Emerald Cruises
Emerald Cruises is the river and yacht cruise line of Scenic Group, sold as Emerald Cruises & Tours and marketed as relaxed luxury next to its fully inclusive sister brand, Scenic. It has ten river ships in service, which it calls Star-Ships, in Europe and on the Mekong, plus three small ocean-going yachts.
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About Emerald Cruises
Scenic founder Glen Moroney set up the brand in 2013 as Emerald Waterways, and its first river cruises sailed in 2014 aboard the 180-guest Emerald Sky. Sister ships followed through 2017 and again in 2022 and 2026, with Emerald Liberté in southern France, Emerald Radiance on the Douro and, from 2019, Emerald Harmony on the Mekong. In 2020 the company became Emerald Cruises, adding a yacht division whose first ship, Emerald Azzurra, arrived in 2022, followed by Emerald Sakara in 2023 and the larger Emerald Kaia in 2026. A Seine ship, a second Douro ship and two more yachts are due in 2027 and 2028.
On the river, fares include guided excursions, EmeraldPLUS cultural events, EmeraldACTIVE outings such as hikes and bike tours, tips, and wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner; some DiscoverMORE excursions and other drinks cost extra. The 180-guest European Star-Ships have an indoor pool that becomes a cinema at night. The yachts carry 100 to 128 guests and include meals with drinks, Wi-Fi, port charges and gratuities, with swim stops from a stern marina platform.
What Emerald Cruises is known for
Emerald is known for value: Cruise Critic's editors named it best river line for value in 2019 and best value-for-money river line in 2023, and also picked it as best for active cruises that year. Readers of Condé Nast Traveler voted it the top small-ship line in 2023, Emerald Azzurra was Cruise Critic's best new luxury ship of 2022, and Emerald Sakara made Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Hot List. The trade-offs follow from the pricing: drinks outside lunch and dinner and the DiscoverMORE excursions cost extra, the European ships carry up to 180 guests, more than Scenic's, and the staterooms have a picture window rather than a balcony. The Douro ship Emerald Radiance has no indoor pool or cinema.
Who it's for
River · riverboats through towns and cities, a port most days
- Couples
- Value seekers
- Adventure seekers
- History and culture
Emerald fits couples and value-minded travelers who want a polished river cruise with excursions, tips and mealtime drinks included but without paying for a fully all-inclusive fare. Active travelers will like the EmeraldACTIVE hikes, bike rides and kayaking. The yachts suit people who want a Mediterranean, Caribbean or Seychelles cruise on a ship of about 100 guests, with swimming from the marina platform. Travelers who want every drink and extra included should compare Scenic, and those looking for children's programs, nightlife or big-ship entertainment should look elsewhere.
Cruising solo on Emerald Cruises
Emerald Cruises is a good-value way to river or yacht cruise alone: a published solo program with supplements from 50% and waived on select sailings, plus two single staterooms on some European river ships. The 180-guest Star-Ships and 100-guest yachts are small enough that solo guests fall in with a group by the second day. Book early; the solo fares are capacity controlled.
- Cabins for one
- Emerald Single Staterooms (Category ES), two per ship on selected Central Europe and France river cruises
- Single supplement
- US solo program: single supplement from 50% on selected river and yacht sailings (Select fares 75%, Preferred fares 50%), waived on select dates when paid in full. Applies to Category E staterooms and Balcony Suites (C, A, P, BB, PA); Deluxe, Junior, Royal and Riverview suites excluded. Single staterooms must be paid in full 10 months out.
- Meeting other solo guests
- No hosted solo program. Open-seating Reflections Restaurant with shared tables, the Horizon Bar & Lounge as the all-day hub, and daily guided excursions and EmeraldACTIVE hikes and bike rides are where solo guests meet.
How it rates
- Cabins
- 4.4/5
- Dining
- 4/5
- Entertainment
- 3/5
- Service
- 4/5
- Pools & decks
- 3/5
- Value
- 4/5
The fleet's average on each metric, across 13 rated ships in service. Each ship is scored 1 to 5 by Cruise Frog's editors; these are not reader reviews.
Rankings and comparisons
Where Emerald Cruises sails
Ships
Best rated
#23.8 ★Emerald Azzurra2022 · 100 guests · MediterraneanEmerald Azzurra was Emerald's first ocean-going yacht, delivered in February 2022 after Emerald Cruises set up its yacht division in 2020. The 110-metre ship takes 100 guests in…
#33.8 ★Emerald Kaia2026 · 128 guests · MediterraneanEmerald Kaia, which entered service in April 2026, is the first of a larger generation of Emerald yachts: 120 metres long, with 64 suites and staterooms for 128 guests and a crew…Every ship
- Emerald Astra2026 · 180 guests3.8/5
- Emerald Azzurra2022 · 100 guests3.8/5
- Emerald Kaia2026 · 128 guests3.8/5
- Emerald Luna2022 · 180 guests3.8/5
- Emerald Sakara2023 · 100 guests3.8/5
- Emerald Dawn2015 · 180 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Destiny2017 · 180 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Harmony2019 · 84 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Liberté2017 · 130 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Radiance2017 · 112 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Sky2014 · 180 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Star2014 · 180 guests3.7/5
- Emerald Sun2015 · 180 guests3.7/5
Coming soon
Where to fly in
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)1 Emerald Cruises ship sails from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam3 lounges on Lounge Frog
- Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS)1 Emerald Cruises ship sails from Lyon, France2 lounges on Lounge Frog
- Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO)1 Emerald Cruises ship sails from Porto, Portugal1 lounge on Lounge Frog
Quick answers
What is Emerald Cruises known for?
