This Cruise was our second, firstly we sailed on The Sunbird, ( now is Thompsons Destiny) when the boat was the Sunbird we had an excellent holiday, no complaints whatsover 10 out of 10. What a dissappointment to travel on the Thompsons Emerald, we booked with friends who we met on the previous Cruise, we both booked equal cabins with windows, we had a shoe box, in fact we hung clothes around the tv shelf, as no space, dont get me wrong I know cruises have limited space, but our friends cabin was almost 3 times the size of ours & had too much wardrobe space, had I not had this to compare I would never have known. ( we paid the same price). The next part of the Cruise made me very angry, I complained most days about passengers health & safety, a full decorating & carpet refurbishment was taking place whilst passengers we on holiday, carpets ripped up, no barriers to stop people tripping up no warnings, also on the decks bars were closed due to painting etc. I complained asked for a complaint form which they told me they didnt have !, in fact they said to me it has to be done sometime, to which I replied what about when paying customers are not on holiday. They were sick of me complaining in fact I was too, what topped it all was we were in a bar on the deck my husband went outside & fell over a carpet !! again I complained, this time I was listened too, all painting stopped carpet laying stopped. I asked what would happen in an emergency passengers wouldnt be able to escape as carpets were 3 foot deep, at all the escape routes. I took photos of everything, when we departed, our friends were still there as they were late departing,guess what all painting & carpet laying commenced !!.
On my return I contacted ABTA with my photo evidence Health & Safety, also Thompsons (who tried to fob me off for 4 months ) I asked Thompsons why we wasnt informed of this refurbishment, also we paid for full ammeneties, not closed bars etc. They eventually gave me back 500 British Pounds obviously they were in the wrong, also 300 British POunds refund for our cabin. I wouldnt sail with them again. I must say the staff were wonderful & worked very hard to try & make your stay pleasant. I wouldnt recommend disabled people coming on board this ship, It states it is disabled friendly but it isnt, it would be a night mare.

this was our 3rd cruise and it was more than we expected. food,bar,cabin,dining,regency,,and lido bar staff were excellent. the emerald entertainers were fabulous its been a long time since we have been entertained by a group of youngsters so talented also their costumes were so professional we enjoyed every show can we highlight the "RAT PACK SHOW" and dave bretton the comedian, they were the highlight of our cruise. the comedian the second week was a flop all over we met some lovely people including gordon,paul,tom mgt,peter marian and all whom we shared breakfast+lunch with we look forward to using thomson's again hope u enjoyed it as much as we ddid

Firstly the good points
The cleanliness of the ship was of a very high standard as was the food in the restaurant, the staff mostly were friendly and helpful.
I was a little apprehensive about some of the ports of call and was disappointed we couldn't stop of at nessebar in Bulgaria owing to the weather ( although it is now of the itinery list I see). All other port of calls were interesting I will write about them at a later date with some tips that might be helpful.
Now the Bad
The main entertainment was dreadful only three of the group could sing, their dancing was almost non existing.
Other groups on ship were quite good but became very repetitive after a while and for the first time on a cruise I was starting to get bored on the second week.
2 comedians from the UK were flown in they should not have bothered especially the second one where only the polite people stayed on to the end of his act. Breakfast in the Lido self service was almost uneatable because everything was COLD even a plate of porridge I tried one morning UGH!.
BUT worse of all!
This is our 5th cruise with Thomson and our first on the Emerald it will also be our last on the Emerald not only because it is starting to get past it's sell by date but because of the dreadfully behaved OLDER passengers whose only reason in life is to be first in line for everything from meals to shows to lounges to sun beds to queues, they totally spoiled the holiday for us. I likened them to wildebeest, everywhere you went they were slowly walking with there walking sticks until meal time / show time etc then they became wild animals pushing / shoving past anyone who was unfortunate to be in their way.
The Show performers were nearly killed while taking their final bows as the Gnu's stampeded to make sure they had their favourite seat at the next venue.
I was utterly ashamed to be British and was aware there was little that Thomson staff could do to stop it.
I am normally quite a placid person but I'm afraid they were the last straw I hope it's better in the future as cruising is a fabulous way to enjoy yourself and see the world

The cruise was to the Black Sea

Cleanliness

As always the staff were very good in spotting any trouble spots and dealing with these very quickly. the ship itself was very clean, but with old people and rough seas, the staff excelled with their work.

Food

Again as always the food was excellent. It seems for the first couple of days the chef was considering whether english people wanted very al dente vegetables or normal, normal was agreed and all was fine

Entertainment

Well, what can I say, compared to previous years the entertainment were not to the same level, but in fairness, this was their first season as a team and performed well, however, compared to the team for the last few years they were no-where near.

