Emerald Cruises reviews 2026–2027: river ships vs yachts

Emerald Cruises at a glance

Emerald was founded in 2013 by Glen Moroney as a division of Scenic, and its first river ships sailed in 2014. It began as Emerald Waterways, and Emerald Cruises has been the name for its river ships and yachts since 2020. It remains part of Scenic Group, the owner of Scenic.

Owner

Scenic Group, privately held

Founded

2013; first ships in 2014

Price tier

Below luxury, on modern ships

River ships

Star-Ships in Europe, up to 180 guests, plus Emerald Harmony on the Mekong

Yachts

Emerald Azzurra, Sakara and Kaia, 100 to 128 guests

Included on rivers

Meals, excursions, and wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner

Not included

Drinks packages and DiscoverMORE excursions

New ships

Emerald Lumi, Nova and Raiya (2027), Emerald Xara (2028)

Emerald river ships

Emerald calls its river ships Star-Ships. The Central Europe ships share a design and carry up to 180 guests. Their indoor pool turns into a cinema on selected evenings. Build years and guest counts below come from the fleet table on Wikipedia, apart from the figures Emerald publishes itself.

• Emerald Sky and Emerald Star2014, 180 guestsThe first Star-Ships.
• Emerald Sun and Emerald Dawn2015, 180 guestsSame Central Europe design.
• Emerald Destiny and Emerald Luna2017 and 2021, 180 guestsSame Central Europe design.
• Emerald Astra2026, Rhine, Main and DanubeThe newest ship, and Emerald's first with free guest laundry.
• Emerald Liberté2017, 136 guestsSails the Rhône and the Saône in France.
• Emerald Radiance2017, 112 guestsSails the Douro, with a Serenity Pool on the Sun Deck. Emerald Nova joins it in June 2027.
• Emerald Harmony2019, 84 guestsDesigned for the Mekong, and can dock in Ho Chi Minh City.

Emerald Lumi takes the line onto the Seine for the first time in 2027. To choose a river, see our European river cruises guide and our Mekong river cruise guide.

Emerald yacht cruises

Emerald’s yachts are a separate product from its river ships. Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara carry about 100 guests. Emerald Kaia, launched in April 2026, carries up to 128 and adds a Sky Deck and larger suites. Azzurra and Sakara have a Marina Platform at water level.

Emerald Raiya follows in 2027 and Emerald Xara in 2028, both with Kaia’s design. Xara will be Emerald’s first yacht in Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. Emerald’s excursion pages cover the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Caribbean and Central America. Our luxury and small-ship ranking covers other ocean lines of this size.

What does Emerald’s fare include?

On the rivers, Emerald’s fare includes meals, wine, draft beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, and guided excursions. River Cruise Advisor also lists gratuities and airport transfers as typically included, and Wi-Fi appears in its Mekong cabins. Emerald’s readable pages don’t confirm these, so check your booking.

• River drinks packages: Premium costs EUR 15 per person per day and Platinum EUR 29, on Emerald’s Australian site (checked October 2026). Platinum adds bottled beer, Prosecco, house spirits and cocktails.
• River excursions: DiscoverMORE small-group tours are optional and cost extra.
• Yacht drinks: wine, beer, cocktails and soft drinks are included, with a minibar restocked daily.
• Yacht excursions: Emerald says onshore excursions are included. DiscoverMORE outings cost extra.
• Yacht tips and Wi-Fi: Emerald’s yacht pages don’t say. Ask before you book.

These details come from the international Emerald site, because the old US address now redirects there.

Are Emerald river cruises a good value?

Emerald is good value if you want a modern ship and drink mainly with meals. Its fare covers that, and a trade guide places it below luxury pricing. Value slips if you’d buy a daily drinks package, so add the package to the fare before you compare it with a line that includes drinks all day.

We haven’t sailed Emerald for this page, and we don’t publish scores here. Reviews of Emerald river cruises tend to turn on three things:

• The ship. River Cruise Advisor reports that Emerald was built to offer Scenic-level ships for less.
• The dining. The same guide calls it solid rather than a reason to book.
• The audience. It suits first-time river cruisers and people moving over from premium ocean lines.

Emerald or Scenic: which should you book?

Book Scenic if you want drinks all day, butler service and a fare that covers almost everything. Book Emerald if you’d rather pay less and add only what you use. They have the same owner and sail many of the same rivers, so the choice comes down to how much you want included.

How Emerald compares

• Against Scenic: Scenic includes drinks all day and butler service, at a higher fare.
• Against Viking: Viking has far more ships and dates, and includes an excursion in each port.
• Against AmaWaterways: AmaWaterways also includes wine and beer with meals.
• Our ranking: Emerald is not yet ranked in our best river cruise lines list.

Emerald prices

Our price snapshot covers sailings sold on CruiseBound, and Emerald isn’t one of them, so this page shows no from-price. Before you book, add any drinks package to the fare, ask whether flights and transfers are included, and check which ship your date uses.

Emerald Cruises reviews FAQ

Are Emerald river cruises all-inclusive?

Not fully. Meals, excursions and drinks with lunch and dinner are included. Drinks at other times need a paid package, and DiscoverMORE tours cost extra.

Who owns Emerald Cruises?

Scenic Group, a private company. Glen Moroney founded Emerald in 2013 as a division of Scenic.

Is Emerald the same as Emerald Waterways?

Yes. Emerald Waterways was the river brand and Emerald Yacht Cruises the yacht brand. Both now sail as Emerald Cruises.

How many guests are on an Emerald ship?

Up to 180 on the Central Europe Star-Ships, and fewer on the Douro, in France and on the Mekong. Emerald’s yachts carry 100 to 128.

What are Emerald's new ships?

Emerald Astra and the yacht Emerald Kaia joined in 2026. Emerald Lumi, Emerald Nova and the yacht Emerald Raiya follow in 2027, and the yacht Emerald Xara in 2028.