VILSHOFEN, Germany -- Two months after its maiden
voyage, the AmaLea was
christened here on Saturday by Filomena Andre, who oversees travel product
management, strategy and performance for the Automobile Club of Southern
California, an AAA affiliate.
AmaWaterways' 154-passenger AmaLea is a sister ship to the AmaKristina, AmaStella and AmaViola. The ships have many of the same details and amenities, but
the AmaLea has iPad touchscreens
in all of the staterooms that control the heating, cooling and lighting in their room.
During the christening cruise, which sailed from Budapest to
Vilshofen, AmaWaterways also gave passengers the opportunity to experience its
new wellness program, which it will be offering fleetwide in Europe in 2019
(the only possible exception is on Portugal's Douro River where, the wellness
program has not yet been confirmed for 2019) and on the Mekong River. The
program launched in 2017 onboard the AmaLyra for its Seine sailings from
Paris to Normandy and expanded to the AmaCerto,
AmaPrima, AmaSonata, AmaDante and AmaDolce.
A wellness host will
lead daily stretches, jogging, cardio, core
strengthening, circuit training and yoga. Sports scientist Selina Wank, who is
overseeing the wellness program, was on the AmaLea offering a sampling of
the types of classes that will be available next year. On each vessel, the
wellness hosts will also lead discussions about healthy eating,
relaxation techniques and other topics.
Like its sister ships, the AmaLea features
connecting and triple-occupancy staterooms. And most staterooms feature AmaWaterways' signature dual
balcony concept -- a small step-out balcony adjacent to a French balcony.
The public areas include the main dining room and lounge as
well as the Chef's Table restaurant, which hosts a wine-pairing tasting dinner
that passengers can reserve (it only accommodates a limited number of
passengers).
There is a heated pool on the sun deck, a hair salon and
massage room, and a fitness center. There is complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the
ship, and a fleet of bicycles for guests to use on
excursions or at their leisure for no charge.