A ship with no lift, and it must be said before you book
AmaDara has no lift between its decks. It is the only hull in the fleet in that
position, and it is the kind of detail that never heads a brochure although it
decides the voyage for some travellers.
In practice: every climb to the sun deck, every descent to the dining room,
every return from an outing goes by stair. Over a seven-day cruise that is a lot
of steps. A traveller who climbs a staircase without thinking will not notice. A
traveller whose knees count their steps must know before paying a deposit, not on
boarding at Saigon.
The Mekong, between Vietnam and Cambodia
The ship links the Saigon region to Siem Reap by way of Phnom Penh. Our count
on 26 August 2026 found 83 departure dates, running both ways.
Angkor is not reached by river. Siem Reap lies a road journey from the Tonlé
Sap, and visiting the temples takes two or three land days at the start or the end
of the trip. No ship goes there, and it is not a limitation of this line.
The hull
Ninety-two metres, 120 guests, 60 cabins, out of a Ho Chi Minh City yard in
2015. Every cabin has the line's twin balcony: a sliding glass wall and a real
outdoor balcony. In this climate the veranda becomes the room where you spend
most of your waking time.
The other ships in the fleet
AmaDahlia and AmaLilia serve the Nile. AmaMagdalena and AmaMelodia sail the Magdalena in Colombia.
What is included, and the two things that are not
Included: accommodation, all meals, wine and beer at meals, soft drinks at
any time, a daily cocktail, guided excursions at every port, Wi-Fi, and
bicycles aboard the European ships.
Not included: gratuities and air travel. Gratuities are included on none of
the line's destinations, not in Europe, not on the Mekong, not on the Nile, not
in Colombia. The suggested amount changes from one destination to another; the
rule does not. That is a real difference from several river lines in the same
category, and it belongs in the budget from the start rather than being
discovered at disembarkation.
The flight is booked separately or through the line's air programme. Your
advisor will tell you what each arrangement covers.
The clientele aboard
Adult, with no youth programme and no childcare. Under-eighteens share a
cabin with a responsible adult, and the minimum age changes by destination:
stricter in Africa than in Europe. A family with young children will be better
served elsewhere, and it is better to hear that now.
On access, the lift serves the main decks and stops short of the sun deck.
Boarding gangways vary with the quay, and you sometimes cross a ship moored
alongside to get ashore. Raise your mobility before booking rather than
after.
The Quebec framework
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. Your payments go into a trust account, and the Compensation Fund
for Customers of Travel Agents covers the situations set out in the Travel
Agents Act, including a supplier's failure. The cover has defined limits, best
explained to you before you pay a deposit.
Allow a connection, often two on distant itineraries, and a hotel night
before embarkation. That night is not a luxury: it is the margin that absorbs a
delayed flight.
