River Ambassador is a small river ship sailing the Rhine and Main Rivers for Uniworld Cruises. Built in 1993 and refurbished in 2006, the 361 foot River Ambassador hosts 128 guests. The lavishly appointed river view staterooms have hotel-style beds draped in fine linens, a vanity, built-in closets, hair dryer, safe, individual thermostat for air conditioning and heat, direct-dial telephone, flat-screen TV with satellite, bottled water, and bathroom with L'Occitane body products, magnifying mirror, and plush bathrobes. Uniworld ships offer wi-fi service on board. Uniworld ships are staffed by a world-class, award-winning all English-speaking staff. Another popular feature is complimentary use of bicycles and Nordic walking sticks in port. Public areas onboard include the beautiful panoramic main lounge which has a full-service bar, a cozy library and game room, as well as an elegant restaurant. more

The resorts of the Black Sea were once reserved for Russian Czars and the Politburo elite, writes one Cruise Specialist. Now this beautiful Eastern Riviera is accessible to all Westerners. Black Sea Cruises are usually 12 nights or longer and depart from Turkey, Greece, or Italy. They call on ports like Yalta, with its gold beaches and old wooden dachas; Odessa, the pearl of the Black Sea and home to great artists like Tchaikovsky and Pushkin; the Bulgarian Port of Varna, one of Eastern Europe's most coveted vacation spots for over 2500 years; Kusadasi with it's brimming brass bazaars and the ancient city of Ephesus; and the Greek Islands, the birthplace of Western Civilization as we know it. The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. more