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The Final Leg of the Journey – Christening of Amabella

Article posted: June 3rd, 2010 by Cruisepilot | No Comments »

Join James, one of Cruisepilot’s experienced Cruise Team Leaders on the final leg of his journey to Volendam for the Christening of APT’s latest ship, Amabella.

This morning we set sail for Volendam, a small fishing village close to Amsterdam for the christening party.

We arrived at lunchtime and after eating, headed off on a cheese and clog tour. The tour guides were great explaining the region as we headed off to the farm. On arrival we got to hear about cheese making and sampled some of the cheese. Next on the agenda was a visit to a small clog factory located on the same farm. It was interesting to watch them being made.

The actual christening of the Amabella started at 4pm. Present were a myriad of guests from all areas of the Travel Industry. We were treated to a wonderful performance by the local choir who were dressed in traditional costume as well as an address from the Owners and Directors of APT. 

After an afternoon of celebrations and another fantastic meal, we headed out to experience the local nightlife. Being only a 5 minute walk from the town centre was very convenient. The highlight was finding a local bar called  Lennons. Being a tribute bar to the late John Lennon, the walls were adorned with all things Beatles.

Saturday

This morning after breakfast we headed off in a coach back to Amsterdam – about a 30 mins drive for a sightseeing tour and canal cruise. We got a good insight into the local area and again could not fault the guide. After the coach trip we headed off on a canal cruise in a glass top boat around the many waterways and got to see a different view of the town - from the water.

We rejoined the ship at lunchtime and after eating headed off to Keukenhof gardens. Around 2 million visitors go to the gardens over an 8 week period to see all the tulips in bloom. The gardens are amazing and you could spend all day walking around the acres of manicured grounds. After a few hours of walking around we headed back to Amsterdam for our last night on the ship.

There were two other river boats tied up next to us, the insides of which I could clearly see from my room.  The rooms looked like the inside of a caravan with fold down beds and a fold away table! There were also plastic deck chairs on the top deck - just goes to show that the APT ships have the edge and it was great to be able to compare side by side! In my opinion there is no competition-APT is clearly the winner!

Tonight a few of us were lucky enough to be dining in the 3rd dining area at the rear of the ship. This dining room only seats around 30 guests and diners get to watch the chefs prepare and cook through the glass windowed kitchen. To make it fair, all guests get to reserve a space only once in this dining area whilst on their cruise. Again we could not fault the food, wine and service.

After dinner we headed off for our last night out in Amsterdam. We frequented several bars – only around 3 euro for a beer or wine so not bad. We met a few interesting characters in the bars – the locals and tourists are all very friendly and speak English.

Sunday

Cant believe the week is over! We have to be off the ship to get our transfer to the airport at 8am so after our final breakfast we are on our way.

It has been a great experience seeing Paris for the first time, and the highlight was getting to cruise on a river boat. Now it will be even easier to promote APT cruising and tours having been aboard this amazing ship. I met some great people and having a tour guide and cruise director ensured I maximised the time I had in each place.

James
Cruisepilot Team Leader