Uniworld’s River Royale

The Magic of Provence and Burgundy

By Carol Eannarino

For clients looking for something different in a cruise,
why not recommend a river voyage?

We recently returned from an Arles to Lyon Connoisseur’s Provence & Burgundy cruise along the Rhone and Saone rivers on Uniworld’s newest riverboat, the lovely River Royale. The idyllic 7-day journey convinced us that this would be an ideal choice for clients looking for a small ship experience with both premium amenities and in-depth exploration of the ports visited.
This client profile aptly describes Baby Boomers, who predominated on our voyage, along with a number of slightly older retirees who were well traveled, eager to explore and had the stamina to keep up with some of more active shore excursions.
Even the oldest person on the cruise, a feisty woman from Wales who gave her age as 84 or 86, depending on whom she was talking to, managed the brisk pace and most of the stairs and cobblestones we encountered on some walking tours. (Note: The woman and her small U.K. contingent were in the minority, since Uniworld focuses on marketing to North America.)
The shore excursions (all but an occasional optional tour are included in the price of the cruise) are truly exceptional, led by knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides who speak excellent English. We learned a great deal about the region during these tours, including a number of facts that somehow eluded us in high school history classes.
Since most tours were in the morning and lasted several hours, we returned to the ship just in time for a buffet lunch in the Cezanne Restaurant, a cheerful room decorated in blue and white, with tables seating from two to eight. There are also “booth-like” tables for four. There’s no assigned seating, including at dinner when waiter service is offered. As a result, passengers mix and mingle, and soon find themselves with a wealth of friendly acquaintances.
Breakfast, also buffet style, includes an omelet station plus lots of hot and cold options. Sunday brunch brought a special treat of Eggs Benedict; another morning, apple fritters were on the menu.
Lunch always included a hearty soup of the day, served at the table, as well as hot and cold options at the buffet. The dining room staff, who were cordial and spoke English well, brought hot tea and very good coffee made and served in a French press, which was sometimes left on the tables of avid coffee drinkers.
Dinner offerings, cooked in the style of the region, were delicious and generally included choices of meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives. Dessert at lunch and dinner was displayed on tables at the dining room entrance and fresh trays of ice cream (apparently the most popular of dessert choices) appeared frequently. French cheeses were also available.
There’s a great selection of Rhone Valley and Burgundy wines from which to choose. We selected the most inexpensive, at $15 a bottle, and found it to be extremely satisfying. And, at the end of the cruise, after visiting two wineries and sampling various local vintages, we felt that our wine I.Q. had improved considerably. (Note: There is a corkage fee if guests bring their own bottle to the dining room.)
Dress, for the most part, is “smart casual.” The only time most passengers dressed up a bit was for the Captain’s Welcome party, where the entire staff was introduced in the Renoir Lounge, a comfortable area that includes a bar at one end and sofas and armchairs throughout, with tables and chairs along the windows. There’s also a corner table where water, which is purified onboard, and coffee and tea are always available.
Staterooms, up to 162 square feet, offer ample storage space (we didn’t discover the wide drawers built in the foot of the bed until a few days into the cruise) and are nicely decorated. Category 1 accommodations have French-style balcony doors, while our Category 2 stateroom featured a wide picture window that enabled us to view the fabulous scenery as we sailed by. A handful of Category 3 accommodations with portholes are on the lowest deck. There is one suite.
Two features in the stateroom were what I consider “thoughtful touches” that you don’t find aboard most vessels. One was the use of nightlights in the bathroom and bedroom, where a switch gave the option of turning the intensity up or down, on or off. Since the draperies completely darkened the cabin (making for a peaceful night’s sleep), the nightlights provide safe passage for guests who wake and walk in the middle of the night.
Another special touch is the lights that are turned on and off automatically when one opens and closes the armoire, where the closet and shelves and safe are located.
A flat screen TV is mounted on a large mirror over the vanity/desk, and passengers can choose from CNN International, Sky News, two movie channels (movies shown three times daily) and a few French stations. There’s a hairdryer in the vanity drawer that must be used there, since the room has 110/220 volts, as opposed to the bathroom, with 110 volts.
Other nice touches were bathrobes, comfortable duvets and crisp, monogrammed linens, plus cashmere throws. The turndown included a different brand of European chocolate each evening.
The bathroom has a see-through shower and fluffy Egyptian cotton towels. There are dispensers with shampoo and gel inside the shower, and one with lotion by the sink, along with a few amenities and face soap. Along with the shelf under the bathroom mirror, there’s a large drawer under the sink for storage.
A small library is located a few steps up from the reception area, and seemed to be stocked mainly with a nice assortment of books and magazines left by passengers.
An indoor area called the “patio,” right outside the dining room, has two computers (Internet packages can be purchased at a reasonable price). There is also WI-FI throughout — something we truly appreciated, since we had brought along my laptop.
The patio also has a few tables and chairs, an ice machine and a coffee machine, which also dispenses hot water for hot chocolate or a nice assortment of Twining’s tea. Opposite the space is a small but surprisingly well-stocked gift shop, open around dining times. A table outside the shop displays wares from the region, such as placemats made from the colorful fabric identified with Provence.
Near the gift shop is an elevator that goes to all three decks, but not to the fourth Soleil Deck, where there is a Jacuzzi and lounge chairs. It’s a great place to view the scenery, but since the weather was sometimes on the cool side during our November cruise, we spent less time here than we would have spent in warmer months. But the weather didn’t dissuade a few hardy passengers from taking a plunge in the Jacuzzi.
A room aft on the Azure Deck 3 includes exercise equipment (two elliptical bikes and two stationary, as well as some weights), a sauna and adjoining rooms for the hairdresser and the masseur. A fellow passenger told me the masseur’s rates were very reasonable — $30/half hour; $60/hour — and that he was quite effective in relieving some of her aches.
During the cruise, a few talented entertainers were brought on board; on other nights, the very capable cruise director, Alexandra Six, organized interactive games that kept the guests laughing. Lecturers on chocolate making (and tasting) and silk-screening came aboard and there was a galley tour, where the chef whipped up crepes Suzette for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest treat of all was dining at Paul Bocuse’s L’Abbaye de Collonges, located in his hometown, three miles from Lyon, where the River Royale was docked. The ship made the short journey via the Saone River to this grand establishment, ideal for receptions and weddings. The thrill was an appearance from Bocuse himself, at 83 years old, a culinary legend. There was ample time for shaking hands and taking photos during cocktails.
When we entered the restaurant, chickens from the famed Bresse area were roasting on the spit of a huge fireplace. This proved to be our main course and along with some delicious side dishes and spectacular wine, it was an evening to remember. This is an example of the lengths Uniworld will go to make a river cruise truly something to remember.
From March 31 to Nov. 3, the River Royale will embark on weekly 7-day Burgundy & Provence cruises which will stop at the same ports as the Connoisseur’s Provence and Brugundy cruise.