As far as I am aware, they are all back next year, so an improvement will happen both in social skills with crew and non crew and in general, however, those who cruised back in 1999, will remmeber the start of the old lot and the fun and games there.

Again, Yes or No

Well, stupid question, of course its yes, i am already planning Beruit end of year and will also do my early season cruise as well.

The cruise itself

Well, lets start with the basics, the cruise is in october, well hello, those people who don't like rough seas should think again, the end of the year gets rougher, now I was lucky and had one bad day (another if you could not docking in nessebar, but I call that a bonus). However the two weeks before were very rough. Thats something to consider when booking.

Secondly, late in the year attracks old people. Some of whom are very very nice. I shared a table with a "gentleman" and I mean "gentle man" of the old school variety called Bert who was brilliant. Bert travels several times a year and is 89. Now the end of the season does attrack old people and unfortunately alot of these people like things their own way. they like to fight in queues, or think they have the right to push in or sneak into places they should not. At this time of year you have to expect it. We think its funny, but some hate it. BEWARE

Next the ship.

The ship is old, Bless her. If you want a shiny american shopping mall to spend all day in and blow the destinations then go to celebrity cruises or somewhere else. the Emerald is a family ship, faded in splendour but makes up for it with its friendly attomsphere and friendly staff. It also does some strange ports which attracts me. Don't book if you want smooth marble floors and shiney cherubs on ceiling.

The ship is old, things have been adapted for wheelchairs and the elderly but remember, I say adapted, not designed, so there are a few bumps, steps, odd ripples in the metal, this is an old lady, treat her with respect.

The ports.

Well, lets see, the ports are mainly covered by other posts except the black sea so I will deal with them.

Nessebar

Never went, sea to rough to dock, however, with checking with the crew, you actually have a better time if the captain decides to head straight for Corfu to give you time there. the Duty free is cheaper and the nighclubs are better. Nessebar aparently has some nice ruins to view, but trust me, the night clubs of corfu have better sights.

Varna

Very basic area, obviously the money is scarce here. You can book a trip, but for your first visit, why not just walk around, theres plenty to see.

The

Oddessa

Well, the first of the Ukrainian ports. Looks very basic here, but good view of the Potemkin steps from the port.

Don't change up too much cash, you would be surprised how hard it is to spend money here. For the smokers, 12p for a packet of 20 more (and thats normal more not the mini cigars). Beware men, of the prostitutes, they hang around the concorse, and the steps, and the city.

There is a lovely craft market, a few streets up from the steps, all hand carved wooden goods, very cheap and good.

beer also very cheap

Sevastapol

Some very good destinations here, especially if you are military minded, the dockyard is full of nuclear subs and destroyers which is great, the place is full of memeorials and brilliant old buildings.

Yalta

The best of the ukrainian ports. Vodka, best stuff about 80p a 75cl bottle. Look out of the statue of lenin overlooking the new mac donalds, sad but reality. Again, men beware, prostitutes galore, although thsese look better than oddessa.

Brilliant shopping very cheap chocolate and vodka, look around its great.

This was our 2nd cruise after a Carnival cruise last summer.

I was extremely impressed with the Emerald and thoughtit compared very favourably to our previous cruise.

We had a very tidy and clean cabin on deck 4. The boat was always spotless.

The food was excellent in both buffet and main dining room. I did feel, however, that the service in the bars was sometimes lacking.

Staff were very friendly.

We saw most of the shows and were very impressed with the quality of the productions. Grease was very good. The other entertainment in the Marco Polo Lounge was very good apart from the irritating little man who insisted on calling everyone 'buddy'. The Marco Polo Lounge was also too small for the crowds the enertainment attracted with a regular scrum down for seats taking place every night.

We visited Rovinj, Trieste, Venice, Split, and Dubrovnik. Trieste was the most dissapointing as we arrived on a Monday and the town was shut! Dubrovnik was stunning and was the real highlight of the holiday.

We would definitely sail with Thomson again and are considering the Aegean cruise on the Emerald nest summer.

Our first cruise and first holiday abroad. We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. Did not know what to expect, but The Emerald by far exceeded any expectations we did have. A lovely ship, kept clean and tidy by a dedicated work force.

As this was our first time abroad we wanted to see as many destinations as possible so we went on an excursion every day. We went for two weeks and did the Adryatic Explorer and Pearls of the Aegean so thats a lot of excursions. All were very good and worth the money especially the trip to the Elphante Island in Dubrivnic, an all day boat trip which took us around the unspoilt islands around Dubrovnic. Our only dissapointment was Trieste, by the time we came back from our excursion and went into the town the shops were closed. No souveniers from this port of call.

