The AmaWaterways experience begins the moment you arrive. Friendly crew members of AmaLea greet us at the dock to make sure we don’t even have to roll our own carry-ons aboard.
We’re escorted through a corridor finished in rich, textured wall coverings to a stateroom appointed in the polished wood cabinetry and opulent fabrics you might pick for your house, if you had an unlimited budget.
If it all feels like a visit to a fine family home, there’s good reason. While some other river cruise lines build ships in volume, AmaWaterways fits out only one or two new ships a year to make a more personal statement. The co-owners, president Rudi Schreiner and executive vice-president Kristin Karst personally select the colors and fabrics for each of their ships to make each one unique.
They’re on board this Danube cruise from Budapest to Vilshofen, fresh from a design meeting for the company’s next ships, AmaMora and the unique double-width AmaMagna due in 2019. Here’s a look at how they define the state of the river cruise art:
1) Suites with a split personality
Most of the accommodations on AmaLea ships feature innovative twin balconies, that have become an AmaWaterways signature. Half of the floor-to-ceiling windows along the outer wall open to a furnished walk-out balcony and the other half of the panorama is an indoor sitting area whose doors open to a French balcony with a railing.
2) At the cutting edge of technology
Rudi Schreiner professes to not be enamored of tech gadgetry, but in designing this ship, it’s clear he finds real advantages in keeping up with the latest innovations.
For instance, he says it costs more to provide complimentary, reliable wi-fi than it costs to fuel the ship. But it’s essential to keep guests happy, so the company invests in the best equipment available. On AmaLea, the wi-fi signals are so strong that even when we’re going through a lock–which is typically a dead zone for internet on many other river ships–I was able to stay on line.
Also new on this ship is a tank that holds 420 tons of fresh water that’s replenished from water systems ashore at every port. That saves having to treat river water for use onboard, which requires lots of chemicals and would give an off taste to the treated water, he notes
There are tech upgrades in the staterooms as well. A digital wall panel is the master controller for all the systems in your personal domain. With a flick of a finger you can adjust the climate and even the mood, with light settings from bright to “romance.”
There’s also a high-definition Apple flat-screen TV with a menu that offers a wide range of daily programs, internet and first-run movies. But who has time to watch TV when there’s such a great show going by outside the window and so many things to do every day ashore?
3) Don’t worry, be happy with ‘sip and sail’
There’s no drinks package on AmaWaterways because there’s no longer any need for one. AmaWaterways has just added a complimentary “sip and sail” happy hour in the lounge before dinner, in addition to free-flowing wines or beer at lunch and dinner. Every day, they also have a “detox water of the day,” on the bar that’s a delicious alternative to an afternoon beer or glass of wine.
So that means there really aren’t enough drinking opportunities in the day that most guests would need to worry much about the bar tab. And there’s no skimping. The quality of the pours is always high and waiters always seem to be generous refilling glasses.
4) Every night’s a dinner party
AmaWaterways is the only river cruise line to be inducted as a member of the exclusive Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, international culinary society. One evening aboard features a gala five-course locally-sourced Chaine gourmet dinner in the restaurant. But dining every night is just as elegant, with course by course service. With the open-seating policy, it can be easy to arrange your own dinner parties with fellow guests. There are also two enclosed “wine rooms” that seat up to 10 that you can reserve for celebratory gatherings.
Of course there’s also the alternative specialty restaurant at the stern of the ship, The Chef’s Table, with a wine-paired tasting menu prepared by chefs working in a glass-enclosed kitchen. Seating is limited, so guests may make only one reservation in a week.
Something I really appreciate is that every menu item in the restaurants has a code of ingredients used in the preparation to guide those who might have food allergies. Who knew here are so many potential allergies that they fill the entire back page of the menu?
5) Making it easy to keep families together
AmaLea, like sister ships AmaKristina, AmaStella and AmaViola, has been built with connecting double- and triple-occupancy staterooms that are designed to appeal to the growing multi-generational travel group markets. Ama is continuing its partnership with Adventures by Disney that offer some cruises with a range of family itineraries with activities for children as young as 4, as well as specialty voyages such as wine cruises where participants must be at least 18.
6) Wide range of tour options
Virtually all of AmaLea’s tours are included in the price and some of them can be quite exotic. There are generally several excursion choices daily for different tastes and activity levels. For the most energetic there’s a fleet of bicycles on board for guided rides that can last all day. On this trip, there was a fabulously scenic bike ride along the river through Austria’s fabulously lush Wachau Valley from Weissenkichen to Ybbs, that included a visit to the glittering abbey at Melk.
For those who prefer to get their exercise on foot, there was an optional brisk trek up vineyard-lined hillsides to the ruins of an ancient castle at Durnstein. And for those who just want to stretch their legs, there are easy walks, wine tastings in vineyards or bus tours on modern air-conditioned buses.
One of my favorite tours of the week was a complimentary walk through Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, to the Klastorony Pivovar, a brewery in the former hospital of a monastery that dates to 1690. It’s a fact that even the sick needed refreshment, the guide quipped. Today the pub’s modern copper kettles brew up tasty lagers, deep dark stouts and a lively pilsner that we sampled not in tiny taster glasses but in full three full half-liter steins, accompanied by plates of sausages, cheese and breads.
It was a boozy start to the day to be sure, but an extremely pleasant one.
7) You’re a VIP here
Oh, you’re with the AmaWaterways group, come right this way. There’s never any crowding on tours, that are divided into very small groups for personal attention. And you get front of the line treatment.
While most of the river cruises along the Danube include an optional Mozart and Strauss concert in Vienna, the difference is that AmaWaterways books the front-row seats in one of the best concert venues in the city. It’s in a lavish private palace whose concert chamber has perfect acoustics for the ensemble that includes upcoming opera stars and gifted dancers. AmaWaterways even provides guests a free CD of the music to take home as a souvenir. Although the concert does come at a surcharge, it’s worth every Euro.
You might also like:
AmaMagna: Twice as Much to Love on a Romantic Danube River Cruise
AmaWaterways’ Kristin Karst Shares the Dream and Details of AmaMagna
A Boom in Europe River Cruising Has Cruise Lines Seeking New Routes
5 Treats and 1 Left Unsampled on an AmaWaterways Mekong Cruise
AmaMagna, the Small Ship with Big Ambitions and Room to Roam
