AmaKristina Cabins

Of the ship's 78 well-appointed passenger cabins, 67 have at least a French balcony -- a large sliding-glass door that opens to fresh air but offers no outdoor seating area. Of those 67, 49 have both traditional and French balconies.

Decor in all cabins is a relaxing mix of dark faux woods, granite countertops, tan carpeting and curtains, and white linens with red and brown floral accents.

Each stateroom features two twin beds that can be pushed together to form a queen, two nightstands with reading lamps, shelving and extremely limited drawer space, a closet with two bars for hanging clothes, a vanity area with a large mirror and chair, a small wood-and-glass coffee table, full-length mirror, two umbrellas, a hair dryer, a code-operated safe, a mini-fridge stocked with free bottled water, a flower vase and ice bucket, two robes and pairs of slippers, and a set of two QuietVox personal audio devices for use during shore excursions. (Earpieces are provided, but you might want to bring your own set of headphones or earbuds. We found the earpieces uncomfortable.)

Each cabin also comes equipped with a Mac desktop computer. Passengers can use it as a computer, taking advantage of the ship's complimentary and reasonably reliable bow-to-stern Wi-Fi, or use it as a TV. Channel options are CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg Europe, Discovery, Animal Planet, TLC, Vh-1, National Geographic and channels with movies (family, Sundance), sports (soccer, golf) and ship information (safety, bridge cam, announcements, daily activities).

The majority of the ship's outlets are 220-volt two-pronged European style. Each stateroom has one or two North American-style outlets, including one by the bed. USB outlets are also found next to the bed for easy overnight cellphone charging.

Bathrooms are compact but functional. They're modern with white flooring and walls, offset by brown faux wood cabinets and brown granite countertops and shelving, which is ample for storage of toiletries. Hydro brand shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion are provided, along with shower caps, vanity sets and small sewing repair kits. The shower-only setups have glass doors, rather than annoying curtains, and they include both regular (detachable) showerheads and overhead-style rain showerheads. (Be careful! The same knob controls both; if you turn it too far when shutting the regular showerhead off, you'll get a surprise drenching from above.) The water pressure is impressive.

Fluffy, white towels and washcloths are provided, as is a makeup mirror. However, we found that the harsh overhead lighting cast shadows that made it difficult to apply makeup in the bathroom. We recommend applying it by the vanity instead.

Our only minor gripe is that the bathroom doors are connected to cords that cause them to close automatically. If you're hoping to keep the door open, you'll need to use something -- a chair, a suitcase -- to prop it. Each bathroom also has a window that looks into the rest of the cabin, which we found a bit strange. A switch in the bathroom frosts it for privacy.

Each night at turn-down, our cabin steward left us pillow chocolates -- a rare gesture on many ships. One night we also came back from dinner to the most elaborate towel dog we'd ever seen. On several evenings, AmaKristina passengers also receive take-home recipe cards that offer guidance on making local dishes like Hungarian sauerkraut soup and Alsatian bundt cake.

River View: Eleven fixed-window cabins, located on Piano Deck, offer 160 square feet of space and water-level views through twin windows that don't open.

French Balconies: This group of 18 cabins, found on the Cello and Violin decks, includes French balconies that allow passengers to get some fresh air while in their rooms. Each cabin offers 155 to 170 square feet of space.

French and Outside Balconies: These 45 staterooms, spread across the Cello and Violin decks, range in size from 210 to 235 square feet and boast two balconies each -- one French and one outdoor. Each outdoor balcony features two padded faux wicker chairs and a small table for drinks. A dozen rooms in this group of cabins offer one additional berth each, in the form of a chair that folds out into a twin bed. A further 12 cabins can be connected for larger groups traveling together.

Suites With French and Outside Balconies: These 350-square-foot staterooms are the largest onboard; all four are found on Violin Deck and offer both a French and outside balcony with two faux wicker chairs and a drinks table. The interior layout is a bit different from that found in other cabins. A small living area with a TV, couch (which turns into a two-person pullout bed), desk/vanity with chair, storage cupboards, two chairs and a coffee table gives way to a queen French-balcony-facing bed and closet in their own alcove that's offset by an odd partition of slatted blinds that don't close. The bathroom is slightly larger than average and includes a bathtub. In addition to the living area television, there's also a Mac desktop mounted in the wall across from the queen bed; it functions like a TV. A wall-mounted (but removable) iPad and a MacBook are provided for passenger use in each suite, as well.