Emerald Cruises

Emerald Star

The Emerald Star star-ship is one of six sister vessels, built to cruise the Danube, Main, and Rhine Rivers. Onboard you'll have full access to a wellness area, hair dresser, fitness room, onboard entertainment, daytime pool & bar and of course luxuriously appointed suites to retire to at the end of the day.
Ship Type
River Ship
Passengers
180
Crew
51
Launched
2014
Refurbished
N/A

Emerald Star Cruises View all Choose from 653 vacations cruising on board the Emerald Star

15 Days Amsterdam to Budapest

Operator: Emerald Cruises

From 5,245
Save 9,507

11 Days Basel to Amsterdam

Operator: Emerald Cruises

From 5,495
Save 8,049

15 Days Amsterdam to Budapest

Operator: Emerald Cruises

From 6,586
Save 6,704

14 Days Amsterdam to Zurich

Operator: Emerald Cruises

From 6,129
Save 6,901

Emerald Star Reviews (19) View all 29 reviews of Emerald Star from past clients of Global Journeys

4.6
Average Rating 4.6 / 5
19 Reviews
5 Star
79%
4 Star
11%
3 Star
2 Star
1 Star
Splendour’s of Europe river cruise July 2025   0 , New Zealand, Jul 2025
Highly recommend this 15 day cruise - great itinerary, a lovely ship and excellent food. A very boutique travelling experience and although some itinerary disruption due to low water levels the staff did their very best to minimise any negative impact. As a result I probably saw more Bavarian towns - which are lovely - than planned. Although disappointing ...read more not to get to Cologne we did see Munich and we stayed on the ship without being off loaded like done other cruise boats. The Slovakian home visit tour was lots of fun and a highlight. All up people need to remain flexible and not worry about unplanned changes as the alternatives are often just as good!

Rachel McSorley (who managed my sister’s and I’s Emerald river cruise booking and a Sicilian trip previously) is an excellent travel advisor. I can’t speak too highly of Rachel from when we first booked the cruise 18 months ago to when my sister had to cancel in June due to ill health. This is the second trip Rachel has managed for me and her professionalism is consistent and of the highest standard. She is pleasant to deal with, very responsive to emails , and a clear communicator, she was very supportive when my sister had to cancel and it was a relief knowing Rachel was handling things with Emerald. Usually I book my own trips but Rachel - and Global Journeys - add so much value it’s a no brainer to use them - it’s a great service for which I’m very appreciative.
Great river cruise.   0 , NSW, Australia, Jun 2025
We thoroughly enjoyed our Emerald river cruise. Ship was lovely, crew were great, included excursions were adequate, and good food. I’d happily do another Emerald cruise.
Wonderful River Cruise     1 , NSW, Australia, Nov 2024
Our cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam in early November was above all our expectations. The Emerald Destiny and all its facilities were very good but the hospitality was outstanding. The attention and kindness of all staff members was amazing. The gourmet food was delicious and the food and wine reflected the area we were cruising through. The excursions ...read more were all interesting and very accessible. There were more active options for the fitter cruisers but also special guides for the slower among us. The onboard entertainment was also varied and delightful and we were lucky enough to find ourselves with a wonderful group of fellow travellers with which to share our journey. I would not hesitate to recommend Emerald Cruises.
Rhine river cruise   0 , NSW, Australia, Sep 2024
Our river cruise was excellent thanks to Rachel McSorley's information and guidance she gave us. The food and drinks were excellent and our sight seeing tours were well informed. We met up with some lovely people including a few Australians. The entertainment that the two young ladies was very funny and enjoyable. We would recommend it to our friends ...read more and my sister was on the cruise coming up from Basel when we departed our cruise with Scenic. Thank you very much.
Wonderful experience!   0 , QLD, Australia, Aug 2024
We had a wonderful time on our 8 day Danube Delights River cruise with Emerald. The scenery was brilliant; the food incredible and we made plenty of friends to boot! Whilst we experienced some very hot weather during our trip, we really enjoyed cooling off in the on-board pool of an afternoon. Most of the local tours guides were very good. Thanks ...read more to Hannah from Global Journeys for making the books so easy.
Beautiful river cruise   1 , Auckland, New Zealand, Aug 2024
So glad we have done this river cruise! Beautiful river, excellent customer service, food was great! Recommend to all. Happy customers.
Disappointing -Splendours of Europe   7 , QLD, Australia, Aug 2024
We have done several small boat cruises eg Douro, Rhine, Mekong, Great Lakes and Eerie Canal and several bike and boat or hotel tours in France, Italy and on the Danube and this was the worst, by far. That said, it gets two stars for the restaurant and room staff, who were excellent and the food which was really good particularly if you want to eat ...read more a healthy diet (there are lots of non-healthy options too and many on board were both overweight and gluttons). Breakfast is a buffet with omelette/fried egg station, lunch is a buffet with menu for protein(choice of meat, fish and vegetarian). Dinner is sit down meal with good choices and option of grilled fish, steak or chicken. Beer and wine are included with lunch and dinner, but wines were not regional and were lower end - included one from winery in Australia which we had never heard of.

