The Uniworld River Heritage Club
UNIQUELY UNIWORLD: ONE-OF-A-KIND SHIPS pg 2 WELLNESS ON THE WATER pg 5 2021 SNEAK PEEK pg 8 HOW CAN WE ALL MAKE TRAVEL MATTER? pg 10
February 2020
E-NEWSLETTER
RIVERVIEWS
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6 GUEST SPOTLIGHT: BOB’S EXPERIENCE ON
ELLEN’S 360°
SPLENDORS OF EGYPT & THE NILE
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UNIQUELY UNIWORLD: ONE-OF-A-KIND-SHIPS
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WELLNESS ON THE WATER
8 2021 SNEAK PEEK 11 HOW CAN WE ALL MAKE TRAVEL MATTER? 12 A RECIPE FROM THE KITCHEN
February 2020
OF BEA TOLLMAN
#ExploreUniworld
Ellen’s 360° I’m thrilled to be introducing this first RiverViews issue of 2020. We’re kicking off a new year, even a new decade, and this one’s especially exciting because it marks another major milestone — a new century for our parent company, The Travel Corporation (TTC). TTC celebrates 100 years of excellence in hospitality this summer, but we’ll be celebrating all year long with special blogs, videos and other fun content. Check out the TTC website to learn more about what’s in store > In other exciting news, I can’t wait to join our guests onboard the S.S. Beatrice during this year’s President’s Cruise on the October 14 sailing of Delightful Danube & Prague. Going on this cruise and meeting everyone is always a highlight of my year. In this issue of RiverViews, learn a bit about what makes Uniworld special — from our design process to our active excursions — and get an in-depth look at our itinerary in Egypt. You’ll also get some tips on sustainable travel and learn how to make Bea Tollman’s famous Sesame Fried Chicken! Plus, I’m happy to share with you an exclusive announcement about our 2021 season! Happy Travels,
Ellen Bettridge PRESIDENT & CEO Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
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UNIQUELY UNIWORLD:
ONE-OF-A-KIND SHIPS design process
Bea and Toni Tollman have just about perfected the art of designing our ships. With each new launch, they manage to take that classic Uniworld feel and reinvent it in elegant and inspiring new ways. It all starts with the region the ship is meant to sail, from which Bea and Toni take core characteristics and work on enhancing them. Consider the S.S. Maria Theresa, for example, whose regal flair is a fitting ode to the lower Danube’s imperial past. From there the mother-daughter team draws on their own travels, particularly from artisans they’ve discovered whose one-of-a-kind craftsmanship is featured prominently on the ships – such as the blue and white tile you’ll find on the infinity pool of the S.S. Bon Voyage, sourced from a family-owned shop in South Africa. After that, everything is expertly pulled together with some signature Uniworld elements. Tiny Noticeable Touches, like the custom
Bea Tollman & Toni Tollman
fabrics and fresh flowers, make every ship completely unique but still distinctly Uniworld.
YOUR VOTE WOULD MEAN THE WORLD
TRAVEL + LEISURE’S 2020 WORLD’S BEST AWARDS A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE UNIWORLD TEAM
Thanks to guests like you, we’ve been named “#1 River Cruise Line” in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards the past two years running, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We’d be honored if you helped us keep the momentum going in 2020 to celebrate the passion our teams put into crafting unforgettable vacations. VOTE NOW
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WELLNESS ON THE WATER
Active adventures with Uniworld A Uniworld river cruise is an excellent opportunity to work on wellness in exciting new settings. Onboard, our fitness coaches and classes, well-equipped gyms and Traveling Lite menus will help you stay healthy between worldly indulgences. The best part, though, are our included “Let’s Go” excursions, the perfect combination of wellness and exploration. Active on the Moselle – Golfing Rhine, Moselle & Blissful Baden-Baden Spend an invigorating afternoon golfing on a hillside that was once home to a vineyard. Unlike traditional golfing, the game played at this course involves several points-valued targets per ‘hole’ for a fun new version of the classic sport.
Kayak on the Gardon Burgundy & Provence Get a full upper-body workout kayaking to see the Pont du Gard, a spectacularly well-preserved Roman aqueduct from the first century. When you’re done, cool off with a swim in the Gardon river.
Jungle Walk Peruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu Exploration Following an optional lecture on local flora and fauna, head out on a walk through the Amazon Rainforest to find the wildlife you just learned about.
