The past few days I’ve been attending the ASTA River Cruise EXPO in Amsterdam! It is my first time attending the conference and it’s been an amazing introduction to river cruising. I love to have insider information and first-hand experience of the travel products that I sell. This allows me to match you to the best cruise line for you! I’ve toured 12 ships and learned about 9 river cruise brands in detail and then met even more at the trade show.
Part of the education is immersing yourself in the experiences which means a lot of taste-testing! We were surrounded by food. The day starts with breakfast and is pretty normal. Then I attend the general session which includes a break of amazing pastries and coffee. I ate lunch on Riviera which we think is a buffet. I load my plate with salad, veggies, potatoes, creamed spinach, and veal. Then, a sever comes around asking for our order. We all look confused and realize the buffet was just for starters. More food. Then a training about Avalon with snacks. Then a training with Amadeus. More snacks. Before we know it, it’s cocktail hour then dinner. I head back to my ship for an early night and the cruise director is dressed like a disco ball. I guess I’m checking this out. More delicious drinks. I knew I’d be taste test on this trip, but wow do I feel like Violet from Willy Wonka.
My favorite meal was dinner on Uniworld where I ordered the “Regional Culinary Experience.” We’re served bread first with butter in a foil wrapper. Why is foil butter so good? Next, breaded gouda cheese with pear and cranberry. French onion soup. The main entree is spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken. Finally, a Dutch cherry cake. European food > American food.
I’m here for the education, but there is another great perk. There are some giveaways! The AmaSerena and the AmaWaterways crew were even raffling off some river cruises. Before the raffle started, they handed out green Lemon Drop drinks and AMA hats so everyone was a winner. The raffle tickets were handed out at various points of the expo. I received one for riding an AMA bike, one for eating lunch on the AmaMora, and another one for being at the right place at the right time. The tickets have five numbers on them and the first four numbers on one of my tickets was called. I was off by four numbers! It was so close. I didn’t win a cruise, but I’ve won new knowledge, new friends, and new experiences. I’m grateful to ASTA for putting on such a wonderful event! I can’t wait to share even more about river cruising with you!
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