Cabins were adequate, with a reasonable ensuite and over the top room service (2x daily) - sign said to reuse towels unless on floor, but this was ignored and wet towels changed every day. The bad points far outdated the good. Number one is the noise in the dining room, which was unbearable - we left one night and skipped dinner on two occasions because of the noise. Lounge was too small to hold all guests and was noisy, either from loud music or too many people, so we avoided all entertainment, except the Zittar player, who was very good. Other entertainment was quizzes of various sorts, golf putting, singing, etc -very unsophisticated. Seats in lounge were mostly uncomfortable. Lounge also had cold water on tap (still and sparkling) and basic coffee machine (using UHT milk and OK if you add a double espresso to anything). Drinks were bar prices and packages from about $20 per day per person.

Front deck was poorly furnished with old seats and not very comfortable. Pool was OK, but small (converted to cinema at night, with mostly uninteresting movies). Sun deck was closed for nearly half the cruise due to low bridges/high water levels.

Guided tours were in big groups (30 plus), so like cats being hearded around. They have gentle walking group, but no faster walking group, so saw much more walking around independently. Little time is spent at most locations (full day only in Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest), and a lot of time is spent on the boat. No day tours by bus included, unlike on other cruises. Some day trips available at extra cost, but very expensive. Active program is aimed at those who don’t exercise very often and are slow. Bike tour guides were good, but too slow eg 5 hours to do 35km. Passengers were mainly native English speakers, with most from Australia.

Information about bus returns to boat was hard to obtain unless you went on the guided tour (always told “tour guide will tell you”) and sometimes plainly wrong. People were left in Budapest for two hours on a hot day, when they had expected to be taken back to the boat after the bus tour around town. Best the tour guide could say was “get a taxi” when there was public bus that dropped you opposite the boat and was free for over 65s. No maps provided for towns (allegedly for environmental reasons, but they had paper cups in lounge), but you could get them at information centres (but not told where they were). Would definitely not do another river cruise like this.
Splendour of Europe -Jul 2024   0 , New Zealand, Jul 2024
Trip was really good, though wasn't aware that there was a pick up from train station if arrived at start city via train. As a result we had to stay a night at start city unnecessarily.
A wonderful break   3 , Christchurch, New Zealand, Jun 2024
The Danube was flooded and the ship couldn't travel as planned but Emerald kept us well informed and provided excursions that were just as exciting as the cancelled ones. We had a great time, saw amazing things and met some lovely people. We did not feel we missed out on anything with the changes. Well done Emerald.
Enchantment of Eastern Europe     1 , TAS, Australia, May 2024
Having already done two cruises with Emerald, we knew we would be in for a treat and invited our whole family to join us for a special celebration. The youngest two were 29 and they had as much fun with the active tours, the quizzes, the dancing and the fabulous food and wine as we did. Eastern Europe was little known to us and it's not all pretty, ...read more but we loved hearing the history and seeing the very obvious differences in architecture between the different periods. Bucharest and Belgrade were surprisingly beautiful and we loved returning to Budapest at the end of the cruise having been there five years ago. We also enjoyed a tour of Transylvania before the cruise started. We particularly appreciated the extras like a meal in a home of a local, the various rock and archaeological features along the way and the happy atmosphere on board. This was a very special family time, made even more so by the staff and facilities onboard Emerald Destiny!

