First season in 2026
The Emerald Kaia was floated out on 10 November 2025, passed her sea trials
in January 2026 and put to sea on 4 April 2026, from Limassol to Athens. She was
christened in Venice on 22 June 2026 by two long-serving employees of the group,
which departs from the custom of celebrity godmothers.
One hundred and twenty metres, sixteen in beam, seven decks of which six
carry travellers and four carry cabins. One hundred and twenty-eight travellers,
64 cabins and suites of which fifty-six have a step-out balcony. The eight
cabins on deck three do not. Connecting suites have been provided for families,
which is new in this fleet.
Two reservations to know
The lift reaches every deck, but a source that visited the ship reports that
through access from front to back is not assured on each deck, and that the
bathroom of every cabin requires stepping up. On a new ship, that deserves
saying to a traveller who walks poorly.
The same source states that the yacht lacks stabilisers, which contradicts
the technical sheet of her sister ship, fitted with two retractable stabilisers.
We do not settle it: the question goes to the supplier before selling a rough
crossing.
The aft marina platform has been enriched: a dive platform, a four-deck
inflatable slide and a floating swim platform join the kayaks and paddleboards.
Our inventory counts one hundred and eighty-five departures, twenty-four in 2026
and sixty-eight in 2027.
The other ships in the fleet
The Emerald Azzurra opened the yacht series. The Emerald Sakara is her twin. The Emerald Xara enters service in
Asia in 2028. The Emerald Harmony holds the Mekong.
An owned fleet, not a chartered one
The Australian group behind this brand does not rent its ships: it owns
them. Since 2020 it also owns a shipbuilder in Croatia, and it calls its own
the Vietnamese yard its yachts come from. The river hulls come from Dutch
yards, one of the most recent from Romania.
The difference shows the day a third-party shipowner takes a hull back for
its own brand, which does happen elsewhere in European river cruising. Here the
question does not arise in the same way.
The inclusions, and what not to transpose
The fare covers gratuities to the crew, the guides and the drivers, standard
drinks at meals, at least one excursion per touring day and internet access. On
the river ships, electric bicycles are available.
What it does not cover here: the international flight. Note that the same
brand's British offer does cover it, transfers included. It is the most common
confusion about this line, and it costs dearly when discovered at payment.
Reduced mobility: read this before booking
Able companion required. Folding wheelchair only. Mobility scooter judged
unsuitable. The line itself warns that cabin and bathroom doors may not be wide
enough for a standard wheelchair.
No number of adapted cabins is published for the river fleet, and on the
yachts the absence of an adapted cabin is established by two independent
sources. Add mooring abreast, common in Europe: the passenger on the outer ship
crosses the neighbouring vessel by narrow gangways and stairs.
The Quebec frame
This brand's contract is signed by an Australian company. No Quebec licence
is established for it. It is the agency that brings the protection: a licence
from the Office de la protection du consommateur, a trust account separate from
the firm's own funds, and the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents.
Those three follow a booking made here, and only that one.
