I remember our first “small ship” cruise. It was on the Midi Canal in France. It really was called “cruising” although anyone who has seen the Midi Canal knows not one cruise ship of any largesse that would fit. Toy cruise ships, perhaps.
This was one of those special birthdays in our house, and I was surprising her with “cruising” the canal, which she’d once expressed an interest in after listening to acquaintances re-live their experience. Aha, thought I, what a great “birthday surprise.”
The “cruise ship” was a 27-foot boat that claimed to sleep four, but only if all four were under-sized. It putt-putted along the canal at five miles an hour. Maybe. The pilot was me. The crew was her. A non-swimmer, she was jumping on and off the “cruise ship” as we negotiated 64 locks, in seven days, over 100 miles of murky water. Happy birthday.
This came to mind as I was reading about AMA Waterways, a river cruise line of a dozen vessels — as opposed to our canal cruise fleet of one — with more coming next year. This year, it launched the 162-passenger AmaBella (below), with state rooms twice the size of our cozy 27-footer. In 2011, AmaBella’s sister — AmaVerde — slips into the water.
This will give AMA 13 ships in eight years, which is quicker than most people can produce children, so it clearly has a foothold in cruising the rivers of Europe, Russia and the Far East. These all feature deluxe staterooms, fine dining, exotic ports, complimentary WiFi and fares beyond the travel budget for most of us.
Perhaps for another “special birthday.”