Second generation, from a different yard
The Emerald Sun dates from 2015 and comes from the Den Breejen yard at
Hardinxveld-Giessendam, in the Netherlands, where the first two hulls of the
series came from Lobith. Same size: one hundred and thirty-five metres, four
decks, 91 cabins, 180 travellers, thirteen knots. The cabin count varies from
91 to 92 depending on the source; we keep the commercial figure.
Maltese flag, Rhine, Mosel and Danube, with the classic Amsterdam to Basel
itineraries and their Danube extensions. Our inventory counts one hundred and
fifty-seven departures, twenty-eight in 2026 and one hundred and twenty-nine in
2027.
What to know before choosing a cabin
The balcony offered in the upper categories is a window whose top half
lowers at the push of a button. There is no floor surface: you open the cabin,
you do not step out. Lower deck cabins, sitting low, have a fixed window that
does not open at all.
One passenger reported that the lowering window does not seal tightly: in
season, insects get in. It is a detail, but one better said before than
after.
The indoor pool becomes a cinema in the evening. The lift does not rise to
the sun deck. No refit has been published since 2015.
The other ships in the fleet
The Emerald Dawn dates from the same year. The Emerald Sky opened the series. The Emerald Luna is the
newest of the older ones. The Emerald Destiny dates from 2017.
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.
