice from local governments and the World Health Organization as it becomes available.

If you’ve booked by September 30, 2020 and are set to sail by June 30, 2021, you will be able to change or suspend your European cruise up to 30 days prior to departure (and your Exotics cruise up to 60 days prior) without penalty and rebook on any future cruise through 2022.

Alternatively, you can choose to receive a Future Travel Certificate that you can even use to travel with any of our TTC sister brands!

Once onboard, you’ll enjoy all the unique benefits of traveling on one of our boutique river cruise ships. As you know, our small ships and low capacity means you’ll have plenty of room to relax while maintaining physical distance. Our ships stay immaculately clean, thanks to one of the industry’s highest crew-to-guest ratios and the most tenured staff on the rivers.

We’ve established extensive new protocols to prioritize the health and well-being of everyone onboard as we prepare for the day when we can responsibly travel together again. Here are just a few of the changes you can expect: • All guests and crew will complete a wellbeing declaration and health screening upon arrival.

• All food and drinks will be served to you individually by the crew; self-service will no longer be available.

• Routine temperature checks throughout the cruise, using touchless technology.

• Additional training in professional health, enhanced hygiene and physical distancing procedures for our entire crew.

• Premium Purity™ non-toxic antimicrobial coating on all Uniworld owned ships renders surfaces self-disinfecting so that they are constantly breaking down pollutants, bacteria and viruses (including COVID-19).

• We are only working with onshore partners who meet our high health and safety procedures.

Learn more at Uniworld.com/Confidence

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New!

2021 GROUPS OFFER

Traveling in a group of 10 or more? Contact your preferred Travel Advisor or call Uniworld to learn about our group discounts and amenities. Plus, for every nine full-paying guests, the tenth guest sails for free!

An outstanding loyalty program for our exceptional guests After your first Uniworld cruise, you will be automatically enrolled in our River Heritage Club loyalty program and begin receiving benefits, savings and rewards reserved exclusively for our loyal guests.

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS ON ALL CRUISES, COMBINABLE WITH ALL PROMOTIONS* plus An exclusive WELCOME GIFT to commemorate your membership

PRIORITY NOTIFICATION on new cruises and programs

Earn credit toward your next cruise with our REFERRAL PROGRAM

Special MEMBERS-ONLY OFFERS

Complimentary LAUNDRY service

Dedicated PHONE NUMBER

Exclusive RIVERVIEWS E-MAGAZINE

EXCLUSIVE TTC LOYALTY SAVINGS of 5% on select trips across our family of more than 40 award-winning brands

Complimentary IN-ROOM FRUIT PLATTER waiting onboard for you upon arrival

Join the Captain for a members-only COCKTAIL PARTY onboard NOTE: Benefits in China may vary.

Can you name this ship?

Each ship in our fleet is a one-of-a-kind floating boutique hotel, designed to be an extension of the destinations it sails through. If you can name which Uniworld ship this is, email us at RHC@Uniworld.com. The first to answer correctly will be featured in our next issue of RiverViews.

LAST ISSUE’S VICTOR Congratulations to Melanie Little for being the first to identify the June Mystery Photo, the Soleil Deck on the S.S. Bon Voyage.

Visit Uniworld.com/River-Heritage-Club for more information. *

River Heritage Club savings and amenities are available to guests after completing their first Uniworld cruise. Exclusive savings are based on the cruise or cruise/tour-only price (including any upgrades and single supplement) after other cash discounts are applied.

Savings are combinable with all current Uniworld promotions. Restrictions may apply.