9 Things Travel Advisors Should Know About AmaMelodia (& AmaMagdalena)

When AmaWaterways’ first Colombia river ship, AmaMagdalena, took to the waters of the Magdalena River in April 2025, it became the first passenger vessel to operate on the river since the 1960s. In October 2025, sister ship AmaMelodia joined the fleet.

While the two ships are nearly identical, there are some key differences – primarily when it comes to accommodation choices.

TMR sailed on AmaMelodia in June 2026. Here are nine things travel advisors should know about the two ships.

1. They’re Small

Clients who have sailed on AmaWaterways’ ships in Europe might be surprised at how small the Magdalena River ships are – in some cases just about half the size of a European river ship.

While Europe’s river ships can hold anywhere from 102 (on the Douro River) to 196 (on the double wide AmaMagna), AmaMelodia has room for 64 only passengers. Though it’s the same physical size as AmaMelodia, AmaMagdalena has room for even fewer with accommodations for 60.

At only 223 feet long (43 feet wide) and only three decks high, both ships pretty much have one of everything – one restaurant, one lounge, one (tiny) fitness room, and one massage room. There’s also a small shop nestled into the corner of the middle deck.

Despite the smaller size of the ship, the vast majority of staterooms are a comfortable 237 square feet, and there’s a small plunge pool on the expansive top deck – a much appreciated cooling option on the region’s hot, humid days.

2. They Feel Colombian

While the outer shells of both AmaMeldodia and AmaMagdalena were built in Vietnam, where AmaWaterways could better control the quality of shipbuilding, they were fully outfitted in Colombia with materials sourced almost entirely from the country.

Décor throughout AmaMelodia (and presumably AmaMagdalena) help place guests in the country and showcase Colombia’s diversity, with a strong emphasis on the country’s Afro-Colombian heritage.

Paintings and handcrafted textiles decorate the public spaces, hallways, and staterooms, and custom-made furniture carved from indigenous woods can be found throughout.

3. Tweaks Still Needed

AmaMelodia launched in October 2025, some six months after AmaMagdalena’s debut. While there’s been plenty of time for AmaWaterways to collect feedback, the ships – at least AmaMelodia – still need some tweaking.

For instance, the main lounge is divided into three spaces: two along the sides of the space with clusters of comfortable armchairs and sofas, and then a middle section with straight-backed chairs lined up in a row each set behind a small drink table carved from local timber. Aesthetically, the middle section looks nice, and it’s the best spot for watching presentations, but there are flower pots on every drink table leaving no room to actually put your drink down.

Also, several of the tables are carved in a type of sunburst pattern resulting in sharp wooden edges all around. More than one person banged their knees on those edges.

One of the main issues onboard AmaMelodia while we were on board was with the ship’s lighting. Lights, no matter where you were on the ship, flickered all the time, sometimes going completely dark for half a second. When asked about it crew maintained it had something to do with the engines when the ship was moving and dismissed it as being “only for a second.”

While each flicker might only last less than a second, the regularity of the flickering was definitely annoying. AmaMelodia is spending July 2027 in dry dock (both ships operate 11 months a year, with one month put aside for dry docks), and we can only hope this is one of the fixes it will undergo.

4. Easy Stateroom Choice

Choosing a stateroom on AmaMelodia is easy as there are only really only four options (Categories A, B, and C are identical and vary only by deck level.)

The standard cabin on both AmaMelodia and AmaMagdalena is a 237-square-foot room with AmaWaterway’s signature double balcony/French balcony configuration.

Rooms have a queen-sized bed that can be divided into two twin beds. There are two bedside tables, each with a small drawer, which is the only drawer in the entire room. A large closet is divided into two, with space for hanging items on one side, and shelving on the other, along with a mini-fridge and safe.

(We really would have appreciated at least one more drawer per person for smaller items that get lost on a shelf.)

We found only about eight hangers in our room upon arrival but on embarkation night, the room attendant leaves a form to fill out if you want more hangers, pillows, towels, bottles of water, and other similar items.

