Vietnam & Cambodia in Style

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is proud to announce the 2012 launch of their Vietnam, Cambodia, and Mekong River Cruise program. Uniworld is partnering with Pandaw Cruises to offer travelers a truly authentic experience and insight into the history, the culture, and lives of the people of Vietnam and Cambodia. Cruises will begin in January 2012.

Uniworld will be chartering a new ship built exclusively for cruising the Mekong and Tonle rivers. According to Guy Young, President of Uniworld, “We are extremely happy about our newest partnership with Pandaw Cruises. We are working very closely with them on the new ship build and on an itinerary that will provide our guests with exceptional memories.”

The new boutique river cruise ship, River Saigon, will have a 60 passenger capacity, providing travelers with the opportunity to explore this fascinating part of the world in intimate groups with more access and opportunities than they would have on a larger ship. There are 30 well-appointed, deluxe riverview staterooms at 168 sq. ft, with added amenities including bottled water, and robes and slippers. Staterooms will have a French door entrance with an outside sitting area, allowing for beautiful views of the river. The ship will have a spacious sun deck with comfortable lounge chairs and seating areas, and a full service bar. There will be a separate lounge for meetings and relaxation, and a restaurant for fine dining. Complimentary wine is included with dinner, and complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer and cocktails are available throughout the day. 13 days of included shore excursions will be conducted by experienced English-speaking local guides in small groups of no more than 20 passengers. Small group size is ideal for exploring the floating villages, local markets, and fabled temples that Uniworld guests will visit, including the impressive ruins and temple complex at Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Uniworld’s new Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong itinerary takes travelers on a 14-night cruise and tour that operates between Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, Vietnam, and includes Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat. The 7-night cruise will run between Kampong Cham in Cambodia and My Tho in Vietnam. For the land portion of the program, guests will spend seven nights in deluxe hotels with luxurious accommodations, including buffet breakfast, service charges, and porterage. Uniworld’s guests will also receive exclusive VIP treatment at each hotel including private check-in with welcome drinks, in-room welcome flowers and fruit platter, and at the Victoria Angkor Hotel & Spa, each guest will receive their own personalized monogrammed bathrobe to keep. Optional pre- or post-cruise extensions, including Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, and Bangkok, Thailand will also be offered. Uniworld will offer 21 departures starting in January 2012 and expand to 31 departures in 2013.

“Uniworld is committed to providing our clientele with expanded product offerings in historically rich and culturally fascinating destinations throughout the world. I am confident that this new exciting destination will be well received by both Uniworld’s past guests and future cruises,” adds Young.

If you'd like more information about these unique itineraries please check out our website @ www.cruisenet.ca or call us @ 905.829.0111

Uniworld's New Super Ship

Uniworld is having a very busy 2011 -they inaugurated their new Super Ship, S.S. Antoinette, launched a second new ship - Douro Spirit and announced the new destination of Vietnam & Cambodia! There's so much to write and talk about we're just going to have to break up our blog entries! First we'll focus on the new S.S. Antoinette and her stunning beauty, then on to the Spirit and Vietnam.

The S.S. Antoinette was christened at an inauguration ceremony at the Port of Amsterdam, the Netherlands on March 19, 2011. Lead by Mrs. Beatrice Tollman, President and Founder of Red Carnation Hotels, and her daughter Mrs. Antoinette Tollman, godmother and namesake to S.S. Antoinette, who is also the designer and the visionary behind the S.S. Antoinette’s lavish design and décor, and their lead designer Mr. Brian Brennan, they worked closely with the shipyard De Hoop to bring a new class of ships to the cruise industry.

Mrs. Antoinette Tollman explained the concept of the ship’s design was based on 18th century France in the 21st century as it embodies the spirit of France’s Château de Versailles with all of the conveniences of modern day living. “The design of the ship began with the spectacular blue sapphire 10-foot Baccarat chandelier that adorns the Antoinette’s two-story lobby. This very chandelier once hung in New York’s famous Tavern on the Green restaurant. My family and I had dined many times under that chandelier, and when the restaurant closed, we purchased it for sentimental reasons, planning to use it somewhere.”

Wanting to find the perfect home for the chandelier, they placed it in the lobby of the S.S. Antoinette and designed the ship around this beautiful focal point that reflects the sunlight so perfectly. “From there, we were inspired by Marie Antoinette and 18th-century Versailles to create the beautiful, rich, and opulent, yet classic style. The Salon du Grand Trianon is inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, and the Restaurant de Versailles by the ornamental gardens there. Above all, it was designed to take the guest on a journey and, as I learned from my mother, to give them the absolute best experience possible,” furthers Mrs. Tollman.

When you are a family-run company such as Uniworld and Red Carnation, you have greater passion, greater commitment, and a greater connection to ensuring your hotels—whether on land or on the water—provide guests with the ultimate experience incorporating the finest luxuries and comforts, as evident throughout the S.S. Antoinette and all of Uniworld’s ships; a world-class Food and Beverage program as recognized by Zagat; and intuitive and award-winning hospitality as evident by esteemed travel entities including Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure.

Uniworld, the world’s only river cruise line to have been acknowledged by Zagat Survey® for “Top Dining,” can certainly be attributed to Mrs. Beatrice Tollman’s philosophy on food and her desire for ensuring both her hotel guests and her family were always treated to sumptuous cuisine using the finest ingredients. Mrs. Beatrice Tollman wrote her memoir, A Life in Food, as a cookbook made up of recipes she has collected over the years during her travels and from people she has met. She has since refined and personalized the recipes and taught many chefs in her hotels and at Uniworld, including Bernhard Zorn, Uniworld’s Global Master Chef. In the book, she recounts how she came to learn and love the recipes—many of which have become Signature Comfort Dishes at the hotels and onboard Uniworld’s ships. Uniworld’s professionally trained culinary team creates these Signature Comfort Dishes, including the more traditional such as “Bea’s chicken soup” to the more exotic “Black peppered prawns” to the sweeter side with “Honeycomb ice cream and Bea’s cheese cake.”

The S.S. Antoinette begins her inaugural season sailing on March 27, 2011 on Uniworld’s popular Castles along the Rhine, and certainly guests traveling on this “Super Ship” will be in for a “Super Experience.”

To get more information on S.S. Antoinette's itineraries and dates please check out our website @ www.cruisenet.ca or call us @ 905.829.0111