AmaMagna’s Christening - An extraordinary event fit for a revolutionary new ship
Emotions ran high as AmaMagna cruised into her picturesque docking spot in Grein, Austria to begin the official ceremony welcoming the most revolutionary ship on the rivers today. Guests on board and proud crew members lined the Sun Deck as the garland-decorated ship arrived accompanied by the joyous music of a local brass band. Guests were greeted on shore by local dignitaries and brightly outfitted greeters in historical costumes. Entertainers depicting the region’s famous personalities like Empress Sisi and Mozart were on hand to re-create musical favorites including songs from The Sound of Music and “Falco”. Three beautiful white tents provided the stage and seating for the official speeches, the musical entertainment and the delicious regional food and cocktails that were awaiting our guests.
While Rudi and I are very proud and honored to have media guests and valued travel partners join us for the Christening Cruises, what we appreciate most about our ceremonies is that our cruise guests, loyal repeaters and first-timers, make up most of the audience. Sharing the celebration with these guests – who did not know that they would be participating in this special event when they booked their cruise – is a wonderful example of the “surprise and delight” experiences that we love to create.
“Ama” means love and this was a recurring message in the historical AmaWaterways video footage we shared with guests during the ceremony as well as the official speeches including that of Godmother Samantha Brown, who shared her deep love and appreciation for the people and places that are innovating and challenging the way we travel.
After the traditional bottle of champagne was broken on the hull of the ship, the official naming ceremony was complete. Before the gala dinner, media guests joined AmaWaterways’ Senior Vice President of Sales, Gary Murphy, and his sister Susan Murphy in Jimmy’s Restaurant where they shared some loving memories and a touching toast to their late father and our dear friend, AmaWaterways’ Co-Founder Jimmy Murphy.
The participation of the local communities was particularly heart-warming throughout the event – not only did we welcome Mayor Rainer Barth of Grein and members of Parliament, but the Count of Clam and the Prince of Saxe Coburg & Gotha joined us for the celebrations. They, and the town’s residents, contribute to the warm welcome our guests receive whenever we dock in this beautiful historical setting along the Danube.
Later that evening, guests were treated to a spectacular evening show on the Sun Deck that included eye-popping LED-enhanced drummers, jugglers and aerial acrobats! The final fireworks display left us all mesmerized until our extraordinary culinary team tempted us with a mouth-watering dessert buffet that left us invigorated for a first-ever dance party under the stars.
2019 has been an exciting year with so many things to be thankful for. We will be attending our third and final Christening of the year on July 18th when Godmother Libbie Rice, President of Ensemble Travel Group, will be officially welcoming AmaMora on the Rhine.
Click here to view the video of the christening event.