Emerald Star

Have just returned from an European river cruise Amsterdam to Budapest with Emerald booked with Hannah. Communication was fast and efficient. Flights, transfers, hotel accommodation and cruise all ran smoothly. The cruise itself was amazing! We will definitely book our next holiday will Global Journeys…..thank you.

We booked this cruise mid year, our first ever river cruise, to see parts of Europe we hadn't previously been to. Also for the xmas markets. The first part of our expectations was absolutely met, but for the first few days, Xmas markets were few and far between. It was a little too early it seems. I'm not sure how much information the cruise company ...read more gets about the markets, but I know there were a lot of disappointed people.

The crew were fantastic, I couldn't fault them, they gave 110% but there was still a feeling that we should have had more information before leaving and maybe a couple of the locations for tours might have been better, particularly the Cathedral at Krems. This tour was a bit of a non event as much of the building was closed. The Vienna concert evening was expensive for what it was and not particularly well organised, there was a lot of standing around before people were shown to their seats, not good for over passengers. The concert was also very short. We did another one in Vienna a week later, half the cost and lasted another 40 minutes.

All the tour guides were great though. Very informative and often funny. Great history lessons to be had. The food was excellent, varied and plentiful for a first time cruiser, there were some old hands who had done multiple cruises that didn't agree, so maybe that needs looking at. The entertainment was fun and well done, Dressen was always on the go making sure everyone was happy.

Janina worked really hard to ensure everyone was informed and catered for. Her port talks were excellent. I would have liked to have seen more scenery as we sailed along , most of our movements were done at night, possibly partly because of the shorter days too. All in all it was great , we both enjoyed it very much.

Overall a great trip with Emerald. Had good rapport with all staff and the chef catered for me being a Coeliac to the extent of a special cake for my birthday. Weather was great in July, needed a light jacket despite reports of heatwave in Europe. Group was a mixture mainly of Australians and Canadians with a few UK and USA travellers. All friendly. ...read more Overall apart from the long haul flight enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks Tracey for your help. The photo is of Durnstein. A lovely small town, try the apricot ice cream!

Fabulous river cruise down the Danube organised through Global Journeys. We weren't sure what to expect for our first river cruise but it was sensational! We travelled with teenagers and they loved it also. Emerald organises lots of active tours for those that prefer that, as well as having the traditional activities as well. This cruise catered for ...read more everybody and we loved every part. The food, the suites, the onboard facilities and the wonderful wonderful staff. Thank you to Global Journeys for making the booking process so easy and for their great portal which was able to be accessed when we were overseas. Provided peace of mind and ease of access to all necessary information and documents.

The booking went very smoothly. The trip was fabulous and I was lucky that there was continuous sunshine. The view from the luxurious ship (Emerald Luna) was best on the last part of the trip. The highlights were Lucerne, Colmar and Strasbourg. The photograph is of Cochen Castle on the Moselle River, a short and beautiful drive from Koblenz. I ...read more enjoyed the sights, history and the wonderful food and wine.

We made new friends and took home many wonderful memories. From the hotel on arrival in Amsterdam to the hotel at the end in Basel, the whole trip was supremely organized. The crew onboard were very good at their job and clearly enjoyed what they do. Nothing was a problem and the smaller number on board a river boat meant we could be alone if we wanted ...read more or part of a group when we wanted. The food was outstanding.

We made some wonderful friends, had lots of Christmas cheer and it was so easy every day. Emerald Cruises - your staff are the best. Nothing was a problem and everyone was helpful and happy. I can not believe how much Christmas we packed into 8 days!

We had a fantastic trip from the initial contact with Global Journeys to the final day of the cruise. Nothing was too hard for Hannah and her communication with us was excellent. Emerald were great, the organisation of the cruise left nothing wanting, from pickup in Amsterdam to drop off at Budapest Airport. The cruise itself was very well planned, ...read more the ship is only three years old which was great. Wonderful and friendly staff and of course the food: what can be said about it , other than excellent. We would highly recommend this cruise. Our Cruise Director could not have been better, she was very knowledgeable of all areas of the rivers travelled. The shore tour guides supplied by Emerald, also, were very good and enthusiastic about the towns they were showing us.