UNIWORLD RIVER CRUISES

Don't get me wrong with my rating as, without doubt, Uniworld is the best river cruise company, far outdoing any other. However, their cancellation policy leaves a lot to be desired.

In November 2025 we found ourselves in a position where we could no longer afford the cruise we were going on and had no alternative but to cancel 7 months in advance. We then received the following message:

I am really sorry to hear that you won't be able to travel. I can completely understand in terms financial constraints. I will just break down the process of cancelation.

You have paid a deposit of R25,460. The penalty at this stage would be R5,000 per person. This would mean that the amount to be refunded would be R15,460.

The R5,000 penalty that would be charged is covered by our deposit protection programme, meaning that if you re-book within the next 5 years, a fixed saving of R5,000 will be app**** before any percentage discounts.

As if this wasn't enough someone in their accounts department was intercepting my emails and changing their banking details. As I am a cautious person I called Uniworld before paying the deposit only to find that the bankng details were not theirs but someone else. Of course, they denied it was anything to do with them but that it came from my end! If I hadn't checked their banking details someone else would have benefited from my deposit.

When they said that they would give me the deposit back and I did not receive it I contacted them only to find that the mail I had sent them with my banking details was once again changed and paid to someone else at Standard Bank. Standard Bank ***** department investigated the ***** and discovered that it was in fact someone at Uniworld!!

I got a portion of the deposit back but am furious at their response with no apology for having accused me of having something to do with it and causing me many nights of anguish as I thought I had lost my money. In addition to this they are keeping R10,000 of my money which they say I can use for up to five years! Imagine the interest they earn on that and anyone else's who have had to cancel. Is this legal? Apart from that, what if I die within the 5 year period!

So if you are thinking of going on a cruise with Uniworld MAKE SURE YOU DON'T CANCEL as you will lose out and they will profit from your cancellation.

Julia Woolf