An inaugural season cancelled entirely
Here is the fact the pages published elsewhere pass over. Bookings opened in
September 2021 covered thirty-two departures in the Seychelles for the 2023
season. That whole programme was cancelled. The Emerald Sakara never made the
season she had been sold for.
She finally put to sea on 5 August 2023, from Athens to Rome, after an
inaugural initially announced for February. First Atlantic crossing on
7 November 2023, then the Caribbean. Since then she alternates Mediterranean in
summer and Caribbean in winter. She was christened in San Juan on 2 December
2023.
The hull
One hundred and ten metres, sixteen in beam, seven decks, from a Ha Long yard
in Vietnam in 2023, under the Bahamas flag. One hundred travellers, 50 cabins
and suites of which forty-four have a real step-out balcony. The six cabins on
deck three have only a window.
Two retractable fin stabilisers, two rudders and a bow thruster: this is a
hull equipped for open water, whatever the word yacht suggests. Sixteen
knots.
One nuance reported by reviews: the balconies of the standard cabins are wide
but shallow. They are real balconies, you walk onto them, but they are not
terraces. Our inventory counts one hundred and forty-two departures, fifteen in
2026 and fifty-three in 2027.
The other ships in the fleet
The Emerald Azzurra is her twin, in service a year earlier. The Emerald Kaia is larger. The Emerald Xara
enters service in Asia in 2028. The Emerald Radiance holds the Douro.
The group builds its own ships
Founded in Australia by an entrepreneur who still chairs it, the group took
a step in 2020 that few cruise lines take: it bought its shipbuilder. The
argument is control of the finish, and it also explains why the series look so
alike from one hull to the next.
What it means for you: these ships are not chartered. They belong to the
group that sells the journey, which avoids the mechanism by which a third-party
shipowner calls its hull back from one season to the next.
Included in the fare
Gratuities to the onboard crew, to local guides and to drivers. Beer, wine
and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. At least one included excursion per touring
day, often offered in an active version and a cultural one. Internet on board,
with no committed bandwidth. Electric bicycles on the river ships.
Not included here: the international flight and the taxes that go with it.
The brand's British catalogue shows a different offer, flight included: it does
not apply to a departure sold from Quebec.
What the line says about accessibility
It welcomes a traveller with a disability provided they are self-sufficient
or accompanied by someone able to give all the help required. Folding
wheelchairs only are accepted, mobility scooters are judged unsuitable, and
door widths are not guaranteed.
The number of adapted cabins is published nowhere for the river ships; on
the yachts it is established that there are none. Mooring abreast, which forces
passengers to cross a neighbouring ship by gangways and stairs, can happen
anywhere and without notice.
What the agency adds to the contract
The journey is contracted with an Australian company, and nothing
establishes that it holds a Quebec licence. Voyages AquaTerra does hold one.
Your payments move through a trust account and the Compensation Fund for
Customers of Travel Agents steps in as the law provides. A booking made
elsewhere does not carry that protection.
