Emerald Star Review

4.0 / 5.0
129 reviews

Splendours of Europe and a splendid time

Review for Europe River Cruise on Emerald Star
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MaxsMum
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Aug 2014

Reviews sometimes tell you more about the reviewer than the voyage and that is certainly the case with the Emerald reviews posted here. We travelled from Budapest to Amsterdam and have just returned at the time of posting. Yes it was primarily full of Australians and yes it could get a bit boisterous but the cabins are comfortable enough to retreat to if you don't feel like dancing in the evening (we didn't). Karla the cruise director worked very hard to ensure that very different interests were catered for (anything organised is a compromise and a trade off for the stress of organising it oneself). The local guides were much better than I have experienced previously. Most of the reviews focus on the ship etc but for me the highlights were on shore where we spent most daylight hours and saw a huge variety of different places in five countries and in well organised comfort. I realised how little of the history, particularly recent history, I knew and this trip helped make sense of a lot of things. If you are thinking of going on this trip, don't be put off by the negative reviews but it is worth saying:

1. for safety reasons the sun deck is not in use for nearly half the trip because of VERY low bridges

2 Take lots of layering clothes - the temperatures were lower than normal but veered between about 13 and 27 C. Also take the cobbles/uneven stairs warning seriously and pack really sensible shoes particularly if you want to strike out on your own

Cabin Review

Cabin promenade

The P deck is on the same level as the pool and the Lounge (dining and reception on the floor below). The cabin is on the starboard side but we moored alongside on both sides (at different times!) so it was potluck what view you got. Therefore there is no particular advantage in one side over the other.

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