Boarding was straightforward, and once on board, we were warmly welcomed and directed to our cabin. The Emerald Dawn is a beautiful ship with elegant and modern interior spaces. The public areas were all quite lovely and not overly crowded, and the ship was constantly cleaned and polished. Overall, the food was excellent. The dining staff was friendly and professional. The tours were well-organized, with tour guides who were all locals with good English language skills, providing lots of information about the places visited. Overall, it was a very enjoyable cruise, and I will consider Emerald for future river cruises.