Cruise Vacations
BIG Going
on the Danube By Barbara Ramsay Orr
THE AMAMAGNA IN PASSAU, GERMANY ©AMAWATERWAYS
Sailing down the Danube on the new, double-wide AmaMagna marries the intimacy of river cruising with the space and variety of ocean sailing. It’s 6 a.m. and there is no one on the top deck but me, and Captain Jan, on the bridge. Birds are singing on the riverbank, and there are other boats steaming by, but except for the gentle lap of water, it is quiet. The sun has just begun to take the morning chill off the air. I have a double espresso and a fresh pastry in hand, and in about 40 minutes the AmaMagna will sail under the first of seven bridges and into the centre of Budapest. I would label this a good start to the day. Sailing on the new AmaMagna is a pleasure, and one of its best qualities is the space – a wide open deck, fat sofas and lots of room. Even when the rest of the guests have come topside to watch the sail-up to the ‘Paris of the East’, there is no crowding. This boat has space to spare.
54 • Vacations ® • Fall 2019
