Emperor Elite

The jewel in the crown of the Emperor fleet, the Emperor Elite is the highest quality example of the custom-designed and purpose-built boats in their Red Sea line. It is also winner of our 2011 'Liveaboard of the Year' award.

At 38 metres long and 8 metres wide, the Elite is the largest in the fleet and can comfortably accommodate up to 26 guests. All the cabins have en-suite facilities and are air-conditioned. Being their flagship liveaboard, the Emperor Elite has flat screen media players and minibars in every guest cabin.

As you can expect from the entire Emperor fleet, the Emperor Elite provides creature comforts beyond the expectations of most guests, such as bathrobes, hairdryers, complimentary dinner wine and free internet usage. And what's more, the liveaboard has a 'no hidden extras' policy. This means that you will not find any extras added to your bill, such as fuel surcharges, marine park fees, airport/hotel transfers - these are all included in the cruise price!

The Emperor Elite is generous with space too, which is fully utilised with no less than 3 sundecks, huge dive deck with platform, air-conditioned saloon, with bar and a dining room. Additional scuba delights include free nitrox, free 15 litre tanks, and the Emperor Fleet's guarantee of a minimum of 2 Red Sea liveaboard dive guides per trip.

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Dive experience: 50 logged dives and advanced diver certification are required for trips to any of - Brothers, Daedalus Reef, Zabargad and Rocky Island.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, red wine with dinner, drinking water, soft drinks and hot drinks, return transfers from Hurghada or Marsa Alam airport/hotel to boat (fixed times), dives (as detailed in the trips above), 2 experienced English-speaking divemaster(s), tanks, weights and weightbelts, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, all park & port fees, fuel surcharges, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 200 per week, incl. dive computer), diving insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).

Optional extras: All other alcoholic drinks, 15 litre tank (US$ 36 per week), torch (US$ 59 per week). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: MV Emperor Elite departs from Port Ghalib, Safaga or Marsa Alam and return transfers are provided from nearby hotels/ Marsa Alam or Hurghada airports to all departure points. Arrival transfer at 6 pm. Departure transfer at 9 am. For more details, including airlines, see our travel information section for the Red Sea.
The first and last nights of the liveaboard tour are spent in the harbour. Guests arrive and board on the first day. The boat leaves the harbour on the morning of the second day.The last dive of the trip will be at around 12 noon on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: US$ 36 gift voucher to spend onboard.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 50% of the published price for a Standard cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 7 guests and 1 extra person can join the cruise in a lower deck twin bed cabin free of charge (total 8+ guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 23 guests and 3 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge.

Add-on package: If you have time, we strongly recommend that you consider some of the wonderful antiquities tours in Egypt which can add a whole new dimension to your holiday.

Cairo museum's royal mummies, the pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, a glorious cruise down the Nile staying in a luxury cabin, The Valley of the Kings, all of these and more can be seen in packages starting at 6 nights' duration. Other activities such as 4x4 safaris and camel tours are also available as are custom-made packages to suit your needs.

Red Sea North, Wrecks & Tiran Straits (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)

Trip highlights: turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Abu Nuhas (Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Kimon M and Giannis D), Gubal Island, SS Thistlegorm, Ulysses, Rosalie Moller, Shaab El Erg, Kingston, Dunraven, Carina, Straits of Tiran

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Elite liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Approximate transfer time between Hurghada Airport and Hurghada Marina is 20-30 minutes. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
This route allows you to visit famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning reef diving. There will be 4 dives a day, usually with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive, and either a sunset or a night dive. There are beautiful hard coral gardens and dolphins at Shaab El Erg, while 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life. The most famous wreck in the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm, will leave you in awe: it was sunk in 1941 after being bombed by the German Luftwaffe! With its historical cargo of World War II machinery and equipment, all neatly stowed in its open holds, the wreck of the Thistlegorm would be a highlight of diving anywhere in the world. The Rosalie Moeller, carrying a cargo of coal, suffered the same fate just 2 days later.
The reefs around Gubal Island feature deep walls with an abundance of schools of fish like snapper and surgeonfish. Ras Mohamed, at the southernmost tip of the Sinai, is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. You will also dive the 4 famous reefs of the Strait of Tiran: Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas & Gordon. These magnificent formations, rising from the depths, are often frequented by large pelagics due to the abundance of currents. 4 dives a day will be the norm on most days, except on the penultimate day, when 2 or 3 dives are scheduled before returning to Hurghada.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.


Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 17 Dives)

Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Elphinstone, Brothers, Deadalus Reef

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Elite liveaboard. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Take a seat in the air-conditioned van that will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, or just 10 minutes if you have landed at Marsa Alam Airport. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
This Red Sea diving tour includes several dives at the Brother Islands, a must for all experienced divers. You will surely have fun while diving drop-offs, wrecks, and huge gorgonians and colourful soft corals that are home to octopus, lionfish, nudibranchs, frogfish and large schools of fish: an underwater photographer’s dream! Bucket list encounters include whale sharks, oceanic whitetips, thresher sharks and manta rays. Lots of curious turtles, Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks will be common encounters on several occasions.
Early morning dives at Daedalus Reef is your best chance for finding scalloped hammerhead and grey reef sharks that like to circle around the reef and its shear walls covered in soft corals. 3 dives a day will be the norm on most days, except on the day before disembarkation that will have only 2 scheduled dives before returning to Port Ghalib.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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St. John's Reefs (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)

Trip highlights: dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: St. John's Reefs (Gota Kebir, Gota Soraya), Fury Shoals Reef System (Sha'ab Claude, Abu Galawa Soraya), Abu Dabab, Sha'ab Sharm, Elphinstone

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Elite liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Take a seat in the air-conditioned van that will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, or just 10 minutes if you have landed at Marsa Alam Airport. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
The dive sites at St. John's Reefs are very close to each other so it is easy to cruise from one site to the next. You will surely have fun while diving drop-offs, pinnacles, tunnels and amazing hard-coral reefs, huge gorgonians and colourful soft corals that are home for rays, sharks, octopus, lionfish, nudibranchs, frogfish, large schools of fish: an underwater photographer’s dream! Lots of curious turtles, Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks will be common encounters, while dugongs are more difficult creatures to find. Mantas, grey reef and silvertip sharks can often be seen in the blue.
The Fury Shoals is a vast reef system. Sha'ab Claude is a classic dive with its famous swim-throughs and huge porites corals, Malahi with its mazes and friendly turtles, and Abu Galawa Soraya with its fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat smothered with glassfish. Sataya, with its resident spinner dolphin population, is a must for snorkelling between dives, as well as having some good underwater offerings. You can also explore less well known sites such as Sha'ab Hamam (Stairway to Heaven), Abu Galawa Kebir with the Tien Hsing wreck, and Habili Sameh that will blow you away! On the penultimate day of the tour the boat will head back to Port Ghalib, after 2 morning dives.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.


Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Daedalus, Fury Shoals & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)

Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Daedalus Reef, Fury Shoals Reef System (Sha'ab Claude, Abu Galawa Soraya, Malahi, Sha'ab Hamam, Abu Galawa Kebir, Tien Hsing Wreck, Gota Sataya, Habili Sameh), Sha'ab Sharm, Elphinstone

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Elite liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Take a seat in the air-conditioned van that will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, or just 10 minutes if you have landed at Marsa Alam Airport. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarising with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Diving the Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone are a must for all experienced divers. You will surely have fun while diving drop-offs, huge gorgonians and colourful soft corals that are home to octopus, lionfish, nudibranchs, frogfish, large schools of fish: an underwater photographer’s dream! Bucket list encounters include hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, whale sharks, thresher sharks and manta rays. Lots of curious turtles, Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks will be common encounters on several occasions!
The Fury Shoals is a vast reef system. Sha'ab Claude is a classic dive with its famous swim-throughs and huge porites corals, Malahi with its mazes and friendly turtles, and Abu Galawa Soraya with its fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat smothered with glassfish. Sataya, with its resident spinner dolphin population, is a must for snorkelling between dives, as well as having some good underwater offerings. You can also explore less well known sites such as Sha'ab Hamam (Stairway to Heaven), Abu Galawa Kebir with the Tien Hsing wreck, and Habili Sameh that will blow you away! On the penultimate day of the tour the boat will head back to Port Ghalib, after 2 morning dives.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.


Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Brothers & Safaga (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)

Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Panorama Reef, Middle Reef, Abu Kafan, Salem Express, Brother Islands, Abu Dabab and Elphinstone

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Elite liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Take a seat in the air-conditioned van that will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, or just 10 minutes if you have landed at Marsa Alam Airport. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Diving the Brother Islands and Elphinstone are a must for all experienced divers. You will surely have fun while diving drop-offs, wrecks, huge gorgonians and colourful soft corals that are home to octopus, lionfish, nudibranchs, frogfish, large schools of fish: an underwater photographer’s dream! Bucket list encounters include hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, whale sharks, thresher sharks and manta rays. Lots of curious turtles, Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks will be common encounters on several occasions!
Safaga has some great diving, offering a combination of shallow reef dives like Panorama Reef, and drop-offs, as well as unforgettable wreck diving on the Salem Express, a 100-metre ferry boat that hosts frogfish, blue-spotted stingrays, schools of angel and butterfly fish. The ship is now covered in hard and soft corals. On the penultimate day of the tour the boat will head back to Port Ghalib, after 2 morning dives.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.


Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Red Sea South & St. John's Reefs (8 Days / 7 Nights - 22 Dives)

Trip highlights: dolphins, dugongs/manatees, great macro life/ marine diversity

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Daedalus Reef, Rocky Island, Zabargad, Fury Shoals Reef System (Sha'ab Claude, Abu Galawa Soraya, Malahi, Sha'ab Hamam, Abu Galawa Kebir, Tien Hsing Wreck, Gota Sataya, Habili Sameh), St. John's Reefs (Gota Kebir, Gota Soraya), Sha'ab Sharm, Elphinstone

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met early evening outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Elite liveaboard . If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Take a seat in the air-conditioned van that will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, or just 10 minutes if you have landed at Marsa Alam Airport. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarising with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Daedalus Reef is home to schools of surgeonfish, fusiliers, trevallies and colourful reef fish. Hammerheads, oceanic whitetips and thresher sharks can be seen here, as well as manta rays, usually during the summer months. One of the more current-swept regions of the Red Sea is Rocky Island. Here the nutrient-rich water movement gives rise to healthy gorgonian fans, black coral trees and sponges. Often found sheltering in quieter spots are turtles, grey reef sharks, and silvertips. Manta rays and dolphins are also common visitors. Zabargad is an island populated by soldierfish, wrasses and schools of snappers. It features walls, drop-offs and shallow coral gardens.
The dive sites at St. John's Reefs offer drop-offs, pinnacles, tunnels and amazing hard-coral reefs, huge gorgonians and colourful soft corals that are home for rays, sharks, octopus, lionfish, nudibranchs, frogfish, large schools of fish: an underwater photographer’s dream! Lots of curious turtles, Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks will be common encounters, while dugongs are more difficult creatures to find. Mantas, grey reef and silvertip sharks can often be seen in the blue.
The Fury Shoals is a vast reef system. Sha'ab Claude is a classic dive with its famous swim-throughs and huge porites corals, Malahi with its mazes and friendly turtles, and Abu Galawa Soraya with its fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat smothered with glassfish. Sataya, with its resident spinner dolphin population, is a must for snorkelling between dives, as well as having some good underwater offerings.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.
Unlike on all other itineraries, the boat stays out of port on the penultimate day (on what should be their quietest days) in order to offer more dives - the most any of any itineraries that we offer.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

Emperor Elite has 13 cabins: 8 Standard twin bed cabins, 3 Premium twin/double bed cabins, 1 Junior double bed suite and 1 Executive double bed suite. There are 2 Premium cabins on the upper deck and 1 on the main deck. The Executive suite is on the upper deck. All other cabins are on the lower deck.

All this liveaboard's cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 14 / 14 - hot water

Crew comprises: Complimentary nitrox - Complimentary 15 litre tanks - 29m² dive platform - 25 HP motorised dinghies - 54m² diving deck with hot water showers, toilets & charging points for electrical equipment - Camera table & separate rinse tank for cameras - Air-conditioned saloon with big-screen TV, DVD and music players - Computer with CD burner and free internet access - Air-conditioned restaurant with well-stocked bar - Upper deck bar lounge - Library with movies, magazines, novels and fish ID books - 64m² sun deck & 52m² shaded area, sun mattresses & chairs - Water dispenser - Emergency laundry

Customer reviews:

"The boat crew and dive team were incredible!
It was easy booking with Dive The World, quick response (even with time zone challenges). Return customer discount is much appreciated!" - Alexis Drzewiecki, United States, 2 January 2023 ...

"Very impressed with Emperor (I also dived with them on their day boats, prior to the liveaboard). They were professional, well organised and equipment was state of the art. Staff were friendly and I was blown away by their experience - they clearly love what they are doing. Facilities were excellent." - Jessica Chen, Australia, 26 October 2011 ...

"Excellent boat and staff. The boat (Emperor Elite) is big, new and very comfortable. We were fully satisfied with the service and reception on board." - Antonio Carone, Italy, 30 March 2011 ...