Sights to See
Although it’s impossible to list details of all the wonderful places we visited on our tours, here are some highlights:
Arles: Once a Roman colony, the Old City boasts a well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre and an ancient theatre. Vincent Van Gogh lived and painted here for 15 months and spent some time in a hospital, now called Espace Van Gogh and restored to its original look.

Avignon: This ancient city is best known for the Papal Palace, where seven Popes (and two anti-popes) ruled the Catholic Church during 1309-1377. Advise your clients that the tour includes 250 plus steps to climb — but is well worth it. A photo op stop from the River Royale which pulls up close to the famed (and partially demolished) Pont d’ Avignon, caps off the visit.

Viviers: An evening stroll through its Ancient City ends at the 12th century Cathedral St. Vincent and a wonderful organ concert by a young, local musician.

Tain l’Hermitage/Tournon: A highlight is a visit to the Cellar Ferraton for wine tasting (of three different Cote du Rhone Hermitage wines) served with delicious local sweet bread.

Lyon: The city boasts that it’s France’s second largest city, though Marseille has that honor if you don’t count Lyon’s surrounding suburbs. The hilltop Basilica Notre Dame de Fourviere, topped by a gold statue of the Virgin Mary, is Lyon’s hallmark church. The medieval St. Jean district, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is replete with old alleys and “traboules,” covered passages that were built to protect baskets of silk, Lyon’s main industry in the 18th century. Over the last 20 years, more than 150 walls throughout Lyon have been painted, generally in trompe l’oeil style, by local artists.

Beaune: Located not far from Chalon, one of the important centers of the Burgundy wine trade, the town of Beaune is home to the Hospices de Beaune, rated three stars by the Michelin Guide. Founded in 1442 by a ducal chancellor and his wife to aid locals impacted by the Hundred Years War, the Hospices have been converted to a museum. Today, the Hospices de Beaune continue to use revenue, much of it from a huge annual auction of its famous vintages, to support charitable works. A stop at Le Cellier de la Cabiote enables guests to sample the estate wines of Burgundy.