Cruise port in Amsterdam

[sharonann24]

Where is the cruise port location in Amsterdam?  I am reading that it is about 45 minutes from the city. When we were on Viking in November we were in walking distance of the center, albeit freezing!  I don't see a shuttle listed or even an Amsterdam on your own excursion as there is for Bruges and Brussels.  I would prefer not to do a tour since we are going to focus on the Iceland and Norway stops for those organized excursions.

[MeHeartCruising]

Amsterdam has 2 locations for cruise ports.  One is the city-center one that you already know about.  The other one is located in IJmuiden, which is a port location very close to the North Sea -- probably 45 minutes or so from central Amsterdam.  Essentially, with IJmuiden, you skip most of the canal portion of your departure.  You will enter the North Sea very soon after the ship leaves shore.

 

I believe IJmuiden is located outside the locks that stop the ocean water from rushing into the canal.  So it is probably less expensive to dock there since they don't have to pay any fees to use the locks or the canal into the city center.

 

I do not know which ships are using which port however.  You will need to ask the cruise line if it's not included in your confirmation.

Edited March 9, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[sharonann24]

We are on the NCL Prima.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, sharonann24 said:

Where is the cruise port location in Amsterdam?  I am reading that it is about 45 minutes from the city. When we were on Viking in November we were in walking distance of the center, albeit freezing!  I don't see a shuttle listed or even an Amsterdam on your own excursion as there is for Bruges and Brussels.  I would prefer not to do a tour since we are going to focus on the Iceland and Norway stops for those organized excursions.

We have sailed to and from Amsterdam about ten times, including half a dozen with NCL.  Each time the ship docked at the main cruise terminal located a few blocks east of the central railway station.  NCL does list two ports for Amsterdam, the one near the city center and another near the coast, several miles from the city.  The few cruises which dock there, however, specify "Amsterdam (Ijmuiden)" on the cruise itinerary.  If the itinerary simply specifies "Amsterdam" then the ship will dock at the city center.  All of the Prima itineraries currently on the website for Northern European cruises with a stop at Amsterdam specify "Amsterdam" as the port, not "Amsterdam (Ijmuiden)."  It will be a short walk from your ship to the train station, where you can board a tram to explore the city on a number of different routes.  Do an internet search for "Amsterdam tram" for info on routes, rates, and attractions.

[sharonann24]

13 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

We have sailed to and from Amsterdam about ten times, including half a dozen with NCL.  Each time the ship docked at the main cruise terminal located a few blocks east of the central railway station.  NCL does list two ports for Amsterdam, the one near the city center and another near the coast, several miles from the city.  The few cruises which dock there, however, specify "Amsterdam (Ijmuiden)" on the cruise itinerary.  If the itinerary simply specifies "Amsterdam" then the ship will dock at the city center.  All of the Prima itineraries currently on the website for Northern European cruises with a stop at Amsterdam specify "Amsterdam" as the port, not "Amsterdam (Ijmuiden)."  It will be a short walk from your ship to the train station, where you can board a tram to explore the city on a number of different routes.  Do an internet search for "Amsterdam tram" for info on routes, rates, and attractions.

If we are at the city port, it is all good.  We stayed at the Movenpick which was in a walking distance to the center.  I know we can walk to Anne Frank's house which we missed.  Frankly it was so COLD in December with the wind we are looking forward to strolling and enjoying the sites outdoors!

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

If we are at the city port, it is all good.  We stayed at the Movenpick which was in a walking distance to the center.  I know we can walk to Anne Frank's house which we missed.  Frankly it was so COLD in December with the wind we are looking forward to strolling and enjoying the sites outdoors!

