Romantic Rhine And Relaxation!

Sometimes I have the best job in the world and last week was one of them. I was very privileged to be chosen as a representative of cruise.co.uk to trial a new river cruise line called Emerald Waterways.

Emerald Waterways is a brand new company that is a part of Scenic Tours and offers a 4* plus cruise experience. I sailed on the Emerald Sky which is a brand new ship and was named by Twiggy in Amsterdam in early April. There will be three more ships to follow.

I felt a little like a newbie to cruising as I have only experienced one other river cruise so was pleased to hone my knowledge of this type of cruising.

I flew out to Frankfurt to join the ship on Friday 11th April with my colleague Peter. Our two other colleagues Simon and Sian were meeting us out there. After being bumped off our indirect flight and rebooked on the direct flight we got off to a fairly good start, however when we arrived at Frankfurt unfortunately it was not plain sailing! There was some confusion over what terminal we were to be picked up in and we missed our transfer to Koblenz. After a phone call we met the Emerald Waterways representative who booked us train tickets for the 90 minute journey to Koblenz, where we were collected by the Cruise Director in a taxi!!

Upon arrival at the boat, river cruises are boats apparently, I was struck at how quick and efficient the check in was and within ten minutes I was in my room. The room had a simple layout with sufficient storage for two people but what I really loved was the electric window which converted the ceiling to floor window into a French balcony.

There was a mini bar also in the room and on the dresser complimentary still and sparkling water that was replaced daily. Adequate bottles of toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion were also provided. There was also an umbrella in the wardrobe for every eventuality. Two items that intrigued me were the radio receivers which I discovered were for tours which I will explain later.

My first meal on board was dinner which begins at 7pm every night in Reflections Restaurant. You can choose were you wanted to sit and there is a selection of tables for 2 – 8 people. Wine, beer or soft drinks are complimentary at lunch and dinner and reflect the areas that you are cruising. Dinner is a four course affair with a starter, soup, main, dessert and coffee and the service was exceptional from a variety of German and Eastern European crew. There are 42 crew members in total to take care of 186 passengers when operating on full capacity.

After dinner everyone retires to Horizons Bar where a pianist plays a keyboard with very low key entertainment. The Bar area has plenty of seating with sofas, chairs and stools. There is also a coffee machine at the back of the bar that provides teas, coffees and hot chocolate 24 hours a day.

On most days a complimentary excursion is provided, there are also Discovery Tours that incur a charge. Getting off the ship is easy as you just exchange your room key for a boarding pass and that’s it.

Our first stop was Rudesheim and the last time I was here was 30 years ago when I was at school!! It hadn’t changed much, although I don’t remember there being a cable car. There is a complimentary train ride up to the centre of town and there is also the opportunity to go to Siegfrieds Music Museum. We decided to do the cable car ride which was 7 euros each return. Afterwards we walked down the Drosselgasse which is the Main Street that hosts a plethora of shops, restaurants and beer cellars. The walk back to the boat was around fifteen minutes.

Lunch on board depends on the tours and is served between 12 noon and 2pm on an open sitting basis. It is a buffet lunch with a wide choice of dishes. Occasionally a barbecue is held on the open deck.

Breakfast is also buffet based from 7am to 9 am with an early riser breakfast served in the Horizons Bar.

Other ports on this itinerary included Mannheim for Heidelberg which was beautiful and it was here we used our receivers with ear pieces which was a great way of hearing all that our guide had to say. We also visited Breisach for the Black Forest and saw a demonstration of Black Forest Gateaux being put together. Did you know that the cherries are only supposed to be on the bottom?

Before dinner every night the Cruise Director, Daniela, gave a little talk about the next day’s activities and tours and always ended it with a joke which was ever so slightly naughty. The next day’s schedule was also placed in your room on a daily basis. If after dinner you didn’t want to go the bar area there is also a cinema on board and there was a film most nights at 9pm. The cinema room actually converts into a pool area during the day!!

All in all I loved this cruise and believe that Emerald is aiming this style of cruising at couples aged between 55 and 65. It reminded me of how ocean cruising used to be and I came home feeling very relaxed after a wonderful five days.

If anyone would like any more information or wants to ask a question feel free to email or call me.