Previous experience with river cruising was in Russia last year where, although we enjoyed the experience, the accommodation and food were rather spartan, so we were not quite sure what to expect with Emerald; what a surprise, a beautiful almost new ship where the food and service were outstanding! We had only booked a few weeks beforehand and as a result had got the last cabin available, which was on the lower deck with a 'picture' window - wasn't too sure about that but when we saw the actual cabin the uncertainty vanished; true, when you look out of the window you were only about a foot above the river level and as a result the window was rather splash marked but that certainly didn't detract from the experience.

Tours had been arranged for each of the stops we made and we took advantage of these. Clearly some thought and been put into each of these and the proved interesting and informative. We didn't take advantage of the extended range of tours, but it was good to know the these were on offer.

As might have been hoped for, staff were very helpful and friendly and the tour director, Simone went our of there way to make sure that everyone was informed and involved. Dining room director, Ross, really made sure that service was tip-top. Read more