Ama Tulip Time cruise 4-24-17

Following ports:

Amsterdam

Hoorn

Arnhem

Nijmegen

Antwerp

Ghent

Bruges

Rotterdam

Kinderdijk

Schoonhoven

Amsterdam

Any recommendations on what is a must see (or must miss!) in any of these ports?

I'm taking your list in order of MY itinerary (since I have to look through my photo album to jog my memory)....

Ghent: We did Ghent as part of our pre-trip to Belgium. St. Bavo's and the main square are both beautiful. A great city to walk around in.

Schoonhaven: Visited on Sunday so pretty much everything was closed so we didn't stay long....pretty little town...but apparently it's known for silver jewelry..

Kinderdijk: Do get off the ship and walk around. We had a brief introductory film (about 15 min.) and then were on our own. Unfortunately the day we were there was very windy and quite chilly, but it's definitely worth seeing even if it's cold.

Rotterdam: very industrialized and modern...we drove through on our way to Delft. I would not go out of my way to go there again. (Rotterdam, not Delft)

Bruges: One of the most beautiful cities! Not to be missed!! The canal ride is fantastic...if you have time, there is an outdoor restaurant in the main square where we first tasted Kriek beer that was fabulous....this is where you buy chocolate, IMHO. A wonderful walking city.

Antwerp: We had a choice between a walking tour or visit to a diamond factory. Since we weren't interested in buying diamonds, we took the tour! The cathedral houses the Rubens tryptich (which I think might be the one the "Monuments Men" saved, but I won't swear to that). Another wonderfully walkable city.

Nijmegen: We visited on the Queen's Birthday.... EVERYTHING was closed and the entire country holds a National Yard Sale (not kidding) . The men went to an open air war museum and a few of the ladies and I bought orange feather boas and went to the yard sale! Only thing open was the bars and we had a blast. We were there the same time you're going, so if you're anywhere in Netherlands on her b-day get yourself an orange boa and go have some fun!!! :D

Hoorn: It was pouring rain and I stayed on the boat. DH went said it was just like the other small towns we visited, nothing special.

Arnhem: We didn't stop here but I think it might be close to Nijmegen and is where the open air museum and an art museum were located.

Amsterdam: i saved the best for last! Fantastic city!!! Things you MUST do:

Keukenhoff of course....the flowers will blow your mind! The canal boat ride...best way to see the city....either the Rijks or the Van Gogh Museum...they're almost next door to each other. First time we went Rijks was under renovation so DH went there and i went to the VG. Both are totally worth doing but unless you're staying a few extra days, you'll probably not have time to do both.

Optionals and my opinion: The flower auction at Aalsmeer was amazing!!! If you love tulips, this is where to buy them and it's fascinating watching carts filled with flowers moving in and out for bidding. Hard to describe but I would call it must see! The Anne Frank House...if it's on your tour fine....If not, be aware that the lines, especially this time of year, could be hours long...you can buy tickets ahead of time on line....one thing you should know is the stairs up to the attic are very narrow, dark and confining. If you tend to claustrophobia you might not want to do it....I'll be honest I couldn't handle it and had to leave before I went up two steps!

Hope this helps....Glad you're going late April.....flowers should be in full bloom. When you take off from Schipol try for a window seat...you'll be able to see the fields of tulips and it's breathtaking!

PS: I don't know why the sad face is at the top of the page....I didn't put it there and I can't seem to delete it.

Hi, I did Tulip Time back in April and it was FANTASTIC:D

You must go to the Gardens for sure:)

I went on the Limited Edition Tour to Brugges....it was xtra $ but well

worth it. The city is lovely.

I will try to find my paperwork from the cities and post what I did.......

To be honest, this cruise was in my top 2 of all time:)

Hi, I did Tulip Time back in April and it was FANTASTIC:D

 

You must go to the Gardens for sure:)

 

I went on the Limited Edition Tour to Brugges....it was xtra $ but well

worth it. The city is lovely.

 

I will try to find my paperwork from the cities and post what I did.......

To be honest, this cruise was in my top 2 of all time:)

...

Hi Lois.....Yup one of my favs as well....but i love tulips. :D

What is a "Limited Edition Tour"? Is it another name for "optional"?

i notice you did Canada and New England on Oct. 16th....that's the day we came back to Bayonne! It was wonderful..even though we missed a port due to hurricane Matthew. Was it really cold for you guys, cause it was pretty cold when we were there.....no pool chair hogs in site! :D

...

Hi Lois.....Yup one of my favs as well....but i love tulips. :D

 

What is a "Limited Edition Tour"? Is it another name for "optional"?

