Emerald Cruises UK Reviews 

I tried to change the names on a cruise within a week. I understand the rules but gave mitigating circumstances. Emerald cruises just said no and explained they are the rules. No empathy or understanding. £30000 wasted. Would never travel with Emerald again or recommend them to anyone!

Lovely destinations and scenery, included excursions, very good food (especially the vegetarian dishes), attentive staff (especially our steward Aulia who kept our cabin tidy and was a master of towel art, and Alena the cocktail waitress who remembered my favourite drink and our room number). Harry the Cruise Director was affable, friendly and a great organiser, as well as a good singer. Lucy the Entertainments Manager was warm and friendly and worked very hard every evening. It was kind of the organisers to have Gentle Walking Groups for excursions. Nice toiletries in the bathroom, saved me having to bring shampoo, conditioner or body lotion. Shame that the bed was so big only one of us at a time could get access to the bathroom, by sidling next to the bed. Surprised we didn't have tea/coffee-making facilities in our room, although it was available 24/7 upstairs. Also not many convenient plug sockets in the room - I had to drag out the heavy wooden bedside table to plug in my phone charger. Bedside lights were not very bright for reading.

Emerald never disappoints. The staff are wonderful, from the most senior down. Service and desire to please is first class. Accommodation is luxurious and very comfortable with room being superbly maintained. Itinerary is always varied and interesting; guides are knowledgeable, considerate and kind. There are not enough superlatives to do Emerald and all the staff justice. I would strongly recommend Emerald.

This was not up to the usual high standard I had come to expect. The food and the staff were excellent but the tour was not relaxing starting with chaos on on arrival with no luggage tags and consequently my luggage being sent to the wrong cabin ,early starts and long walking tours with little free time detracted from enjoyment.
The dining room was very noisy and so meals were not an enjoyment and it was very difficult to talk to friends not at all a relaxing experience.

We have never been disappointed with our Emerald cruises - the varied and thoughtful programme, the quality of the food and wine, and the unfailing courtesy and helpfulness of the staff. Our recent Rhine cruise met all our expectations but, as always, the time went too quickly.

The cruise was put together well. Our guides were very knowledgable of the countries were visiting.
We found the home visit interesting.
One disappointment, we would like to have been advised that dinner was not provided at the hotel in Bucharest.

Great crew , great, wonderful scenery

Great experience. Very organised, strict timings for guided tours. Tour guides a bit hit and miss but generally informative and interesting. Less sailing on the river and more tours than expected. Food plentiful, cabin clean. Staff work vrry hard and are friendly and helpful.

Been with Emerald 4 times now and every trip has been superb. Catering, tours, facilities and staff top notch. Getting a bit expensive for my 5th to happen but we shall see

The staff were their usual friendly selves. Excellent food and wine. Good included excursions.

Our first cruise - and really enjoyed it.
Staff and organisation were excellent - and Chrissie was the icing on the cake.
Only thing we did not like was when we double or triple moored up - and therefore lost our view from 317
A very sociable vibe.

Great time, great staff. Looking forward to the next cruise.

This was our second Emerald cruise, this time on the Danube, and we were very happy with it. The staff were all great, friendly and helpful. The food was even better than on our Rhone cruise and the wine served with meals was very good and there was plenty of it. The room was comfortable and the excursions were all good, though the weather wasn't what we hoped for, but unfortunately Emerald can't control that!

The staff were excellent: welcoming and very accommodating The ship was well appointed
The food was delicious with the right amount of choice
The majority of tours were very good and cycling in the Wachau valley was one of the highlights
Sadly the only down side was the failure to organise our two and a half days in Budapest well The extra time in this city was one of the reasons for choosing this cruise Last minute changes to the planned timetable were annoying in the extreme The tour by night was very disappointing and the so called traditional evening was dreadful

On arrival at Schipol airport, it would've been beneficial to have had someone greet us at arrivals, as it's a big airport.
We missed the welcome drinks on board trying to locate the meeting point.
Also, the food in the evening was 'luke warm' at best, and this carried onto breakfast and lunch tbe following day.
I mentioned this to the manager who apologised, and this did improve, but sadly this was not what I had been accustomed to on previous Emerald cruises.
The excursions were rushed, for example the trip to the palace involved 3 hour return trip, yet only 2 hours to the visit the palace.
Hardly worth the price.
The evening entertainment was very amateurish, perhaps having a pianist on board would help?
This was the 5th Emerald cruise we have been on, and I'm sad to say it was not up to your usual standard.

Emerald needs to cater more for the majority not just the minority bike riders and trekkers. There were missed opportunities to see more of Vienna and Budapest, because of the mooring location, away from the centre. Food generally good but could be a bit samey at lunch time ( not helped by the Chinese who seemed to prefer taking handfuls of salad rather than using the tongs ). Must learn how to make tea properly - it should always be boiling water, not luke warm! Staff all exemplary .

The staff who were excellent!
Vessels are always kept in tip top condition which is
essential.