Nijmegen Riverland Biking Tulips & Windmills Bike past a highlight reel of Dutch landmarks on this 32km, scenic ride along the rivers. You’ll pass the oldest village in the Netherlands, the Bay of Bison and an ancient roman fortress, stopping at the halfway point for a break at the Millingen tea gardens.
Vineyard Hike at a Local Quinta Portugal, Spain & the Douro River Valley Take an educational hike through one of Pinhão’s family-owned port vineyards, learning about each step in the winemaking process as you go. At the end, reward yourself with a tasting of the quinta’s port.
Hike from Rudesheim to Assmanshausen Castles Along the Rhine This excursion gives you a variety of perspectives on the Rhine River Valley that you couldn’t find any other way. Beginning with an aerial cable car ride for a birds-eye view of the Rheingau, the tour continues with a roughly 1.5-hour long hike back down through the hillside.
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This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Bob Gleeson, who has been on five Uniworld River Cruises! He recently joined us in Egypt. Hi Bob, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I retired as an executive from a fortune 500 company in 2010. My wife passed away from cancer in late 2017. My wife and I traveled extensively up until her cancer prevented us from traveling and after she passed away, I started traveling again as much as possible. I live in downtown San Antonio on the San Antonio Riverwalk. How did you first hear about Uniworld? How many cruises have you taken with Uniworld? My wife and I loved staying in the Hotel 41 in London, which is a Red Carnation hotel. During one of our visits around 2005 they gave us a brochure on Uniworld. We booked Castles along the Rhine the following summer and things progressed from there. My wife and I went on four trips together.
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When she passed away, I planned my second trip to Egypt with a group of friends, which we just finished this last fall. You added the optional pre-cruise extension to Amman & Petra, can you tell us about that? Two friends that were on the Egypt cruise and I went on to Jordan after the cruise and spent four days in a hotel in Amman. We toured Petra one day and the Dead Sea the next day. Petra was an amazing experience and we all wished we had spent two days there. The Dead Sea was also great.
You visit many incredible temples on this cruise/tour through Egypt, did you have a favorite one? My favorite portion of the trip was the visit to the Valley of the Kings and having the opportunity to walk down into multiple tombs. The paintings on the walls and ceilings were incredible. If I had to pick a temple it would be Luxor at the night show. Walking through the temple with the sound and light show explaining the temple was a real trip highlight. What did you think of the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx? The first night at the Great Sphinx where they did a light show featuring the Sphinx and the pyramids was amazing. The next day getting up close and seeing the massive scale of the pyramids was a unique experience that will stay with me forever. Can you tell us a bit about the River Tosca and the onboard crew? The crew could not have been any better. The dining crew were also fantastic, and our meals were all excellent. Our rooms were cleaned and made up well each day and the comfort was well above average. Did you have a favorite dish that you ate during your travels in Egypt or Jordan? The local dishes were all different from our normal fare and I tasted everything that was prepared. The Nile Perch served on the River Tosca was perhaps my favorite.
If you had to pick, what is the most memorable moment from your trip? No question, my favorite moments were in the Valley of the Kings. My second would be at the Night show at the Great Sphinx. Thanks for speaking with us, Bob! Do you have a story or photos to share from your Uniworld cruise? Email RHC@uniworld.com if you’re interested in being featured in a future Guest Spotlight.
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2021 Sneak Peek
INTRODUCING UNIWORLD CRUISE & RAIL We’re introducing a whole new kind of trip for 2021! In partnership with luxury train brand Golden Eagle, we’ll be offering trips that combine river cruising, land and train travel. We’re starting with two exciting new itineraries, launching August 1, 2021.
14-day Cruise & Rail: Milan, Venice & the Swiss Alps 12-day Cruise & Rail: Venice & the Swiss Alps Both itineraries take guests to the Lake of Zurich, stopping in destinations such as Lienz, Lake Bled and the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. And just as with Uniworld, Golden Eagle journeys are five-star and all-inclusive, including all transfers, meals, drinks, excursions and gratuities. We are especially glad to share that these itineraries were created with sustainable tourism in mind, seeking to impact the destinations positively by bringing tourism to local, hidden-gem villages.
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!
