SPEAKER_00: 0:02

Welcome to the Z Michelson Travel Podcast, where every journey is a story waiting to be told. I'm your host, Z. Michelson, and I'm so excited to take you on a ride through the world's most incredible destinations, hidden gems, and unforgettable experiences. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting to plan your next getaway, you're in the right place. Each episode we'll be diving into everything from musty landmarks to off-the-beaten past treasures, speaking with locals and travel experts, and sharing stories that will inspire your next adventure. So sit back, relax, and let's wander the world together. One destination at a time. Are you ready? Let's get started. Hey, this is Zee Michelson, and I am here today with the lovely Elise Riley from Uniworld.

SPEAKER_01: 0:57

Elise, how are you today? I'm very well, Z, and I really appreciate you having me on to talk about UniWorld and river cruising.

SPEAKER_00: 1:05

And I am so excited to talk about UniWorld because it's their 50th anniversary and they've been around for a while. That's great.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13

They started s 1976 and in honor. They have pre-planned to do a 50-day cruise that will start in Amsterdam in April and it will end in Egypt. So it's very exciting going through France as well, five different countries. So there's still maybe a little of that. I don't know, but it's going to be a very special sailing. And I'm sure there'll be other promotions going on for next year in honor of it as well. So this will start in April of next year? The cruise itself that will sail, yes, is April 16th. But I don't know quite yet what other festivities they have planned, but we do have our early booking savings in place for 2026. That's up to 25% off on select sailings throughout the season.

SPEAKER_00: 1:59

So tell me a little bit about Uniworld.

SPEAKER_01: 2:01

What makes it unique? Sure. I think most important we're known for is our ship decor. It is a floating boutique, hotel style ship. So that just means every ship is unique and different, and it has certain artwork furnishings that reflect the uh spirit and nature of the region that we're sailing. So we have, for instance, along our very popular castles along the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel. They have the Baccarat Chandelier that used to hang in Tavern on the Green because they want to make you feel like you're in a palace. Wow. For our uh SS La Venezia, which does the Venice Lagoon. They've got Murano glass, they've got Fortuni fabrics, they've got Venetian masks. So again, you're just not in this vanilla everyday, you know, USA hotel. You're you're made to feel like you're really in Europe and enjoying the artwork and furnishings. And we also have fewer passengers on board. So we typically are anywhere from 120 to 150 passengers. So it's a more intimate experience on board the vessel as well.

SPEAKER_00: 3:08

How excuse me, how many ships are there?

SPEAKER_01: 3:11

We currently have 13, uh, five of which are in our exotic destinations, and the rest being in Europe. We are going to get some new vessels, seven in total. Wow. Starting next year in 2026. There'll be the SS Emily, and she will begin doing tulip time in the early spring, March, and April, and then in May, transition over to some unique Danube sailings where we actually go into the lower Danube that include Croatia and Belgrade, which is a little unique with a Dubrovnik extension. And then after her, her sister ships, the SS Merlena and the SS Audrey, will come out in 2027. They'll do various Rhine and Mosul. Not many people are familiar with the Mosul River, but it's very scenic, very charming as well. Uh, it'll have some Zurich, Paris, and Prague land components uh as part of it. And then also in 2027, we will have another ship doing the very popular Douro River Valley in Portugal. And that ship will be called the SS Rafael to join the SS Sao Gabriel. So two ships there because it really is a very popular itinerary through the very beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Douro River Valley, which I did um last year. No, two years ago, excuse me, and it's absolutely one of my favorite. Just really beautiful, stunning scenery and not overly commercialized in any way. And but that makes it nice.

SPEAKER_00: 4:43

Yeah, you know, it hasn't been corrupted yet, so that's good. And I know the Duro is very popular now. Yes, it definitely does. So you're gonna have two ships, and you say your ships basically hold between 120 and 150 passengers. So that makes it nice, you know, a little bit more intimate, um, not the big spawns rush. Are there any kind of limitations? Are there age limitations? We allow anyone over the age of four.

