AmaWaterways said its megaship, the AmaMagna, will enter
service in May 2019.
The company has a countdown on its website to the launch
date of the new vessel. There is also a YouTube video that illustrates the
progress on the construction of the ship in the Vahali shipyard in Serbia.
The AmaMagna will be 72 feet wide, almost twice the width of
AmaWaterways' existing river cruise ships, and will thus sail on wider stretches
of the Danube River. The added space will allow for larger staterooms, with
most measuring 355 square feet and featuring outside balconies. The 194-passenger
AmaMagna is also slated to have large in-suite bathrooms, many with double
sinks.
There will be multiple dining venues, including the main
dining room and the Chef's Table specialty restaurant that are featured on most
AmaWaterways vessels, as well as a new al fresco dining area with retractable
windows, a wine bar and an additional restaurant.
There will be a pool and a
whirlpool on the sun deck, a health and wellness studio with fitness equipment
and group classes, a hair salon, and two spa treatment rooms. The AmaMagna will
also give guests the opportunity to board smaller river vessels for more
intimate excursions along the Danube. There will be a fleet of complimentary
bikes onboard.
When it launches next May, the AmaMagna will not be the only
extra-wide vessel plying Europe's rivers. The 203-passenger Crystal Mozart, a
former Peter Deilmann Cruises vessel built in 1987, is 75 feet wide. However, AmaMagna will be a
longer ship, measuring 443 feet compared with the Crystal Mozart's 395 feet.
Crystal
Cruises relaunched the former Deilmann ship in 2016 after an extensive renovation. The vessel features
suites that range from 200 to 860 square feet. It also has multiple dining
venues, a spa and fitness center, an indoor pool, a beauty salon and a library.