Emerald Waterways Question

[keokukjoe]

Hi:

Booked on a Splendours of Europe cruise on the Emerald Sky leaving Amsterdam 0n 7/12. They will provide transfers from AMS Schiphol airport to the ship but I have 2 questions:

1. How much time do they give you from scheduled flight arrival to pick up time and where is the "meeting point" at the airport? I am actually arriving on the day before and overnighting at the Hilton at the airport so will need to make our way back to the meeting point. 

2. Where is the ship usually docked? Is there anything to see in Amsterdam close to the dock? 

Any other insight or advice is appreciated. 

Thanks.

[JRice]

We cruised with Emerald in 2017 on the same itinerary that you will be on.

I can't help with question #1 because we did not use the airport to ship transfer - we were in Amsterdam for 3 nights prior to the cruise and paid for a car service to our hotel.  However - I do have a suggestion. The cruise leaves from very near the train station. There is a Hilton Double Tree right there and you can see the ship from the hotel.  There is PLENTY to do within walking distance of the hotel ... check some of the travel sites for things to do in Amsterdam ... Take a car service from the airport to the Double Tree and enjoy the rest of your day and part of the next. We were allowed to board about noon - you can then walk back across the street into the tourist area.  Emerald provided an excursion in AMS - 1 hour canal boat ride and one hour walking tour the morning after we boarded.  Check the details on your itinerary. Have fun. 

I think a hop on hop off bus stops near the ship.  

[ericosmith]

You can't miss it.  Everyone meets at the same place after clearing custioms.  There are signs pointing to "meeting point".  Pickup shuttles were scheduled based on flight arrival times.  

[keokukjoe]

JRice: Thank you for your response. We have been to Amsterdam multiple times for longer stays in the city center so we really aren't interested in staying in a hotel closer to the ship. We selected the Hilton at the airport because of it's outstanding reviews and convenience after a long travel day. It's connected to Schiphol Plaza (the shopping area outside of customs) by moving walkways. How did you like Emerald? This is our first river cruise so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again!

ericosmith: Thank you for your response. Is the "meeting place" inside Schiphol Plaza (the shopping area outside of customs) inside the airport? Does the photo in your post show the sign (red and white) we should be looking for? Thanks again.

[gnome12]

33 minutes ago, keokukjoe said:

JRice: Thank you for your response. We have been to Amsterdam multiple times for longer stays in the city center so we really aren't interested in staying in a hotel closer to the ship. We selected the Hilton at the airport because of it's outstanding reviews and convenience after a long travel day. It's connected to Schiphol Plaza (the shopping area outside of customs) by moving walkways. How did you like Emerald? This is our first river cruise so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again!

ericosmith: Thank you for your response. Is the "meeting place" inside Schiphol Plaza (the shopping area outside of customs) inside the airport? Does the photo in your post show the sign (red and white) we should be looking for? Thanks again.

I'm not talking specifically about Emerald because I don't know. However, sometimes airport pickups are only for people flying in on embarkation day. You might have to do what some have done, find a flight that others might be on and tell them that you are arriving on that flight. They need to have you on a list, by flight arrivals. You can't just show up at the airport and expect a pickup. (Emerald may be fine with this; they may just tell you to be at the airport at a specified time when others are arriving; but they may not.)

[TravelerThom]

From Emerald’s Terms and Conditions:

 

”Airport Transfers. Airport transfers are available only on the first and last day of your tour and at times designated by Emerald. Transfers outside these times will be at your expense and must be secured by your own arrangements. Passengers who have purchased hotel accommodation and airfare from Emerald prior to tour or after tour will be provided with airport transfers to or from their hotel. If your airline booking is not made by Emerald, you must ensure your flight details are provided to Emerald. No refund will be given for any unused transfers. Transfers cannot be routed to other pick-up points or destinations. In the event of a missed transfer, you will be responsible for making substitute travel arrangements, at your own expense. All transfers must be booked and Emerald must be advised of all flights no less than 60 days prior to travel. Airport and ship transfers may be group transfers scheduled to coincide with multiple flight arrival times.”

 

Note the “no less than 60 days”. If Emerald gives you a difficult time about not flying in day of, just find a flight arriving at a time convenient to you and give them that as your info. 

 

There are 5 different docking areas in Amsterdam, some much more convenient to Centraal than others. While various lines have areas in which they may usually dock, berths are assigned at the discretion of the Port Captain. 

[JRice]

4 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

JRice: Thank you for your response. We have been to Amsterdam multiple times for longer stays in the city center so we really aren't interested in staying in a hotel closer to the ship. We selected the Hilton at the airport because of it's outstanding reviews and convenience after a long travel day. It's connected to Schiphol Plaza (the shopping area outside of customs) by moving walkways. How did you like Emerald? This is our first river cruise so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again!

ericosmith: Thank you for your response. Is the "meeting place" inside Schiphol Plaza (the shopping area outside of customs) inside the airport? Does the photo in your post show the sign (red and white) we should be looking for? Thanks again.

