AmaWaterways calls its innovative new ship, the AmaMagna, “a new destination on the Danube River.” Almost twice as wide as other European river cruise ships, it will have more of everything: larger suites, more dining options, more amenities and so much space that guests might think they are on an ocean vessel.
That’s the intriguing picture Kristin Karst, AmaWaterways co-owner and executive vice-president is painting of the game-changing ship that will make its maiden voyage in May, 2019.
In an interview with The Cruisington Times’ Wallace Immen, she describes the vision and the meticulous amount of detail being put into the ship that the line is hoping will attract guests who may have hesitated to take a river cruise in the past.
What was the creative spark behind building AmaMagna?
“Rudi [Schreiner AmaWaterways founder and co-owner] was daydreaming about this for years, and obviously we got more encouraged by many agents who mentioned to us that they have quite a number of people who said they 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 looked at this and finally we came up with a plan to make a ship with much more space by making it wider. (River cruise ships in Europe have always been limited in size by the length and width of locks. Only the locks on the Danube are wide enough to accommodate a double-wide ship).
What were the challenges in building the ship?
“It was more expensive to build. We have two shipyards, one near Belgrade in Serbia and the other in Holland, but we couldn’t transport the ship through the Main-Danube canal. To move the hull from the Serbian shipyard, we had to go through the Black Sea and the Atlantic to Holland. It now will take a year to finish the inside and then the ship has to go back around through the Atlantic and lower and upper Danube for its maiden voyage May 5, 2019 from Vilshofen, Germany to Budapest.
What are the advantages of the larger ship?
“The real focus is on being more spacious everywhere. Having the double width allows us to build more spacious saterooms, with the majority averaging over 355 square feet and the grand suites are 474 square feet, featuring outside balconies and bathrooms with double sinks and a deluxe walk-in shower. There is also the Owner’s Suite at 710 square feet.
Many of the staterooms have a third-bed capacity and will have connecting doors, because we know river cruising guests want to find ways to bring their families to enjoy the cruise together.
And all through the AmaMagna it will feel more spacious, as there are only 194 guests onboard, compared to 160 to 190 on most other river ships which are half her size.
And there are more options than ever for dining?
“There are — depending on how you count them– six or as many as eight dining options, at no additional charge. We have the main restaurant, the Chefs Table, and we always have our lunch set up in our lounge area. There is also an al fresco option that is divided so it can be completely outside or under a glass roof that can be closed up if the weather is chilly or rainy. It can be divided into two separate spaces.
Then there are three separate wine bar rooms that can be opened up to create one large wine bar. Each has a table for up to 12 and you can open it up to one restaurant with a capacity of up to 36. It is a great concept because we often have families and groups on board.
There are even more options for entertainment. Some people want to be together for the entertainment in the main lounge, but there are other options to go to enjoy a conversation or play cards. The real focus is on providing more space and amenities reminiscent of those found on ocean vessels.
What is unique about the ship?
“There will be a water sports platform and that is new for any ship on the rivers today. We will also have a small excursion boat: a Sundowner that can take groups up to 12 on tours along the banks of the Danube. The Wachau Valley has some little-known beaches and they can go swimming or fishing. We haven’t completely decided, but we may also have kayaks. That gives smaller groups the option to go together and do different activities. There is no upcharge–all shore excursions arel included in the price–and everyone gets a turn.
We have an extended wellness area at the back of the ship that has a most beautiful view We will have a special room for yoga and stretching classes and a massage room. We will also have manicure and pedicure treatments that we haven’t had on other ships.
Will the ship need special docks?
“No, it doesn’t need special docks because it’s the same length as other river cruise ships. But there’s another advantage to the design. On the rivers in the high season – from May to October – ships now may have to be docked next to each other because there is limited amount of dock space. One of the main concerns raised by guests who buy balcony staterooms is that while you have the view when you are cruising, once the ship is in port, one side may not have a view if another ship is docked alongside.
That won’t happen on the AmaMagna because being the width of two ships, the likelihood is we will be docked alone and we won’t have another ship docked next to us. That means one side will always have a view to the port and the other will have the view of the river and nobody will be next to us.
And it doesn’t matter that we can only cruise the Danube; it is the number one river that people want to cruise on.
What type of guests do you think AmaMagna will appeal to?
“We have much more potential for attracting people who are first timers who’ve come from ocean cruises or land-based tours. And we will attract a younger, more active crowd. Thanks to our partnership with [bicycle tour company] Backroads, we are opening up a market of active guests who may have never considered river cruising because they thought it is too passive. We started the partnership with Backroads a couple of years ago, and it has done so well that today we have over 100 part-charters with them on the Danube and Rhine and Seine and the Douro in Portugal.
Our partnership with Adventures by Disney has increased the number of families we attract to river cruising. We have built ships since AmaStella with staterooms able to connect for a family of four. And there is another new ship, AmaMora, coming in 2019 with adjoining suites as well.
How will the fares on AmaMagna compare to other ships?
“Our entry-level cabin pricing is not much different; it is just a little bit of upcharge compared to fares on ships such as AmaKristina. But because most of the staterooms are significantly larger than on other ships—with full step-out balconies –they will have an upgraded price.
More ships are coming; does that mean sailing on new rivers?
“Once our guests cruise with AmaWaterways they are always looking to cruise on another river with us. It has to be a river where we can build our own ship and we are always very careful about what river we choose to cruise next, because there can be challenges when it comes to water levels. For instance the AmaKristina was built to cruise on the Elbe River, but there are ongoing challenges because of low water levels due to climate change.
We don’t want to have to compromise on the ship or the itinerary, because the guest who has booked for a cruise and has to face a significant change in itinerary will be disappointed and may not come back on a river cruise–and that’s not good for us or the river cruise industry in general.
Obviously there are regions we want to sail more in the future. Because of the popularity of the Douro River in Portugal we are building a second ship, the 102-passenger AmaDouro that will launch in 2019.
In some places we would like to do more cruising, but it is not possible now. In Africa our 28-passenger Zambezi Queen on the Chobe River is so limited in capacity it is already sold out for 2018 and 70 per cent full for 2019 and we are already booking for 2020. There would be demand to build another one, but Botswana does not allow any new-build ships, so logistically it is not possible to expand there. We have added excursions to Rwanda for gorilla watching as add-ons because we know guests will enjoy it.
And we would like to return to the Nile in Egypt, where we have been in the past, before the revolution. If this part of the world becomes peaceful again, we will sail there again, but not in the near future.”
AmaMagna is booking now for seven-night itineraries between Budapest to Vilshofen (for Munich) that begin May 5, 2019. Itineraries include Vienna, Weissenkirchen, the Wachau Valley, Linz and Passau.
You might also like:
Exclusive: Why Now is the Best Time Ever to Take a River Cruise
AmaMagna: Twice as Much to Love on a Romantic Danube River Cruise
A Boom in Europe River Cruising Has Cruise Lines Seeking New Routes
River Ships Target New Audiences and Cruise Less-Known Routes
AmaWaterways Adds Another Longest-ever River Cruise
