Amadeus River Cruises has christened its 14th ship at an in-person ceremony in Cologne, Germany.
The Austrian family-owned line’s latest vessel Amadeus Cara has two and a half decks which allows for space on the sun deck to be split in two.
The 163-passenger ship, which has 72 cabins and 10 suites, will embark on its maiden eight-day voyage to Passau on the Austrian border on Saturday (July 2) from Cologne.
Dr Wolfgang Luftner, co-owner of the 25-year-old line, said: “The ship is a two and a half decker which is new to us.
“We took our time with this [decision]. The big advantage is it allows for a space at the bow. It allows the ship to go under bridges and in locks without having to remove furniture.”
Godmother Anna Luftner, Amadeus director of digital marketing, christened the ship before a priest blessed it.
Luftner is also the godmother of three other Amadeus vessels: Rhapsody, which has since left the fleet, Elegant and Star.
She said: “Having the half deck has real benefits for our guests.”
Luftner’s father later confirmed the line plans to launch a 16th ship after Amadeus Riva, which is slated to launch in 2023.
“We had a new vessel [in 2020],” he said. “We will continue to do that. There’s a lot of demand and Asia will come back strongly.
“Anyway, we’ll have a new ship in 2024.”
Luftner admitted he was “surprised” the European summer season had started “so well”. “We thought it would be far more difficult,” he added.
“Yes, there’s always room for [more passengers]. But across the fleet, generally, the ships are full. In general, we’re doing quite well.”
He confirmed the line was considering basing a ship on the Douro river in Portugal. “The Douro river is one that we have in mind. Back in 2019, we had ideas for our expansion.
“The Douro is an option for us.”