Travelled on the Emerald June last year Pearls of the Aegeon and was delighted with our cruise so chose the Adriatic Explorer June this year. Small hic-cup on our arrival due to the ships satellite going down but we were well looked after by the Sue Denning and the entertainment crew in the arrivals hall. I know this is an old ship but my friends and I love it and recommend it for its cleanliness and great choice of food, quality and quantity of it. The staff and crew are very friendly and more than helpful. The entertainment was not quite as good as last year but still as good as any West End show's. Sue Denning's tribute to Judy Garland was an added bonus she was wonderful. Oliver Spencer was a terrific commedian as it made a change not to have someone having to use bad language to make the audience laugh highly recommend him. The rest of the Emerald's entertaiment are a credit to Thomson's. The only downside to the trip is that when we arrived in Koper on Sunday most of the shops were closed and our organised trip to Venice went at a rate of knots and as most of the people were quite elderly they had a problem keeping up with our representative. We did mention this to her and she has taken it on board. WE had a lovely cleaner called Marvin we nick named him our singing cleaner as he was always singing and smiling lovely man. A nice little touch is when you arrive back in your cabins for the night beds are turned down with a chocolte on the pillow we liked that. Anyway we are now looking at our Cruise with Thomson for next year as for my friends an myself this is the best holiday one can have (go to bed and wake up in a different port every morning). For all those who complained about the ship all I can say is you would never be satisfied with anything not at the price you get these hodidays for just look at the other cruise ships they go into the thousands these holidays with Thomson's are affordable to ordinary people such as my friends and myself. Well done Thomson's.

The overall impression of the ship was tired and tatty and needs putting to rest!!!!
Some areas were a death trap,as there were always things to climb over and we had many falls over things and a few near misses with glass doors!!!
Having said that we paid for a delux cabin and it was nice and spacious and clean.
However overall this was the worst cruise I have ever been on.
We have been with Thomson cruises for the last 5 years and the other ships (The Spirit and the Destiny) have been fine,but not the Emerald.

The food in the bistro was luke warm, and scarce!!!
No midnight feasts like other ships we've been on.
My husband got sickness and diarrhea.

Entertainment was very poor, and often the crew were late or failed to show for daytime activities.

The excursions were expensive, and the tenders were so steep sometimes a 2 foot drop into the boat, that you were worried you'd break your ankle,so we missed out on quite a few trips.

Although this was a bad cruise, we will use Thomson again as the other ships have been fine.
We would NEVER EVER go on the Emerald again!!!

Our cruise was for 14 days, the first week was the Pearls of the Aegean, the second being the Adriatic Explorer. this was our first cruise.

Ship cleanliness was excellent.
Ship food was to us average, and judging by the amount returned by our fellow diners they agreed.( This was not due to over-eating during the day as we usually missed lunch and tea due to going ashore)
Ship staff were excellent, always cheerful,friendly,and willing to be helpful without being asked. The exception to this was the Reception staff.
Onboard entertainment was excellent where the Showteam was involved. We saw a different show for 14 nights and none could be faulted. The pianist in the Piano bar was very good as was Traffle a husband and wife duo. The group Ap and sons, a quintet with a female singer were good but jumped ship at the start of week two. Other entertainment included gameshows and quizzes. These were very good if hosted by the two experienced members of staff. Didn't participate in any of the Gamezone activities but heard they were a bit naff.
I would not sail on the Emerald for the Adriatic Explorer itinerary for the reasons to below.

Of the five Ports of call, only Venice and Dubrovnik were worth a visit. Unfortunately there was not enough time to do these cities justice. Why we left Venice to go to Brindsi I will never know! We were not told this , but there is a free shuttle bus at the cruise terminal which takes you to where you can buy tickets for and get on the Vaperato which goes along the Grand Canal. At Dubrovnik turn right at the terminal exit and a few metres there is a kiosk selling bus tickets to Dubronnik Old Town. Cost for 4 return tickets 3 euros 20 as opposed to ten Euros one way by taxi.
Zadar was open, but not a lot of things to see or do.

