- Headquarters
- Newcastle, Australia
- Founded
- 2014
- Fleet
- 9 Star-Ships across Europe, Asia and Egypt
- Loyalty
- Emerald Explorer Club
Emerald was launched by Scenic Group in 2014 as the deliberately less formal, better-value sibling to Scenic's ultra-luxury river product. The signature is engineering: a heated pool on the sun deck that sits under a retractable glass roof and converts to a cinema at night.
About Emerald River Cruises
The European Star-Ships are a large run of sisters carrying roughly 180 guests each, so they are grouped as a class here rather than covered hull by hull — the deck plan, pool, Reflections restaurant and Horizon Bar are common to all of them.
Cabins skew larger than the river average, and the Panorama Balcony Suite uses a drop-down window wall rather than a fixed French balcony, giving open-air access without surrendering floor area.
Fares include daily excursions with a choice of classic, active and EmeraldPLUS cultural options, all onboard meals, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, airport transfers, gratuities for local guides and Wi-Fi.
Positioning sits between Avalon and AmaWaterways: more contemporary and less traditional than Viking, less food-obsessive than AmaWaterways, and noticeably better value than Scenic for a similar hardware standard.
Fleet
8 published ship profiles — more coverage rolling out.
Launched 2014
Emerald Star
The first Star-Ship — the vessel that introduced the retractable-roof pool and cinema to river cruising.
Launched 2014
Emerald Sky
A Rhine Star-Ship with the class pool and cinema, Panorama Balcony Suites and included daily excursions.
Launched 2016
Emerald Sun
A lower-Danube Star-Ship running Budapest to the Iron Gates and the Danube Delta.
Launched 2015
Emerald Dawn
A Rhine, Main and Danube Star-Ship with the class pool, cinema and included excursion programme.
Launched 2022
Emerald Luna
The newest European Star-Ship — updated interiors and improved cabin technology on the proven platform.
Launched 2017
Emerald Liberté
The Rhône Star-Ship — 138 guests on a shorter hull built for French river dimensions.
Launched 2017
Emerald Radiance
The Douro Star-Ship — 112 guests on a hull sized for Portugal's locks, with a sun-deck pool.
Launched 2019
Emerald Harmony
The Mekong Star-Ship — 84 guests, a colonial-modern interior and a sun-deck pool.
Ship Classes
Compare the Emerald River Cruises fleet at a glance — classes, ship highlights, and who each is best suited to.
Showing 3 of 3 classes
| Class | Introduced | Tonnage | Capacity | Ships | Highlight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Asia Class | 2019 | ~2,000 GT | 84 guests | Emerald Harmony | The Mekong vessel — 84 guests, a colonial-modern interior and a shore programme built around Vietnam and Cambodia. | — |
| Emerald Star-Ship France Class | 2017 | ~2,400 GT | 138 guests | Emerald Liberté, Emerald Radiance | The smaller French Star-Ships built to Rhône and Bordeaux dimensions — 138 guests and a shallower draught. | — |
| Emerald Star-Ship Europe Class | 2014 | ~2,850 GT | 180 guests | Emerald Star, Emerald Sky, Emerald Sun, Emerald Dawn, Emerald Luna | The core European Star-Ships — heated pool under a retractable glass roof that converts to a cinema after dark. | — |
Ship class · 2014
Emerald Star-Ship Europe Class
The core European Star-Ships — heated pool under a retractable glass roof that converts to a cinema after dark.
View classShip class · 2017
Emerald Star-Ship France Class
The smaller French Star-Ships built to Rhône and Bordeaux dimensions — 138 guests and a shallower draught.
View classShip class · 2019
Emerald Asia Class
The Mekong vessel — 84 guests, a colonial-modern interior and a shore programme built around Vietnam and Cambodia.
View classOnboard Experiences
Suite enclaves, fare tiers, and signature onboard products.
Loyalty Programme — Emerald Explorer Club
The Emerald Explorer Club covers repeat guests across Emerald's river Star-Ships and ocean yachts, so a Danube sailing and a Mediterranean yacht voyage count toward the same recognition.
Members receive a booking discount, a shipboard credit and early release of new season itineraries, with an additional saving when a booking is made on board.
Destinations
Europe covers the Rhine, Main, Danube, Moselle, Rhône, Saône, Seine, Douro and Bordeaux's Garonne and Dordogne.
Beyond Europe, Emerald sails the Mekong through Vietnam and Cambodia and the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, both on purpose-built vessels rather than charters.
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