Why I Want to Go on an Eight-Day Emerald Waterways River Cruise Through Europe

Emerald Waterways’ “indoor balcony” is an all-weather innovation.

The last time I was on a Rhine River cruise, I had an unfortunate encounter with a bird.

We were approaching Germany’s Lorelei Rock, the most famous landmark along the river. Legend has it that a lovelorn siren plunged to her death there, and is now said to haunt the area, luring sailors to their doom with her lyrical voice.

But just as I looked up, a passing gull made an untimely deposit on my new blue jacket. By the time I had wiped it clean, the Lorelei was fading into the distance.

It’s gnawed at me ever since.

That’s one reason why I want to take a 2015 Emerald Waterways “Jewels of the Rhine” cruise, an eight-day voyage that travels from Amsterdam to Basel aboard Europe’s newest river cruise line.

Another reason is that, frankly, the previous Rhine cruise boat was… Continue reading →