This was our fourth river cruise, previously sailing with Avalon & Viking, although a good cruise, overall Emerald would be my third choice, I’ll explain why.

We were lucky enough to be in an owners suite but had family in the smaller suites. The rooms are definitely smaller, the shops are all about the same size, Emerald squeezes more cabins in and so the size of the room has to give. We had a balcony but it’s a waste of space, better to have more room in the cabin & make use of a ‘Juliet’ balcony rail to give you the same benefit as a balcony.

Bathroom too was smaller than on other ships, the toiletries were limited, no shower gel, we were told to use the shampoo & hand wash instead. The wash basin was unable to hold water, apparently that was intended! Read more