Inside and out, Emerald Sakara is all about space
ABOARD THE EMERALD SAKARA — In a sheltered bay off the tiny island of Culebra on the east coast of Puerto Rico, passengers on this 100-passenger ship can see rustic casitas perched on the low, green hills.
One thing they won’t see is other cruise ships. With a beam of just over 52 feet, the Emerald Sakara is slim enough to slip into the small bay. “It’s quite hard to get in,” Sakara’s captain, Robert O’Leary, said. “It’s a very narrow channel.”
For travelers who say that modern cruise ships are not for them, Emerald Cruises believes it has an answer. The Sakara is being billed as a yacht rather than as a cruise ship. While not a new concept in the industry, yacht cruising is often overshadowed, literally and figuratively, by the titans of the big cruise lines, and even those yachts are often larger than Emerald’s vessels.
That leaves an opening with people who might want a cruise, but not one that comes with 5,000 fellow passengers, or even 500.
“The experience does not get better as the ships get bigger,” said Glen Moroney, founder and owner of the Scenic Group, Emerald’s parent company.
On a weeklong itinerary to the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques; St. Barts; and the British Virgin Islands, I found it easy to indulge my Thurston Howell III fantasies. The ship was low to the water, sleek in design and the opposite of crowded. The wide decks and comfortable outdoor furniture were made for lounging. With 76 crew at our disposal, the passengers got personal attention and never lacked for a beach towel, a piña colada or a pleasant “good morning.”
Seen from shore, the Sakara is easy to brag about. Its low-slung profile and long, retro bow give it a rakish allure. At 110 meters, it is the same length as a 2008 yacht built in Germany for the Bahraini royal family. On the Sakara, for around $650 a night, a Caribbean cruise aboard a similar vessel can be yours.
There’s only one real restaurant on the Sakara, but it is a good one, with indoor/outdoor seating and a cleverly designed, four-sided buffet. The three bars include Sky Bar on the top deck, which feels like a South Beach rooftop bar at sea.
The décor of the ship, designed by Moroney’s wife, Karen, is a modern, neutral gray with just enough color in the pillows and upholstery to provide interest. There is whimsical statuary of cactus in a sort of pop art style on the pool deck that is especially fun.
The aft marina has water toys like rafts, kayaks, snorkel gear and paddleboards; Emerald officials say customers skew a bit younger than the competitive set for yacht cruising. And the ships are half to a third of the capacity of rivals such as Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection or Ponant.
To me, the best facet of the Emerald Sakara is the itinerary enabled by such a small ship. We visited the marvelous, secluded Flamenco Beach in Culebra and the bioluminescent Mosquito Bay in Vieques. We went snorkeling at Jost Van Dyke and explored The Baths in Virgin Gorda.
A few fellow passengers reported seasickness one night, but the gentle roll helped put me to sleep, and the temperate weather in the Caribbean of early December was more of a pleasure than a detraction.
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