This story was written by Kendra Strey and originally appeared in AAA's Westways magazine, the member publication of the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Any good decorator will tell you that your foyer makes your household’s statement. Or that it should. It tells guests whether you’re bold, sophisticated, classic, inviting or that you don’t follow tradition.
When I boarded Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection’s new S.S. Antoinette in Amsterdam last March, the vessel’s two-deck-high lobby told me a lot about the riverboat that was to be my home for the next few days. A stunning 10-foot sapphire Baccarat chandelier shimmered ever so elegantly as passengers circled it while descending a spiral staircase to the reception desk. Strauss fashioned the piece for New York City’s famous Tavern on the Green restaurant.

“My father had eaten many meals under that chandelier,” said the ship’s interior designer, Antoinette (Toni) Tollman, as we admired the piece from the top of the staircase. She was referring to Stanley Tollman, chairman of the Travel Corporation, Uniworld’s parent company. When Tavern closed in 2009, the Tollmans snagged the fixture at auction. “We didn’t know what we were going to do with it,” said Tollman. “I guess my father never thought we’d build a whole ship for it.”

I inspected nearly every square inch of the Antoinette on a 3-night preview cruise between Amsterdam and Hoorn, a few hours north. The regular 7-night Castles Along the Rhine itinerary travels between Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland, treating passengers to views of some of the 40-plus castles along the Rhine River, but even my short trip hooked me on river cruising.

Prior to this voyage, I’d cruised only in the ocean on a megaship carting more than 2,000 passengers. What a difference the 443-foot-long, 164-passenger Antoinette was. I enjoyed cruising with the smaller group of fellow passengers, and I felt as though I got to know them while socializing on the sundeck and taking day trips ashore. And I appreciated the ambience Tollman had created.

European Elegance
“You need to give people a little fantasy,” Tollman said, as she showed me around the vessel, explaining that she wanted her design approach to teach travelers about another time and another part of the world. “The ship design itself is part of your total Europe experience, not just the motorcoach tours and other shore excursions. You come back to the ship and the immersion continues.”

Tollman explained that for inspiration, she drew on the glamour of 18th-century France. She modeled the main lounge, Salon du Grand Trianon, after the Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors; mirrors adorn the salon’s square columns, with a herringbone wooden dance floor in the center. Clustered furnishings create cozy nooks for small groups to enjoy tea and conversation or for solos to delve into a good book.

With every stroll around the ship over the ensuing days, I felt more drawn in by the artistic detail. That chandelier at the entry wowed, of course, but so did the hand-picked art books in the salon; the 1920s–1940s movie posters in the 20-seat theater; and original sketches, lithographs, and oil paintings selected from personal collections and showcased in the hallways. Even my cabin (one of the basic staterooms) had marble flooring and countertops and heavy glass shower doors in the bathroom.

Going With the Flow
I found that the Antoinette’s dedication to quality extended to the food and activities. My friend and traveling companion, Rebekah Bryant, a California-based marketing professional, was excited to attend the onboard art talk one afternoon. Historian Jan Oosterman discussed the masters of the Dutch Golden Age, focusing on pieces that were currently on view at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.

“When traveling, I think it’s important to learn something about the spirit of a place,” Rebekah said after the lecture. “I don’t want to only see paintings. I want to know who made them, why they were made, and what they mean. They patch together something about the character of a city. The more you explore cultural riches—be it through art, film, music, writings, paintings, cuisine—the more the heart of a place appears.”

I took that afternoon to evaluate four intricate mosaics that adorn walls in the ship: two in the restaurant and two in the indoor pool area. It took South African artist Jane du Rand six months to complete them, from the sketching to the search for the perfect tiles to the actual composition.

Rebekah and I reconvened in the Salon du Grand Trianon for afternoon tea, which is offered daily. Being American, I don’t “tea” all that often, yet by my third day, I found myself looking forward to sitting around, sipping Earl Grey and snacking on the charcuterie and ornate miniature desserts.

The care that went into preparing those snacks carried over to our main meals in the Restaurant de Versailles. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style (braver souls than I ate the pickled herring, a Northern European delicacy), but dinner was always a grand yet comfortable affair. Multicourse meals showcased a mix of flavors and styles; I was equally impressed by the beef filet one night and a glammed-up shepherd’s pie the next.

On our last evening, my party chatted at the dinner table until past 10 p.m., when we heard sounds of revelry coming from the salon. There we found that a contemporary jazzy songstress had already drawn several folks onto the dance floor.

Taking a seat on a chaise, I settled in for a good dose of people watching. I ordered a champagne cocktail and pulled out a cookie I’d slipped into my purse. Tollman had told me that, during her design research, she’d come across an image of Marie Antoinette with a table of the decorative sweets she was so notoriously fond of. Tollman asked the ship’s pastry chef to create a dessert in the same fashion, and the result was this sugar cookie ornately decorated with a gold “A,” presented in a delicate bag. As I nibbled on the cookie, I thought to myself, Marie Antoinette would’ve giggled with delight.

Read more about the S.S. Antoinette and Amsterdam attractions in the Eight Great Dutch Treats blog post.