Keokukjoe - 2017 Emerald cruise was our first river cruise after many ocean cruises.  It was a very different but very enjoyable experience - ie. no casino, no Broadway type shows, not 3500 passengers, only a few steps from cabin to dining room, etc.  We and the couple that joined us on the cruise have booked another one with Emerald this May on the Rhone River in France.  Following is a copy of the review that I wrote and posted regarding the cruise.  Enjoy yourself. If you would like to contact me directly my email is jerrygiam@verizon.net.

This was our first river cruise after many ocean cruises because we wanted to visit central Europe and to experience the difference of  a river cruise.  The cruise was 14 nights from Amsterdam to Budapest.

 

We flew to Amsterdam to tour for 2 days prior to the cruise and I would recommend others to arrive at the embarkation city a few days in advance to adjust to jet lag as well as to enjoy the city.

 

We chose Emerald because of their full itinerary.

 

The embarkation process was as easy as could be, it took no more then 3 minutes to get our room keys.  We choose Emerald because their ships are at most 2 years old, they visited all the towns we wanted to see, their pricing was significantly less than their competitors, they had an included excursion at every port, all staff gratuities were included as well as airport or hotel transfers.

 

The ship's interior was very contemporary, lots of glass and chrome decor and wrap around windows in the lounge and dining room making it easy to have an uninterrupted view of the scenery. Our cabin was well designed with plenty of storage in the cabin and bathroom.  The exterior wall was all glass to maximize viewing whereby you could lower the top half of the glass wall when weather permitted. 

 

Dining:  

Breakfast was always a large, varied buffet accompanied with made to order eggs and omelets.  There was every sort of cereal, yogurt, deli meats and cheeses, breakfast meats and baked goods.  Everything was of high quality and tasty.

Lunch was also always a large, varied buffet and once again everything was of high quality and very tasty.  Many lunch items were regionally oriented.

Dinner was sit down served by waiters with a different menu every day and comprised of a choice of appetizers, a delicious soup of the day, choice of 3 entrees and 2 desserts.

Overall the dinners were more creative than found on ocean cruise ships and it was plated with an artist's eye for color and flair.

 

Included daily excursions were conducted by professional local guides that spoke perfect English, were well worth the time and were informative. 

 

On board extra activities included local talent and demonstrations - ie. a glass blower, an Ompha band, zither player, dancers, etc.  

 

Our cruise director Jana was a GEM!  She was as pleasant as could be and arranged for a MD to come aboard to treat a few of us for colds.  She even went to the pharmacy in port to pick up the prescriptions the MD ordered.  NOW, that is service!

The rest of the staff did their best to please the passengers.

 

We can strongly recommend Emerald to anyone who want to experience a river cruise.

 

Jerome Giambalvo
jerrygiam@verizon.net

 

[ericosmith]

Here's a better picture with a wider angle. 

 

It is in the shopping area.  When we were there there were multiple cruise lines with with the typical handheld signs.  There were two with Emerald signs.  One was an Emerald representative the the other was a shuttle driver.  They had a list with names for that particular shuttle and when all of those on the list arrived it left.  They basically ran them based on the flight schedules that were provided ahead of time.

[keokukjoe]

Does anyone who has been on the Emerald Sky recall how many available electric outlets are available and their locations to plug in cell phones, camera and other chargers. All are rated 110-240 so I believe that I only need to bring the adapters but not a transformer. Thanks.

Karen

[RachelSebs]

I am on the boat coming the other way and getting off on the 12th. I had the same question about Zurich airport.  Waiting to get a little closer to sort this out with Emerald.  We arrive before 8am so wondering if we should head into Zurich and just make our own way to Basel.  Any suggestions from anyone?

 

It's such an easy ride from Schipol to Amsterdam, i would probably just make my own way there on my own schedule. 

 

[mjmiller]

We did Amsterdam to Budapest on Emerald last July.  Loved it!  I have an extensive blog that is finished thru the cruise, and I'm putting the last few post-cruise stops in.  If you're interested:  NomadMillers

 

If you have specific questions - I can try to answer.  🙂  We didn't use their transport pre- or post- cruise, so can't help out there.

Edited April 27, 2019 by mjmiller

[keokukjoe]

Could you answer the question that l posted (see above) concerning the # and types out electrical outlets? We'll be on the Sky. THANK you!

[keokukjoe]

Great blog. I noticed that in your photo of your group of eight, 3 if the men wore shorts. Is it permissable for men to wear nice Bermuda shorts fir dinner in Emerakd ships? My husband sure hopes so. 

[mjmiller]

On 4/22/2019 at 8:33 AM, keokukjoe said:

Does anyone who has been on the Emerald Sky recall how many available electric outlets are available and their locations to plug in cell phones, camera and other chargers. All are rated 110-240 so I believe that I only need to bring the adapters but not a transformer. Thanks.

Karen

Sorry, I don't know how many.  We took one adapter and just took turns.  For low power items like you mentioned, an adapter is fine.  We even had a notebook that was fine with the adapter. 