It's about 1-3/4 miles from the cruise terminal to the Anne Frank House, about a 35 to 40 minute walk.  Be sure to make your reservation and purchase your tickets in advance for the Anne Frank House.  They usually are quite strict about allowing visitors inside only at the time shown on their ticket.  Also be aware that the port authority sometimes places restrictions on the ship's movement through the locks, meaning that NCL may have to change their estimated arrival or departure time by an hour or two from the published itinerary.  Be sure to allow ample time both before and after your visit to the Anne Frank House in case the ship's schedule is changed at the last minute.  We visited the Anne Frank House years ago when we stayed in Amsterdam for several days.  Last year we wanted to go back because they now have expanded the visitors' area to include an interpretive museum with many additional exhibits.  We made our plans to visit there last September during a port stop on the Prima.  The scheduled sailing time was 5:00 PM, so we booked our tour ticket for a 1:00 PM visit, thinking we would stroll the city and have lunch before our visit to the Anne Frank House.  Amsterdam was scheduled for day 8 of our cruise.  About day 6 on board we received a notice that our departure time had been moved up by two hours, IIRC.  We skipped lunch, went to the Anne Frank House early, and begged to be let in early so we would have time to take it all in and still make it back to our ship.  After two ushers flatly refused, we managed to get the attention of a manager who graciously allowed us in early.  Had it not been for her intervention, we either would have missed our tour or would have missed getting back to the ship on time.  Plan carefully.

[itsnotjustme]

We sailed from Amsterdam last August on the Dawn.  It was from the port right by the city center.  We stayed in the hotel right next to the terminal, and while we were sleeping off our jet lag, the ship came in docking with the bow about 100 meters from our room.

 

(If we were in the US, that would have been 100 yards of course!)

[CCJack]

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

 Also be aware that the port authority sometimes places restrictions on the ship's movement through the locks, meaning that NCL may have to change their estimated arrival or departure time by an hour or two from the published itinerary.  

During our Celebrity Apex departure from Amsterdam last june, we were delayed a full 4 hours by the port authority controlling the lock traffic.   Did not affect our trip, as with most cruises we had a sea day after Amsterdam on way to Norway / Iceland, etc. - so they can make up the time.    A bonus of docking in Amsterdam is you get to see the ship go through the lock - I am amazed at these giant ships going through locks.   Granted,  I think less than 1 % of the people on the ship cared or even knew about the lock but for me and a few other nerds, it was interesting to watch !

[sharonann24]

Thanks for all of the port information.  I am just starting to plan our excursions for our July 27 sailing. The distance to the Anne Frank house is about right.  We did a very long walking tour of Amsterdam when we got off our Viking River Cruise in December and I logged over 25,000 steps that day as we walked back and forth!  I also know that ticket sales only open on the first of the month so we have time.  The locks are amazing. We didn't see them in Amsterdam but I will make it a point to watch as we sail in.  We also just got back from our Panama Cruise canal and saw those in action which was fantastic!  What a way to launch (no pun intended!) my first year of retirement!  We may never top it!

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

Thanks for all of the port information.  I am just starting to plan our excursions for our July 27 sailing. The distance to the Anne Frank house is about right.  We did a very long walking tour of Amsterdam when we got off our Viking River Cruise in December and I logged over 25,000 steps that day as we walked back and forth!  I also know that ticket sales only open on the first of the month so we have time.  The locks are amazing. We didn't see them in Amsterdam but I will make it a point to watch as we sail in.  We also just got back from our Panama Cruise canal and saw those in action which was fantastic!  What a way to launch (no pun intended!) my first year of retirement!  We may never top it!

Unlike the Panama locks, the ones in Amsterdam do not raise or lower ships so much as prevent the tidal surge from rolling up the banks of the river and flooding the city.  We have passed through the Amsterdam locks several times and I have never noticed much of a rise or fall during passage.

[victory2020]

On 3/9/2023 at 3:42 PM, The Traveling Man said:

It's about 1-3/4 miles from the cruise terminal to the Anne Frank House, about a 35 to 40 minute walk.  Be sure to make your reservation and purchase your tickets in advance for the Anne Frank House.  They usually are quite strict about allowing visitors inside only at the time shown on their ticket.  Also be aware that the port authority sometimes places restrictions on the ship's movement through the locks, meaning that NCL may have to change their estimated arrival or departure time by an hour or two from the published itinerary.  Be sure to allow ample time both before and after your visit to the Anne Frank House in case the ship's schedule is changed at the last minute.  We visited the Anne Frank House years ago when we stayed in Amsterdam for several days.  Last year we wanted to go back because they now have expanded the visitors' area to include an interpretive museum with many additional exhibits.  We made our plans to visit there last September during a port stop on the Prima.  The scheduled sailing time was 5:00 PM, so we booked our tour ticket for a 1:00 PM visit, thinking we would stroll the city and have lunch before our visit to the Anne Frank House.  Amsterdam was scheduled for day 8 of our cruise.  About day 6 on board we received a notice that our departure time had been moved up by two hours, IIRC.  We skipped lunch, went to the Anne Frank House early, and begged to be let in early so we would have time to take it all in and still make it back to our ship.  After two ushers flatly refused, we managed to get the attention of a manager who graciously allowed us in early.  Had it not been for her intervention, we either would have missed our tour or would have missed getting back to the ship on time.  Plan carefully.

