Emerald Cruises UK
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The Dalmation Coast by Luxury yacht
Aware of your good reputation for River Cruises and after seeing the good reviews and recommendations on your website for this cruise, we decided to book your Dalmation Coast by Luxury Yacht cruise, and whilst we enjoyed the cruise, it was far from the "unrivalled luxury on-board" as you quote in your brochure. Also on looking more closely at the reviews mentioned above, it is apparent that most if not all the reviews are only relevant to your river cruises. This is false representation to quote these on your website for the Dalmation coastal cruise and this could be considered in contravention of the Trades Description Act. I list below the 'bullet points relating to our recent experience :- • The cost of the cruise was definitely not value for money, even when adding the early booking discount and the on-board credit you gave at the last moment. Our experience does not relate to your advertising saying "The Dalmation Coast by Luxury yacht" - quoted from your brochure and website, "A floating boutique hotel" and "This exquisite yacht" - quoted from your brochure - Our impression of The boat, Adriatic Princess, came across, to quote the Ford model nomenclature, as the 'Popular Plus' variant compared to the Deluxe and Super Deluxe versions that we witnessed when crossing other boats to get ashore. Had we booked this cruise direct with Elite Travel, which effectively it was and not Emerald, the final cost including flights etc would have been considerably less than what we paid to you. • Not being able to use a credit card on board is unbelievable - to expect cruise passengers to go onshore to an ATM to get cash to pay their tab is, quite frankly, ridiculous. In your pre cruise booklet titled "Important Information" it clearly states, and I quote "Credit Cards : Euro card, Master card, Visa cards are accepted in all countries in major shops, restaurants and hotels as well as to settle your shipboard account" • The crew, whilst very pleasant and helpful, were not what you'd expect on a luxury cruise. In no way could the guys serving drinks "help you pair the perfect beverage" to quote from your brochure, and they did not circulate the sun deck asking if any drinks were required. Accepting that you actually chartered the cruise from Elite Travel although it was marketed as Emerald, we would expect Emerald to have at least one representative on board such as the Cruise Director - this was not the case - Ivana was employed by Elite Travel, as were the rest of the crew and the only reference to Emerald was the flag on the prow of the boat and the ball point pen given to us. • The noise insulation from the engines and transmission was totally inadequate. The noise in our cabin, No 10 on the middle deck, was so bad that when woken up at engine start-up in the morning at 06:00 was like having a vintage Massey Ferguson Tractor firing up in the cabin. I judge that the noise levels would have actually required ear defenders under HSaW legislation. It was so noisy that you could not hear the TV or announcements from the in-cabin speaker, and we were told by passengers in the cabins on the lower deck that the noise was horrendous - "Sumptuous cabin" quoted from your brochure - it most certainly was not. • We could not believe that a box of tissues was not provided in the cabin and bathroom, or a face flannel - even the cheapest motel or B & B provides these. This is 'penny-pinching' in the extreme and certainly not what you'd expect on a luxury cruise. • The food, whilst very good, was considered to be 'good home cooking', certainly not fine dining as you would expect on a luxury cruise and you had to accept what you were given for the dinners - no choice available. • The pre cruise booklet titled "DiscoverMORE - Optional Tours" was totally irrelevant to the Dalmation Coast Cruise - all the tours were only applicable to your various River Cruises. I await with interest your comments and compensation for not providing what you claim and indeed what we paid for.