We had sailed with Emerald before and had a great time so wanted to go again, this time along the river Rhone.

Emerald boats have virtually the same layout so they are pretty easy to get around after boarding. The staff/crew once again were excellent, the food and wine exemplary and the ports of call with guided excursions just fabulous. All sounds fantastic, however, now comes the but.

I did not get one undisturbed night's sleep during the 7 nights cruise. The engine (bow and/or stern thrusters), when manoeuvring, was incredibly noisy and appears to have woken the majority of passengers onboard. When the gangway was put out it sounded as if it was just dropped from the crane on every occasion. Also, although beds and pillows are an individuals preference, I found the mattress extremely hard and the pillows so soft I was lying almost horizontal on the bed. Read more