We are proud to feature our guest blogger: Caroline Hollar
I was selected out of a pool of other travel industry applicants to go on U by Uniworld’s first launch river cruise. I submitted a 30 second video explaining why U by Uniworld should pick me to experience this first river cruise adventure. At Gifted Travel Network, we work with over 230 travel agents from all over the country. I knew many of our agents were curious about U by Uniworld and would want feedback on this new product so they can sell to their 21-45 year old clients. I thought, why not take one for the team, and volunteer to go on behalf of our GTN agents so I can report back about my experience onboard the new ship, The B. I graciously volunteered my time to vacation—I mean document my travels for our agents – and this is how it went…Overall this was an amazing trip.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
The Ship: Décor
I love the vibe of the B. The theme is black and white with pops of bright colors. The cabins are all black and white with bright red accents. The dining room was beautiful and you guessed it, also black and white. Even the ship’s exterior was black with daily color changing neon lights highlighting the ship’s name. The B’s lounge area and Ice Bar also continued the modern night club vibe.
The Functionality of a River Cruise
‘They’ say that river cruising is great because you just have to ‘unpack once.’ If you were to step inside our lovely studio room number 108, you may find the saying is more accurately ‘throw your overpacked suitcase in the corner of the room once.’ Even then, it was obviously super convenient to travel to different French cities while not worrying about packing, lugging around aforementioned overpacked suitcase, transportation, finding your next room, etc. I studied abroad in Paris during college, and I’ve experienced the backpacking/hostel form of traveling. As a very mature young professional of the old age of 23, I much prefer the river cruise way of traveling.
Originally, one of the main things that caught my interest of U by Uniworld was the opportunity to stay later in the ports of the destinations. However, if the French love to do one thing more than drink wine and eat baguettes, it is going on strike. Unfortunately, our planned pub crawl in Rouen was not possible due to the Paris worker strikes. We had to leave Rouen early in order to get back to Paris before midnight. I would have loved to experience a night out in a French town, but it was out of our control.
The B Nights
Even though I was looking forward to nights exploring the French cities, The B came alive at night. The dinners were a great way to meet new people since the tables could accommodate groups of 6 or more. I met so many great people, and it was so fun to party – I mean– test different foods, drinks, and activities for purposes of reporting back to my agents. The first night was the renaming ceremony, which took place on the deck overlooking the pictured below AMAZING Parisian view. One night we had a silent disco in the Ice Bar -which I was skeptical of at first, but turned out to be a lot of fun. The final night was a pajama party, and everyone wore their U by Uniworld silky pajamas to the Lounge. Yes, even the Instagram models.
The Excursions
One of the great things is that you have options for excursions. Adventurous? Try the bike tours! Like a slower paced tour? Try the bus tour or walking tour. Early riser? Opt-in for the morning kayak adventure or yoga class. Prefer to sleep in because it was a late night the night before? No worries, you can go to brunch when you wake up and catch the afternoon main excursion! Don’t want to do any of the above? Go out exploring on your own!
The Crew
Shout out to the crew! The crew and U by Uniworld team were all so lovely, helpful, friendly, and awesome. To the dinner crew who helped accommodate my picky eating habits to the biking team who helped me not get run over by cars in the busy French intersections, and to the bartenders who knew our drink orders.
This was my first river cruise, and I am so excited that U by Uniworld exists so that millennials can now experience a river cruise made for our generation. I can’t wait for our GTN agents to book a group on U by Uniworld so I can hear about their experiences as well. And U by Uniworld, if you’re listening, if you need someone to test out the other itineraries, I would be happy to volunteer. Check out my teaser video from the cruise: https://youtu.be/ZvWKoK8bbiE
If you want to experience this for yourself, contact us.
Are you a travel enthusiast? Do you want to share your unforgettable travel experiences? Well, our doors are wide open for you. We are looking for guest bloggers who have the passion of traveling and writing about their travel experiences. We can feature your work on our blog as your portfolio. Get in touch with us!
Enjoy reading my blog? Sign up for my newsletter to be a We Make Travel Easy travel insider.