Sister hull, launched the same year
The Emerald Star left the same Dutch yard as her sister, in 2014 as well.
One hundred and thirty-five metres, 91 cabins, 180 travellers, Maltese flag.
She covers the Rhine, the Main and the Danube. Our inventory counts one hundred
and eighty-three departures, thirty-five in 2026 and one hundred and forty-eight
in 2027.
The heated indoor pool turns into a cinema in the evening, telescopic floor
and retractable glass roof. The lift serves the three cabin decks but does not
rise to the sun deck.
What the reviews raise
Two criticisms recur often enough to be said before the sale rather than
after. The first: little evening entertainment and few talks on board. This is
not a ship of shows, which suits someone seeking quiet and less someone
expecting a programme.
The second: calls often last half a day. That is the logic of river cruising,
where the ship moves at night and during meals, but it leaves little free time
in the towns. Worth saying honestly to a client who wants to wander.
As across the series, no refit has been published since 2014.
The other ships in the fleet
The Emerald Sky is her sister hull. The Emerald Dawn holds the Danube. The Emerald Destiny dates from 2017.
The Emerald Sun covers the Rhine and the Mosel.
Who owns these ships
The group that sells them. That is uncommon enough in this trade to be worth
saying: the brand belongs to a private Australian group that owns its hulls
and, since 2020, its own shipbuilder. The river ships come from Dutch and
Romanian yards; the yachts come from a Vietnamese yard the group calls its
own.
The reason the group gives is plain: a contract yard would rather reproduce
its own models than build to order. Owning the tool means controlling the
finish. That sets this fleet clearly apart from those that charter their hulls
from a third-party shipowner who can take them back.
What is included, and the British catalogue trap
Included: gratuities to the onboard crew, to guides and to drivers; beer,
wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner; at least one excursion per touring
day; internet access, with no performance guarantee; and electric bicycles
aboard the river ships.
Here is the trap. This brand's British catalogue includes the international
flight and the transfers. The product sold here does not. The two offers carry
the same name and not the same content: never transpose an inclusion read on a
European site. Your advisor builds the air portion with you.
Accessibility: what is published and what is not
The line requires anyone needing help to travel with a physically able
companion. It accepts folding wheelchairs only and considers mobility scooters
unsuitable. It warns that cabin and bathroom doors may not admit a standard
wheelchair.
On the number of adapted cabins, nothing is published for the river ships.
On the yachts, two independent sources establish that there are none. A
physical constraint adds to this: when two or three ships moor abreast,
passengers on the outer ship cross narrow gangways and take stairs, with no
notice.
Booking this trip from Quebec
The entity signing the travel contract is established in Australia, and
nothing establishes that it holds a Quebec licence. Your protection therefore
comes from here: Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la
protection du consommateur, your payments move through a trust account, and the
Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents covers your file as the law
provides.
