BARRANQUILLA, Colombia -- AmaWaterways christened the AmaMelodia, its second ship on the Magdalena River, on Tuesday.
The AmaMelodia is the sister ship to the line's first vessel in Colombia, the AmaMagdalena, both of which sail the Magdalena River between Cartagena and Barranquilla.
On standard sailings, passengers experience a Carnaval performance when in Barranquilla, the home of the world's second-largest Carnaval celebration after Rio de Janeiro.
A Carnaval performance in Barranquilla to celebrate the naming ceremony. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
Carnaval, or Carnival, is a season of festivities before the beginning of Lent, known for dazzling performances and impressive costumes. In Barranquilla, the four-day festival begins the Saturday before Ash Wednesday.
Passengers on the christening sailing were treated to a more extravagant version of the typical Carnaval performance to celebrate the naming ceremony of the AmaMelodia. Part of the ceremony was conducted in Spanish.
A blessing from the locals
A mamo, a spiritual leader of the Indigenous community of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, offered a blessing. Beno Atan, AmaWaterways' managing director for Colombia, said the company approached the mamos at the beginning of the process of developing Colombian river cruising to seek luck for the project, knowing it would be a feat to establish.
"There's much more to come for this country," Atan said. "This project is more than a ship, it's a beacon of hope of everything we can do in Colombia."
Rudi Schreiner, AmaWaterways' co-founder and board chairman, said it was a "total dream" to be on the Magdalena; he began working on the project in 2018, and it took him seven years to bring river cruising to the country.
Schreiner, who was on the weeklong sailing with his wife and AmaWaterways co-founder Kristin Karst, said the AmaMelodia cruise has been one of the best.
Elisabeth Mercado Herrera, the ship's godmother, offered a blessing in Spanish. Just days before, she was named captain of the AmaMelodia, making her the first woman to ever be at the helm of a ship on the Magdalena River.