SPEAKER_01: 5:09

Uh it is unusual, of course, because you're paying full fare. We don't have child fares, but we do have what we call generations programs.

SPEAKER_00: 5:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 5:16

And those are certain dates in the summer, castles along the Rhine, Enchanting Danube, Bourbony and Provolce, also in Egypt in the winter, uh, where we have special hosts on board that are there specifically to cater to the families. They're gonna do special excursions for them. They're gonna have their own little room that they can play games in or whatnot. So we call again, we call that generations. So if there's somebody that perhaps does not want to see children, uh do not pick one of those dates in the summer or winter in Egypt, but uh we find that multi-generational travel is very popular. Grandma and grandpa want to take the entire family, and this is something that works for them all. It's uh easy to do, unpack one's float floating hotel, all everything's included. That is one other unique point about Uniworld, is that we are one of the most truly all-inclusive river cruise lines. So, of course, your meals, you know, like but we include anything you want to drink at any time of the day. Okay, that's that's alcohol as well. Yes, anything. So, and it's top shelf uh liquors and premium wines and spirits. And you can have mimosas for breakfast, you know, but we also have mocktails for those that don't drink. And with the other River Cruise lines, it really is only beer, wine, and soda at lunch and dinners, but it's only at mealtime. So here they can have whatever they want any time of the day. You also are expected to tip the onboard crew with the river cruise. For example, the cruise manager, the hotel manager, and a room steward. So with that, all onboard tipping is included as well. So the tips are included. Tips are included on board, yes. And then with the excursions or the experiences, we offer up to three, usually two, but sometimes three per day based on your interest and fitness level. Whereas the others are typically only offering you one and then you pay for any additional ones. So we recognize you all have different interests and fitness level. Some people want to do our hiking and biking tours, while other people need to do our gentle walker tours and go at a slower pace with less walking. Others maybe have never been to a Budapest or an Amsterdam and they want to do the large panoramic city tour. Some maybe already have been there and they want to maybe focus on a neighborhood where we kind of we call do as the locals do. Maybe you'll take the metro, you'll stro stroll through a food market, notch on some local delicacy, so a different tape on the city, if you will. Um, so yeah, we're just recognizing different interests and fitness levels, giving you a choice. We do have one that is called Masterpiece Collection. Well, what is that? Usually there's two on a seven-night, eight-day cruise. And these are more elevated excursions. So it could be that it is a hot air balloon. It could, you know, ride in the on the Rhine River Valley. No, these are the ones that we would pay for extra. And it also, I just did one, it was in Bordeaux. We did a met uh sidecar, a retro sidecar. So those motorcycles that have the little compartment next to you riding through the city of Bordeaux at night. So it was just really, really special. So who is at the helm of the Oh, not me and not my husband. It was actually the guide, which was quite nice. Because then we could just look around and see what was going on. And they took us for a champagne toast to watch the sunrise on the other side of the river. So very fun.

SPEAKER_00: 8:43

So yeah, that makes it that gives it a little bit of an extra. Yes. You know, somebody celebrating an anniversary, things like that.

SPEAKER_01: 8:50

They did call this the romantic one because it was in the evening with champagne. You could have done it during the daytime and it was just the retro sidebar. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:58

Now, when you have the two or three options on the regular experiences, is it, you know, say somebody wants to see two in one day. Can they do that? Sometimes, yes.