Our cabin was kept spotless by our cabin steward who was very polite and friendly. He did his best to make our stay a happy one.

The food was excellent and plenty of it. We tended to use the buffet for our breakfast and if we had lunch on board and the choice was fantastic. The Chantralle restaurant where we dined in the evening was excellent. Our waiters were polite and friendly and made sure our glasses were kept topped up. They were very quick to serve the food and the quality of it was excellent. How does the chef cater for so many and still retain such quality? Our special moment was when the waiters found out is was our anniversary and sernaded us and presented us with a cake. Very romantic. We were worried about the dressing up side of things on Gala night and the last night but as almost everyone wore evening dress we just went along with it and found it a lot of fun to "pretend to be posh" for the night.

All the staff were polite and friendly. The onboard entertainment excellent. The shows in the evening top quality, the Emerald Players excellent. The quiz shows hosted by Debs, Phil and Jo, well what can you say they are certainly 3 talented young people who have the knack of making you laugh until you cry.

Would we sail on this ship again. Yes most certainly, but we are going to try one of the other fleet first, next year and have booked on the Celebration. Maybe the year after The Emerald again, who knows.

We took the Adriatic Explorer cruise with a couple of friends and this was our first experience of the Emerald ... we'd cruised with the late and much lamented Topaz before. The ship was opulent and well- furnished throughout.

Our cabins (superior inside) were spacious,well-furnished and clean. Towels were changed twice daily and beds turned down at night. Only complaint was lack of good soundproofing as we had the misfortune to be next to someone who coughed and coughed, especially in the small hours.

Food: Yes, excellent ... especially in the Chanterelle Restaurant. An extremely varied menu served up by really nice waiters who could not do enough for us. Le Bistro was self-service and occasionally long queues formed so the right timing was of the essence. Most cruises boast of 24 hour a day food but unfortunately Le Bistro was occasionally closed from late afternoon until late evening which meant no wee snacks at certain times.

All-inclusive: Quite a shock after experiencing the Topaz as we encountered the dreaded 'chitty'. The service was rather slow simply because to order anything the bar staff (nice and friendly) wrote the order on chits, passed them over for signature then keyed them in, swiped your cards then returned copies and cards with the drinks, ices or whatever. No wonder they were not all enamoured with the system. The fact that there were supplementary charges on premium brand drinks ranging from £0.35 to £2.45 was viewed with some concern. It's worth mentioning that passengers who hadn't opted for AI before arriving were given the chance to do so when on board ... at a cost of {so it appeared} £260 and £130 for children! Anyway, in this day and age surely something better can be done to smooth the AI path to avoid the perpetual fumbling in bags and wallets for the necessary cards.

Ship Staff: Excellent ... all officers, housekeeping, bar and restaurant ranks were industrious,polite and helpful.A gret bunch of folk.

Entertainment: Highlights were the Emerald Players, a group of talented and versatile young folk who put on 6 shows and earned the thunderous applause. Not so good was the 'comedian' flown in for the Monday cabaret and who started off well but veered into the
smutty whereupon we and several parents with children left.Elsewhere there were games and quizzes in the Monte Carlo lounge and Lido deck which were a bit too 'Hi De Hi' for our liking but were obviously popular. The level seating and pillars in the Regency lounge inhibited the view in places and seats were being filled a good half hour before the shows began.

Ports of Call: Initially we had reservations about three ports of call in Croatia but each was different and attractive in its own way. Medieval Dubrovnik was a highlight as was the gondola trip in Venice (though the gondolier was po-faced, and appeared only in it for the money). Yes, Trieste was closed but a little exploration revealed a castle museum and cathedral.

Over all, everything was done to make us enjoy the cruise. The 'check-in' at Corfu quay was well organised but be warned about getting your photograph taken (for identity checks later) as mine was linked to my wife's card and vice versa, hence we had to be sure to be together on leaving/boarding the ship so that the Security Officer was satisfied!

No, we wouldn't use the Emerald again but only because we don't fancy the Aegean or the other cruises it covers. Instead we'll probably try the Spirit which we can board nearer home. All in all, though,a super week's break.

