When it comes to luxury and river cruising, both Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Crystal River Cruises like to proudly proclaim themselves to be the only true luxury operators.
And both certainly have undisputed bragging rights to the luxury title.
But in today's world of travel, the definition of luxury is increasingly subjective. And AmaWaterways uppped the game this year with the launch of its much-anticipated AmaMagna, which offers something that no other European operator can right now: the luxury of space both personal and public.
While AmaWaterways, in my opinion, has even on its traditional ships offered service, comfort, amenities and cuisine that easily compete in the world of modern luxury, it would be hard for even those who might disagree to argue that the AmaMagna is not a luxury vessel or a game changer.
At twice the width of traditional river ships, she carries just under 200 passengers - the same that many ships half her size hold. Instead she has many more suites, wide corridors, a huge (by river standards) wellness center with panoramic views, movie theater, four dining venues and a variety of other bigger public spaces.
The goal in developing her, architect and AmaWaterways co-founder and president Rudi Schreiner said, is to capture a bigger share of the booming luxury travel sector, particularly from North America.
"Americans, they travel far, they travel in style and they want luxury accommodations," he said.
Much of the additional space is dedicated to additional restaurants, which Schreiner's wife and business partner, Kristin Karst, called key to attracting clients who are used to bigger ocean ships and wouldn't try rivers because of the vessels' limited options "in terms of space, options, restaurants."
Karst said when she is on ocean ships, all the talk is about where to go to dinner.
"This matters to a lot of clients. And having only one restaurant or two is not enough anymore," she said.
And while the AmaMagna is both luxurious and unique, whether she will be a success remains the big question.
When sales first opened, Karst and Schreiner said the smaller, more traditional cabins as well as the ship's seven super suites sold fast, while the 355-square-foot staterooms that make up about half of the ship's inventory and sell at traditional river suite prices, were booking slower.
Karst says that has been changing since the ship actually launched in May, the result, she thinks of word-of-mouth spread of what she and Schreiner say has been very positive guest feedback.