It’s pretty standard on a Uniworld cruise for the onboard staff to know your name — and, by day two, your personal preferences too. But when you step onboard and are greeted like one of the team, you may want to rethink just how often you’ve been sailing with them! Still, when it comes to Uniworld, I simply can’t help myself. Call it my Achilles’ heel or guilty pleasure, but I can never say no to that particular brand of luxury.
The FAM Trip
Kicking off in Butlers Coffee at Dublin Airport, the group of 20 travel professionals from Ireland — including Jean Cusack (Icon Travel), Mandy Walshe, Brian Bloomer, and Fidelma Brady (all Travel Counsellors), Shay Browne (Killiney Travel), Evelyn McClafferty and Donna Feeney (Atlantic Travel), Ciara Tuyet Sheerin, Amanda Anderson, and Tanya Leighie (Cassidy Travel), Annette Hynes and Ciara Keane (Fahy Travel), Ross Waters (Sunway), Edel Ward (Best4Travel), Elizabeth Leonard (J Barters), Cona Moore (Frosch), and Adrienne Crudden and Rosalind Bryant (Oasis Travel) – set off to board the S.S. Victoria for a quick 24-hour sailing from Brussels to Amsterdam.
I tried to convince myself I was there for the friendships and the business opportunities, and while of course that’s true, deep down, I knew it was about more than that. And yes – one of them was the bed quality. Sleep is a premium and boy do I love a quality bed, and on Uniworld they are Saviour of London, one of the worlds leading brands.
One thing about Uniworld: it doesn’t “luxe wash.” If they say they do it — they actually do it. So yes, of course we were greeted with champagne on arrival, and a warm welcome from Angela Sloan, Director of Sales UK and Europe, Lee Evanson and Dawn Quinn, National Account Managers for the UK, and of course our very own Brian Hynes, Head of Sales for Ireland. You can check out a message from Brian Hynes below! This was followed by an introduction to the senior onboard team.
After a delicious buffet lunch, it was time to explore the ship and hear from Uniworld’s industry partners. Emma Gratton, Account Manager for Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, one of my favourite ways to travel, shared insights into the partnership between Uniworld and Golden Eagle, highlighting their rail-and-cruise collaborations. Then Sarah Schlederer, Strategic Key Account Manager, took us on a virtual polar expedition with Quark Expeditions.
We were then led on a tour of the ship, to visit all the staterooms and public areas. I’ve mentioned before that the S.S. Victoria is a chartered ship that doesn’t necessarily look or feel like a typical Uniworld vessel, but that doesn’t stop them from adding all their signature touches, from the sweetie table to the all-inclusive service. And let’s face it, hardware on a luxury ship is expected, a high level of service is expected, but on a Uniworld ship you can expect serious elevation. Which is evident in every area from top to bottom of the ship.
👉 Check out the room tours here
👉 And the public areas here
After a quick turn around it was time for dinner and as usual it was the highlight of any Uniworld vacation. Exceptional food and a special hat tip to the desert chef – I even ordered a second portion. Thankfully I was in a stretchy dress! It was then time to hit the dance floor and in true travel industry style it was full all night.
Alas, bedtime arrived all too soon. Morning came with a yummy breakfast before Brian Hynes rallied the Irish group back to the airport — via a few beverage pit stops, of course. After all, we were in Amsterdam.
A 24 hour trip sounds crazy to some people, but from a product point of view, you can get a real feel for the Ship and the service. While you miss out on the excursions and many onboard inclusions its still a great way to get a snapshot – and for many it was there first time on a river cruise – let alone a Uniworld River Cruise.
Uniworld 2026 Offers
There are currently some amazing 2026 offers available with Uniworld, along with a €50 booking incentive on all new bookings.
👉 View the latest offers here.For more information on the S.S. Victoria, including her usual sailing routes, visit www.uniworld.com or contact Brian Hynes directly at [email protected].
