AmaSofia Ship Tour

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We stayed on the AmaSofia as our first 2026 adventure in Europe.

**The AmaSofia docked in Amsterdam for the 2026 ASTA River Cruise Expo**

We attended the ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) River Cruise Expo and I am proud to announce for the second year in a row, we have been nominates as River Cruise Advisor of the Year for 2026. It is quite an honor and a tribute to all in the industry who have helped us, but we would be remiss not to acknowledge all the wonderful folks who have booked their river cruise with us.

Thank you so much—you folks rock!

Our Nomination for River Cruise Advisor of the Year

This week a rare treat—Anne will began the blog with reflections of our river cruise journey.

Ok, Anne—take it away!

My reflections from 17 Years of River Cruising

I’m not usually the one that writes anything for our blog, I’m pleased to be the editor and photographer, and Hank is amazing about taking my thoughts and opinions into consideration as he writes. But this week’s blog has really brought so many emotions and memories to our first river cruise in 2009.

We boarded the AmaLyra for a week of unknown plans and experiences. The ship was filled; while it was considered a Seminar, it wasn’t only Travel Agents onboard. There was a mixture of clients who were also on their first river cruise, some of them on their first trip to Europe. One of the beautiful parts of the trip was meeting so many people, not just from the US, the from other countries.

We had really no idea of what to expect, only what our pre-cruise training had presented for us to make sales. As you know from multiple blogs that Hank has traveled to Europe and Asia many times during his life, including time when his dad was a career Army officer and after his graduation from West Point and many deployments (temporary duty assignments) during his 20-year Army career. On the other hand, by 2009, I had been several times to Europe for 10 years, mainly ocean cruises, but nothing to prepare me for what a river cruise provided.

You are already aware of the benefits of river cruising, but until this past March 2026, on our latest trip to the ASTA River Cruise Expo and witnessing the Christening of the AmaSofia, I’m not sure how to truly explain what river cruising has personally meant to me.

So many changes in these past 17 years, I’ve felt so many different emotions. Hank has made it known that my background (a BS in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the Hilton College at University of Houston) adds a great perspective to the blogs, but I actually started in the “restaurant” business when I begain working in my school cafeteria in my 3rd year in elementary school. I worked in our school’s cafeteria for 9 years, working my way up from clearing tables to actually cooking the lunch meals.

I was lucky to work with so many wonderful women, all mothers or grandmothers of the students. And in my junior and senior years in high school, I left the school campus to work lunch at a local fast-food restaurant, where I also worked as many shifts as possible, picking up so many techniques from the owners, not just cooking but all about how important it is to keep customers happy with the food and service. I waited tables in the dining room, cooked on the “fast food” side and learned how to cut and process sides of beef in this amazing restaurant owned by a wonderful Norwegian couple in our town.

Mainly I learned through my hometown restaurant experiences that, unlike many restaurants in the US, being in the restaurant business in my hometown was a career. It wasn’t a one-stop employment to another career. None of the workers (mainly women with pride in their work spirit) were waiting to be discovered by a Hollywood producer but were working toward moving up the ladder to the next position in the restaurant industry. I had so much pride to see the professionalism—it is JUST LIKE THAT IN EUROPE!

One of the first things I learned through that first river cruise was that if the crew worked hard, worked as a team and ultimately their contribution to the success of the restaurants/bar/housekeeping meant that you would usually have a good chance to move you up to another position.

The pride of the crew and their commitment to the profession of hospitality made my heart sing. For me, that made the river cruise experience to an entirely different level than just being a passenger who showed up for breakfast, lunch and dinner at a specific time.

Some Initial Thoughts About the AmaSofia

As usual, I dawdle and ramble away from the topic, so back to the AMA Sofia.

I was skeptical about this stay on AmaSofia (we didn’t cruise, it was our 4 night “hotel” during the ASTA River Cruise Expo). Regardless, you can’t pass up any chance to stay on an AMA ship, even if it is ported without the added wonderful shore excursions.

My skepticism was due to the fact that this ship was the brand-new version of a company that had held our heart and love since 2009. I felt we knew what to expect – yes each of their ships has its own personality, not just the décor, but the vibes of the crew, the Cruise Manger and the overall feeling of how the experience “meshing”.

The AmaSofia has given birth to a new color scheme, new logos, new programs, new wine program, new bread, new amenities and many new members to the crew. There are several reasons to point out that not all of the changes made my heart sing.

Gone was most of the administration I knew. At my age, change can be difficult, but moving forward, the AmaSofia offers changes where adjustments become easier to accept, regardless because the heart and soul of the line that I’ve experienced for 25 sailings is still there.

**A new friend—the first AmaWaterways female 1st Officer—soon to be a Captain!**

**No change in the friendly reception staff but slightly different uniforms**

The physicality of the changes will take some time to accept, and some will change based on client feedback, but it’s comforting to know that the core of AMA is still continuing the mission to provide excellent service, beautiful ships, wonderful food and the opportunity to experience the best way to explore the rivers of the world.

Now, it’s Hank’s turn to tell you about the ship and our impressions.

