The sparkling new Emerald Dawn provided all the creature comforts for a fabulous Danube River vacation. Low water levels did not permit us to board the vessel in Nuremberg. Buses were used to transport us to Vishofen for embarkation and touring to Regensburg. Water levels were not an issue for the remaining trip. Our level 2 cabin was a nice size - larger than the cabins I've had in large ocean ships or the hotel room we had in Munich before we joined the river cruise. We traveled with a group of 6 couples and we all raved about the meal menus and service. Breakfast and lunches were served buffet style. Dinners were mostly table service. Dinner menus featured local cuisine with vegetarian options. Entrée of steak, fish or roasted chicken were always available if you did not want the featured main courses. Morning excursions were guided by locals in each port location. They were all very knowledgeable and eager to share their love of home. An afternoon tea was arranged with families outside Bratislava. Our hostess was a landscape architect, spoke excellent English and talked openly about life in a post Communist country. We also heard more about this in Budapest with our city guides. There was a small fitness room, "lap" pool, and massage room. The upper deck had adequate shaded seating areas, golf putting and walking "track". The pool area became a movie room on several nights. Evening entertainment included a local German Oompah Band, local Hungarian music and dancers, and a staff "variety show" performance. Norbert played piano during afternoon tea, evening cocktails, and late night. Our first cruise with Emerald will not be our last.