Boutique river cruise line Uniworld says it will enter a new era of ‘Super Ships’ with the launch of Emilie on 21 March, a sister to Victoria and Elisabeth. Travel Gossip Editor-in-Chief Linsey McNeill stepped onboard for a sneak peek ahead of Emilie’s inaugural voyage this spring.
Those of you familiar with Emilie’s sister ships might be surprised to see that Uniworld has thrown out the neutral, paired-down colour palette and reintroduced that old-school glamour on Emilie, with splashes of gold, glass and velvet mosaics and glossy reddish walnut panelling.
Inspired by the Viennese symbolist painter Gustav Klimt and his muse Emilie Flöge, it’s themed very much around the Art Nouveau era, with prolific use of richer, darker fabrics peppared with colourful roses, poppies, irises, swans, dragonflies and peacocks.
Stepping into the lobby, guests are greeted by a floor-to-ceiling Klimt painting of the original Emilie, (above) lit by a rather magnificent glass chandelier, which sets the tone for the rest of the ship, which I’d say is more muted than Uniworld’s older ships, but jazzier than Victoria and Elisabeth.
Staterooms
Emilie will sleep a total of 154 guests in a choice of five staterooms, from the cosy Classic to the capacious Riverview Grand Suite.
Even the 12 entry-level staterooms are a reasonable size, with a long, narrow window, and, crucially, they have the same high-quality hand-made mattresses and custom cotton sateen sheets and pillow menus as the suites.
There are 35 French Balcony staterooms, with large picture windows, and 20 Deluxe French Balcony rooms, eight Suites and two Grand Suites, which are generally the first to sell out.
Guests who book a Grand Suite can combine this with a connecting Deluxe French Balcony room to create a two-bedroom suite.
Décor in the staterooms tasteful and relaxing, with gentle rose, soft greens and blues and mustard instead of darker reds and blues, but the high-gloss panelling might feel staid to some, although others might consider it elegant.
Public Spaces
Gustav’s Restaurant is the main dining room, at the front of the ship on the Athene Deck, and the large Belvedere main lounge, with an elegant marble-topped bar at the rear, is immediately above on Adele Deck. At the rear of Adele, there is a small Serenity River Spa, a fitness room and a second, smaller Brocade Bar.
There is also a private dining room, with a taster menu from €130 a head, which can be booked onboard.
What’s new?
A nice addition to Emilie is a separate bar area at the rear of the main lounge, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors that can be opened to create a feeling of being outdoors, right at the front of the ship.
Unlike sister Super Ship Victoria, Emilie doesn’t have an indoor swimming pool. Instead, the space at the rear of the ship on the Athene Deck has been transformed into an additional, cosy bar, the Brocade, which is actually very nice. Personally, I preferred it to the pool room on other ships.
Worth noting is that Uniworld has removed the breakfast buffet from Emilie in an effort to be more sustainable. There is a small area where guests can help themselves to bread and pastries, but the remainder of the breakast is à la carte. Uniworld is also trialling à la carte lunch on two ships this summer, but the names of the ships have yet to be revealed.
Anything unexpected?
The sun deck doesn’t have a pool or activities or a bar. Of course, this does mean more space for sun loungers, and waiters will serve drinks from the bar below.
Where will Emilie sail?
The ship will set sail for the first time in March 2026 on the Rhine before transferring to the Danube later in the spring to sail on two new itineraries – ‘Capital Cities of the Danube’ and ‘Vineyards and Palaces of the Danube’ – amongst others.
