Emerald Azzurra

All cabins — except for six ocean-view rooms — onboard Emerald Azzurra are suites, with no single or studio stateroom options. 

There are five categories of suites onboard Emerald Azzurra, from a standard balcony room to the owner’s suite. Premium suites offer more space and amenities, including room service breakfast. 

All cabins come with ample storage — the most this reviewer has ever seen — from pull-out shoe caddies in the double closets to a bathroom with deep drawers and a large mirror that swings out to reveal more space. Smart touches don’t end at space; a red light in the bathroom serves as a nightlight that’s easy on your eyes and a switch on the wall alerts housekeeping if you would like your room refreshed or do not wish to be disturbed. 

Cabins also come equipped with a safe, a mini fridge (drinks are additional, even with a beverage package, unless you are in a premium suite), a long desk where your QuietVox devices for tours recharge, a hair dryer, two glass bottles of water refreshed throughout the day, U.S. and EU outlets along with USB ports near the bed, individualized climate control, a flatscreen TV with free movies, plush Missoni robes with hoods, and slippers. 

The beds were not uncomfortable but fluffy blankets, fluffy pillows, and a poofy pillow topper made the bed just a bit too soft for this traveler’s taste. A pillow menu is offered to everyone (accessed via the TV) and pillows can be requested from your room steward. 

Bathrooms are spacious, and full bottles of Espa brand shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion are available for use. During its first few months of service, Emerald Azzurra is working to repair an installation defect that allows showers to leak and toilet flushers to stick. Aim your showerhead away from the floor, place a towel along the edge, and use caution when exiting the shower. Doors, including the bathroom door, are heavy; open them carefully.

If you have a balcony, your chair cushions will be brought in each evening by your room steward and the automatic blind will be closed. Pushing a button to raise it is easy enough, though the ability to do this from bed with the help of a remote would be preferable.

There are six oceanview cabins forward on deck 3, which feature a window and not a balcony. Because these rooms are tucked in front of the lounge, nights that the music plays on for dancing might disturb any ocean-view guests who are looking to get an early night’s sleep. 

Elevators can be found in the stairwell and go to all passenger decks. However, there are no designated wheelchair-accessible suites onboard. Navigating the gangway or tenders when the ship is at anchor could be challenging for someone with mobility issues. Not to mention that all of the excursions offered on the sailing were labeled at a moderate or strenuous activity level; many itineraries forgo the panoramic bus tours for hiking along ancient ruins. Emerald Azzurra is not recommended for anyone reliant on a wheelchair.

The one and only restaurant onboard is called La Cucina and it’s located across the from main lounge on deck 3. There’s lots of seating here, from two-tops to a long table accommodating larger parties. But arguably the best seats are outside in the alfresco dining area, which affords views over the back of the ship. 

Breakfast and lunch are a self-service buffet displayed on the counters that surround the kitchen. Options blend American and European tastes, and source local ingredients and seasonal fare from the destinations you are visiting. The fish you’re eating for lunch might have been caught earlier that morning — guests attested to it after they returned from a market visit with the chef and other staff that was offered through the cruise line. 

Dinner is served a la carte, with an always-available menu (chicken, breaded eggplant, spaghetti Bolognese) along with daily specials. Dishes are sometimes inspired by the itinerary, and we never had a bad meal. Pair a local seafood cioppino, a beet risotto, and a beautiful plate of scallops and vegetables with a regional beer or wine — included at lunch and dinner. Follow your meal with the dessert du jour, the daily sundae, or a fresh fruit or cheese plate.

Specialty coffee or tea can be served to your table at meals, but there are also drink stations throughout the ship (Amici Lounge and Observation Lounge) that can brew espresso drinks or pour hot water for Kusmi tea, any time of day.

Beer, wine, and soft drinks are included at lunch and dinner. If you purchase a Premium Drinks Package, drinks, including cocktails, are available at any time. The Amici Lounge is the main bar on deck 3, the Emerald deck, and this is where nightly port talks and evening entertainment takes place. The Pool Lounge offers coffee drinks and cold beverages, while the Sky Bar at the top of the ship serves beer, wine, and mixed drinks. This is also where the cocktail demo was hosted during our sailing, with a lemon drop martini, pina colada, and Midori sour featured. A drink of the day is highlighted in the daily program; on our Mediterranean Enchantment itinerary it included refreshing concoctions like an Aperol spritz or gin fizz. The only smoking area on the ship is located near Sky Bar on deck 7 starboard.

The entertainment staff onboard Emerald Azzurra is small but mighty, consisting of the cruise director and a resident musician. On this sailing, Mark the guitarist and vocalist proved supremely talented, serenading passengers with mellow versions of popular tunes at sailaway parties, evening cocktail hours, and even a game of “Guess That Tune.” Dean, the cruise director on this sailing who happened to have a musical theater background, regaled guests with stories, songs, and various evening games, from trivia to a rendition of the “Love and Marriage” show to karaoke. Despite their Herculean efforts to entertain, there are no other evening options onboard such a small ship. Either you succumb to shuffling along to disco — DJ’d by the cruise director, of course — or you might drink a glass of wine while you do a load of laundry. Daytime entertainment is self-guided, with guests either participating in shore tours or exploring the ship or ports of call on their own. An evening outing or deck party could potentially bolster the superyacht’s nightlife.

For such a small ship, the spa and fitness programs onboard Emerald Azzurra are comprehensive. Elements by Espa, features products by spa brand Espa, which complement a menu of facials including light therapy, massages, and scrubs. Specials run each day saving about 20 percent on a select treatment. Staff are knowledgeable and personable, with a wellness coach who leads complimentary daily stretches, yoga, or Pilates sessions, and who also might give a talk on subjects like pain management. A small fitness facility housing standard gym equipment, is located in the spa and is open 24 hours. A motion-activated dry sauna has five seats that trigger heat sensors — available to all passengers. 

When the weather’s good and the ship’s anchored, a marina offering stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and snorkels and fins opens up for guest use. A fleet of e-bikes is also kept onboard for passengers to use in port should they so choose. A small pool is located on deck 6, the pool deck, with fantastic views off the back of the ship. A spa pool, or Jacuzzi, is on the sky deck, deck 7, with similarly stellar views to the front of the ship. While stylish, the pool towels are a bit small, though the cruise line is working to replace them.