Interesting that you weren't allowed in early. I was there in September & walked up half hour early & told to go ahead in. I believe the tickets go on sale the first Thursday of the month, go to their website for info

[Miro2007]

On 3/9/2023 at 6:33 PM, sharonann24 said:

Where is the cruise port location in Amsterdam?

According to the Amsterdam cruise calendar your ship will dock at the cruiseterminal in the city center.
Don't miss the Rijksmuseum, or the '9 straatjes'. And keep in mind that it will be very busy (and possibly warm) in July/August. If you have any questions, let me know!

[sharonann24]

Warm is fine with us!  We absolutely froze in early December with the wind.  We did the museum then and it was gorgeous.  There are a couple of NCL excursions that actually look pretty reasonable in cost in comparison to those they offer in Iceland and Norway.  It is the last port so last in my planning schedule.

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, Miro2007 said:

According to the Amsterdam cruise calendar your ship will dock at the cruiseterminal in the city center.
Don't miss the Rijksmuseum, or the '9 straatjes'. And keep in mind that it will be very busy (and possibly warm) in July/August. If you have any questions, let me know!

Really looking forward to the Rijksmuseum. When we were in Amsterdam many, many years ago on a land trip it was being renovated and we saw very little of it. (And DW is an art teacher with Dutch ancestry on her mother's side.)

[wcook]

On 3/9/2023 at 8:07 PM, itsnotjustme said:

(If we were in the US, that would have been 100 yards of course

If you were in the US, you would have been a lot farther than 100 yards from the ship 🙂

Edited March 11, 2023 by wcook

[The Traveling Man]

12 hours ago, victory2020 said:

Interesting that you weren't allowed in early. I was there in September & walked up half hour early & told to go ahead in. I believe the tickets go on sale the first Thursday of the month, go to their website for info

We were let in early eventually, but only after two line monitors had told us to wait.  A manager allowed us in.  You may be correct about tickets going on sale on the first Thursday of each month, but my recollection was that they became available on the first of the month, regardless of the day of the week.  My memory may be faulty.

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Really looking forward to the Rijksmuseum. When we were in Amsterdam many, many years ago on a land trip it was being renovated and we saw very little of it. (And DW is an art teacher with Dutch ancestry on her mother's side.)

It was under renovation for more than a decade !!!  We were there both before and after - what a difference a decade makes.

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Really looking forward to the Rijksmuseum. When we were in Amsterdam many, many years ago on a land trip it was being renovated and we saw very little of it. (And DW is an art teacher with Dutch ancestry on her mother's side.)

If you enjoy classical music, be sure to check the website for the Concertgebouw.  They sometimes have concerts around noon on weekdays at a price that is significantly less than their evening concerts.  It is a remarkable concert hall and is located just across the Museumplein from the Van Gogh Museum.

[Turtles06]

15 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

We were let in early eventually, but only after two line monitors had told us to wait.  A manager allowed us in.  You may be correct about tickets going on sale on the first Thursday of each month, but my recollection was that they became available on the first of the month, regardless of the day of the week.  My memory may be faulty.

They have repeatedly changed when tix go on sale. The best thing is to check their site for the most current info (which right now is every Tuesday for six weeks out).

[ontheweb]

28 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

If you enjoy classical music, be sure to check the website for the Concertgebouw.  They sometimes have concerts around noon on weekdays at a price that is significantly less than their evening concerts.  It is a remarkable concert hall and is located just across the Museumplein from the Van Gogh Museum.

Yes, we realize those 2 museums are close as the last time we were in Amsterdam we stayed in a hotel very close to both. And DW discovered there is a swimming pool very near to the Rijksmuseum.