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AmaWaterways is a family-owned operation, and it shows. It’s not unusual to encounter employees who have worked for the company for a decade or more. And co-founders Kristin Karst and Rudi Schreiner are frequent presences on their 25 river ships.
Both owners were onboard in August 2021 for christening festivities (delayed a year or so, thanks to COVID) of AmaSiena, which is sailing the Rhine River through year’s end. It’s a sister ship to AmaLea, AmaKristina, AmaMora, and the newest, AmaLucia.
AmaWaterways has always sought to distinguish itself with its active-excursion options. The ships carry a fleet of bikes that can be checked out for individual use or on guided tours. Shore excursions (included in the cruise fare) also include hikes and walking tours. Its low-key elegance features public spaces decked out in vibrant reds and oranges. Exuberant floral patterns swirl on the carpets. Tweedy accents lend a classic touch.
Public areas are intimate but spacious. The main Lounge is dominated by a horseshoe-shaped bar at the rear, and behind that on either side are two additional gathering spots: a “library” (which curiously, lacks books, but does sport two wall-encased fireplaces) and, on the opposite side, a coffee/tea station with several bistro tables.
Tweaks in the design of both AmaSiena and AmaLucia created an additional glass-enclosed table seating area at one end of the Lounge. A bistro lunch is served there, and it’s a popular spot for cardplayers and laptop users.
**Note:** Though there is a wheelchair accessible suite, the ship’s lift doesn’t reach the upper deck. Access to the pool, track and outdoor seating areas is via a short flight of outdoor stairs.
Daytime Fun
Daytime action is mostly on land, since the cruise line offers a variety of free shore excursions in each port, including walking tours including walking tours divided into “active” “normal” and “gentle” paces. All incorporate Quietvox personal audio devices.
So-called “special interest” tours might feature local beer-tasting.
Active options include guided cycling tours and hikes. The active tours are a signature of AmaWaterways.
Cycling tours on our cruise ranged from a strenuous riverside jaunt of 21 miles to the picture-perfect German town of Ladenburg near Heidelberg, to a leisurely whirl around the bike-friendly French city of Strasbourg.
Hiking options were in Germany’s Black Forest and through a vineyard in Rüdesheim, Germany, among others.
The Sun Deck has a small pool and plenty of space – covered and uncovered – for enjoying fair-weather days. A giant chess set invites al fresco competition.
At Night
There’s not a lot of enrichment, in terms of lectures and the like, offered on this ship. But there are a few included evening shore excursions that get guests moving after dinner. On this cruise, for instance, was a choice of a visit to a charming musical instruments museum or tasting coffee spiked with a local liquor in Rüdesheim. On a few nights, local talent entertained in the Lounge. Performers included a musical trio playing selections ranging from Vivaldi to pop. On another night, a singing duo channelling Patsy Cline, Motown and more, had the audience singing along.
Bars & Nightlife
The Lounge is the hub of action on this small ship. A nightly “Sip and Sail” pre-dinner cocktail hour features a drink special. A swim-up bar on the Sun Deck serves in the outdoor area.
Spa
A single treatment room offers basic massages. There’s also a single-chair hair salon.
Fitness
The ship’s Wellness Program includes several daily rounds of group exercise convening on the Sun Deck, weather permitting. They include core and stretching classes, and sessions using resistance bands. “Guided “digestive” walks are offered after lunch on the Sun Deck’s walking track. A small gym on Deck 1 accommodates seven or so. Equipment includes two stationary bikes, a treadmill, free weights and a resistance-band system. Passengers are free to use bikes whenever in port, either on one of six guided tours, or independently. Personal training sessions are available for a fee.
**Note: **You have to wait until early evening for the next-day’s program to come out to learn the particulars about upcoming fitness classes.
Main Restaurant
The airy dining room’s décor echoes that of the rest of the ship with bright jewel tones. A central horseshoe-shaped buffet station divides the room. On either side are a mix of tables for two to eight, plus cushy banquets for four. The dinner menu has daily chef’s recommendations and a “Healthy Choice” suggestion. There are three entrees, nightly, including a vegetarian option, plus three appetizers, two soups and three desserts, and a cheese plate. Always available: salmon, steak and chicken, and Caesar salad. Offerings on some nights take a cue from the ship’s locale. On our Rhine cruise, German dishes included zwiebelrostbraten (pot roast) and semmelknöedel (a bread dumpling). Waiters are generous with the wine, returning, unbidden to refill glasses. Featured red and white wines nightly tend toward local vintages. If you don’t like what’s offered, they’ll cheerfully offer an alternative.
Lunch in the dining room can be a major affair, starting with a trio of small-plate appetizers (devilled eggs, trout mousse, asparagus and beef salad, for instance) and a breadbasket harbouring baked delights. Salads can be ordered as an appetizer or main dish. A couple of soups are offered and there’s always a sandwich of the day. Main dishes tend toward heartier fare, like pork tenderloin saltimbocca. Vegetarian options are highlighted on a separate menu page. And for dessert: three options and a cheese plate.