SPEAKER_01: 9:08

Uh when you get first get on board, we have port talks each night where you're reviewing the next day's activity. But in the very beginning, you're gonna get like this spreadsheet, if you will, and it's gonna show you how the timing works out for the different included excursions. Because you need to sign off to say, okay, we're gonna do this so they know if they need a bus or whatever, how many guides they need. And then you're going to understand that usually, yes, there is a morning tour. Right. Then typically, not always, but you come back to the ship for lunch. And then whether the ship sails during lunchtime because we're close to the next destination or port, or because just you're staying in the same port and there's something different during the late, later afternoon hours. Or we have what's called nights out programs too. So we also do things in the evening. And sometimes these are also exclusive excursions, which means they're only for Uniworld passengers. So in Bordeaux, we did this at a former World War II basin, submarine basin. It's called Le Bassin de Lumière. And so it's this really cool environment where it's all branded for Uniworld. It's only us in there, and it's this multimedia experience with sound and music and and it's kind of like a a visual show. And would this be the extra or would this be weird? That is included, and this was part of our nights out. And we do it in Italy. We do we're the only ones uh there in St. Mark's Basilica. We do that in the evening in candlelight, and then in as well early morning, we go to Doge's Palace prior to its opening. Exclusively. So there are some overnight ports. Absolutely. Especially in the bigger cities. The Porto of Doro, the Vienna on the Danube, you know. Uh yeah, because you just to see a city at night is so different. When you see it during the day, it really comes to life. And typically you are docked right in the heart of that city center. Right. So it's very easy just to get off the ship, whether going out on one of our nights out programs or just exploring it on your own.

SPEAKER_00: 11:13

So give me an example of what the ship itself looks like, other than the chandeliers are is there a top deck dining or any kind of pool.

SPEAKER_01: 11:21

Every ship's different, right? That's why they're boutique and unique. But typically it's three decks. The lower deck will have the smaller size cabins, typically, with the smaller windows right at the waterline level. We jokingly say it's the duck or the swan, but you're right at that level. Um, so it depends on your budget, and we can spend very little time in your cabin. So if you'd rather spend that money on, you know, upgrading to business class air or something, I can understand that reasoning. But the majority of the cabins on any of our SS class ships, those are super ships, they're gonna have two decks of French balconies. So you'll have a lot of inventory to choose from with that French balcony. And the glass, instead of it being a sliding glass door, it's actually like from the midway, it goes up and down like a car window, right? So it just opens up the vista a bit more. Nice. And those, again, every cat every ship's different, but cabin sizes generally are about 175 to 220. Okay. In those. And river cruising in general, right? You're gonna have smaller cabins because we're limited by the size of the walls and the canals and whatnot. But then typically we'll have about eight to ten suites. Okay. And suites will be either upwards of two fifty up to four hundred square feet. They also come with butler syrup so that he'll unpack for you. He brings you little drinks each day. You have a fully stopped mini fridge. And that's for the sweets. That's for the sweets, yeah. And you also get whatever carafe of wine or spirit you want replenished each day. And so obviously little perks for the suites, other than the additional space. And they do have the uh pull-out. Some that do the family programs, they might have third-person accommodation with a pull-out couch in the suite. Okay. But other ships that do the family programs or or not, they'll have connecting rooms.

SPEAKER_00: 13:09

Oh, so you do have connecting rooms. And on the new ship. Excuse me. I didn't hear of it.

SPEAKER_01: 13:14

The SS Emily and the Marlena and the Audrey, they have the capability of two of the grand suites that are 400 square feet, a connecting standard cabin. So you'll have the option to open it up to be a two-bedroom suite that's about 600 square feet. That's nice. Yeah. So whether that's for a family or that's just somebody that wants that additional space, um, we'll have that available on the next three ships coming out.

unknown: 13:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 13:43

Do you have options for solo travelers? I do.

SPEAKER_01: 13:45

Uh per 2026, uh, you can go on our website in under offers, you'll see solo travelers. So that is when we waive this what's called a single supplement. Right. Single travelers are expected to pay double the amount or 200%. So that additional 100% is waived. So they're only paying that singular 100%. They're not regulated to a specific cabin category. Okay. Other than if they do book a suite, sadly, we can't waive the single supplement. They can still book the suite. Right. But on the other cabin categories, it would be waived. But we also have many dates where we reduce it. So instead of it being that extra full 100%, it might be 75%, 50%.

