The Emerald lives upto it's name-It's a gem! |
| Reviewed By: Campbell, Merseyside on 17th Aug 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Thomson Cruises |
Times cruised before: 0 |
| Cruise Ship: The Emerald |
Sailed:
July,
2008 |
| Destination: Northern Europe |
Age: 46-55 |
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Pearls of the Aegean: 25th July 2008-1st August 2008
After initially being reluctant to book a cruise (preferring 'normal' land holidays), we did so anyway, and any doubts about the cruise disappeared as soon as we boarded the ship.
The Emerald in itself is still in good condition despite being 50 years old. The cabins were average, but had everything we required in them, and they were kept spotless by the exceptional cleaning staff. We were also pleasantly surprised upon returning to the cabin each night to find a chocolate on our pillow, as well as the 'Cruise News' which tells you all the essential information about the different ports, and what entertainment is on during the next day. All in all the cleaners themselves were lovely; approachable and chatty.
The restaurants on The Emerald were excellent; there was plenty of choice, even for those who may be fussy eaters. It was fairly impossible to go hungry on The Emerald; food was available for the majority of the day and there was so much to choose from. We mainly dined in The Chanterelle Restaurant in the evening and in Le Bistro buffet for breakfast and lunch. The food itself was very good; however we found on on one or two occasions the food to be only warm. All in all though, the whole dining experience was very enjoyable, particularly thanks to the dining staff, who made an effort to get to know everyone and who would greet you upon arrival at your table. Any requests were noted (especially the requests to make 'roses' for the diners!) and nothing was too much to ask of the staff. We also enjoyed the 'Showtime' at the end of our meal in which the dining staff would gather and sing songs and play the guitar, creating a warm atmosphere.
Although there was a fair choice of excursions to chose from, we decided not to go on any, preferring to do as we pleased instead.
Overall the places visited were enjoyable, however on the last day we were heading to go to Zante when the Captain announced that due to the weather we were unable to. He then said that we would head to the alternative destination, Kefalonia. We were very grateful to the Captain for making this decision, as were a lot of people. However, the boat had a process which involved having to travel by tender boats to some shores, and this was the case for Kefalonia. Also on this particular day, colour coded tickets were needed to use the tender boats. We waited for around one and a half hours before we were finally allowed to go on the tender boats (we had to wait until all colours had been called out). As it was, we only got to spend about half an hour in Kefalonia as we wanted to get back in time for dinner. Understandably, the weather conditions can't be controlled, but we thought that the tender boat service could have been a little more organised? Aside from that, we had a great time in each of the ports.
On The Emerald itself there seemed to be a great deal of daytime entertainment, which to be honest, we didn't see much of as we went ashore for most of the duration of the day.
We did however watch all of the shows performed by the amazing Emerald Entertainment Team in the Regency Show Lounge each night. We especially enjoyed the Abba tribute show, 'Lots of Love' and 'Cameron's Classics' amongst others. Every one of the Entertainment Team showed such energy and enthusiasm during each show, they were wonderful. All the Team were always cheerful, and would stop and talk to you if you saw them around the ship. One word to sum up every single staff member working onboard The Emerald would be 'outstanding'. They made an already brilliant cruise even better.
As well as shows, there was also gameshow type entertainment such as 'Are You Smarter Than An Entertainer' and the very, very funny 'Mr and Mrs'. Also 'The Emerald's Got Talent' was another great show.
I know from reading other reviews that people are reluctant to go on The Emerald because of it's age, however my advice to them would be to go! I'm disappointed that it is The Emerald's last year with Thomson as we would have loved to go on this cruise again.
We would also love to hear from anyone else who was on The Emerald from 25th July-1st August 2008, and what they thought about the cruise.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Dined in The Chanterelle Restaurant for dinner.
Dined in Le Bistro for breakfast and lunch.
We liked the fact that there were only small portions of cakes, however lots of variety.
As well as English food, there were also a good choice of Greek dishes available. | | Entertainment |  |
| Loved all the shows by The Emerald Entertainment Team; Viva Las Vegas, Edwardian Music Hall, Abba, Lots Of Love and Cameron's Classics.
Also went to see comedian Stan Johns, who was very funny. | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| | Staff | |
| Gavin Carroll was a very good cruise director, would always stop and talk to people, making sure everyone was enjoying the cruise. Very friendly.
The Emerald Entertainment Team who put on brilliant shows each night, and were all lovely!
Alla (cleaner) was very helpful, she would tell us the best places to go in each of the different ports, and would always stop to talk to us.
Leo and Larry (dining staff) were very funny and helpful. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| Few shops, a casino, pool (which was quite small), however on somedays, there was also an afternoon play (we went to see Blythe Spirit), and there were demonstrations on things such as fruit carving, ice sculpturing, and towel and napkin folding. All in all there was a good choice of activities. | | Cabins | |
| Cabin was basic, but had everything we required. Average size and had essential facilities. | | Overall Rating | |
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