River Royale

Founded in 1976, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is a California-based company offering luxury European river cruises. Operating 13 ships in Europe, Uniworld offers itineraries from 7 to 30 days on the Rhône, Mosel, Danube, Seine, and Saône rivers, as well as in the Netherlands and Belgium. Uniworld is the only North American river-cruise company to tour Portugal and Spain on the Douro River, from Lisbon to Porto. Its 128-passenger Douro Spirit was added in 2011. By 2012, awards showered down with the introductioin of the opulent SS Antoinette, where 18th-century French design meets 21st-century technology, including electronic balcony windows, Wi-Fi, underwater music, a movie theater, and heated swimming pool. Spending over $100 million in five new ships, Uniworld commissioned partner Red Carnation Hotels to provide passengers a five-star experience. Expect sumptuous bedding and decor in first-class rooms that make you feel like royalty. Joining in 2013, the 118-passenger Queen Isabel will also sail Douro routes. Expect equally regal appointments.

On Russia’s Volga, Svir, and Neva rivers, the 206-passenger River Victoria cruises between Moscow and St. Petersburg.