Emerald Sky – My Thoughts!

Emerald Sky

As I mentioned in an earlier post I went to the River cruise Convention in Amsterdam recently and stayed on-board the Emerald Sky.

Here I am with my colleague Gail outside the Ship.

Well what can I say? This ship was not really what I expected. As we entered reception it was bright, airy, modern and spacious.

The reception staff were welcoming and friendly but then again I have yet to sail on a ship where the staff are anything but.

We were shown to our rooms for the night and I was surprised how spacious they were.   As these ships are long and narrow all the cabins are outside cabins. I was in a Panorama Balcony Suite. The only way to describe them really is very sleek and modern with little touches like push latch drawers which add to the overall modern look. They are quite neutral in colour but I don’t mind that although an accent colour in the room would have added a little flair to the décor.

The whole width of the cabin is taken up by what I at first thought was a huge picture window with a bar in the middle and a strip in front of the window with 2 comfortable chairs and a small coffee table. As I lifted the blind I noticed a switch and well what can I say Curiosity killed the cat and I pressed it. The top half of the full width window lowers down to the middle bar creating a full width Balcony. Wow! Amazing. I have to say I was impressed, and had we been sailing anywhere this feature would be great for seeing the sights.

The bathroom was compact but bright and modern again and the shower was surprisingly roomy. There was lots of storage behind the two mirrored panels for all your toiletries and some very indulgent spa products provided too.

Spot me in the mirror taking the piccy!

As expected there was a large flat screen TV, safe and hairdryer, the usual things you expect to find. I was quite surprised that the TV had movie channels when often they only have news channels in English.

We met in the lounge a little later and again this is a perfect social area. Very open and bright with lots of natural light from the large picture windows. The seating was very comfortable, with what I call large squishy sofas and chairs that you could just sink into after a hard days sightseeing.

It had a really nice ambiance. Sometimes it is hard to put a finger on why but it just did. It was relaxing with a pianist playing background music and 2 large screens showing open fires which seemed to add to the overall affect. Trust me you have to experience it to know what I mean.

Another bonus on is that the Wi-Fi is free. I get grumbles from many customers about the ridiculous cost of Wi-Fi packages on-board many of the Ocean cruise ships so this was refreshingly novel. Well Done Emerald.

We experienced Lunch on-board this ship too and I can tell you the buffet had everything you could ask for, all well cooked or prepared with a range of salads, hot dishes and desserts to die for.

The ship has lots of other features which I did not get to experience like the Cinema aboard and the heated Pool which was covered when I visited but would be an asset to any cruise.

In Summary I would definitely recommend Emerald to customers looking for a River cruise or to city break lovers who want to try something a little bit longer or with a little variety.

I would love to answer any questions you might have or hear your own reviews if you have travelled with Emerald Waterways before or on this ship, so please get in touch.