Uniworld adds self-drive river cruise option

Uniworld has added a self-drive option to its 2021 cruises in France, allowing British guests to make their way to the line’s river ships in their own vehicle.

The self-drive package means that guests travel in their own ‘bubble’ and includes pre-booked car parking in a Uniworld-approved car park for the duration of the cruise. The line is offering savings of up to £500 per couple which can contribute towards the Channel crossing and stopover options.

Uniworld says it has also made it easier for agents to build an itinerary for their clients for each cruise by offering guidance on ferry or Eurotunnel options, driving routes and suitable overnight stopping points, in the form of a handy information sheet available to all partners.

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 For Uniworld’s Brilliant Bordeaux cruise sailing on SS Bon Voyage, guests can travel by ferry from Portsmouth to Caen and are recommended to stay overnight in the medieval Caen, before driving on to Bordeaux in under six hours (375 miles). Uniworld adds guests can break up the journey further with a stop at Le Mans, Tours or Poitiers en route.

With the Burgundy & Provence itinerary on the SS Catherine, guests can drive to the starting points of either Avignon or Lyon and are recommended to enjoy a night in either the cathedral city of Reims or Auxerre, on the banks of the river Yonne, along the way, it says.

On arrival in the departure city, guests will drive directly to the ship to leave luggage with assisting staff while they park their car in a pre-booked car park a short distance away.

Chris Townson, Uniworld MD UK and Ireland, said: “Even before Covid-19, we were starting to see increased demand for no-fly options, with guests choosing the train as a more relaxing and sustainable travel choice. Since the pandemic, we realised that a number of guests would enjoy the added reassurances of travelling to the ship in their own bubble in their own car, and wanted to make it as easy as possible for them. So we have included approved local car parking in the price of the cruise and put together route and stopover suggestions to help agents put together the perfect journey for their clients. Guests can then travel at their own pace, knowing that the ultimate floating boutique hotel and the second-to-none Uniworld service awaits them.”

Prices for Uniworld’s Brilliant Bordeaux self-drive package starts at £1,749 per person