The AmaSofia

This is the newest ship in the AmaWaterways fleet. It is a 135-meter longship with 78 staterooms and carries 156 passengers. It has three passenger decks, as do all AmaWaterways 135-meter ships. The lower deck is the Piano Deck (waterline); Deck 2 is the Cello Deck (where we are staying); and the Violin Deck has the highest passenger staterooms on the ship.

**The Pool on the sun deck of the AmaSofia**

Our Stateroom

We are staying in Stateroom 210, a 235 square foot cabin in the AB category. These staterooms use twin balconies concept as a continuation of the the signature AmaWaterways balcony design. It is awesome stateroom for the most part (with some ideas we would change) and here are some pictures to prove it:

**The closet area on the AmaSofia. We weren’t fans of the hanging closet area for 2 reasons. Any long item, such as my sports coats could not hang without touching the bottom on the closet.**
Most infuriating, the hangers have fixtures that are only stationary on the bar. They were ackward to use due to the fixtures. We hope they replace it with regular hangers, that you could arrange instead of trying to slide the stiff plastic hanger holders on the hanging rod.

The desk area on the AmaSofia. They have added Nepresso Coffee Machines in each stateroom—great idea! A minor observation—we would have put the cups directly under the Nepresso Coffee maker. Also, design maven Anne would have made the open shelves deeper for a little more usable storage area for guests.

**The outside balcony area on the AmaSofia**

**The storage shelves on the AmaSofia. The new robes are awesome!**

We found the new love seat bench instead of 2 chairs awkward. First, you can see, it is easy for just one person to make the seat crowded (okay maybe I need to lose a pound or two and this is far from my most flatterring picture), but still would be tight.
But the most puzzling was the mirror on the connecting stateroom door. There was really no way to use the mirror unless you crawled on the love seat. We heard some feedback that maybe they are going to go back to 2 chairs. Since there is already a mirror on the closet, we would recommend just remove this mirror, as at present, it is just useless.

Suite 302

**The Bedroom area in stateroom 302 on the AmaSofia. Note, they still did not get the hangers right in this stateroom also but at least these are easier to arrange than our AB stateroom.**

**The sitting area in stateroom 302 on the AmaSofia**

**The bathroom with tub in stateroom 302 on the AmaSofia**

**Stateroom 302 coffee area on the AmaSofia—they got the cups storage right here!**

The Facilities Onboard

There are the standard AmaWaterways facilities are the lounge, the 2 dining areas, the fitness room, the hair salon and massage room. The reception area is manned 24 hours a day and there is also a gift shop in the same area. Here are the photos Anne took during our stay:

**The coffee station area in the Lark Lounge on the AmaSofia**

**The bar area in the Lark Lounge on the AmaSofia**

**The table area of the Lark loung on the AmaSofia—great idea and addition!**

**Another picture of the AmaSofia Lark Lounge**

The Gift Shop

The Exercise Room

The Massage Room

New Features

There are some important new features we would like to point out, and they will soon be available on most of the AmaWaterways fleet. Let’s start with the Signature Dinner which has replaced the Chaine des Rotisseurs Dinner.

We got to sample the meal in one of the wine rooms, hosted by Alex Pinelo, with most of the nominees for river cruise advisor of the year (class act Alex).

I liked the new menu.

**The newly designed wine rooms. There are 2 in the Journeys Dining Room.**

**Explaining Culinary Director Robert Kellerhals excellent as an award winning chef**

**The Chef’s Recommendations for the Signature Dinner**

**The choices for the signature dinner**

**The Wine List for the Signature Dinner**

**Beef Filet main course of the new signature dinner**

The New Wait Staff Uniforms

**The New uniforms for the waitstaff. Service, as always, fantastic!**

Our Food Experiences

We ate several meals during the Expo on this lovely ship. First, the Chef’s Table set up (we didn’t have a chance to eat here during the Expo).

The menu has changed and we got to try it on the AmaMagna in November 2025 and I thought it was better than past years.

**The Chef’s Table Menu with the new Italian Lunch Menu with a pizza and pasta of the day—great idea!**

Next the Journey’s Main Dining Room

**A welcome change—now 4 wines (2 whites and 2 reds) during dinner—alsochampagne and a rose available**

**Lunch with 2 rock stars! From left to right Kristin Karst Co-owner of AmaWaterways (Rock Star # 1), Anne, Alvin Adriano Director of Education ASTA (Rock Star # 2) and Hank**

**Shrimp Cocktail in the Journeys dining room**

**The soup course—AmaWaterways always has very good soups**

The Christening Ceremony

The godmother of the AmaSofia, Sara Little broke the traditional bottle of champagne on the bow of the ship. It was a cool ceremony and here is what we saw during this occasion.

**The blessing with a rainbow in the background—a good omen!**

Our Final Thoughts

This is the first for us to be part of a ship christening. It should not be lost the importance of maritime traditions. We hope you soon get to enjoy this magnificent ship. The branding role out is good but as we have noted, there are some changes we would make. After 17 years sailing on AmaWaterways on 25 cruises, we miss some old friends who have changed companies or retired. Change always happens and for the most part is good. Most important, the excellent service and friendships will continue on AmaWaterways but perhaps with new folks for us.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process. We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you with high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com . We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 30 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 55 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). His last major certificate is a Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certificate earned from the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
CLIA Riverview Certificate
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Riverside Luxury Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Brit Agent

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