SPEAKER_00: 14:30

So there might be a promotion that's involved.

SPEAKER_01: 14:32

It's always there. You just have to work with your travel agent to inquire with reservations about those dates that are reduced. But the ones that are waived are clearly indicated on the website.

SPEAKER_00: 14:43

Right. And I'll and a lot of people are starting to look at river cruises more and more, which makes it nice because Uniworld is unique to the to the industry. And you are including all of this. And it gives a little bit more luxury. And people are looking for a little bit more luxury when they go on vacation these days.

SPEAKER_01: 15:01

Right. Don't fit your go home.

SPEAKER_00: 15:03

It needs to be spoiled. Now, do um do you have options for overnight stays on land? Do you have pre-imposed? Yes, we definitely have pre-imposed.

SPEAKER_01: 15:13

Typically, it's either two or three days, or three nights, I should say. Two or three nights pre or post. Always wise to come in a little early, right? Like do with the big ships. But typically none of our vessels leave the day of embarkation. So you're a little bit safer there in a way. But it's always nice just to acclimate. And we do offer some really nice pre and post. Uh we try and find unique destinations, none such run-of-the-mill. So, as an example, I did Bordeaux this past summer. I went to Bear Ritz, one of our extensions offered as a pre-extension. It's right on the Atlantic Ocean and it's right on the Spanish border. So it's considered French Basque country with its own language and alphabet. And we stayed at this wonderful property, which was called Hotel du Palais. And it is part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, so it has historical significance. And it was the former residence of Empress Jugie and Napoleon III. Oh. So it's had, you know, I don't know, uh, Clark Gable stayed there. They have a a room with a his little nameplate on there. So it's just a very special, beautiful hotel. Now, uh is there a guide at that point in time? It's what we call hosted. Hosted. So they're not there entirely with you, but they are there in the morning and at certain times. There's they're there to, you know, either be your guide or connect you with your guide for the day. So it's hosted with with certain meals, usually breakfast, nice, and then a tour. But pretty much, you know, you're kind of on your, you know, you'll get a you know, a regular tour to get an understanding. Um, but most of it's really just for you to be on your own. Now, do you have airport pickup for clients? Hopefully you'll use Uniworld Air. We have contracts with many of the major air combines. So you can certainly do air with us, but let's say you have, you know, your points and you're doing your own air. So transfers are included when you do air with Uniworld or you do one of our pre- or post extensions. But if you do your own air for 2026, we will have uh transfers that will range from short, medium, and long haul, depending on the distance. And they will on average be about$30 per person for the short, uh,$60 for the medium, and$90 for the long.

SPEAKER_00: 17:30

And again, it's only if you're not using our air.

SPEAKER_01: 17:34

Or you're not coming in on the day of embarkation and you didn't do our extension. Okay. You're doing it on your own.

SPEAKER_00: 17:40

So if you're doing three days prior that you know world was not involved with. Exactly. Okay, well, that's still not bad.

SPEAKER_01: 17:47

No. And when I didn't mention to you before when you asked me about the ships, I only talked about the cabins, but I didn't want to mention a lot of the ships will have like a wine cellar where they might do a private wine tasting. They might have a movie theater. Many of them have pools, whether it be indoor connected to the spa area or up on the top deck, which in these warmer summer months in the in that we're experiencing, I've certainly used them. Um, they do have enclosed sky lounges as we call them. That's nice. Yeah, like in Bordeaux, it was actually air conditioned. So they might have had like a lighter meal option or a more casual meal option up there, but they also did a sip and paint class with a French painter up there while we're so you know, sometimes it's it's not air conditioned. The castles along the Rhine, the SS Antoinette has this, and you can just, while it's maybe November, right, you can still enjoy sailing through that beautiful Rhine forge with literally the castles there and not be freezing, you know, and have some how many restaurants are on board? Typically there is one. Most of the ships do will have either like I'm talking about the more casual sky lounge area, right? Or they'll have a private dining area. Usually it seats about eight or ten guests. Sometimes you pay for it, sometimes you don't. It really just depends. Um so it just really depends on the ship. It's hard to give a blanketed answer, but we always try to have additional public spaces because we're holding fewer passengers on board, even though we're the same length and size as other river cruises that gives us more space to have these public areas, like on the SS de Viv, Paris, Normandy, during the day, it's a spa area with the pool, and then at night the flooring comes up, the pool drains out, and it turns into a separate club called Claude Separate Club. So it's nice versatile. Two things in one. Yeah, it really just depends on the ship.