Koper. Koper would have been shut but luckily for us the local villages were holding their annual Harvest Festival so we enjoyed sampling the local produce and watching national dances, listening to various choirs and bands,and seeing the National costumes.

Brindisi. The phrase heard most from passengers coming back from Brindisi was "What a complete waste of time" We should have docked at noon but due to the height of deck four relative to the quayside great difficulty was experienced in positioning the Ship's ladder( resulting in an ascent/descent of approx. 40 steps at an angle I estimated to be 45 degrees). We got off at 1pm only to find out that the shops were closed from 1 till 5 and we had to be on board by 5:30, even the churches were closed. All that was open were 3/4 street cafes. We perserved for 2 hours but gave up as all we saw were fellow passengers wandering aimlessly about.
This is my last comment. There were a lot of passengers who were infirmed ,or lacked a lot of mobility.who did not leave the ship if it had to be done by tender or using the ladders at Brindisi. Getting off the ship on to the tender was tricky even for the more able, but getting from the tender to the jetty was horrendous for some. Getting to the jetty involved putting one foot on a bench seat on the tender, the other on the RIM of the tender, and launching oneself with the aid of 2/3 crew members on to the jetty, hoping you have caught the bobbing tender on its way up. This was a very humilating experience for some.
To sum up. The ship overall was very good, though the cabin could do with a touch up. Koper, Zadar, and Brindisi should be scrapped as Ports of call. Port maps could be much better. When I cruise again it will not be on the Emerald.
PS Why does the end of cruise Questionnaire jump from Good to Excellent, what happened to Very Good?

I have just returned from a 14 day cruse on the Emerald. I was very worried after reading last years reviews but went with an open mind. this is our story....

On first inspection of the ship we thought it was very old but well kept. The food was boring cold repetative and we didnt know until we arrived that the buffet was not 24/7 only open until 9.30pm. Many people complained about that. Our cabin which was on the 4th deck and was an upgraded outside superior was number 465. DO NOT ACCEPT THIS CABIN. It was too noisey to sleep in. We did try and get another cabin but was told no! they didnt even ask us our name , room number or deck. The entertainment was a whizz the group jumped ship after 10 days. The excursions were that expensive people were simply not prepared to pay for them. Do it yourself as we did. On the positive side the crew were amazing apart from the reception. The ship was clean and some of the ports of call were great , others were closed ( fancy pulling into a port that they know all the shops are closed ?? )) Sorry to anyone who has booked this year. Hope yours is better that ours

We sailed on the first 2 week voyage this season on the Emerald.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, the Art Deco style was great. The food served in the Chantrelle Restaurant was excellent. The Bistro food was also fine, snacks were served on this cruise at approx. 11.45pm, these were brought round by the waiters in the Bistro upper fall where the pianist was playing.

The only excursions we bought onboard were Santorini in the Greek islands which was absolutely fabulous, and the launch to take us into Venice (Venice was slightly disappointing) The highlight of the 2nd week was Dubvronik the old town was great worth another visit.

We thought the ship was very clean you even have to use gel (like used on hospital wards), when coming on the boat (even after excursions) and before eating in the Bistro and Chantrelle.

The staff all seemed very friendly especially Christina and Bianca in the piano lounge.
Bon Jovi and J.J. in the Chantrelle they were serving us on table 18. They took the time to talk to you even if they were off ship.

If Anne & Bill or Terry & Margie are reading this Hi.

We have travelled on the Spirit twice before. This year we decided to take a two week trip on the Emerald. The Pearls of the Aegean and the Adriatic Explorer. ( fantastic ports of call ) It was the fist time on this ship. After booking this trip we were unsure as to whether we had made the right choice due to the reports we had read here. All i can say is WE LOVED IT. The weather could have been kinder, but thats no ones fault. We have already booked the Destiny for 2008 and will be booking the Emerald again in 2009 I think that no matter what, some one will find something to moan about what ever cruise or holiday they are on.

