NCL's "Amsterdam on your own" excursion -drop off point?

[Joanne G.]

Is anyone  familiar with NCL's "Amsterdam on your own" excursion - specifically, where the drop off point is?  The information on this excursion says "the center of Amsterdam", but, never having been there, I don't know where that might be.  I am interested in going to the Van Gogh museum, so my main question is whether the museum would be within walking distance from "the center of Amsterdam."   If not, a taxi from the port may be my best bet.  I know the tram to  the museum is an option, but I don't feel comfortable trying to figure that out in an unfamiliar city.  Maybe  I would be more adventuresome on a land vacation, but with my "hotel" floating away at the end of the day, I don't want to risk getting on the wrong tram or going in the wrong direction!

 

Thanks for any information.

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

What ship are you on and when will the ship dock in Amsterdam? Cruise ships usually dock in the PTA cruise terminal. That cruise terminal is very close to the train station and is located on the northern edge of the small and compact city center. The Van Gogh museum is located on the southern side of that city center. The distance between the cruise terminal and the VGM is 4 km’s and it’s a nice, pleasant and safe walk thru the historical canal district.

Make sure you book a time slot for the Van Gogh museum in advance on their website. There is no ticket sale at the door.

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/plan-your-visit/tickets

[MAVIP]

19 minutes ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

What ship are you on and when will the ship dock in Amsterdam?

NCL ships docks in IJmuiden if I am right.

[lamchops]

As long as your ship docks in Amsterdam and not ljmuiden/Amsterdam you will be fine walking or taking the trams and cabs. If you’re out at ljmuiden it’s more difficult and expensive. I just ported in ljmuiden and arranged a 8 passenger van from VIP for 260€ from Felison berth to Anne Frank House return. If you dock in Amsterdam you’ll be a couple of hundred yards from central station. I’ve been at both berths.

[Joanne G.]

Thank you all for the information.  I will be on the Norwegian Star next spring, in Amsterdam on May 20.  I don't know which dock will be used - and I don't know if I will be able to find out.  I wll continue my research.  I must say - it's tough to decide what to do with only one day in a city that seems to have so much to offer!  

[Ine]

You might get your  correct answer on the NCL board or contact NCL direct.  Since no NCL ship is on the Amsterdam list, your ship  indeed probably docks in IJmuiden cruise terminal.  Best will be the shuttle by NCL. 

[Joanne G.]

On 9/3/2019 at 4:01 AM, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

 . . . . . . .Make sure you book a time slot for the Van Gogh museum in advance on their website. There is no ticket sale at the door.

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/plan-your-visit/tickets

Thank you for the tip.  That is important information to know.  

[Joanne G.]

4 hours ago, Ine said:

You might get your  correct answer on the NCL board or contact NCL direct.  Since no NCL ship is on the Amsterdam list, your ship  indeed probably docks in IJmuiden cruise terminal.  Best will be the shuttle by NCL. 

Thank you for the informaition on where we are likely to dock.   

 

I can try the NCL board - but the post will get transferred to this board.  That's one of my frustrations with Cruise Critic - many people who know the answer or can provide useful information don't routinely read the ports of call boards, but CC won't leave questions about ports in the main cruise line sections.   

[MAVIP]

6 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

Thank you for the informaition on where we are likely to dock.   

 

I can try the NCL board - but the post will get transferred to this board.  That's one of my frustrations with Cruise Critic - many people who know the answer or can provide useful information don't routinely read the ports of call boards, but CC won't leave questions about ports in the main cruise line sections.   

2020 is not yet published on the IJmuiden cruise calender, but here it is what you would like to know: https://www.ptamsterdam.nl/nl/cruises-portal    May 20th Norwegian Star . If I interprete the information right, it will dock at PTA and that means right in front of the center of Amsterdam.  Otherwise it would be a dock at the outskirts of Amsterdam, but that seems not to be the case.  And I confirm the necessity of reserving an buying tickets beforehand; it makes a difference if you do no have to wait in long lines.   Happy for you that it seems 100% sure that it will not be IJmuiden.