[mjmiller]

2 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

Great blog. I noticed that in your photo of your group of eight, 3 if the men wore shorts. Is it permissable for men to wear nice Bermuda shorts fir dinner in Emerakd ships? My husband sure hopes so. 

 

Thanks!  Officially, I believe pants are supposed to be worn.  But one guy onboard wore shorts one night, then the next night a couple more guys did... by the end of our cruise, a lot of guys were wearing shorts. Nobody (on our cruise) cared.  I say wear them one night, see what happens.  😉

[keokukjoe]

mjmiller: THANK YOU for your wonderful information. 

[phabric]

15 hours ago, mjmiller said:

We did Amsterdam to Budapest on Emerald last July.  Loved it!  I have an extensive blog that is finished thru the cruise, and I'm putting the last few post-cruise stops in.  If you're interested:  NomadMillers

 

If you have specific questions - I can try to answer.  🙂  We didn't use their transport pre- or post- cruise, so can't help out there.

Thank you for your review, I enjoyed reading it.  It answered many questions.

 

I have taken one AMA River Cruise.  They had 3 groups for each their walking tours, easy, regular, and hike, the same tour but at a different pace.

 

Did Emerald have different walking pace for their tours?

[JRice]

Yes. They have 3 levels. I don't recall the names but 

The easiest is perfect for those with any limiting abilities such as canes, walkers, aches, short of breath. The middle group is not at all stressful and was too slow for us. The Active group was a moderate pace which anyone in decent health in our 60'ish age bracket can handle. The slower groups obviously do not get to see as much because they do not cover the same distance. As a courtesy to fellow walkers guests were encouraged not to over estimate their abilities because the group can only go at the speed of the slowest walker.  There are always many shops, cafes and restaurants and safe places available as a waiting place in the event that one must let the group go ahead. Just notify the guide of any issues and they will be glad to help. 

If a pace is too slow you may be able to join the faster group - if not select the faster group the next tour.  Havr a good trip.

Jerry

[mjmiller]

3 hours ago, phabric said:

Did Emerald have different walking pace for their tours?

 

On our cruise, there were 2 levels.  We usually had 5 or 6 groups total, all regular paced but one.  I asked a couple times about "fast" pace - but we were just directed into the regular groups.  None of the tours went fast, but it works well to get the info and have time to take photos.  Active was specifically a different type of tour - hiking and biking - that was sometimes after the regular tour, and sometimes concurrent.  We did the active hike in Budapest at Castle Hill, which was a nice pace, but there wasn't much time for photo ops.

[mjmiller]

6 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

mjmiller: THANK YOU for your wonderful information. 

 

You are most welcome!  I'm jealous.  No, just envious.  😊  I wish I had another Emerald cruise booked.  ENJOY!!

[mjmiller]

Something I just thought of, and added to my blog, that might be of interest: 

 

Each cabin had, free for the taking, a THICK guide book Emerald prints that is about European river cruising from Amsterdam to the Black Sea.  Tons of info on every port, and even along the river between ports.  There was also a fold-up map that rocked.  It shows the river route from Amsterdam to Budapest with cities (not just the ones we stopped at) and attractions shown on the map, and briefly detailed alongside.  It was very helpful going thru the Rhine Gorge, as the main castles were included, so we could track where we were. 

 

Speaking of tracking location - the QuietVox could be used in the Wachau Valley to hear about highlights we passed.  I do not know if that also worked in the Rhine Gorge; our cruise director Michael gave occasional narrative that day.

[JRice]

That book and map were awesome.  I looked high and low on Amazon before our trip in 2017 and could not find anything near what Emerald supplied. I have found that Emerald does a poor job promoting themselves. Their web site for booked passengers is very weak. Nothing like a major Ocean cruise line. I even suggested to our cruise director that Emerald should sell them through Amazon .  I am sure there are plenty of other travelers like myself who want to know where I am going before i get there and to track where I am once I get there.

Jerry

[keokukjoe]

Yes, Emerald has separate groups for slow, medium and faster speed walkers. Emerald also has an additional included program called Emerald Active with a dedicated crew member assigned for bike tours, more extensive hikes amd fitness activities such as power walking, pool aerobics, yoga, etc. This was added starting this season (the Emerald Active Director).

[keokukjoe]

I wish Emerald would send the book and map with the travel documents. What do they send anyway besides luggage tags ???

 

[mjmiller]

Mama company is Scenic - An Australian founded company. They advertise more in the British Commonwealth countries.  That is why there are many more Australians onboards, as well as British, Kiwi, and Canadians.

 

I find it funny that in the U.S., as soon as you mention river cruise, everyone says, "oh, Viking" like it's the only company out there.  I wish Emerald and other companies (ie AMA, Avalon, etc) would advertise more in the U.S.  Altho I guess one of the reasons I chose Emerald was because it would NOT be all U.S.  hahaha

 

I agree that their website isn't very helpful.  I did my research elsewhere.

Edited April 28, 2019 by mjmiller
correction