Hi

Like most people I was concerned after reading various earlier reports. There was no need to worry. Yes the ship is old and yes sometimes the food in the buffet could have been hotter. I fully agree with everything said in the previous review so will not bore you with writing the same again. There will always be people who complain, I honestly think some people are only happy when doing so. A holiday is what you make it and we had an excellent time. Would I go on the Emerald again....Yes I would. Enjoy

Well we did it and had a wonderful time! Only thing that I could fault was some of the towns visted - Koper, Zadar and Brindisi were nice enough but it only took an hour to see it all. Venice and Dubrovnik were amazing so they made up for it. We took the 'Venice on your own' trip wich meant a waterbus picked you up right by the ship and dropped you off near the Bridge of Sighs. At Dubrovnik there is a taxi rank right by where the boat berths and they charge 10 euros for the 10 minute ride into the old city. The taxis pick up right outside to take you back as well. When we had seen enough we went backto the ship and took advantage of it being quiet - to do some sunbathing, using the gym even treated myself to a massage!

As for the ship - we had never cruised before so could not compare it against anythng else. Suffice to say we are looking forward to the next cruise! The food, entertainment, waiters were all top class and nothing was ever too much trouble. We were on the all inclusive and went through every coktail - tip if you are on AI order glasses of wine in the restaurant - you get charged for bottles! The wine waiters get used to you and just keep them coming!!

In the restaurant we shared a table with a couple of experienced cruisers - they only comment they had was that they though it was overcrowded - you had to be smart on your feet to get into the show after dinner! Some of the quizzes and TV show copies were a bit laboured.

If you want duty free - its cheaper on the ship than at the airport - £7.95 for litre of vodka!! If you are going on the Emerald enjoy it - you won't be dissapointed!!

A very short comment, as the ship is no longer with us (at least in Thomson guise).

The Emerald was not originally built as a cruise ship, but as a liner in the Americas. It is this that gave the old girl her lovely lines (despite her cruise ship converstion).

Memories of her off Santorini, with a new floating hotel immediately astern: the Emerald looked for all the world like a billionaire's private yacht, whereas the other ship looked like what it was - a hotel that just happened to float. The Emerald will be sorely missed from the Thomson fleet.

There was only one downside to the cruise, and this was on land and not at sea - I had especially wanted to view the Artemisium at Ephesus: having asked the coach passengers if they wanted to look, only I said 'yes'. I was given a whole five minutes to look around one of the most important sites in the eastern Mediterranean... (I speak as an Ancient History graduate).

Returning the the Emerald herself: she was a taste of the (much better) past. I have given the entertainment section a score of 1, simply because I do not have any interest in such things!!!

Thanks to all the people who have given great comments about the staff.

To those who havefailed too see how hard we work allow me to put it into context.

The Showteam (inc me)
Work for 8mths of the year with no options to see our family when on board ship we work so hard to keep all of our passengers happy and do all we can to see they get what they want,as well as this you try doing 2shows a day that last 2hrs not to mention the training during they day that lasts about 3hrs in the blistering heat.Then after doing all this smile at every passenger you see be working even when you are not (as we have to be in uniform all day everyday)have your days start from 6am and finish at 3am you are NOT allowed to goto the bar even if a customer needs help you are NOT allowed to drink at the bar and you have to always look happy even if we are sweating in the 38+degrees weather missing our family tireed when all we want to do is have a lie down!!!!!!

In conjunction with the above we also practice our shows 3mths in advance where we are again away from home so please be nice at least.

The Housekeeping staff,
Simple job they work 8hr or if the have split shifts it 5hrs each time SIMPLE!

The chaterelle,
Dont know what or how they work we wasnt allowed in there.

As for those people who complained about the TV get a life your on holiday enjoy the thousands you spend to be on the ship and explore the world not sit in the cabin watching CNN.

So please when people are writing reviews please just bare in mind what we have to go through to try and make you happy we dont come to your workplace and shout the odds at you so please remember its our home and our jobs to do what we can.