Q – This is actually fun to read – so thank you for that. But can’t you post a few times a day? That would be much better. We are considering our first family cruise of any kind. I am a busy accountant and my husband is a wine importer. We have three children, all in their twenties, so finding a suitable product for all of us is challenging and the agents we’ve spoken to keep trying to talk us into sailing one of the larger ships “with something to do for everyone like Celebrity or Carnival. We’re not rich people but we live in a lovely home in an expensive Washington D.C. suburb so we can afford something nice. I’ve spent several hours online and none of made any sense until I discovered your riverboat site. My question is, with two sons in college and a daughter working for the State Department, does it sound like a riverboat vacation in Europe could possibly work, would you be willing to help us, what do you charge, and is Uniworld right for us based on the above. Hope that’s not too much to ask in one e-mail.
A – Carnival is all wrong for you unless you are a fan of Vegas-style glitz. Celebrity perhaps. Look at it this way: Large cruise ships are like floating hotels. One or two are Four Seasons, many are Hyatts and Marriotts, and then there are a few No-Tell-Motels. Riverboats are more like floating trains. Everyone gathers in the club car. Riverboats do not give you days at sea – they are more immersive than cruise ships.
You can definitely sail U by Uniworld. The company has removed the previously announced age restriction so fully formed adults and even actual AARP members can now sail this millennial riverboat line. We think it is a line that could please everyone but we would urge you to look at other contemporary lines like AMA Waterways. Riverboats actually provide more time ashore than cruise ships. You are off the boat every day. So aside from dinner and sleeping, the experience is really destination-oriented. Given that your “agent” referred you to Carnival, and you can afford something much more upscale, we would be pleased to help you in any way that we can. Just contact us and ask for a New Guest Profile/Application. Our services are always complimentary unless you ask us to design a custom-crafted journey with private guides and drivers.
As for your request that we update our site several times a day – we have plans to do that as soon as Trump becomes thoughtful and mature. Seriously – the reason we can operate our Media Group and open source it to consumers is that we all have very nice day jobs in the industry.. Our time is a bit restricted. We do hope that, some day, we will be able to devote 100% of our efforts to keeping our sites relevant and updated.
