Emerald Cruises UK
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We sailed on Emerald Dawn
We sailed on Emerald Dawn. The ship was ok. The staff were very good. Two minor comments about the cabins: why are the waste bins so large that they have to be hidden away under the sink or under the table where they become inaccessible? The shower gel is presented in very small plastic bottles which are a) difficult to use and b) a very wasteful use of plastic. Other cruise companies provide a pump-action refillable bottle for shower gel ! We purchased our own shower gel onshore. The choice of excursion locations was less than exciting. For example, Osijek was a bad experience. Ok, it rained but really there is very little to see there. You describe the town of Vidin as "a beautiful town in north-west Bulgaria". I have photos of Vidin taken on your excursion which show Vidin as a town of abject poverty where the population just do not care about the crumbling buildings and lack of any facilities that could welcome tourists and make the residents some money. The winery was very basic and I’m afraid that the winery owners dream of export successes are way off in the future judging by the wine tasting we experienced. On a positive note, excursion successes were the really enjoyable trip to the Pusxta to see the wonderful Magyar cowboys (although we felt very sorry for the poor donkey in the show) and the visit to the residence of Nicolae Ceausescu in Bucharest. The bicycle tour in Belgrade was very enjoyable and the guides excellent. We must congratulate you on the standard of the tour guides that you selected who were very well educated in the history of the countries we visited, in particular the guide provided in Bucharest was excellent. Lastly, the standard of some of the food provided at dinner on Emerald Dawn was less than enjoyable, a feeling noted by our table and many others. The chef seemed to have difficulty sourcing meat of an adequate standard.