This was our first cruise and our best holiday by far. The ship was absolutely spotless both inside and out. All the staff were very friendly from the captain to the cleaners. The food was of a very high standard and plenty of it. I think we went on as passengers but came off as cargo. We had an outside cabin with two windows (port hole’s) and it was bigger than we expected it to be, with plenty of storage space.
The maid was very good and changed the towels every day sometimes twice a day, and she would turn back the sheets every night and leave a chocolate on the pillow. The entertainment was very good I would say as good as some we have seen in London. My wife was very impressed with the restaurant as it was like going to a wedding reception every night, we shared our table with our friend’s Paul & Heather and we met a very nice couple with their daughter (Neil-Julie & Rachel). All of the dining room staff were very friendly & helpful and Sony and Alex was good with their tricks and flower making. Nothing was too much trouble if you wanted a cup of tea or coffee from the snack bar you could take it back to your cabin, with out getting told you must drink it in one place like you get told in some hotels.
Can’t wait till next August as we are going on the Destiny (hope it will be as good).

The Ship

Very nice looking ship. All public areas were clean and well maintained.

Cabin

We had a four berth cabin. It was spotlessly clean and cosy. Plenty of storage space for all our clothes. We were on deck 4 and the cabin was by some lifts that the staff used, I am not a good sleeper and did find it a bit noisy, but with cotton wool in my ears I got used to it after a couple of nights.

Food

Thought the food was excellent. Plenty of choice even for my fussy children. Thought the Captains Gala evening was fun - it was nice to see everyone dressed up.

In some previous reports there had been problems with drink service, but we didn't experience this on the whole we found the drinks service to be very efficient.

Staff

All the staff were very friendly and helpful and the service was very good.

Entertainment

Thought the entertainment was very good we enjoyed the shows such as 'The Rat Pack' and 'Grease' and the games shows Generation Game etc, although we did find the venue for the game shows a bit small and some nights it was difficult to get a seat. There was also a piano player in one bar and a duet in another lounge. In the day if you were on board there were quizes and films etc.

Ports

Rovinj

Charming little town with narrow cobbled streets. We just explored on our own.

Trieste

We went on the Postumia Caves and Lipica Horses excursion. Nice drive through the Slovenian countryside. The caves were amazing with a fun train ride. After we went to the Lipica horse stud for lunch and a tour of the stables. Slightly disappointed we only saw the horses in the stables.
Cost £51 adult £28.50 child including three course lunch with wine.

Venice

We enjoyed Venice we left the boat early and explored before it got too hot and crowded.

Split

We took the Krka Waterfalls tour. Enjoyed the excursion but would have liked to have a longer swim at the bottom of the falls. The boat back to the coach was a bit of a fiasco as they had to get Germans off the boat so we could get on.
cost £38.50 adult £19.50 child.

Dubrovnik

This was a tender port when we were here so the tender took us directly to the Old Town. Very interesting town we walked along the town walls and explored the narrow streets and shops.

This was our first cruise and we didn't know what to expect. We had a fantatic time and would definitely go again.

This was our second cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I have always wanted to visit the greek isles and this was a great way to do it.

The ship was lovely and clean, the cabins were a very good size, even though we had three adults in one cabin we never felt cramped. Was slightly noisy in the mornings when docking.

Food was fantastic especially in the restaurant, staff were all friendly and extremely helpful, especially our wine waiter who kept our glasses topped up without ever having to be asked.

Athens - we did the trip to the Acropolis which was interesting but so hot, we heard later that some people had had to be carried down on stretchers after suffering from heat exhaustion.

Turkey - interesting, did get pestered by shopkeepers but all very friendly and if you said no they left you alone - unlike Morocco.

Rhodes - Rhodes old town was lovely and I could have spent hours just wandering round it.

Santorini - This was beautiful, the views were stunning. You were taken off the boat by tender and then had a choice of cable car or donkey to get to the village at the top of the hill. The olympic torch was due to arrive the next morning and everybody was out in force to greet it, we even met the runner who was to carry the torch across Santorini - great photo opportunity. I would like to come back to Santorini for a holiday, in fact we meet a couple who had done just that, they had visited Santorini on the Emerald a few weeks before and as soon as they got home they had booked a weeks holiday there.

Katakalona - small fishing village on mainland Greece. So far not really been hit by tourism so still very quiet, a few shops and several bars, especially along the harbour - enjoyed a quiet drink there and a plate of feta cheese and tomatoes which the waiter gave to us.

The entertainment was very good, the dancing troupe was excellent. Only let down by the comedian - can't even remember his name - apparently starred on Tiswas - didn't find him at all funny and I wasn't the only one, nowhere near as good as Mick Miller who we saw on the Carousel.

Very impressed by the fact that they also ran port walks in the larger ports and the entertainment staff would take you ashore and point out the places of interest and the best shops.

Would definitely go again with the Emerald - perhaps the Adriatic cruise next time.