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How can we all
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER? Founded in 2008 by Uniworld’s Parent Company, The Travel Corporation, The TreadRight Foundation’s mission is to safeguard people, wildlife and the planet for generations to come. With constant calls for sustainability both within and around the travel industry, travelers are often left wondering how to make more sustainable choices. That’s why our partner TreadRight has teamed up with its Ambassador and Storyteller Sarain Fox to let travelers know that they have the power to help. Changes both big and small can have major impacts across the planet. In this video, TreadRight gives you the tools to plan responsibly when it comes to packing,
single-use plastics and carbon offsetting. Additionally, they call for travelers to consider their choices of travel providers carefully and to use their travel to benefit the destinations they visit – for example, by purchasing local wares to support community businesses. In order to make responsible actions more tangible for travelers, TreadRight has developed the Make Travel Matter Checklist that you can download here >
Learn how you can be a more considerate traveler!
A f a m i ly of br a n d s
ttc.com
For more information, visit treadright.org/pledge
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From the Kitchen of Bea Tollman
SESAME FRIED CHICKEN This recipe serves six people and is perfect for a cold, winter night. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
3 chickens 1 can evaporated milk 1 egg 4 cups canola oil
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy bottom pot. Remove the backbone from the chickens and cut each in half, then cut each half into 4 pieces. Whisk together the evaporated milk and the egg. Add the chicken pieces to this marinade.
for sesame coating 2 cups flour 10 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp poultry seasoning 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp ginger powder 1 tsp paprika pinch of cayenne 2 tsp salt
Mix together all of the spices, flour and sesame seeds, then place in a shallow baking dish. Test that the oil is hot enough by putting a small piece of white bread into the oil: if it turns golden brown the oil is hot enough. Alternatively use a thermometer and bring the oil to 350ËšF Dip the marinated chicken into the sesame flour. Do not shake off the excess marinade and dredge well in the flour mixture. Carefully drop piece by piece into the oil. Work in small batches, only fry about 8 pieces at a time. If the oil is boiling too vigorously turn it down a little, and cook until golden brown: this will take 8-10 minutes for each batch. Take a piece out of the oil and test that it is cooked through to the bone. The juices should run clear and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should read 165ËšF. Transfer each cooked batch of chicken pieces to a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Serve either hot or cold.
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AN OUTSTANDING LOYALTY PROGRAM FOR OUR EXCEPTIONAL GUESTS. After your first Uniworld cruise, you will be automatically enrolled in our River Heritage Club loyalty program and begin receiving benefits, savings and rewards reserved exclusively for our loyal guests.
EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS ON ALL CRUISES, COMBINABLE WITH ALL PROMOTIONS.* plus
An exclusive WELCOME GIFT to commemorate your membership.
PRIORITY NOTIFICATION on new cruises and programs.
Join the captain for a members-only COCKTAIL PARTY onboard.
Special MEMBERS-ONLY OFFERS.
Complimentary LAUNDRY service.
Exclusive RIVERVIEWS E-MAGAZINE.
Enjoy exclusive access to our dedicated, members-only reservations line: 1-800-307-4699.
Complimentary IN-ROOM FRUIT PLATTER waiting onboard for you upon arrival.
NOTE: Benefits in China may vary.
Coming soon: Earn credit toward your next cruise with our REFERRAL PROGRAM
EVEN MORE VALUE COMES TO THOSE WHO PLAN AHEAD. It’s never too early to begin thinking about your next adventure, and if you do, you’ll enjoy added savings. When you book your next voyage while onboard, you’ll save an ADDITIONAL 5% if you book within the same calendar year, and an ADDITIONAL 3% for any future years, both combinable with your River Heritage Club exclusive savings. Know you’ll be cruising with us again, but don’t know where? No problem. Now, you can put down a FLOATING DEPOSIT to secure those savings, and don’t have to decide on the exact cruise until a later date.†
CAN YOU NAME THIS SHIP? Each ship in our fleet is a one-of-a-kind floating boutique hotel, designed to be an extension of the destinations it sails through. If you can name which Uniworld ship this is, email us at RHC@Uniworld.com. The first to answer correctly will be featured in our next issue of RiverViews.
Visit Uniworld.com/River-Heritage-Club for more information. * River Heritage Club savings and amenities are available to guests after completing their first Uniworld cruise. †This offer is combinable with the River Heritage Club Member Benefit and Early Booking Savings. Onboard savings are calculated on the cruise-tour price (including any upgrades and single supplements), after all applicable flat-rate discounts are applied. Bookings must be created and/or Floating Deposit processed while onboard to qualify for onboard savings. Other restrictions apply. See Uniworld.com for complete terms and conditions.