SPEAKER_00: 19:45

Depends on the ship. Yeah. Oh, that's nice. Now, when when does the inner world sail?

SPEAKER_01: 19:51

So we start in March. Uh late March, we'll start doing true time. And some of the other itineraries, maybe, yeah. It depends. Some of the other itineraries, but really tulip time is the focus right then and there, because in the Holland, depending on how much rainfall and all this, it goes from March to May when you can actually see the tulips and all their glory. But then the rest of the programs, yeah, they'll start very late March and they'll go all the way until pretty much November, most of the sailings, and then we'll transition into what we call holiday market sailings. Right. And these are typically seven night, eight-day sailings that go on the Rhine and the Danube, and they're visiting all of the Chris Kindle markets. Christmas markets, yes.

SPEAKER_00: 20:34

Now, do you have we are talking right now, and it is October of 2025. Do you still have some Chris Kinds?

SPEAKER_01: 20:41

Believe it or not, we do. We have nine different holiday market sales. Maybe we had too many, but we have some availability and they're offering$2,000 off per person. So again, when you're on our website, you go to offers and you'll see holiday season sale. You click that, it will show you the available dates for that. And we actually have three that go over Christmas and New Year's. So you wouldn't get the Christmas markets then, because Christmas market ends on Christmas Eve. But you'll have all these other really cool, unique excursions or experiences to do. Uh, and one, for instance, our Belgian holiday market, you're actually in Amsterdam for New Year's Eve. So it would be hard not to have fun.

SPEAKER_00: 21:23

Definitely would be. Or not to have fun. It happens in Amsterdam state in Houston, right? So basically it goes from March till the holidays.

SPEAKER_01: 21:33

Yeah. Exotics are very different, of course, because typically they don't sail like India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt. We're not sailing in the summer months for obviously.

SPEAKER_00: 21:44

Really? So you don't sail in Egypt during the summer months. Well, because I know Egypt is pretty hot during the summer months. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 21:50

So, you know, January, February, March are peak time for those exotic itineraries.

SPEAKER_00: 21:55

Okay. So you would recommend that anybody who's interested in any of these sailings contact their travel advisor. Absolutely. And their travel advisor can go right to your website, zonaworld.com. Yeah. Um, and also they can find out more information as well. Any kind of promotions that might be going on, that's really, really great. And I know travel advisors just love to talk about river cruising.

SPEAKER_01: 22:21

Yeah, it's a really easy one-stop shop, one-stop shopping for their customers and for them, right?

SPEAKER_00: 22:27

They don't have to do all these moving. It seems like everything is included. It is. Unless you're adding something separate to your itinerary.

SPEAKER_01: 22:34

You can budget very nicely for it. And if if if you need an advocate in this day and age, and I just want to say again that it is very important to have an agent. Because if you think you're getting anything that's less expensive without their help, right. We have wonderful relationships with many of the different travel agent communities. So you're actually getting additional amenities and bonuses and savings. So you definitely won't get any more savings without using an agent. Plus, you have the advocacy of their assistance. God forbid something goes wrong, which is this day and age, we know.

