My husband and I just returned from one of our favorite holidays! We have been on several ocean cruises, which has become our favorite way to see the world. Unpack once; see multiple locations. However, this was our first experience on a river cruise and I'm sure it won't be our last. The Emerald Dawn cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam was amazing. All the staff on board were friendly and helpful, some going that extra mile that made the trip even more memorable. Patricia, the Cruise Director, was fantastic! (In a perfect world I would want her on every cruise we take from here on.)
The information package that arrived a couple of weeks prior to our trip was informative and complete with luggage tags, details about our airport transfer (s), embarkation process and itinerary. The two backpacks included in the package were a BONUS and perfect for our carry-on items and daily excursions.
We thought the food selection was very good! It was always tasty, interesting (especially the dishes featuring local culinary treats) and the presentation was appealing... yes, I took and posted pictures for all my friends back home. ;-)
At first sight we thought the room was on the small side and perhaps wouldn't have enough closet space for our hanging items, but we were wrong. The deep drawers were sufficient for shorts and t-shirts leaving the closet for dressier items. The bed was VERY comfortable as were the pillows. We loved the floor to ceiling "balcony" window but kept it closed most of the time for the A/C to work.