My Honest Review of Emerald Sakara Luxury Yacht
- Wendy Hilberman
- Apr 1
- 6 min read
Emerald Sakara
Emerald Sakara, a luxury superyacht built in Vietnam, made its debut in August 2023 after the launch of its sister ship, Emerald Azzurra, in 2022. Each carries 100 passengers and is staffed by 76 crew members. Emerald has been around since 2013, originally known as Emerald Waterways and focused on European river cruises. The yachting division of Emerald continues to grow with Emerald Kaia—a new 64-cabin, 128-passenger yacht—scheduled to join the fleet in 2026. This will be the 3rd Luxury Yacht in their fleet.
The Sakara features modern interiors with an extensive amount of sleek chrome and mirrors, and a visually stunning staircase. The palette leans toward muted shades of greys and beige with pops of color, featuring vibrant, whimsical artwork, throw pillows, and lovely indoor plants.
We originally booked our cruise with Emerald Sakara for an early 2025 cruising date, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to reschedule the booking and push it out to late February 2026. My advice is to purchase travel protection just in case you need to rebook your trip. We learned this lesson the hard way.
We would not describe ourselves as CRUISERS, but the format of the Emerald Sakara was appealing to us for the amenities, smaller format, restaurants, and port of calls. We had been wanting to take a trip to the Caribbean, and this seemed like a great way to explore and experience the Eastern Caribbean Islands. The guests on our cruise ranged in ages, but predominantly were an active 50 and above crowd from all over the world.
Staterooms
The Facts: Offering a total of 50 cabins in eight distinct categories. Guests have a variety of options for accommodations at different price points.
The Pros: We booked a Balcony Suite on Level 4 in the middle of the ship, which was very well placed. Our floor hosted both the self-service laundry facility and the Observation Deck with great amenities like comfy chairs, games, coffee/tea service, water, and cookies!
Our room was spacious, with plenty of room for all our clothing in the dresser drawers and closet, along with ample hanging space. We were able to stow our luggage under the bed. The room was furnished with a queen-sized bed, a leather reclining chair, a small loveseat, and a desk. It was very comfortable. The balcony had a small bistro table and two chairs.
The bathroom featured a deep drawer to place toiletries, and the mirror served as a medicine cabinet with additional shelves and space for your makeup and other bathroom essentials.
The Cons: Our Balcony Suite was designed with efficiency in mind, but was significantly lacking in aesthetics and luxurious materials. The dark grey loveseat was not only unattractive but also uncomfortable. Emerald would be wise to take a deep dive into creating some warmer, more inviting spaces for their cabins.
Dining Options
Pros: Onboard Emerald Sakara, you’ll find two restaurants to dine in. The main venue is La Cucina, offering indoor and outdoor seating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style, with a few a la carte options always available. Dinner is served 7-9 pm nightly. All meals are onboard the ship and included in your cruise. Cocktails and wine are also included. Guests had several red and white wine options to choose from, in addition to a wine menu, while pricey offered some nice options for purchase.
The dining room has both indoor and outdoor dining, and both options are lovely. The waitstaff were excellent and would remember your names and your favorite beverage. The menu was well done with options for hearty appetizers, salads, and mains. The dessert menu did not change, but if you like chocolate and/or ice cream sundaes, then you will be delighted. We had the homemade sundaes several times during the trip, and they were excellent.
A more casual ambiance is found at the Aqua Pool Café, which is open daily for lunch. The menu is not large, but it offers items like salads, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. The atmosphere was lively and fun. We ate at the Aqua Pool Cafe several times during our cruise and really enjoyed it.
Cons: Breakfast was my least favorite meal on the Sakara. The buffet options were the standards, with very little creativity or flavor. Think scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, and an omelette station.
Lunch, on the other hand, had a lot of diversity and creative menu options. We both really enjoyed lunch aboard the yacht.
My only feedback regarding dinner at La Cucina is that it would have been nice to have the menu change more throughout the week, with more salad and main options during the 8-day cruise. That said, they really did a nice job with the menu items they featured.
Ship Amenities:
We really enjoyed the Observation Deck with comfy chairs, games, books, coffee/tea, and cookies. It was right down the hall from our room on deck 4, so we would wander down several times a day to take in the views and enjoy the room. We played chess a couple of times and loved the coffee machine, cappuccino anyone?
The pool deck was a great spot to hang out and take a dip. It was not crowded, and the water was refreshing. Towels and lounge chairs are provided, and there are ample choices. One thing to note, the pool can have limited hours and availability due to weather conditions and cruising schedule.
The Amici Lounge serves as the hub of the yacht. It is where the guests gather, meet for drinks, listen to live music, play trivia, hear presentations, and meet for excursions. The bar serves up great drinks, and the atmosphere is very casual and social.
Pros: Live entertainment was provided by an onboard musician who played a variety of covers from the Beatles to some classic rock. He was entertaining and talented.
Other entertainment included a disco night with a DJ outdoors on the upper deck and a trivia night. We had a local pianist come aboard one night who sang entirely in French.
Cons: We were disappointed in the variety of entertainment overall. We were expecting more local talent, like a steel drum band, reggae, or some dancers. Something unique to the area in the world we were visiting. We had a local pianist come aboard one night who sang entirely in French. While the onboard vocalist was talented, the music format was stale after several days. We would have loved to have more diverse, local, and creative entertainment on the cruise.
The Spa hosted a gym, an infrared sauna, a beauty salon, and several treatment rooms. We did not have a chance to use any of the facilities except the infrared sauna, which was underwhelming at best.
Excursions
We booked two excursions during our cruise, and both were excellent.
Fort Napoleon's and views of paradise (extra expense).
Departing from the pier, we enjoyed a brief drive past multi-coloured houses that reflect the locals' daily life. We arrived at Fort Napoleon, originally built for defence against British invasions, and explored its grounds and the stunning Princess Caroline Garden with panoramic views of the Bay. The tour guide was a local, entertaining, and passionate about the island's history. We had the opportunity to walk around the shops after the tour, and it was a treat. We loved this small island.
The Essence of St. Lucia (included).
Embark on a rejuvenating journey through the mystical Sulphur Springs and enjoy the therapeutic mud baths of Soufriere. This unique excursion invites you to immerse yourself in the island's volcanic heritage while relaxing in mineral-rich waters. This was a great day of history and mud baths.
Once we completed the tour, we took a water taxi to Sugar Beach, where we rented lounge chairs on the beach ($100 per person) and enjoyed several hours of swimming and sunning.
Final Thoughts: The Emerald Sakara is a beautiful luxury yacht with lovely amenities. The crew was professional and provided warm, outstanding service. The cabin was efficient and well-designed. We enjoyed the cruise, and if we were to book another one sometime in the future, Emerald would be at the top of our list for cruise lines.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this personal blog are strictly my own and do not reflect those of any organization or entity. I have not received compensation in any form for the content provided. Please see the home page for the full terms & conditions statement.
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