Emerald is known for value: Cruise Critic's editors named it best river line for value in 2019 and best value-for-money river line in 2023, and also picked it as best for active cruises that year. Readers of Condé Nast Traveler voted it the top small-ship line in 2023, Emerald Azzurra was Cruise Critic's best new luxury ship of 2022, and Emerald Sakara made Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Hot List. The trade-offs follow from the pricing: drinks outside lunch and dinner and the DiscoverMORE excursions cost extra, the European ships carry up to 180 guests, more than Scenic's, and the staterooms have a picture window rather than a balcony. The Douro ship Emerald Radiance has no indoor pool or cinema.
Who is Emerald Cruises best for?
Emerald fits couples and value-minded travelers who want a polished river cruise with excursions, tips and mealtime drinks included but without paying for a fully all-inclusive fare. Active travelers will like the EmeraldACTIVE hikes, bike rides and kayaking. The yachts suit people who want a Mediterranean, Caribbean or Seychelles cruise on a ship of about 100 guests, with swimming from the marina platform. Travelers who want every drink and extra included should compare Scenic, and those looking for children's programs, nightlife or big-ship entertainment should look elsewhere.
Is Emerald Cruises good for solo travellers?
Emerald Cruises is a good-value way to river or yacht cruise alone: a published solo program with supplements from 50% and waived on select sailings, plus two single staterooms on some European river ships. The 180-guest Star-Ships and 100-guest yachts are small enough that solo guests fall in with a group by the second day. Book early; the solo fares are capacity controlled.
Where does Emerald Cruises sail?
Emerald Cruises's ships in service sail Rhine (7 ships), Danube (7 ships), Mediterranean (3 ships), Caribbean (1 ship), Rhône (1 ship), Douro (1 ship) and Mekong (1 ship).
How is Emerald Cruises rated?
Emerald Cruises's fleet averages 3.7 out of 5 on Cruise Frog, across 13 rated ships. Its best-rated ship is Emerald Astra at 3.8.
Does Emerald Cruises have new ships coming?
Yes: Emerald Cruises has 4 new ships on the way: Emerald Nova (debuts June 2027), Emerald Lumi (due 2027), Emerald Raiya (due 2027) and Emerald Xara (due 2028).
How many ships does Emerald Cruises have?
Emerald Cruises has 13 ships in service on Cruise Frog: Emerald Astra, Emerald Azzurra, Emerald Dawn, Emerald Destiny, Emerald Harmony, Emerald Kaia, Emerald Liberté and Emerald Luna, and 5 more.
Who owns Emerald Cruises?
Emerald Cruises is part of Scenic Group.
Where is Emerald Cruises based?
Emerald Cruises is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. It has operated since 2013.
What is Emerald Cruises's loyalty program called?
Emerald Cruises's past-guest loyalty program is Scenic & Emerald Rewards.
Cruising with children
Emerald’s river cruises and yacht cruises need separate family checks. The right question is what the specific voyage accepts and provides, not whether the brand has one universal family policy.
Read the Emerald Cruises family guide →Is a drinks package worth it?
Thinking about a drinks package on Emerald Cruises? The average drink starts at what a glass of house wine costs on board, about $6.15; change it to what you usually order, and enter the package price Emerald Cruises quotes.
Emerald Cruises includes house wine with lunch and dinner. A 150 ml glass of house wine costs about €5.50 on board, roughly $6.15. Cruise Mummy (menu photo) ↗ Emerald Cruises ↗
Per person, a day, as the line quotes it.
A glass of house wine on Emerald Cruises.
Optional. Count coffees and sodas if the package covers them.
The days the package is charged for.
To make the drinks package pay for itself
13drinks a day
A $75-a-day package costs the same as 12.2 drinks at $6.15. Over 7 days that's $525, or 86 drinks for the cruise.
Pay as you go
At 5 drinks a day, buying drinks one at a time costs about $309.75 less than the package.
- Drinks package, 7 days
- $525
- Drink by drink, 5 drinks a day
- $215.25
Needing 13 drinks a day to break even isn't a plan, it's a dare. Your liver politely declines.
Traveller reviews
What people who've been say. One review each; you can update yours.
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