Have just returned from our first river cruise, The Douro in Portugal with Emerald Waterways. What an absolutely wonderful experience from start to finish from the Initial booking procedure and the administration behind it to the cruise itself. Everything you could think of was taken care of. A couple of weeks before we left and quite unexpectedly, two good quality haversacks with logo arrived with a similar design document holder.

Even at full capacity there were only 112 passengers so you could easily get to know everybody on board.

The cruise itself passed through wonderful countryside and 5 awe inspiring locks, two of which are the two deepest in Europe. Captain Alfonso steered the ship confidently into and out of the locks with precision and when you consider there is less than 1 foot either side this takes some considerable skill. Read more