Amsterdam river cruises

[cruising aussies]

We are booked on the Avalon tapestry river cruise this August and was wondering where in Amsterdam it leaves from. Is it near the central station?

[letsgo39]

The river cruise ships all leave from right behind Central Station.

[bcrcornet]

We are booked on the Avalon tapestry river cruise this August and was wondering where in Amsterdam it leaves from. Is it near the central station?

I don't know about Avalon Tapestry, but it's possible it might use the same docking facility as Uniworld's River Countess used at the end of November. See my earlier post with a suggestion of using Google Earth to "see" the docking area for yourself.

[Bill S]

We took a Viking cruise out of Amsterdam last April and when we embarked, our ship was docked (with Avalon ships) about a 5 minute walk from Central Station, I'm guessing south. However, when we returned to Amsterdam, we were docked on the other side of Central Station, more like a 10 minute walk.

[Buckland]

We boarded our ship near the train station as well. Incidentally, that's the place where you'll find the largest bicycle parking lot I've ever seen. You can even find it in Google Earth!

 

Buck

[ggo85]

There are several potential docking locations -- all within a 10 minute walking distance of the Central Station. The location your ship will be assigned may not be known until they are almost ready to dock. For example, the Captain thought we would be returning to the same spot from where we left (very close to Central Station) but, at the last minute, the harbor folks put us further away. So, there's no way to predict what will happen to your boat.

 

As noted, all berthing spots are relatively close -- just some closer than others. If you're lugging bags and are berthed at one of the more distant locations, I'd opt for a cab as the road is a bit narrow, crowded, and has cobblestones. If you're just touring, it's not difficult at all. It may be difficult, however, to get a cab FROM the ship (at the far location). Some folks on our ship waited quite a while for a cab, despite diligent efforts of the ship's personnel.