My review of Titan and Uniworlds SS Antoinette - a luxury river cruise ship

This weekend I was lucky enough to enjoy  a full tour of Uniworld's SS Antoinette, a luxury river cruise ship. This was my first visit to a river cruise ship and I was suitably impressed.

We boarded the ship into an impressive reception area, and I particularly liked the table with sweets and fruit to help yourself to. However with only a maximum of 154 passengers on board I can't imagine that you ever have to wait long in reception.

Built in 2011 the SS Antoinette is the flagship of the fleet and she is very grand. We started at the top of the ship with the suites and these had a nice touch in that every suite is individually decorated, no 2 suites are the same. You can see some of the differing styles in the photos. The suites 391sq ft are all furnished with luxury bathrooms with double vanity, an espresso coffee machine, jars of chocolates, biscuits and crisps and whiskey, wine and fresh flowers. They also have a full balcony with table and chairs which is unusual in the river cruise world where most ships have French balconies with just opening double doors.

 

 

The category 1 to 4 cabins are all the same size at 196sq ft and are slightly calmer in decor although still very vibrant and sumptouos. The category 1 cabins still have a full balcony but single vanity in the bathrooms and are still on the highest deck.

 

 

Category 2 and 3 cabins are situated on the middle deck and have a French balcony, this is a floor to ceiling window that slides open to all air into the room but you cannot step or sit out on the balcony.

 

Category 4 and 5 are on the lower deck and have a high window. The still let in plenty of light and offer a great value proposition for your cruise however the window is quite high. I also saw the River Empress ship and her windows were much lower allowing you to look out more easily. But maybe a high window is more useful as these ships can dock in busy areas and you wouldn't want people to see you getting dressed.

 

An interesting point  to note when booking your cabins are to avoid the category 5 cabins at the ends of La Countesse Deck as these are subject to noise from the crew, laundry room and 24 hour coffee machines.

The public areas on the ship were much larger than I was expecting. There was large Salon du Grand Trianon at the top of the ship complete with a bar and  piano for evening entertainment and a 24 hour ground coffee machine offering a selection of coffee, hot chocolate and a huge selection of teas. The Bar du Leopard was modern and contemporary this was in stark contrast to the more Regency feel of the ship but still continued the theme of exuberent decor.

The sun deck was adjacent to the L'Orangerie Sky Lounge which I loved,  the chef's were serving the disembarkation brunch and the food looked amazing - the largest cheese plate that I've seen on any ship.

For relaxation the ship holds an indoor swimming door with large glass doors that can be opened for air, although it's a shame that the roof wasn't retractable. There is a well appointed gym with windows allowing you to view the amazingt scenery as you exercise, remember with rivers the sailing time is as interesting as the port time as you sail inland and get to watch the world go by.
There was also a couple of massage rooms and spa area and a cinema. The ship also had a full self service laundry room with a coffee loung adjacent to it to help make your washing duties more pleasant.

 

For dining the Restaurant de Versailles had a lovely intimate feel and offers a 2 hour open dining session each evening. She consisted mainly of tables for 8 so not so suitable if you are not a social person, however if you do like to keep to yourself then a small ship really isn't the thing for you.

The evening menu offers 2 appetisers, 2 soups, 4 mains and deserts. They always offer a meat, fish, pasta and vegetarian dish.

 

 

The staff on board were all exceptionally friendly and consisted of a mixture of nationalities, they all seemed to have worked for Uniworld for a long time which is always a good sign.

 

Overall I though the SS Antoinette was lovely, I'll admit she was slightly over decorated for my taste but I would never pick a ship based upon her wallpaper. The rooms were larger than I'd imagined and the public areas far more spacious and plentiful than expected for a river cruise ship.  I have probably been spoilt with this being a 6 star product but this tour has really bought the concept of river cruising to life and I can't wait to do to a full sailing.