Edited September 4, 2019 by MAVIP
last sentence

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

12 hours ago, MAVIP said:

And I confirm the necessity of reserving an buying tickets beforehand; it makes a difference if you do no have to wait in long lines.  

Just to be clear. Buying tickets in advance for the Van Gogh museum (and Anne Frank house) is not about avoiding having to wait in long lines. Both the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank house have NO ticket sale at the door at all. You need to book a time slot in advance or you won’t be able to visit. So there are no lines to stand in or to avoid. The lines you may see at one of these places are made up of people who already have tickets, but who are waiting until it’s their time to enter the museum. Sometimes, people with tickets for a 10:30 am time slot will turn up at 10:00am hoping they will be let in early. That’s not how it works, so these people will have to wait until their time slot is called out. Just turn up 5 minutes before the start of your time slot and you should be able to walk right in.

[lamchops]

We just got back from a Baltic cruise with a stop in Ijmuiden for Amsterdam. There were public buses to the depot in Amsterdam but there were apparently some tense moments on the return trip as the last bus was full. 

If you dock in Amsterdam, it’s just a 5 minute walk to central station.

We organized a van for our cruise critic and Facebook group that dropped us off and picked us up near central station. 

I suggest getting the orientation at Anne Frank House as it was informative and well presented.

[Joanne G.]

On 9/5/2019 at 1:02 AM, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Just to be clear. Buying tickets in advance for the Van Gogh museum (and Anne Frank house) is not about avoiding having to wait in long lines. Both the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank house have NO ticket sale at the door at all. You need to book a time slot in advance or you won’t be able to visit. So there are no lines to stand in or to avoid. The lines you may see at one of these places are made up of people who already have tickets, but who are waiting until it’s their time to enter the museum. Sometimes, people with tickets for a 10:30 am time slot will turn up at 10:00am hoping they will be let in early. That’s not how it works, so these people will have to wait until their time slot is called out. Just turn up 5 minutes before the start of your time slot and you should be able to walk right in.

 

Thank you again for this important information.   The challenge is knowing what time to pick for entrance, not knowing exactly where the ship will be docked, how long it will take to get off the ship, and how long it will take to get to the museum.

 

Is the Rijksmuseum close to the Van Gogh museum, and does it also require timed entry tickets?  I would like to see both museums.  If the Rijksmuseum does NOT require timed entry, my thought is to plan on that museum in the morning (with a pre-purchased but not timed ticket if possible), entering whenever I arrive.   Then I will use a timed entry for the Van Gogh museum mid-day or early afternoon.    Is this workable?

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

If you are not yet familiar with Google Maps, I suggest you check it out. It gives you directions on how to get from A to B by car, by bike or on foot. It will also let you plan public transport. For the Netherlands Google Maps is very accurate. Google Maps will show you how close the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum are to each other and how to get there from the cruise terminal.

Even if you only have 1 day in Amsterdam, I strongly suggest to reconsider visiting both museums back to back. I’m a big museum fan myself, but I would never visit both the Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum in 1 day as it would give me art overload. Both are major art museums. You can easily spend 2 hours in the Van Gogh museum and 3 hours in the Rijksmuseum.

Unless there is a special exhibit for which you need to book a time slot, the Rijksmuseum does not require prebooking. You can purchase tickets in advance online. These tickets are valid for 1 year and are not tied to a specific time or day.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Dutch_Travelgirl

[Joanne G.]

Yes, I am familiar with museum burnout, having had many visits to major art museums in the U.S.   It can be exhausting if I try to see too much in day.  I never try to see everything on one visit, but I hope to find a way - and the energy - to see some parts of both museums, being fond of Van Gogh and the Dutch Masters.    I appreciate the detailed information about the ticket situation as I formulate my plans.   Thank you.  And I will definitely study Google maps.