Has anyone flown out of Amsterdam after an ocean cruise?

[DDDallas]

Our ship is scheduled to be in port by 7am.  Holland America suggests that you shouldn't schedule a flight prior to 11:30am.  Is it a realistic option to consider a 10:55 am flight?  We plan to carry our own bags for the earliest departure from the ship. Does anyone have previous experience taking flight from Amsterdam prior to the suggested time?

 

Thanks in advance for your input.

[cabinluvn]

No way would I do it. The airport is not close to the port. Getting off the ship, even with your own bags, and getting to the airport before 9 am would be difficult. Of course, there is no TSA. Lines are horribly long. We stayed an extra night and flew out the next day. Got to the airport 4. Hours ahead…took 3 hours just to get through luggage check and security. That was 4 years ago. I am sure it is worse now with fewer personnel. 

[macaroni]

When we did this in the Spring on HAL, we walked off directly-6:45 am to a taxi……we were down early and first off… and asked him to get us to the airport quickly. This is when they were having horrible departure lines. Not sure if that is still the case. We got to our gate as it was starting to board…believe it was an 11 am flight. Can be done if those issues are still not a problem at the airport.

[BermudaBound2014]

I would not book that flight. The airport in Amsterdam is a crap shoot.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

That's to tight. 

[DDDallas]

Thanks to all of you for the input.

[Guest ldtr]

Also keep in mind that the airport there was a nightmare this last summer and still has some staffing shortages.

 

Even on a day when lines are expected to be normal the airport recommends being there 3 hours before the flight

[leanstostarboard]

In May 2022 We arrived in Amsterdam to depart for a 12:40 flight to Washington DC.   The check in line for United was VERY long but my wife had bought Priority Access ($30 PP) and that reduced the line so I had only 5 persons ahead of me for check in and there was no line for security.    You might investigate if your airline supports a similar service.   It cost extra but it may be worth it for you....

[*Miss G*]

At 6:00am in October it was a quick 20-25 minute trip to the airport from Amsterdam.  You can’t head up to departures unless you are within 4 hours of your flight anyway.  It was a long walk from Security to our gate.  To be honest, I’d try it if there were multiple flights the airline could book me on if I missed the first flight.

[DDDallas]

I really appreciate the great information that all of you have  provided.  

[expattraveler]

We lived downtown Amsterdam from 2015 to 2018 and traveled to Schipol for flights frequently. The Dutch are extremely efficient; however, even with the pre-COVID Dutch efficiency factored in your timing would be a push IMO. Unfortunately compounded with the recent breakdowns at the Schipol airport…..I would recommend a later flight.

[majmaj4]

In august I arrived at the airport 4 hours before my flight and only had about 20 minutes to spare before boarding.  Just time to get some coffee.

[dobiemom]

We disembarked in Amsterdam July 17. Had HAL transfer to the airport. Got to the airport at 8:30am. It took us 3 HOURS to get through baggage drop off, security, and passport control. 3 different lines. British Airways started boarding a minute after we got to the gate. 
 

If we didn’t have priority (business class) we would not have made our flight. 

[Ine]

By now the airport Schiphol in Amsterdam has less problems. However nobody can tell how it will be next summer. Be aware most US airlines want you to check in 3 hours prior (business class about 2 hours). Travel time by cab from the port to airport depending traffic 20-30 minutes. 

[SilvertoGold]

Not sure if you are docking in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. For the latter, no, not unless you wish to live very dangerously. But if docking in Amsterdam I would say fine.  What about a HAL transfer to Schiphol? Would that be an idea that would make thing easier?

[MO7]

When are you flying? The lines were horrible last summer, but they are non-existant this winter. But there are so many flights to the US daily, I'd take a later one just to avoid any potential stressful situations. And you could use public transport (the train) or a HAL shuttle, which would make it much more economical than a taxi.

 

Traveltime from Amsterdam central station (the cruise terminal is a 15 minute walk) to Schiphol is 38 minutes by train. On weekdays count on approximately 40 minutes from the terminal to the airport by taxi.

Edited January 1, 2023 by MO7

[DDDallas]

34 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

Not sure if you are docking in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. For the latter, no, not unless you wish to live very dangerously. But if docking in Amsterdam I would say fine.  What about a HAL transfer to Schiphol? Would that be an idea that would make thing easier?

Docking in Amsterdam and planning to take an Uber or taxi to the airport so we don’t have to wait on others to board the HAL transfer.

[DDDallas]

17 minutes ago, MO7 said:

When are you flying? The lines were horrible last summer, but they are non-existant this winter. But there are so many flights to the US daily, I'd take a later one just to avoid any potential stressful situations. And you could use public transport (the train) or a HAL shuttle, which would make it much more economical than a taxi.

August of 2023.  Getting to the airport quickly is more important to us than cost of transportation.

[MO7]

That's peak summerseason, so that means an absolute no. You won't make it. The only exception is if you're allowed to leave the ship in the first group AND if you fly business class. They have a separate line that is much faster, but even then you'll have very little margin.

Edited January 1, 2023 by MO7

[Iamthesea]

After having two bad experiences in the Schiphol airport (one flying in and out of, and the other was a passing through/connection flight) we have decided not to fly out just after our cruise (which actually docks in IJmuiden.)   We booked to leave on a 1:15pm flight out of Schiphol a few days later.  As it is, we will have to leave our hotel before 9:00am if we want to get to the airport 4 hours early.  One good thing about the day we fly out is that there does not appear to be any other cruise ships docking in the Amsterdam area on the day we fly.  I would think getting through the airport will be easier.  It's on a Wednesday, as well.   Although traffic may be bad that day.

[macaroni]

Definitely don’t take the transfer….be first in line out and don’t slow down until you are in a taxi. This was also a Sunday so traffic was light for us….but yes, it was about 3 hours to our gate. A lot of walking.

[2 old to drive]

Flew home Nov.30th.  Prepare yourself for problems in any airport and with any airline because you are sure to face them. !

[knitter]

We will be flying out of Amsterdam after a cruise in mid August and decided not to fly home day we disembark. Ships do sometimes get delayed and most of the flights home for us departed before noon. We will spend the night at an airport hotel - plan to drop off the bags and take the train into downtown for the day.

[syesmar]

@DDDallasAlthough I have made it pre-pandemic, I cannot recommend it. There are too many factors that could cause a great amount of stress. 

Although certainly not on every sailing, the times our ship has arrived behind schedule were all in Amsterdam. 

In the past, it was either take the flight or don’t go; I had numerous backups in place + flew Business Class with expedited check-in. While it worked out for me, I would never recommend it. On a subsequent trip in 2019, AA at AMS didn’t even use a priority check-in lane, LONG story. Tip: always take your Airline’s local numbers in case of cancellations or delays (it would’ve been helpful in 2019 when the USA numbers were down due to a storm).

 

In this day and age, there’s too many things that could go wrong to chance it.

Edited January 3, 2023 by syesmar