AMADEA
February 6, 2026 | San Francisco, California
Amadea (Phoenix Reisen) was in San Francisco on February 6, 2026, during an extended three-day call at Pier 35. The former Japanese cruise ship Asuka shared the port that day with Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, bringing together two very different generations of passenger ships before Amadea continued her world voyage across the Pacific toward Hawaii and Japan.
Amadea is a relatively small cruise ship with an unusual history connecting the Japanese and German cruise markets. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Japan, she entered service in 1991 as Asuka for NYK Cruises and became one of the most prominent modern cruise ships developed specifically for the Japanese market during that era. After approximately 15 years in Japanese service, she was replaced by the larger Asuka II and began a new career in 2006 as Amadea, operating for German tour operator Phoenix Reisen. Her approximately 29,000-gross-ton size and capacity of fewer than 600 passengers make her considerably smaller than most modern cruise ships, while allowing her to continue operating extensive international itineraries more than three decades after entering service.
Information List
Name: Amadea
Former Name: Asuka (1991–2006)
Operator: Phoenix Reisen
Owner: Amadea Shipping Ltd.
Builder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki, Japan
Yard Number: 2050
Keel Laid: April 16, 1990
Launched: April 6, 1991
Entered Service: December 24, 1991
Ship Type: Cruise ship
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 29,000 GT
Length: Approximately 193 meters / 633 feet
Beam: Approximately 25 meters / 81 feet
Draft: Approximately 6.8 meters / 22 feet
Passenger Capacity: Maximum 570 in current Phoenix Reisen configuration
Crew: Approximately 315
Passenger Decks: 8
Propulsion: Two Mitsubishi-MAN diesel engines
Cruising Speed: Approximately 14–18 knots
Flag: Bahamas
Port of Registry: Nassau
IMO Number: 8913162
Former Operator: NYK Cruises
Recent Refurbishment: 2024
Visit Shown: February 6, 2026, San Francisco, California
Berth: Pier 35S
Also in Port: Queen Mary 2
Next Destination: Hilo, Hawaii
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
The ship was constructed as Asuka by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at Nagasaki, Japan.
Her keel was laid on April 16, 1990, and she was launched on April 6, 1991.
She entered service in December 1991 for NYK Cruises.
Asuka was designed primarily for the Japanese cruise market and became an important ship in the development of modern Japanese cruising.
Her comparatively compact dimensions reflected a very different approach to cruise-ship design from the increasingly large resort ships being developed elsewhere during the 1990s.
From Asuka to Amadea:
Asuka remained in Japanese service for approximately 15 years.
In 2006, NYK Cruises replaced her with the substantially larger Asuka II, formerly Crystal Harmony.
The original Asuka was acquired by Amadea Shipping Ltd., renamed Amadea, and entered service for Phoenix Reisen in March 2006.
The change began a second major phase of the ship’s career, shifting her from the Japanese market to international cruising aimed primarily at German-speaking passengers.
By the time of the February 2026 San Francisco visit, Amadea was approaching 20 years of service with Phoenix Reisen.
Design and Features:
At approximately 193 meters long and 29,000 gross tons, Amadea belongs to a much smaller generation of cruise ships than most vessels constructed today.
Phoenix Reisen operates the ship with a maximum capacity of approximately 570 passengers.
Her accommodations and public areas have been updated repeatedly during her Phoenix Reisen career, including cabin renovations in 2021 and 2024.
The ship retains conventional diesel propulsion using two Mitsubishi-MAN engines driving twin controllable-pitch propellers.
Her relatively small dimensions allow Amadea to operate long international itineraries while visiting destinations that may be less practical for the largest contemporary cruise ships.
Service:
Since entering Phoenix Reisen service in 2006, Amadea has operated extensive international itineraries.
Her voyages have included Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, North and South America, the Pacific, Asia, and extended world cruises.
Phoenix Reisen has continued to use the ship for long destination-focused voyages rather than the short, resort-oriented itineraries common aboard many larger contemporary cruise ships.
Amadea has also become familiar to German television audiences through her role as a filming location for the long-running ZDF series Das Traumschiff.
2025–2026 World Cruise:
The San Francisco visit occurred during Amadea’s extensive 2025–2026 world voyage.
The voyage began in December 2025 and continued through May 2026, taking the ship westward on a long itinerary through the Americas, Pacific, Asia, and other regions.
Before reaching San Francisco, Amadea called at San Diego on February 3.
After a day at sea on February 4, she arrived in San Francisco on the morning of February 5.
San Francisco was an unusually long call, giving passengers two nights and three calendar days in the city.
The port also served as an embarkation point for passengers joining the next trans-Pacific portion of the voyage.
Amadea and Queen Mary 2 – San Francisco, February 6, 2026:
February 6 provided an unusual meeting between Amadea and Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 in San Francisco.
The two ships represented markedly different approaches to passenger-ship design.
Amadea, built in 1991 as the Japanese Asuka, is a relatively small traditional cruise ship of approximately 29,000 gross tons and fewer than 600 passengers.
Queen Mary 2, entering service in 2004, is approximately five times larger by gross tonnage and was purpose-built as a true ocean liner capable of maintaining regular North Atlantic service.
Their simultaneous presence provided a particularly interesting contrast between a smaller early-1990s cruise ship and the world’s best-known modern ocean liner.
Amadea was midway through her extended San Francisco stay, while Queen Mary 2 was making her own call during an extended voyage.
The February 6 photographs therefore document not only Amadea’s San Francisco visit but also the rare opportunity to see these two very different passenger ships sharing the same port.
San Francisco – February 6, 2026:
Amadea arrived in San Francisco on February 5 and was scheduled at Pier 35S through February 7.
February 6 was her full middle day in port.
Phoenix Reisen also used San Francisco as an embarkation point for passengers beginning a 30-day segment marketed as “Von ‘Frisco’ ins Land der aufgehenden Sonne,” taking passengers from San Francisco toward the “Land of the Rising Sun.”
The voyage continued across the Pacific through Hawaii and Micronesia before reaching Japan.
Amadea departed San Francisco at approximately 5:00 p.m. on February 7.
Her next scheduled destination was Hilo, Hawaii, following several days at sea.
The extended stay, trans-Pacific embarkation, and simultaneous presence of Queen Mary 2 made this more significant than a routine one-day San Francisco cruise call.
Legacy:
Amadea is an increasingly uncommon survivor from the generation of smaller purpose-built cruise ships constructed during the early 1990s.
Her career connects two distinct cruise markets and eras: approximately 15 years as Japan’s Asuka followed by two decades of international service for Phoenix Reisen.
Continued refurbishment has allowed the ship to remain active more than three decades after entering service.
Her extended San Francisco visit in February 2026 demonstrates the long-distance, destination-focused role she continues to fill, while her meeting with Queen Mary 2 provided a striking comparison between two very different surviving traditions in modern passenger shipping.
