Our consultant, Nat, cruised France on the Emerald Liberté. She was impressed the magnificent suite, the delectable dining and how much attention to detail Emerald River Cruises boasted! She did the Sensations of Lyon and Provence cruise. Nat spent 7 nights onboard staying in the One Bedroom Owner’s Suites. There are only two of these cabins on this ship!
If you’re looking for a relaxing, all-inclusive voyage paired with a variety of guided tours and excursions- this may be the cruise for you! See our Emerald France River Cruise: Sensations of Lyon & Provence, where currently you can save $3,600 per couple!
Read on to learn more about Nat’s time spent on the Emerald Liberté.
Emerald River Cruises First Impressions
From the crystal chandelier in the main foyer and the sleek dining room in the forward of the ship. To the indoor pool-turned-movie-theater and the gym in the aft of the ship. Every little detail has been thought of, like on most Emerald River Cruises.
The ingenious invention to have an indoor swimming pool for a river cruise meant for year-round pool use. This is unlike other cruises where the pool is on the sundeck. In the morning, the pool disappeared under a moving floor to allow for yoga and meditation classes. At night time, it was transformed into a movie theatre. Where other cruises lose this space to a second dining room, this is well thought-out and the second dining option is hardly missed when the food is as good as it was on this ship.
Emerald Liberté Suites
I stayed in Suite SA303, one of two ‘One Bedroom Owner’s Suites’ on the Emerald Liberté. At 315 square feet and almost double the size of any other suite on the ship, it’s easy to feel at home the moment you arrive. With a separate lounge, dual electric balconies and a walk in robe, space is not something you’re going to be missing in this suite.
The fully remote-controlled bed that could be configured into twin or double bedding felt like a cloud to sleep on every night. To say I slept like a log was an understatement [the kiddos staying at home probably also helped the situation!].
The room was able to be divided with a partition. This meant my travel companion could go to bed early whilst I read a book in the lounge room. The ample storage in the walk-in robe and built-in cabinetry meant I wasn’t jumping over suitcases to get to my belongings [unlike other cruises we’ve been on]. The only place that lacked storage was oddly the bathroom, which didn’t have a shelf, cupboard or drawer in sight. Alas, a small detail as the room was sensational otherwise. It was tastefully styled in modern calming tones, which carried throughout the entire ship.
Emerald Liberté Dining and Beverages
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner was included in their rates as a standard inclusion, as similar to other Emerald River Cruises. Selected wines, beers and soft drinks were included during Lunch and Dinner service. Anything ordered at the bar or outside of mealtime was charged to the room. The loophole there being if you’re in the Owner’s Suite, the mini bar is included and replenished daily. The minibar in our room was a nice perk, though it was occasionally missed for restocking. Still, we appreciated the complimentary service when it was fully stocked. The wine pairings were not to my taste [probably biased because of the wines we have in South Australia], but there was always a white, red and rosé option for each meal.
The food in my opinion was far superior to competitor cruises that I’ve been on. The real standout was the meal from guest celebrity chef Fabien Moreale. I tried his take on the traditional Beef Bourguignon, paying homage to the area of France we were cruising through.
In the Owners Suite, we could order continental breakfast to our room or go down to the buffet. Lunch was a selection of salads and lighter meals and dinner always had a wide selection that satisfied everyone’s pallets.
Emerald River Cruises Service
As the season was nearing its end, the crew settled into a well-deserved sense of ease. Though admittedly, some may have found this unprofessional due to a few casual jokes behind the bar and during nightly meetings.
Our cabin came with a convenient daily laundry service for up to four items. This which worked well for our two-person setup, though we did have to work around it a bit since there were two of us. There was a slight mix-up with a few items of laundry being misplaced at first. But they were returned to our room eventually. We also noticed a few items from other guests in our laundry, so it seemed the same happened in other rooms as well, but it was quickly resolved.
The minibar in our room was a nice perk, though it was occasionally missed for restocking. Still, we appreciated the complimentary service when it was fully stocked.
Emerald Liberté Excursions and Tours
The included day tours did leave a little to be desired with each stop only offering a walking tour and a few optional paid excursions [also mostly walking tours]. This is where other competitors shine in that they offer a selection of 2-3 tours each day and have inclusions such as museums, wineries, castles, etc. If anything was outside of walking distance or paid, this needed to be done in your own free time.
The provision of electric bikes did help when wanting to explore further than just the walking tours. But when taking into account the cost difference with the companies that include more, it’s easy to justify a taxi and admission fee on top of the great-value itineraries Emerald River Cruises have to offer.
Emerald Liberté Final Thoughts
I was really impressed with the Emerald Liberté and its stylish details, impeccable design and facilities, along with a variety of shore excursions. It’s very easy to see why Emerald River Cruises have award-winning ships! Although there were a few hiccups along the way with laundry and staff, most things were fixed easily and seamlessly. Whether you’re there to soak up the vineyards and French architecture, or there to relax onboard, I found this itinerary and voyage particularly outstanding. All in all, a fantastic trip and I would do an Emerald River Cruise again in a heart beat!
Chat to one of our Tour + Cruise specialists here to book in your next cruise! Or, view all our Emerald River Cruises here.
