After being in service for five months, Emerald Cruises’ second new river cruise ship, Emerald Star, was officially christened today in Vienna, Austria by Master Cruise Counsellor and Certified Travel Counsellor Joanie Ogg, who was recently inducted into CLIA’s Hall of Fame – an honor only awarded to some of the most influential people within the industry.
“The privilege of being asked to serve as the godmother of the Emerald Star is not mine alone, but belongs to the thousands and thousands of hard working cruise selling agents in the travel professional community whom I will have the joy of representing as I christen her and wish her safe passage,” said Ogg.
Glen Moroney, Emerald Cruises founder and owner, remarked that, “It is an honor for us to have such an accomplished industry leader as Joanie Ogg as godmother of the Emerald Star. As someone who has dedicated her career to helping so many succeed in this industry, it is only fitting that she help welcome in the next generation of river ships.”
Emerald Cruises was launched just this past spring with two new ships: Emerald Star and Emerald Sky. She can be thought of as the younger, more accessible sister to Glen Moroney’s other highly-successful river cruise and touring company, Scenic Tours.
Nearly identical sister-ships, Emerald Sky and Emerald Star both carry a maximum of 182 guests in several different categories of suites and staterooms. Both vessels also boast a number of innovative features, from drop-down windows that are controlled electronically that turn staterooms into gigantic open-air balconies; to the aft-facing swimming pool that features a retractable glass roof. The entire space also converts in to a cinema on select evenings.
Next year, Emerald Cruises continues to add new ships and itineraries to their offerings for 2015. These include a new 10-day Enchantment of Eastern Europe voyage that sails from Budapest, Hungary to Bucharest, Romania and reverse, as well as two brand-new “Star Ships” – Emerald Sun and Emerald Dawn.
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