We chose Emerald as a result of attending presentations by both Emerald and Scenic (same ownership). They said that Emerald was a step lower than Scenic in terms of luxury, but I would challenge anyone to fault Emerald for its comfort and a great cruising experience. Our cabin was large - a smaller one would have sufficed, but the extra room in the Owner's Suite was terrific. The food was excellent. We opted for the light breakfasts and lunches as it's so easy to overeat on a cruise ship. Dinners were fabulous ad while they were four course meals, serving sizes were just right - not too large. The crew were fantastic and provided terrific, very friendly service, led by a great hotel manager and cruise director. Excursions were thoroughly enjoyable and great learning experiences, particularly the visit to the Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg. Most excursions involved walking tours with audio units so you could still hear the guide even if you wandered off a little. We appreciated the daily exercise. I cannot speak highly enough of the entire experience with Emerald. The only comment I would have is that it would have been nice to have had more time in Budapest. We did a Prague add on with Emerald before boarding in Budapest and we only got one day in this city.
We were fortunate enough to have one of the four largest cabins on the ship and it was perfect. While a smaller cabin would have sufficed, the extra room in the Owner's Suite was terrific.