Other furniture in the rooms include a small table and an armchair by the French balcony, as well as a small desk.

Lighting in the room is good, with plenty of overhead light and two light options in the bathroom. There are two wall-mounted lamps above the bed, which we believe are supposed to act as evening nightlights but these give off almost no light at all. There’s a nightlight in the bathroom that remains on at all times.

Word of advice: Let clients know that if they want to read in bed at night with the rest of the lights out, they should bring a small book light or flashlight.

As an fyi, there are plenty of outlets, but if they bed has been divided into two, one of the bedside outlets will end up behind one of the beds. A small power cord could be helpful.

Word of advice: One of the deskside outlets is European style, so if two people have plenty of devices to charge, it’s worth bringing an adapter, even though South America uses the same plug style as North America.

Bathrooms have double sinks and plenty of shelf space, as well as shelf space underneath. Bathroom amenities include a toothbrush, mini toothpaste, sewing kit, and the standards (shower cap, cotton swabs, etc.).

One category up from the standard stateroom is the Junior Suite, which measures 275 square feet. There are two of these on Deck 1 (101, 102) on the AmaMelodia and they’re not significantly different from standard staterooms beyond the extra space.

The AmaMagdalena does not have this category, but both ships have Luxury Suites (201, 202 on both ships), which ae 306 square feet. These rooms are not much different than the standard staterooms, though they have a bigger balcony.

AmaMagdalena also has two Grand Suites (101, 102), which are 516 square feet. Most of these rooms feature the beds facing the floor-to-ceiling windows so it’s easy to watch the landscape flow by. They also have larger balconies and bathrooms.

While families are not a common sight on the Magdalena River, both ships do have a limited number of staterooms than can hold three people; AmaMagdalena’s Grand Suites can hold up to four people.

5. Easy Dining Choice

As with any cruise, guests will be served breakfast, lunch, and dinner onboard AmaMelodia. There’s a small selection of pastries and juices in the lounge for breakfast and a choice of cheeseburger and Caesar salad in the lounge for lunch, but the full meals are only available in Journeys Restaurant.

Word of advice: Though the cheeseburger iso only on the menu in the lounge, guests can also order it in the dining room. They just have to ask. Veggie burgers and cheeseburgers are also available in both spots upon request.

Meals are heavily influenced by Colombian cuisine, with plenty of local fruits and dishes on offer.

Breakfast is a mix of the usual scrambled eggs, ham, omelets, and cereals, but curious cruisers can also check out local specialties including savory arepas. Additional items, including French toast is available on request.

Lunch is a mix of buffet items and an a la carte menu. Buffet items include a salad bar, as well as two or three pre-made salad mixings (think corn and cheese salad, plantains and veggies, sauteed mushrooms, etc.) Main courses might include coconut prawn stew with steamed rice, Palenque chicken with plantain puree, or roasted cauliflower steak. There’s also always two pizza choices available.

Desserts change daily, but there’s always an ice cream sundae bar in the corner with a choice of ice cream and a variety of toppings. Dessert sizes can by tiny, as we discovered when we ordered a lemon pie, which ended up being about the size of a U.S half-dollar.

Dinner is all a la carte, has two appetizer choices, two soups (one hot, one cold), three main courses (one meat, one fish, one vegetarian), three always-available choices (steak, salmon, and chicken breast), and desserts. There’s also an always-available vegetable broth, but it’s not kept ready, so requires a longer wait when ordering it.

A sample menu might feature poached prawns with a mango chutney and Manchego cheese salad as appetizers, braised short rib broth and roasted pumpkin and coconut soup, ribeye with pepper sauce and potatoes, seabass with cauliflower puree, and falafel with hummus and tabbouleh.

At lunch and dinner, menu items, including appetizers, main courses, and the main dessert option, are displayed outside Journeys Restaurant, with someone stationed there to explain the choices. We think this is one of the cleverest things we’ve ever encountered on a cruise ship – especially when many of the choices might be unfamiliar to guests.