SPEAKER_00: 23:07

Now, if I can ask you, speaking of going wrong, um, do you have a 24-7 phone number that the travel advisors can contact just in case?

SPEAKER_01: 23:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 23:19

That's very good to know. We do. Because I I personally, as a travel advisor, I got a phone call one time at four o'clock in the morning. My uh client was overseas, and it's like the time to always please take insurance.

SPEAKER_01: 23:34

I know. So, oh nothing's gonna happen. But absolutely. I've heard so many stories, and to lose all that money. Now, does Uniworld also offer insurance on their packages? Yes, we have cancel for any reason insurance. So it doesn't have to be a medical.

SPEAKER_00: 23:50

What is your typical deposit and how long do they have before they have to pay in full? Sure. It's typically 10%.

SPEAKER_01: 23:56

Okay. Uh, and full payment is due 120 days out. So if you're booking something within that 120 days, then you know, right payments due. But anything outside of that, we have 2027 open. Wow. 2027 is already available. Yeah, it's up to 20% off with deposit only, depending on the sailing and the itinerary. And that's always changing. So maybe you saw it one day it was 20%. You could come back next week and it might be 10% because the ship is filling up. So just keep that in mind. And for 2026, it's up to 25% off. So it all varies based upon the sailing. Right. And if you are a past guest with us or any of our, we have we're part of the travel corporation. So that's Trafalgar, Brendan, Insight, Contiki, African Travel. You are considered a past guest with Uniworld. So you get like a pillow gift, you get a laundry service, you get a cocktail party on board, but more importantly, you're gonna get an additional discount. And they currently have what's called River Heritage Club. That's what we call our past guests.

SPEAKER_00: 24:58

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01: 24:59

They're gonna have special savings currently going on in the spring of 2026. So select dates for Europe and our exotics at$2,000 off per person. So they're gonna get these special offers uh exclusive to them, which is quite nice. So that's called River Heritage Club.

SPEAKER_00: 25:16

River Heritage Club. Yes. I like that. Heritage Club. Now, a lot of travel advisors are going to say, Well, what about groups? I have a bunch of people that want to go together. Yep. Can you accommodate for groups?

SPEAKER_01: 25:29

Yep. You just have to check uh with your travel agent who checks with our group department that the date is open. We only allow so many groups. You know, our ships are small. We don't want it overtaken by one particular group. Because that's unfair to the rest of the passengers. So typically a group for us in Europe is 10 persons, five cabins. Five cabins. So the 10th person goes free. Nice. And they get an additional discount, usually of about$300 per person. And if it's our exotic destinations, because there's always a land component involved, a hotel, it's one for 15. So the 16th person goes free. Cruise only. And usually those discounts are a little bit more, maybe like$100 or$500 per person. Well, so it is, it is if it's worth it for sure to get that additional discount if you know that you're gonna be, you know, a group of of a certain size. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 26:22

That makes sense. Yeah. Okay, so it's the world.com. Very much looking. Uh we do recommend that you call in your travel advisor and say, okay, I've heard all about Uniworld now and I want to go on some of these. Right. I want to go on some of these sales. Um, we didn't even really hit hard on your exotics. No, I know. And our time is our time is limited today. So I want to thank you today for speaking with me. Absolutely. Bringing Uniworld to the forefront. Happy 50th anniversary. Thank you. And this is Z Michelson. And like I always say, make sure you dream, dream big, reach for those stars. And if you only get to the moon, at least you made the trip. Thank you for joining us today. I hope you enjoyed our journey and found some new inspiration for your next adventure. Remember, the world is full of stories, and sometimes all it takes is a plane ticket to start your own adventure. If you love today's episode, be sure to tune in every week. And don't forget to share your favorite travel moments with me on social media. I'd really love to hear about where you're headed to next. So until next time, keep exploring, keep discovering, and as always, keep traveling with your heart wide open. I'm Z Michelson, and I'll see you on the next adventure.