 

i notice you did Canada and New England on Oct. 16th....that's the day we came back to Bayonne! It was wonderful..even though we missed a port due to hurricane Matthew. Was it really cold for you guys, cause it was pretty cold when we were there.....no pool chair hogs in site! :D

Hi....I just remember we took a bus to Brugge...maybe I have the name

wrong but I know it was extra $, although i don't recall how much.

As for the cruise last month? We had nice weather for about 2 days

and then it went downhill........cold and rainy:rolleyes:

If you are into cycling there is a bicycle museum in Nijmegen that I found very interesting.

Lots of very interesting museums in Amsterdam. I enjoyed the Maritime Museum, Our Lord in the Attic, the Purse Museum. I can't say I enjoyed it, but the Anne Frank house is very moving. I found the Resistance Museum very interesting too. If not included in your tour a canal cruise of Amsterdam is worthwhile.

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Great information! Keep it coming!

Great information! Keep it coming!

In case you want to visit Anne Frankhuis ABSOLUTELY make reservations online. Start checkin their website about 3 months prior and any day after that for your visit. If you have no reservation you can only stay online from about 2 pm. but lines can be extremely long.

Also if a canaltour isnot included in your trip, it is a nice way to see Amsterdam.

In general end of April is the best time to see the tulips in and around Keukenhof, although it depends on the weather in winter.

Also be aware April 27 is Koningsdag (Kingsday). Most towns are filled with fleamarkets, all types of events etc. Many shops will be closed for a part of the day. Amsterdam and major cities are packed with people and lmany will be wearing orange. (color of the dutch royals).

Not mentioned in your cities, I can advise a visit to Delft, nice small old town. In Nieuwe kerk (new church) on Markt dutch royals are buried.

Got my ticket for the Anne Frank house yesterday. Looking for more comments on what to do (or skip) in these ports:

Hoorn is really small; just wander.

When I was there in 2010 there was a bicycle museum in Nijmegen that I as a cyclist found very interesting.

In Bruges going up the tower is worthwhile for the view.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I had a great time on my trip. For the benefit of others, here is what I did:

Amsterdam: hop-on-hop off canal boat. Prepaid tickets for the Anne Frank house at 2:15. Spent 2 hours there. So glad I re-read the book right before my trip!

Hoorn: took ship's tour out to a tulip farm near here. Beautiful and very interesting. Some people staying in town and visited the replica of Henry Hudson's Half Moon.

Arnhem: Took bus trip from here to the Kröller-Müller art museum, which was fantastic. Second largest Van Gogh collection in the world, and many other Impressionist and post-impressionist artists, with a collection that continues to acquire modern art. Lovely grounds with extensive sculpture park. Inside a national park which was lovely in itself.

Nijmegen: Walked around town and visited the park with the ruins of a fort originally built by the Romans and then by Charlemagne.

Antwerp: Walking tour in the morning, the by bus to see the Floralia show at the Groot-Bijgaarden castle near Brussels. Beautiful old family owned and occupied castle with lovely grounds. Lots of tulips but also many other flowers Orchid show in the castle chapel (the only castle area open).

Ghent: walking tour here in the morning. Beautiful buildings, interesting history. Great tour guide.

Bruges: bus here after lunch, same tour guide (who actually lives in Bruges). Walking tour, then some free time. Bought chocolate and chanced upon an organ concert in the Cathedral. Rained most of the day, but it was still beautiful.

Rotterdam: short bus tour to see some of the very interesting modern architecture here, and the out to the Maeslantkering Delta Works, an engineering marvel. Nice small museum that explained the Netherlands Delta Works projects all over the country, and a guided walk up close to these huge structures. Very interesting. Passed a lot of tulip fields on the drive there and back.

Kinderdijk: Arrived here after lunch, visit to the museum and walk with a guide, but I took off on my own to take photos. Cool and windy, but no rain, and amazing clouds.

Schoonhoven: Arrived here during dinner. Some people got off and walked around town a bit. Lovely little town. I did not get off the ship.

Amsterdam: Arrive in early morning. Took ship sponsored canal boat tour, which was fine, then went by bus to see the amazing Keukenhof Gardens. We were there on a Sunday of a long 4 day holiday for most of the Dutch, along with 75,000 other people! 70 million bulbs on 74 acres. Huge traffic jams getting in and out of the parking lot, but we had 4 hours here and still did not get to all the exhibit areas. Wasted time waiting in line for the canal boat tour of the neighboring flower fields, only to discover that it was sold out until after our departure time, so didn't go on this. Took many, many photos and must say this was the highlight of my trip.

Hello! I am doing this cruise in April 2018. We're all of your tours included with the cost of the cruise?

Kim

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