Emerald Sakara

Emerald Sakara has just 50 cabins, ranging from the least expensive six Oceanview Staterooms—the only rooms without a balcony—to the two top tier Owner’s Suites located forward on Deck 6. There are no inside cabins, single-occupancy cabins, or wheelchair accessible rooms.

The bulk of the inventory is the Balcony Suite, located on Deck 4 and Deck 5, ranging from 285-307 sq ft. Designed to feel like a modern hotel room, the Balcony Suite features a spacious closet with drawers and a shoe rack, a sitting area, desk, and sleek, contemporary bathroom with ESPA toiletries. With the steward’s assistance, luggage can be stored under the bed. All cabins also come with a tea/coffee maker, a reusable carafe of drinking water replenished daily, and a chargeable mini bar.

Some passengers on our sailing liked the minimalist interiors and the monochromatic range of grays used on the walls, carpeting, and furnishings, while others found it a bit too clinical and amateurish. There are some minor design and maintenance foibles, such as the lack of a USB-C plug, a desk chair that doesn’t tuck under the desk, and wall covering already peeling. That aside, most will find the suites very comfortable for eight days, which is the typical length of an Emerald Sakara cruise. The balcony is a lovely spot to relax, especially when arriving to a new destination. Being so close to the water, watching birds glide alongside at eye level and feeling the spray, brings a connection to the ocean that you don’t get on a large cruise ship.

Emerald Sakara has no wheelchair accessible rooms. Standard suite bathrooms have a step up. Elevators service all decks. Transfers to shore are done by tender or Zodiac, which requires stepping down into a boat that is moving with the waves. Beach landings by Zodiac may also be required for Caribbean itineraries. The shore excursions are geared towards more active guests. For example, on a 8-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary, many of the shore excursions are rated “Moderate” or “Moderate to Strenuous,” with guided snorkeling, kayaking, and hiking options.

Overall, the ship is not suitable for guests with limited mobility.

All dining is at La Cucina Restaurant, which has both indoor and outdoor seating on the deck; the outdoor tables are popular when weather allows. Breakfast is a self-service buffet that wraps around a show kitchen, plus an a la carte menu of dishes. The breakfast buffet options remain the same for the entire cruise, while lunch offers more variety as the hot dishes change daily, and is complimented by a salad bar. Dinner moves to table service and a four-course menu of mainly Italian/European cuisine, with at least one dish inspired by the destination. Guests can pick and choose from the always available static menu (shrimp cocktail, Jidori chicken, steak, grilled salmon) or the daily menu, and are free to order extra dishes for sharing at the table. Marketing it as fine dining is a stretch, but we enjoyed all our meals.

On our sailing, a basic house wine was offered, and after a few days, passengers learned that the far superior bottles listed on the wine menu with prices could also be selected and were, in fact, complimentary as well.

For a small ship, there are a number of spaces passengers can spread out and imbibe, including the indoor Amici Bar & Lounge, Aqua Cafe at the pool deck, and the top deck Sky Bar. Service tends to be one you have to flag down, or you have to go up to the bar and order. At dinner, servers keep the wine flowing.

For Emerald Sakara’s inaugural season, alcoholic beverages were only included during meals and passengers could pay for drink packages. As of April 2024, guests get complimentary all-inclusive drinks, including beer, cocktails, long drinks, and wine.

There are pros and cons to smaller ships. Shore excursions depend on having enough participants, and the limited capacity means they can also fill up quickly. A small ship doesn’t have the size for all the entertainment bells and whistles, but Emerald Cruises does find talented individuals who can wear different hats, so to speak. On this Caribbean sailing, the resident musician sang and played guitar, some nights performing pop hits, other nights country music, a music trivia, or a by-request hour. The Cruise Director, also a singer, would sometimes join and perform. The music was generally mellow, folksy, or music theater. The highlight was when local talent would come aboard for a sunset performance of folkloric dance or music, bringing a sense of place to the ship.

As for nightlife and dancing, the atmosphere depends a lot on the passengers and occupancy—a crowd helps to get the party started.

There needs to be some sacrifices on a small ship and for Sakara, the result is a very compact, basic gym. They’ve managed to squeeze in an infrared sauna and a small salon/spa. On our Caribbean sailing, a yoga or stretch class was offered every morning at 7:30 a.m. on the outdoor deck, though at that hour, the boat was still sailing and bounding on the waves.

The company’s signature EmeraldACTIVE program emphasizes shore excursions with an active component, such as hiking and biking tours. The boat has a fleet of GoCycle e-bikes that can be booked to use on-shore where the destination allows. The use of e-bikes is more relevant to the European itineraries, as there are not many e-bike opportunities in the Caribbean.

“The Marina” provides another way to be active. When at anchor and weather permitting, a floating platform is set up off the back of the boat with water sports equipment, including kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, snorkeling gear, SEABOB (handheld scooters that can go underwater), and a trampoline.