This was our second cruise with Emerald, and based on the wonderful week we had, it won't be our last.

The ship is smaller than most other European river cruise ships as the locks are shorter, but those locks are an integral part of your journey, several being over 30 metres deep. The Douro is beautiful, with just about every hillside covered in vineyards or olive groves, spectacular scenery around every bend and no major industrial areas that blot the landscape on other rivers.

The ship is new, and had a few minor teething problems, but these were fixed quickly and without fuss. The crew were the amazing, the Captain was regularly out and about talking to guests and telling us of his adventures on the river, he seemed happy to answer any questions and this was true of all the crew who all seemed intent on making us want to return to Portugal. Read more