AmaBella (APT) Cabins

Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Cabins
Jeannine Williamson
Contributor

There are 81 river-facing staterooms located on three decks and ranging in size from 170 square feet to 320 square feet. A prominent feature is that more than half are Twin Balcony Suites, with both a French balcony and full walk-out veranda.

The cabins come in 11 categories, but many are exactly the same size and the category purely relates to their position on the ship. The main four choices are between cabins with fixed windows on the lower deck, French balcony cabins, twin-balcony cabins and suites.

The decor in all staterooms is a muted and stylish combination of gold, cream and duck egg blue with a splash of colour provided by contemporary artwork over the bed. There are glossy walnut wood-style finishes on the cupboards that add an extra touch of sophistication. Aside from AmaBella's one single cabin, they can all be configured as twins or doubles and beds have one duvet per couple rather than individual ones. There is plenty of storage space, including room for suitcases to be stowed under the bed. Standard amenities in every cabin include climate control, flat-screen TV and combined "infotainment" system, full-length mirror, plug-in hair dryer, direct-dial telephone, ice bucket, towelling bathrobes and slippers, umbrella and safe large enough for items such as laptops. Complimentary bottles of water are provided and replenished daily. The onboard tap water is also of drinking water quality.

Wardrobes have two rails and wooden removable clothes hangers. The other side of the wardrobe has five large open shelves. There are further cupboards and shelves on the dressing table/desk unit and pair of bedside cabinets. Cabins also have a free-standing table and two comfortable chairs. It would have been useful to have had a stool in front of the dressing table/desk. Although one was shown in the cabin plan in the brochure there was not one in our cabin, so it was a case of pulling one of the chairs over.

There is ample lighting set in the ceiling, along with lamps on each side of the bed and a light over the desk/dressing table. The onboard voltage is 220 volts with European two-pin sockets, so passengers need to bring adapters. Dual voltage appliances may need an additional converter to work, and these can be borrowed from the reception desk. Cabins have a good number of sockets that are easy to reach, plus a USB port. TV programmes include BBC World, CNN, Sky and a variety of sports, film and travel channels. Classic and new-release films are also available and passengers can also watch the progress of the ship through the bow webcam. The system also has a keyboard for internet access, however this does not allow for downloading attachments or streaming. AmaBella is a "quiet ship" and onboard announcements are not broadcast into cabins. There is no chance of missing anything as the Daily Cruiser programme, outlining the following day's timetable, including shore excursions, mealtimes, activities and the ship's arrival and departure times, is left in the cabin at nightly turndown. Information is also available on the TV.

Bathrooms are a good size, with a large walk-in shower accessed by a sliding door. The shower has a height adjustable nozzle, which can be used fixed or handheld, and there is also an overhead rainfall shower. The shower cubicle has a soap/toiletry rack and washing line. There is storage space in the area around the wash basin, which also has cupboards beneath, and there is a long, narrow shelf running below a large mirror. There are ample towel rails and hooks on the wall. A shaving/makeup mirror is fixed on the wall above a shaving socket. Small bottles of Hydro Basics shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion are provided along with soap bars. Other amenities include a shower cap, a vanity kit containing cotton buds and cotton pads, a sewing kit and shoeshine cloth.

There are no specially adapted or wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Riverview: AmaBella's 76 staterooms are divided between the Piano (lower), Cello (middle) and Violin (upper) decks. The 19 Twin Window Suites on the Piano Deck measure 170 square feet and include one single cabin. They have two fixed windows that cannot be opened. The cabins on this deck are categorised as E single, E and D. The 31 cabins on the Cello Deck are made up of eight category C Panoramic Balcony Suites with the remainder being Panoramic Balcony & Outside Balcony Suites, in categories T and P. The Panoramic Balcony Suites, all located at the back of the ship, have a French balcony and measure 210 square feet. The Panoramic Balcony & Outside Balcony Suites all measure 235 square feet and have a fridge, French balcony and walk-out veranda with an attractive wooden deck, pair of mesh-covered chairs and a table. The category T cabins benefit from room service. The category P cabins have silver butler service, which includes breakfast and dinner room service, in-cabin tea and coffee service from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., shoeshine and two items of clothing pressed per day. The upper Violin Deck has six Panoramic Balcony Suites located at the back of the ship at the same size as the ones on the deck below. Categorised as B+ cabins, they include room service. There are 20 Panoramic Balcony & Outside Balcony Suites on this deck, again exactly the same size as their counterparts on the middle deck. They are category T+ and P+ cabins. The T+ staterooms come with silver butler service and the P+ cabins have gold butler service. In addition to the benefits of silver butler service, the gold butler service also includes one bag of complimentary laundry per cabin, per week, afternoon fruit, pre-dinner canapes and evening petits fours, packing and unpacking service, excursion and dining reservations.

Suite: The five suites are all situated forward on the Violin Deck. There are four Owner's Suites measuring 300 square feet. They have a French balcony and walk-out balcony, fridge and bathroom with two wash basins, a bathtub and separate shower. In addition to gold butler service, extra perks include a bottle of Champagne on arrival. The one Owner's Suite is located forward on the Violin Deck and measures 350 square feet. It has a larger inside seating area with a settee in addition to two chairs, and a larger walk-out balcony with two footstools in front of the chairs. It also has a bathroom with two basins, bathtub and separate shower and includes gold butler service and a bottle of Champagne on arrival.

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