Life On Board Emerald Star What can you expect when cruising on board Emerald Star

Emerald Star
Emerald Star

Get lost in the romance of Europe's rivers with every comfort taken care of on Emerald Star. Read more

EmeraldPLUS
EmeraldPLUS

Authentic included adventures that take you into the cultural heart of each destination. Read more

Active Life on the River
Active Life on the River

With a small gym, walking track, heated pool and putting green you can keep active on board. Read more

Five Star Dining On Board
Five Star Dining On Board

Enjoy the finest flavours of Europe prepared by the expert culinary team aboard your river cruise. Read more

Wellness and Beauty
Wellness and Beauty

Keep up your wellness routine with a fitness class or have a treatment in the onboard salon. Read more

Swimming Pool and Cinema
Swimming Pool and Cinema

The relaxing pool deck offers views from the stern and transforms to a cinema at night. Read more

Deck Plans

Ship Profile
ES
Emerald Single Stateroom
D
Emerald Stateroom
E
Emerald Stateroom
Riviera Deck (Level 1)
B
Emerald Panorama Balcony Suite
C
Emerald Panorama Balcony Suite
Vista Deck (Level 2)
A
Emerald Panorama Balcony Suite
S
Grand Balcony Suite
SA
Owners One-Bedroom Suite
Horizon Deck (Level 3)
Sun Deck

Cabins

River View

Emerald Single Stateroom

Emerald Single Stateroom (117 sq ft / 10.9 sq m). Features a deluxe single bed, picture window, bathroom with shower, indulgent toiletries and hairdryer, individual climate control, safe, mini-fridge with complimentary bottled water and a flat screen TV.

River View

Emerald Stateroom

Emerald Stateroom (162 sq ft / 15 sq m). Features a Queen-size bed, an ensuite bathroom, picture window, equipped with a flat screen TV with infotainment system, individual air conditioning system, a personal safe, fridge, hairdryer, complimentary Wi-Fi and bottled water daily.

Balcony

Emerald Panorama Balcony Suite

The spacious Emerald Panorama Balcony Suite features an innovative indoor balcony (180 sq ft / 16.7 sq m). Flat screen TV, individual air conditioning system, a personal safe, fridge, hairdryer, complimentary bathrobes and slippers, hotel-style beds, an ensuite bathroom, complimentary WI-Fi and bottled water daily are included.

Balcony

Grand Balcony Suite

The spacious Grand Balcony Suite features a full outdoor balcony which converts into a sunroom at the touch of a button (210 sq ft / 19.5 sq m). Flat screen TV, individual air conditioning system, a personal safe, fridge, hairdryer, complimentary bathrobes and slippers, hotel-style beds, an ensuite bathroom, complimentary WI-Fi and bottled water daily are included.

Suite

Owners One-Bedroom Suite

Owner’s One-Bedroom Suite features a full outside balcony which converts to a sunroom, a separate bedroom and living area, a deluxe walk-in wardrobe and a larger basin ensuite bathroom (315 sq ft / 29.2 sq m). Complimentary onboard bathrobes and slippers, an iPad and a Nespresso coffee machine, along with four items of laundry per day are included. Flat screen TV, individual air conditioning system, a personal safe, hairdryer, hotel-style beds, complimentary Wi-Fi and bottled water daily.

Emerald Star Cruise Schedule All 653 cruise sailings by departure date on board Emerald Star

