Emerald Waterways is the newest river cruise line to explore the rivers of Europe and it has just announced that its fleet is set to get even newer, with the addition of two more new ships in 2017, to follow on from Emerald Belle which will be making its debut in 2016 on the Rhine and Danube rivers.

Emeralde Liberté is set to explore France’s scenic Rhone and Saone rivers, while Emerald Radiance will be a new vessel dedicated to sailing Portugal’s glowing river of Gold, the Douro. The addition of these two new ships will bring the total number in the Emerald fleet to seven and though they will follow the design of the earlier vessels, they will be smaller, to reflect the more intimate nature of the rivers that they will be exploring.

Both ships will boast a 3-to-1 guest ratio and Emeralde Liberté will cater to 138 guests, having 70 suites and staterooms, while Emerald Radiance will offer itineraries to just 112 guests and carry 56 suites and staterooms.

One of the line’s signature features is its heated swimming pool with retractable glass roof which transforms into a cinema, and guests on-board Emeralde Liberté can expect to see it on-board. Owing to her smaller size however, Emerald Radiance will instead offer cruisers a top deck pool experience without a cinema, allowing them to take advantage of the glorious Portuguese weather.

The Secrets of the Douro itinerary on Emerald Radiance will take in such popular destinations as Porto, home of port wine, and the historic Spanish city of Salamanca, while the Sensations of Southern France sailing on-board Emeralde Liberté will call at the likes of Avignon – home to the famous Palace of Popes, and Lyon, France’s fabled culinary capital.

If you can’t wait until 2016 to try Emerald for yourself, you’ll be pleased to know we have a fantastic selection of Emerald river cruises available.