The time has come: Five years after the launch of its original AmaMagna, at 72 feet wide almost double the width of most river cruise ships, AmaWaterways is nearing the final planning stages for another AmaMagna.
Company president and co-founder Rudi Schreiner said the second will be an improvement upon the first ship.
While the debut date is still to be determined, construction is just a few months away, and Schreiner said keeling is expected to begin soon.
"Nothing's being built yet, but it could start very soon. Right now it's still in the engineering phase," Schreiner said.
Fans of the AmaMagna can look forward to an improved version of the popular ship, Schreiner said, one that will bring increased capacity to the Danube River. Bookings on the river have been doing well lately, AmaWaterways has said, especially on the Upper Danube.
But it's Schreiner who is likely the most excited about the second AmaMagna. And like any project that is a work in progress, he finds the process of tinkering and finding areas for improvement extremely satisfying.
The bedroom in a grand suite on the AmaMagna. Photo Credit: AmaWaterways
"Everybody's amazed by the ship when they come on the AmaMagna, but when I get on the Magna, I'm always like, 'OK, this needs to change,'" he said.
Schreiner originally wanted to move forward with building a second AmaMagna shortly after the May 2019 launch of the original. It took five years to plan and build the first ship, and at the time, he said he would have wanted to start work on a second ship in 2022.
The pandemic, however, curtailed those plans.
"Covid came, and with that, a lot of plans were delayed and changed," Schreiner said. "I was always looking for a second one, and now it is time again to start up."
What will be different on the next AmaMagna?
Schreiner's engineering team has been at work on the megaship's second version for the past seven or eight months.
The biggest changes involve engineering design upgrades, specifically the development of an even shallower draft than the original ship so that it can navigate the low water levels that intermittently plague Europe's waterways.
Sustainability is also a primary focus. Schreiner said they're looking into adding more battery power and solar panels, introducing more data-collecting sensors that monitor river conditions and upgrading fuel efficiency.
"The engineering side is a big, big thing because [the AmaMagna] was a prototype," Schreiner said, adding the focus on sustainability is not only for the sake of the environment but because ships with cleaner emissions and more sustainable capabilities get better treatment in ports.
"If you have old, nasty engines, you might have to dock outside of the city. Whereas if you are really green, you're more welcome in town," Schreiner said.
Other changes under consideration for the second ship include the location of certain public spaces, such as the gift shop, and evaluating the ship's four restaurants, which Schreiner said will undergo changes.
AmaWaterways co-founder Kristin Karst playing pickleball on the AmaMagna. Photo Credit: AmaWaterways
A number of aspects of the AmaMagna will likely go unchanged in this next version, including the sundeck's wildly popular, full-size pickleball court and swimming pool and the spacious cabins that Schreiner said are favored by the ship's biggest audience: luxury ocean cruisers.
At this point in the planning, there is uncertainty about what the name of AmaMagna's sister will be.
While nothing has been settled on, Schreiner said, the AmaRudi is looking like a strong contender.
"We don't have a name yet, but who knows?" Schreiner said in a giddy tone.