Emerald Radiance Review

The cruise was a way for us to visit Portugal without driving.

Review for Europe Cruise on Emerald Radiance
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Susan Surette-Draper
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: May 2019

We had previously cruised with Emerald (15-Day Splendours of Europe in 2017) so we felt familiar with the Emerald tours. As expected, the ship was very clean everywhere, rooms, restaurants, common areas.

Portugal did not disappoint but even though the staff on the ship tried very hard to be welcoming and accommodating, there was one major irritant. Communications, especially by staff whose jobs it was to communicate with passengers. The reception staff were excellent, however.

On our previous cruise we had enjoyed the announcements which gave simple instructions like which busses were going where & at what time, what's next on the schedule, reminders for when to turn in our extra excursion requests etc.

Cabin Review

Cabin Panorama Balcony Suite

Although our cabin was billed as Balcony, what it really had was a small tiled area with a large window and mirrors. This did not mask the fact that we had to move the chairs to get into the closet. We found the cabin small.

An extend time in Porto, tied to an Scenic ship, deprived us of a view of Porto from May 16th afternoon to our departure on May 18th. We had previously enjoyed beautiful landscapes and felt like we were stuck in a small dark room for that time in Porto.

As for the add-on to Lisbon, we appreciated the transfer and the Hotel was excellent, though a bit too far from downtown to fully experience the city at leisure. The City Tour was fraught with frustration due to the re-routed traffic on a special Sunday. Modifications would improve the experience. Change the day? Give vouchers for a Hop On Hop Off Bus?

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