Starts Days Name Itinerary From
Wednesday
06 Aug 2025
11 Prague & Danube Explorer Prague to Budapest 8,815
Saturday
09 Aug 2025
8 Danube Explorer Munich to Budapest 8,190
Sunday
10 Aug 2025
15 Splendours of Europe Amsterdam to Budapest 12,890
Monday
11 Aug 2025
11 Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards Zurich to Amsterdam 13,990
Monday
11 Aug 2025
11 Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards Basel to Amsterdam 13,990
Wednesday
20 Aug 2025
11 Zurich - Lucerne & Jewels of the Rhine Zurich to Amsterdam 9,330
Thursday
21 Aug 2025
11 Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards Amsterdam to Zurich 11,690
Thursday
21 Aug 2025
11 Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards Amsterdam to Basel 11,690
Thursday
21 Aug 2025
14 Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards & Lucerne - Zurich Amsterdam to Zurich 13,030
Saturday
23 Aug 2025
8 Jewels of the Rhine Zurich to Amsterdam 7,990
Saturday
23 Aug 2025
8 Jewels of the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam 7,990
Sunday
21 Sep 2025
15 Splendours of Europe Budapest to Amsterdam 13,490
Sunday
05 Oct 2025
15 Splendours of Europe Amsterdam to Budapest 12,490
Thursday
09 Oct 2025
10 Danube Explorer & Highlights of Budapest Budapest to Munich 17,390
Saturday
18 Oct 2025
10 Danube Explorer & Highlights of Budapest Munich to Budapest 14,690
Sunday
26 Oct 2025
8 Danube Explorer Munich to Budapest 14,090
Saturday
01 Nov 2025
8 Jewels of the Rhine Zurich to Amsterdam 9,790
Saturday
01 Nov 2025
8 Jewels of the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam 9,790
Saturday
08 Nov 2025
15 Splendours of Europe Amsterdam to Budapest 15,190
Tuesday
25 Nov 2025
7 Prague & Christmas Time on the Danube Prague to Budapest 6,670
Tuesday
25 Nov 2025
9 Prague to Budapest & Christmas Time on the Danube Prague to Budapest 7,040
Wednesday
26 Nov 2025
7 Christmas Time on the Danube & Budapest Budapest to Vienna 6,460
Wednesday
26 Nov 2025
9 Budapest to Prague & Christmas Time on the Danube Budapest to Prague 6,940
Thursday
27 Nov 2025
7 Christmas Time on the Danube & Budapest Vienna to Budapest 6,560
Thursday
27 Nov 2025
5 Christmas time on the Danube Vienna to Budapest 6,190
Friday
28 Nov 2025
7 Prague & Christmas Time on the Danube Budapest to Prague 6,570
Friday
28 Nov 2025
5 Christmas Time on the Danube Budapest to Vienna 6,090
Sunday
30 Nov 2025
8 Christmas Markets on the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam 12,490
Sunday
30 Nov 2025
8 Christmas Markets on the Rhine Zurich to Amsterdam 12,490
Sunday
30 Nov 2025
7 Prague & Christmas Time on the Danube Prague to Budapest 6,570
Sunday
30 Nov 2025
9 Prague to Budapest & Christmas Time on the Danube Prague to Budapest 6,940
Tuesday
02 Dec 2025
7 Christmas Time on the Danube & Budapest Vienna to Budapest 6,460
Tuesday
02 Dec 2025
5 Christmas time on the Danube Vienna to Budapest 6,090
Wednesday
03 Dec 2025
18 Prague & Christmas Markets of Europe Prague to Amsterdam 16,025
Wednesday
03 Dec 2025
21 Prague to Paris & Christmas Markets of Europe Prague to Paris 17,060
Saturday
06 Dec 2025
18 Christmas Markets of Europe & Paris Budapest to Paris 16,425
Saturday
06 Dec 2025
15 Christmas Markets of Europe Budapest to Amsterdam 15,390
Friday
12 Dec 2025
11 Classic Prague & Christmas Markets on the Danube Prague to Budapest 13,060
Monday
15 Dec 2025
8 Christmas Markets on the Danube Munich to Budapest 12,490
Wednesday
18 Feb 2026
15 Splendours of Europe Budapest to Amsterdam 10,940
Saturday
21 Feb 2026
15 Splendours of Europe Amsterdam to Budapest 10,940
Wednesday
04 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Rhine Amsterdam to Zurich 6,990
Wednesday
04 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam 6,990
Wednesday
11 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Rhine Zurich to Amsterdam 6,990
Wednesday
11 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam 6,990
Saturday
14 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Danube Munich to Budapest 6,990
Tuesday
17 Mar 2026
14 Belgian & Holland Delights with Copenhagen Brussels to Copenhagen 11,910
Tuesday
17 Mar 2026
11 Belgian Delights & Holland in Bloom Brussels to Amsterdam 9,835
Wednesday
18 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Rhine Amsterdam to Zurich 6,990
Wednesday
18 Mar 2026
8 Early Season on the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam 6,990
Cruise Content
Cabin images are sourced from Emerald Cruises. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on sailing dates.

Travel Styles