As we had never experienced a River Cruise we were very pleasantly surprised to find that we enjoyed the cruise immensely. The crew were all excellent, the ship was most comfortable and kept spotlessly clean. The design of the ship was super, very modern and they seemed to have thought of everything when planning the interiors.

The food was delicious, dinners well balanced, not too heavy with 4 or more courses.

Unfortunately the weather after Budupest turned cooler and wetter, but this was October and only to be expected. The guides onshore were all excellent and we enjoyed the walking tours very much. The cruise director was superb at her job, as were the other crew members. I agree with other reviewers that it is not ideal to be sometimes moored right alongside another boat, but River cruising is so popular that this is inevitable, there are many cruise boats on the Danube. All in all I would recommend a River Cruise with Emerald as a very relaxing and enjoyable way to see areas of Europe.