River Duchess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I spent 33 days in Europe in October 2015, mostly on Uniworld's River Duchess, sailing an itinerary known as the "Grand European River Voyage." This itinerary (which will be changed for 2016) starts in Amsterdam and sails the Rhine River, the Main River, the Main Canal and the Danube River, and ends in Bucharest Romania, with included air from Bucharest to Istanbul, Turkey. When the 3-day (2 night) pre-cruise extension is added in Amsterdam, and the 2 (included) hotel nights are added at the end, in Istanbul, and you add the one night you sleep on the airplane going from the USA to Europe, you are away for about 33 days total.
In 33 days, you get to know a ship pretty well, you get to know the other passengers pretty well, and you immerse yourself in the ports of call (destinations) so completely that you become one with the scenery.
Not everyone has time or money to drop-everything and take 33 days off and go to Europe, i understand that. But should your circumstances permit, and should you ever have the opportunity, i cannot imagine a better return on your travel investment dollar than taking this particular cruise on this particular line, and even on this particular ship.
Cabin Review
Stateroom with French Balcony
I would choose this exact cabin again. It was (for me) perfectly situated at the end of the hall, with no through traffic except at meal times (and those were the times when i was not in the cabin). Make sure you consider what side of the boat the sun will be on during your cruise, and make sure you consider how hot it will be outside when selecting your cabin. In the summer months, i would want to be on the "shady" side of the ship. But since our sailing was in October, i wanted to be on the "sunny" side of the ship. There are 4 suites on the ship, which are slightly larger than a stateroom; every other cabin (including mine) is the same size.