Emerald Cruises UK Reviews 

611
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.5

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 229 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company, consistently sharing wonderful stories about their time on board. Travelers frequently praise the friendly, welcoming staff and the exceptional service provided by the dedicated crew across all daily activities. Guests also enjoy delicious dining options, great drink selections, clean cabins, and wonderfully organised local tours throughout the journey. However, some customers also noted that the food choices were occasionally repetitive, luke warm, or a bit disappointing in taste. A few reviewers additionally experienced stressful airport transfers upon arrival or felt that certain scheduled excursions felt a bit rushed.

What people talk about most

Staff

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of staff, describing them as exceptionally friendly, helpful, and... See more

Service

Reviewers mention positive feedback about service, noting that the onboard crew is outstanding, friendly, and... See more

Product

Customers had positive experiences with product, often highlighting the fantastic ship and delicious food.... See more

Quality

Clients share positive opinions on quality, consistently highlighting the modern accommodations, comfortable... See more

Facilities

Customers consistently note positive experiences with facilities, highlighting the bright, modern ship design... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

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 f... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It’s quite a small boat therefore number of passengers are quite less.All the staff starting from cruise director to waiting staff and the reception staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Our... See more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The actual cruise was fantastic and the crew and staff were amazing and very friendly and helpful. The food, drinks and entertainment were first class as usual. However after the above our journey ho... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The ship was clean, expertly run and we were very well looked after, both by those who cleaned the cabin and by the crew in general. It helped that we, especially my husband, spoke several languages,... See more



Contact info

4.5

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

611 reviews

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4.5

All reviews

(611)

245 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The ships

The ships, the staff, the excursions, the atmosphere. Can't remember how many trips we have done with you but we are running out of rivers ...

10 May 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A week of relaxation

The ship was clean, expertly run and we were very well looked after, both by those who cleaned the cabin and by the crew in general. It helped that we, especially my husband, spoke several languages, although all spoke English. Daily activities were clearly advertised and explained and tours were well run. My only criticism was the way in which our duvets were tucked in at the outer lower corners of the bed which necessitated untucking them in order to have adequate and comfortable cover when sleeping. We had not had that before!

6 May 2026
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

We had a good holiday experience

We had a good holiday experience. The boat and crew were all great. The trips felt a bit lacking compared to other cruises we've done.
Main complaint was the booking process and in particular the branding of the drinks package. A Premium drinks package that doesn’t include spirits is NOT premium. Also hiding the definition in the multipage booking conditions meant it wasn’t clarified until we got on board. Scenic/Emerald you could do better.

20 May 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Third time all were lucky Emerald River Cruises!

This was my third Emerald River Cruise.
October 2024 Amsterdam to Basel,
April 2025 Passau to Budapest, and
April 2026 Bucharest to Budapest.
Each cruise was exemplary in terms of value for money and service. Easy to book with telephone support in the UK. All staff members look as if they genuinely enjoy their duties and were very accommodating to all guests.

24 April 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Lovely Week on the Douro

Emerald excelled on this cruise along the Douro. We have been on two other trips in France and what they bill as ‘The Splendours of Europe’. This was the best all around experience. Emerald staff are always great in our experience but this time there were little personal touches that made all the difference. We have never had a poor meal and the local wine offering was very good. Keep it up!

16 May 2026
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Emerald cruise…

We have done several Emerald cruises over the years and felt this was not quite up to previous cruises, we think there was insufficient staff at meal times and the choice appeared more limited.

3 May 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Danube Delights River Cruise

First time on a river cruise and it was a fantastic experience. Booking experience was straight forward and staff on board were very friendly and extremely efficient. Food was of a very high standard and choice of drinks was good. Highly enjoyable trip from Regensburg to Budapest along the Danube - one which we will no doubt be looking to repeat in future.

15 May 2026
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Staff and food was good

Staff and food was good , service very good, tours where good, the in room water in refill bottles was my only criticism, not sure it was that or swimming pool water which gave us a upset tummy 🤔 could be any thing but I stopped swimming and drinking the water in the room 24hrs fine no symptoms

24 April 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous river cruise

Fabulous river cruise, our second with Emerald. Well organised with efficient and friendly staff throughout. The quality of the catering was exceptional.
Only negative is the transfer from airport to the ship, an A4 sign with Emerald written on it doesn't stand out enough, we were wandering around the arrivals area for ages getting more and more stressed !

16 May 2026

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