A second dining option is sometimes available but varies by sailing. The Bolivar Tasting Menu replaces the Chef’s Table experience AmaWaterways offers on its European ships. On some sailings it is offered more than once and is a reservations-only option offered at the same time as the “regular” dinner. On these sailings, the team tries to make sure every guest gets the chance to dine there at least once, so “invitations” are sent out accordingly. If there’s still availability after everyone has had a chance, guests are welcome to go back a second time.

However, on our sailing, Bolivar was a one-night-only, non-optional experience held on the sun deck for dinner. It was never offered again.

Like most Chef’s Tables, it has a set menu with each course introduced by the chef. The menu is heavily influenced by Colombian cuisine with items such as coconut rice empanadas filled with shellfish, ceviche, and slow-braised Colombian beef. On our sailing, the menu was posted for two days beforehand so there was plenty of time to let the crew know about any dietary needs. 

6. The Crew Is Super Flexible

Speaking of dietary needs, one of the most impressive aspects of our experience on AmaMelodia was how flexible the dining crew is when it comes to dietary requirements. Both parties in our traveling group had dietary needs that varied from nearly vegetarian to dairy and gluten free. The chef happily made changes any time it was required. When he overheard one of us ask if a veggie burger was available the day of the Caribbean-themed lunch barbecue, he quickly instructed one of the cooks to whip one up.

If we wanted a dish from the menu that normally had shellfish in it, he was happy to make one with chicken instead.

We found a similar attitude at the lounge bar. When we didn’t want any of the mocktails on offer, the bartender was happy to make a fruit punch for us instead.

Similarly, when we asked if World Cup group games could be shown in a public space (rather than watching in the cabin), they were happy to set it up.

7. Not Everyone Speaks English

Generally speaking, the people your clients will need to communicate with onboard AmaMelodia and AmaMagdalena speak English. This includes the tour manager, hotel director, all three destination guides, waiters, and bartenders.

Room cleaners, by and large do not. When we needed more tissues, we had to show the empty box. If we wanted hangers, we had to point to the hangers. Generally speaking, it wasn’t a problem, but we had been warned ahead of time and being prepared for it did help.

Other people onboard your clients will encounter who don’t speak English typically includes the captain and most of the bridge crew and behind-the-scenes workers.

8. Don’t Expect a Reusable Water Bottle

If you have clients that have been on a river cruise in Europe (AmaWaterways or other line), they might have received a reusable water bottle. AmaWaterways is inconsistent with this practice in Europe, but in Colombia they have yet to be provided.

Glass bottles of water are left in the room for onboard use, while boxed water is provided before and during excursions. Additionally, there are refilling water stations for anyone who has brought their own reusable bottle.

(An AmaWaterways spokesperson told TMR this might change after the current dry dock.)

Word of advice: Boxed water warms up very quickly, especially in Colombia’s hot climate. Advise your clients to bring insulated reusable bottles, which they can fill up with ice and water onboard. We’d further recommend you advise clients to bring electrolyte powder as its easy to get dehydrated on these cruises. (A water bottle and some electrolyte packets could make for a great pre-cruise client gift, as well.)

9. You Can’t Get Medicine/Toiletries Onboard

While few, if any, river cruise ships keep toiletries and over-the-counter medicines stocked in their small gift shops, in Europe it’s not a problem to find a pharmacy if your clients ends up needing something. Not so true along the Magdalena River, where some of the towns are so small that it’s hard to find a pharmacy (called droguería in Colombia). Even when there is one, most of the excursions leave no free time to get to one. Remind your clients to make sure their medicine kits are filled and they don’t forget essential toiletries as they’ll be hard to get onboard.

When one of our party ended up needing an over-the-counter medicine, we had to ask one of the destination guides to get it for us during his spare time. Unfortunately, he brought back the wrong medicine and there was never another time to try again.