Cruise

Get Active With Emerald Cruises

Emerald Cruises is continuing to expand its EmeraldACTIVE tour program for guests. The program, available at no extra cost to the river cruise company’s passengers, was introduced in 2016.

As the small ship cruise line has grown and expanded its reach into the rivers of Southeast Asia and into the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Red and Caribbean seas with its new ocean-going yachts, Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara, its active tour offerings have expanded as well.

In fact, Emerald Cruises now offers more than 50 complimentary EmeraldACTIVE excursions across their cruise collection in addition to a multitude of other ways for guests to keep their step counts and their heart rates up no matter which cruise they book.

Guests on Emerald Cruises’ river ships in Europe and Southeast Asia can choose from more than 40 unique EmeraldACTIVE tour options, including 20 guided hikes available across eight countries, 19 guided bike tours encompassing more than 150 miles of cycling, and guided kayak tours on the Douro River in Portugal and the Rhone River in France. These EmeraldACTIVE tours offer an alternative way to experience the towns, cities and countrysides along the cruise route and are offered alongside the more traditional day tours.

As a way to personalize the experience for guests, all of Emerald Cruises’ river ships in Europe feature a dedicated activity manager and wellness coach to assist guests with getting the most out of the active pursuits. The activity manager leads the EmeraldACTIVE tours in each port and offers onboard group fitness programs like water aerobics and yoga alongside the wellness coach. When they are not being used for a guided tour, the bicycle fleet is available to guests to take an explore on their own and the activity manager can assist with plotting a scenic route.

The brand’s first luxury yacht, Emerald Azzurra, launched in March 2022, and has since been sailing the warm waters of the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Cruises aboard the intimate, 100-guest yacht feature a slightly different pace from the brand’s river sailings, focusing many opportunities to get active on the warm ocean waters with the ship’s marina platform. Here, when the yacht is at anchor, guests can take advantage of the standup paddleboards, inflatable kayaks, SEABOBS, snorkel gear and aqua trampoline available to all guests at no charge.

The yachts also offer an array of complimentary EmeraldACTIVE excursions in locales, such as a guided hiking tour to Forte Filippo in Port Ecole, Italy along the Italian Riviera, and a guided bike tour in and around historic Kusadasi, Turkey. Additional opportunities for athletic pursuits are available through the line’s DiscoverMORE tours’ excursions that carry an extra charge and are designed to give guests an alternate view of the area. Options include sightseeing kayak tours around the Greek isles, river tubing in picturesque Giardini Naxos in Sicily, and a guided hike from Portofino to the beautiful village of San Fruttouso in Italy, to name a few.

As with the rivers, an onboard wellness coach offers yoga and Pilates classes on the Observation Deck when the weather permits, and a well-equipped gym and full-service Elements Spa allow guests to get in a workout or body treatment on their own schedule. Emerald Azzurra sails with a fleet of Gocycle electric-assist bikes, which guests are welcome to use to explore while in port.

Go to www.emeraldcruises.ca for more.