The second Colombian ship, a year after the first
AmaMelodia entered service in 2026, a year after the hull that opened the
Magdalena for the line. Doubling its presence on a river within a year says
something: the destination found its audience faster than expected.
Our count on 26 August 2026 found 58 departure dates, the first on 2 September
2026, between Barranquilla and Cartagena. The calendar covers 2026 and 2027.
Slightly larger than its elder
Sixty-eight metres, 64 guests, 32 cabins, against 60 in 30 on the first hull.
The gap is slim and comes from the internal layout. Every cabin carries the line's
twin balcony, with areas varying by category.
What the Magdalena asks of you
Curiosity more than comfort. This is a tropical river whose tourist
infrastructure is still being built, with calls that often turn on one thing done
well and an unexpected element that is part of the product. The fishing villages,
the wetland wildlife and Mompox are worth the journey; the well-oiled machine of a
Rhine cruise, no, it does not exist here yet.
It also asks the precautions of any tropical destination: vaccinations up to
date, mosquito protection, suitable travel insurance.
The other ships in the fleet
AmaMagdalena opened this river in 2025. AmaDara serves the Mekong, AmaDahlia and AmaLilia the Nile.
What the cruise fare covers
Meals are included, with wine and beer served at lunch and dinner, soft
drinks at any hour and a daily cocktail before supper. Guided excursions are
included at every port. Wi-Fi is included. Bicycles are aboard, free to use
during port calls on the European ships.
Outings are graded by effort: gentle, regular, active. That is not brochure
caution. An active visit strings together stairs and slopes for three hours, and
anyone who overestimates themselves at the start regrets it on the way back.
Choose the level the evening before, not on the morning itself.
Two items are not included and they matter. Gratuities for the crew and the
guides remain your responsibility on every destination: the line suggests an
amount, it does not charge it. Air travel is not included either, unless bought
through the line's own air programme.
Who this ship suits
The clientele is adult. There is no children's club, no childcare and no
youth programme, and every traveller under eighteen shares a cabin with a
responsible adult. The minimum age varies by destination and grows stricter on
the African journeys; have it confirmed for the date you want.
A lift links the main decks, but it does not reach the sun deck, which is
accessed by stair. That is where the landscape is watched from. Add to that
boarding gangways that vary from quay to quay, and calls where you cross another
ship moored alongside to reach the bank. Reduced mobility is prepared for, not
improvised.
Booking from Quebec
Voyages AquaTerra operates under a licence from Quebec's Office de la
protection du consommateur. The sums you pay move through a trust account kept
separate from the agency's own funds, and the Compensation Fund for Customers of
Travel Agents steps in where the law provides. That protection does not follow a
booking made outside Quebec.
The ship is the simple part of the file. The flight, the connection, the
hotel night before embarkation and the transfer to the pier make up the rest,
and that is where the real comfort of a departure is decided.
