Sponsored by Uniworld
Known for their ornate and opulent ships that match the countries they visit, Uniworld combines excellent service, refined cuisine with a sense of adventure.
What sets the boutique luxury river line apart from the others is their eye for detail and Director of Product Development for Uniworld’s Barbara Seinen would know.
With over 21 years of expertise, she and her team personally go out and select pre and post cruise experiences as well as the shore excursions guests experience.
“We always want to make sure we’re not doing the excursions or things that everyone else is doing,” she said.
“We’re always trying to find stuff that is different – not always cookie cutter shore experiences.”
She is the mastermind behind many of the shore excursions as well as pre- and post-cruise extensions, which are all designed to link seamlessly with your river voyage.
“We do a lot of research ourselves online and then we always go and look and go and experience. For instance, we have two unique and exclusive excursions which are not available to anyone else.”
“We have found a special vinegar tasting experience which puzzles a lot of guests but once they come back, they always say ‘Oh my God, thank you for sending me. That was so unexpected. “
“The hosts treat it like a wine tasting so there are vinegars that are sweet, savoury and can be drunk like a drink. “
“We have also found a beautiful experience where two gentlemen have turned an old mill into a museum. One of the men is a photographer who spent years travelling around the world. He took pictures of Indigenous communities who then gifted him with these amazing artefacts from their tribes. “
“These are things you can’t see in a museum. He was even gifted a 3000-year-old mummy. The other gentleman is a baker by trade and uses the flour from the mill, which is still operational to bake bread for guests that visit. You can do a bread tasting after taking a tour of the gardens and the museum.”
Seinen has said Uniworld has also worked a lot on enhancing their pre and post-cruise extensions which now extends out to destinations like Switzerland.
“After they finish a river cruise in Basel, we now include a mountain experience so guests can go into the Alps. We have an extension to Interlaken and to the top of Jungfraujoch to experience typical Swiss mountain life.
“While in Dubrovnik, we have a three-day post-cruise extension to Dubrovnik where our guests can do a tasting of wine that is aged under the sea. Also, since food is very important in Croatia, we also include a food tour to try the local dishes from the area.”
Seinen is also the mastermind behind the successful Mystery Cruises which started in 2022. Details of the itineraries were kept secret from the passengers until reached the airport. She was responsible for route planning and organising unique shore excursions unavailable on any other Uniworld voyage.
“On our first Mystery Cruise, which was hosted by our President Ellen Bettridge, we had our guests every evening, guess the next location and the shore excursions available for them to pick.”
“The guests had the option of picking between beer or wine tasting. Our cruise director came out in a beer bottle while Ellen came out dressed as a purple grape with all these balloons stuck on her.”
“The Mystery Cruises have been such a big hit that most of our guests are repeat customers. I think it’s these touches that make Uniworld so different from anyone else.”
Uniworld currently has offers on 2026 and 2027 voyages.
Save up to $3000 per stateroom on a range of voyages along the Danube, the Rhine, the Douro and beyond.
And for 2027, save up to 20% when you book early on European, Asian, Egyptian and Indian itineraries.
What is your favourite ship?
One of my favourite places is Italy but also because of the S.S. La Venezia. All of our ships are designed according to the destinations they visit but there is something truly special about that vessel.
What is your favourite itinerary?
My favourite sailing is the two-week cruise that is along the Moselle departing from Basel. The thing that people don’t realise is that you have so much variety and what you get to see.
You start in Switzerland and then we take them on a hike into the mountains. We sail to France and then guests get to visit Alsace and Strasbourg. We then sail into the Moselle, a totally different river with steep vineyards on both sides and then we are continuing the Rhine. Here, the itinerary includes Cologne and Dusseldorf before heading to the Netherlands.
The best thing is that there are a lot of different countries, filled with different people and cultures. The food is different, so you experience so much, and I really got a lot of feedback from guests where they said it was lovely to be on a two-week cruise because you get to know the other guests more.
Who is a Uniworld cruiser?
- They love our Boutique-style ships that are each one uniquely decorated
- They enjoy fine dining and our personalised service
- They value immersive, local experiences rather than mass tourism
- The enjoy the ease of the all-inclusivity