An extensive breakfast menu runs from the usual made-to-order omelettes, to waffles with whipped cream. A posted special of the day can help you narrow the options. New to the menu are daily breakfast bowls, whose ingredients might leave steak-and-egg lovers scratching their heads. Take the Asia quinoa bowl, which contains tofu, eggs, avocado, coconut milk, plum sauce, green onions and roasted seaweed. The bowls are displayed on the Wellness Bar at the rear of the dining room along with other healthy breakfast fare like fresh and dried fruits, nuts, yogurt and dry cereal.
The Lounge
Tables in a section of the Lounge at the front of the ship seat 24 passengers. Surrounded on three sides by windows, it’s a bright, cheerful space where a bistro lunch is served. Sandwich and salad selections change daily. There’s always a vegetarian option like Vietnamese Pho, and a rich dessert (double chocolate cake with cherry ragout and whipped cream anyone?). Always available are hamburgers, fries, pizza and potato salad.
**Tip: ** This area is a great vantage point from which to experience a lock passage.
Pastries are served here for early and late risers who miss breakfast in the dining room. All-day tapas are served in the Lounge (except at mealtimes). On the menu: grilled eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini; olive tapenade; Parma ham, humus and more. The Lounge is also the venue for afternoon tea, with classic fare like crustless salmon and cucumber sandwiches, scones, brownie bites, and, of course, tea. At 10:30 each night, servers pass a savoury snack.
Chef’s Table
The ship’s speciality restaurant at the rear of the ship on Deck 3 accommodates 32, and features a six-course tasting menu (plus a palate-cleansing sorbet) with wine pairings. The menu changes annually, but remains the same on each cruise in a given year. Reservations are required. Go hungry and watch the staff meticulously prepare the plates in the glass-walled kitchen. The menu on our cruise: heirloom tomato carpaccio and eggplant caviar; beet root marinated salmon; lemon grass soup; skin-grilled salmon with citrus sauce, celery mash and beluga lentil ragout; tenderloin of beef with sweet potato, broccoli, artichoke and green peas; and a glorious ending of lemon pie with yogurt ice cream and fresh berries.
AmaSiena’s 77 staterooms in 10 categories can accommodate up to 174 passengers. Most have double balconies – one roomy enough to hold two chairs and a small table, and the other, a “Juliette” style floor-to-ceiling sliding door. Twelve cabins can be connected. And 12 have a small fold-out sofa for a third occupant. The four suites can accommodate up to four. Like the ship’s public spaces, the cabins feature a bold colour scheme of reds with grey accents. In all cabins, the queen beds can be converted to two twins. Built-in desks double as vanities. Amenities include a mini refrigerator, flat-screen TV (airing news channels, sports, free movies and television series); a safe; ice bucket and wine glasses; bathrobes; bottled water and nightly turn-down service.
Storage space is adequate (and if it isn’t, you might be overpacking). Suites have two large closets, with storage cubbies. Other cabins have a reasonably spacious closet, with a bank of five deep shelves for storage. The desk/vanity offers some additional space for stuff. And end tables by the bed have two additional drawers each. Most cabins have two full-length mirrors. Bathrooms (other than in the suites) are a tad cramped. Most cabins have single sinks, a shower with dual shower heads, under-sink storage and a narrow granite shelf that runs the length of the room to hold miscellanea. An opaque window between the bedroom and bathroom in most cabins brings in natural light.
**Tip:** B Category bathrooms are about three feet smaller than those in category A, so if you’re on the burley side, you might want to spring for the slightly larger cabin.
Riverview: The lower Piano Deck (Deck 1) has 10 160-square-foot cabins with fixed windows.
French Balcony: The cabins are on the Violin Deck (Deck 3) and Cello Deck (Deck 2) and feature a floor-to-ceiling door that slides open, but no step-out balcony. Most are 170 square feet.
**Tip: **The four 155-square-foot French Balcony cabins (Category CB) at the rear of the Violin Deck are best for couples or single travellers because converting the queen bed to twins crowds the room.
Twin Balconies: Most of AmaSiena’s rooms fall into this category and feature AmaWaterway’s signature double balconies. At 235 square feet, the Category A twin balcony cabins are 25 square feet larger than Category B, with slightly roomier bathrooms.
Junior Suite: These two rooms (201 and 202) just outside the main dining room on Deck 2 are about 43 square feet larger than Category A cabins. The bed faces the window, and though there’s no separate seating area, the bathrooms are larger, with double sinks and a roomy shower.
Suite: The ship’s four suites have separate living and sleeping areas. One is wheelchair accessible. A full-size sofa in the sitting area can fold into a double bed. There are two TVs and roomy side-by-side closets. The bathrooms have a separate shower and full-size tub, enclosed toilet area and double sinks. Other suite perks: room service (the only room category to rate it); minibar stocked with soft drinks, juices and beer; fresh fruit; and unlimited laundry service.
