Emerald Destiny Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We booked this trip less than 6 weeks before embarkation, based on many of the helpful discussions on this website. We added a few days in Prague before the cruise and in Belgium after the cruise, so did not utilise Emerald's transfers.
The ship is brand new, but everything ran smoothly and most of the initial kinks seem to be ironed out. Our crew and staff were friendly and accomodating; as our cruise director, Michael, gauged how energetic some of us were, he added/modified activities to cater for us.
As Emerald is a fairly new line with a small fleet, they don't always have the choice berths in port. In fact we found out that our embarkation berth in Budapest was so far away from the city centre that we stayed based at our mid-town hotel so we could continue exploring the sights right until just before dinner on the Destiny. Our ethos was that the boat is a logistical aide and not the destination itself.
Cabin Review
We enjoyed our stateroom. Very comfortable bed and adequate space for clothing and personal equipment (provided you don't bring new outfits for every single day). You can send in a full bag of clothes for laundry at a flat rate so it's advisable to bring less and re-use.
The slide down window function is a smart use of limited space. Due to the busy itinerary we were always on the go, so very seldom spent time in the cabin, but would probably use this more if there was more daytime cruising.
Bathroom is compact but efficiently utilises space so you have enough compartments/shelves for toiletries. The inward closing shower door might pose a problem for passengers with a wider girth than average however.
Our cabin steward Branko was excellent, always friendly and kept everything clean and tidy.
Port Reviews
Koblenz
Interesting city, with a good night vibe. We took the cable car to the viewpoint over Deutsche Eck. Note that the cable car closes at 7pm, and discounted tickets are on sale from 6pm.