AmaMagna is a clear departure from any river cruise ships you’ve sailed on in the past.
It’s twice as wide as what has until now been the standard for European river ships. It’s got four restaurants, a pool and whirlpool on its top deck and even a cinema. And more than half the accommodations are suites that are larger than the premium suites you’ll find on even the most luxurious ocean cruise ships.
But AmaWaterways’ grand ship remains very personal because while it offers all this extra space, it carries about the same number of guests as other river ships and comes with a bigger crew. Here’s a look at what makes this ship unique:
An expansion of intimacy
AmaMagna stretches 443 feet in length —which is the standard for all European riverboats. But its width is 72 feet — twice the typical 37 feet. That doubles the amount of space available for each of the maximum of 196 guests it accommodates in 98 rooms and suites. And there are 70 in the crew. (As a comparison, ships of a ubiquitous competitor that are the standard river dimensions carry up to 190 passengers in 90 staterooms and have a crew of 50).
Everything aboard AmaMagna feels like a luxury residence, from the marble floors and dark hardwood trims in the twin-staircase lobby to the wide corridors and rich upholstery and vividly patterned carpeting in all the public areas. You’ll find amenities unusual for river ships, including a good-sized pool with whirlpool and even a cinema. And there are three alternative restaurants in addition to the main dining room.
The ship was designed to appeal to a broad range of cruisers, including families and guests who in the past have only thought of ocean cruises, says Kristin Karst, AmaWaterways’ co-owner and executive vice-president.
Such a wide ship was a dream of Rudi Schreiner, AmaWaterways founder and co-owner for years. Many cruise travel agents also encouraged them by saying they had clients who would like to see bigger staterooms on river cruise ships. “There are a lot of ocean cruise clients who have not taken to river cruises because they are concerned the ships may be too small or there will not be enough variety in dining and entertainment.” So Rudi came up with a plan to create a ship with much more space by making it wider.
AmaWaterways has also been appealing to younger and more active travellers on all its ships, with free Wi-Fi, free bikes and active excursion options and a dedicated wellness program. There is also a partnership with active-travel company Backroads as well as cruises aimed for the family market through Adventures by Disney. AmaMagna actually has a fold-down watersports platform on its stern, but it isn’t currently being used due to the Danube’s strong current.
Settling in to the suite life
The experience here is about the grandeur that the extra space provides. Staterooms start at 205 square feet and there are just 11 of them on the lowest deck. The next categories, at 252 square feet, add a balcony and are themselves larger than staterooms on most other river ships.
But more than half (46 of the 98) of the accommodations are suites measuring 355 square feet, which is larger than the biggest premium suite available on most every ship on the European rivers. At 474 square feet, the six grand suites on AmaMagna compete with even the largest on any ocean ship. And the owner’s suite hits a vast 700 square feet.
All the suites have an entrance hall, a wall of closets, a bathroom with a separate toilet compartment, double sinks, roomy shower stalls with both rain-forest and hand-held, multi-jet shower heads, Hydro and Elemis amenities and lighted magnifying mirror.
A techie’s dream cruise
Wi-Fi is complimentary and the signal is strong and fast enough even when the ship is in a lock to provide reliable video streaming. Every room and suite comes with a desktop Apple television that doubles as a web browser and information center as well as an LG flat-screen television with a choice of live television channels, full seasons of television series and first-run movies. In the largest suites, the big-screen TV is tucked away at the foot of the bed and rises on hydraulics with a tap of a control wand.
A wall-mounted touchscreen controls the room’s climate, mood (lighting ranges from ‘bright’ to ‘romantic’) as well as opening and closing sun screens over the balcony. A little more confusing is the Apple iPad tablet that also has the controls for lights and temperature, but doesn’t yet seem to be loaded with any particularly useful apps.
However, you can load the ship’s myAmaCruise app onto your cell phone to get a tracking map showing the cruise route, the location of your ship as well as photos and information about each of the destinations as well as tips for shore excursions.
Perks that come with anteing up
The six grand suites and owner’s suite on AmaMagna come with butler service, just like you get on a luxury ocean ship. And there’s another goodie you seldom find on any ship: complimentary laundry. (Well, sure you’ve paid up for a suite and you do deserve perks, but there’s nothing quite as appealing as letting someone else do the wash.) The upper-level suites also have designer bathtubs, coffee-makers and stocked mini-fridges. We’ll report on the cruise experience in future stories.
Will Magna have identical sisters?
That remains to be seen. AmaWaterways has added two other ships to its ever growing fleet this year that are more traditional in size, AmaMora on the Rhine and AmaDouro on Portugal’s Douro River. Currently AmaWaterways plans to introduce two more of its traditional ships AmaSiena on the Rhine in 2020 and a sister vessel in 2021.
Two new-builds are also on order for 2022. Schreiner says another double-wide ship could be possible at some point, but like AmaMagna, it would have to sail solely on the Danube — the only river with locks wide enough to accommodate a ship this wide.
Until then, AmaMagna is the ship for those seeking room to roam on a river cruise.
