We need help choosing a line for a Holland/Tulip cruise

[CaribbeanIsland]

We want to see the tulips in Holland in 2008. We are discussing both a land trip and a cruise and if we book a river cruise we want to book the best possible ship for a Holland river cruise. We had previously done a river cruise to Russia on the Amadeus Tolstoy and were extremely disappointed with the food on the cruise. We want to give river cruises another chance but if the food is similar on a Holland cruise, we want to know that now so that we can research land trips. I am looking at all the lines but I can't tell which is better. We thought we had done our research for Russia and it appears we made the wrong choice on that trip and we don't want to make a bad decision again. Please advise.

[jetset]

I did the Uniworld cruise last April and was very happy. This was my 5th river cruise and one of my best. I booked as a single so the cabin w/ the big window was a perfect size w/ a queen or king bed, 2 chairs, a desk and a nice size bath. Food was outstanding....we were on the River Queen and he was a German chef...and never have I tasted such delicious sauerkraut......and Im sure never will again. I was pleased w/ the itinery......and the price. So there you have my vote.

[tiggypooo]

I sent 4 clients on Uniworld's Tulips and Windmills cruise last April. They were thrilled with the whole experience.

Uniworld has a good reputation for food on any ship that I've had reports about.

The 2 ships that do the Tulips and Windmills itinerary both have been refurbed in the last 2 years. I was on The Duchess this past May and it was a beautiful ship. Wonderful crew also and I couldn't have been happier.

Hope this helped.

[Benita]

f2s- Which sailing did you book? We are on the April 26 departure. We just booked the airline tickets the other day- Amadeus does not offer Martinair, which is the only nonstop carrier between Miami and Amsterdam.

[Pink Lady]

DH and I are also interested in booking a Tulip Time river cruise. I have been following this thread with great interest.

 

We are considering Amadeus, Avalon, Viking, Uniworld etc. Can anyone tell me why they chose their particular line over the others ? Was it better pricing or just good reviews overall.

 

I am having a difficult time trying to distinguish the positives and negatives of the various river cruise lines. It seems so much easier with the ocean going ships. Are there any travel books out on river cruises ? Guess, I'll have to dig in deeper to research what I'm looking for.

 

Also, are folks doing Amsterdam hotels on their own or booking through the cruise line ? Any good hotel recommendations in the middle category.....not luxury but not bare minimum either. ;)

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated ..... Thanks in advance !

[jetset]

I chose Uniworld cause we liked the itinery! We took the train from Antwerp to Paris for a week when the cruise was over.

[sk8teacher]

We did the Viking 7 day cruise this last April, R/T from Amsterdam. Went with them because of a 2 for 1 deal offered. Used their air arrangements, flew overnight from DC non-stop to Amsterdam, arriving 8:30am, then bus to the ship. Left our baggage there and hopped the train to the Gardens where we spent the day.

 

Personally we enjoyed the trip completely. While the cabins are small there is enough storage for that length of cruise with no problem. Food was excellent, included tours were wonderful. The only disappointment was we didn't get the chance to go into the cube houses in Rotterdam. We passed by on a bus but didn't stop. We will however go there next summer on our HAL cruise.

 

A complete review of our trip can be found here.

 

Cheers,

[CaribbeanIsland]

We narrowed it down to Uniworld or doing a land trip. As much as I like the route for Amadeus, I am hesitant to sail with them again. I sure hope the food is better on Uniworld. I wish there were some professional rankings rating these lines. I better get on the ball as it sounds like some weeks are already sold out.

[Pink Lady]

Caribbean Island,

 

Please tell me what you didn't like about Amadeus as we are close to deciding between them and Avalon. I also wish there were some kind of riverboat rankings......I can't even tell which ones are considered economy and which ones would be at the luxury end. :confused: I do like the idea of Amadeus having bicycles available that you can use.

[tiggypooo]

If you've decided on Uniworld for your cruise, the River Duchess does the 11 day Tulips and Windmills itinerary.

I was on this ship in May and the food was excellent. I'm sure that you'd be happy with it.

As far as some weeks being sold out, you're right. Everyone wants to see the flower fields in full bloom, so those weeks are always sold out early.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

What are the best weeks to see the fields in bloom?

thanks

micked10

[tiggypooo]

My clients were onboard from April 8th-17th and they said that all the fields were in full bloom.

[CaribbeanIsland]

Caribbean Island,

 

Please tell me what you didn't like about Amadeus as we are close to deciding between them and Avalon. I also wish there were some kind of riverboat rankings......I can't even tell which ones are considered economy and which ones would be at the luxury end. :confused: I do like the idea of Amadeus having bicycles available that you can use.

 

We were very unhappy with the food. It seems like food is spotty on some of these lines.

[Dale]

We want to see the tulips in Holland in 2008. We are discussing both a land trip and a cruise and if we book a river cruise we want to book the best possible ship for a Holland river cruise.

Regardless what river boat you choose, try and make it one that visits Keukenhof Gardens . I can almost promise you Keukenhof will be the highlight of your trip.

What are the best weeks to see the fields in bloom?

thanks

micked10

It’s hard to say. It all depends what the weather is like in the early Spring. Mid April is usually the best time. However this isn’t always true. A few years ago we were there in mid April after they had an exceptionally warm Spring and all the fields were black.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks everyone for your responses as to the time for the tulips in full bloom. I guess it is like the Fall foliage in the New England States. Usually mid Oct. is good for that and from your responses I guess early to mid. Apr. for tulips--of course, Mother Nature could throw us a curve.

Thanks,

Micked10

[2Happy]

We took a Uniworld river cruise throughout Holland late last April, early May. There were still lots of Tulips at the major gardens, but they had faded at the growers. I would suggest that you book your cruise in early April, though we still saw lots of magnificent tulips. I was extremely impressed with Uniworld's level of service, & professionalism. The boat, River Ambassador was newly remodeled and spotless. Their shore excursions (most included in the fare) were very good. The staff was outstanding. I can highly recommend them. Their food was good, and I am a very picky eater who enjoys gourmet food. Their food was not up to Michelin star standard, but good enough. All fresh vedgies, good presentation, good choices, excellent desserts. Uniworld is a winner. We had such a great time, we booked a 2 week cruise with them leaving this week. Hope you have a wonderful time in Holland.

[free2scour]

I'm on the April 27th Cruise.........Can't Wait!!!

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Just booked the tulips and windmills cruise with Uniworld on Apr. 15th. The Apr. 13th cruise only had one cabin left ( the suite) and I didn't want to spring for that. We will do our own air and arrive a day early in Amsterdam. We were there last year for about 5 days so I think we will just add on days at the end of our cruise in Brussels. Decided to go with a Cat. 2 cabin so hope that is good. The agent said the cabins are all the same size, except the suites, the only difference being the size of the window. The itinerary sounds wonderful so I am really excited. Anyone else on this cruise??

Any ideas on what to pack?? I am assuming it will be chilly in April, especially on the river. Is this correct? Thanks for any tips.

micked10

[Ine]

My clients were onboard from April 8th-17th and they said that all the fields were in full bloom.

 

Living in The Netherlands, I can tell you in general the best weeks for seeing tulips etc. are end of April/beginning of May.

Spring 2007 however was warmer then ever (it felt like summer), tulips bloomed 2 weeks earlier.

Regarding the weather it can be between 50s and 70s, difficult to tell. Be prepared to dress in layers and you can expect some rain.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks Ine,

I hope we are not too early to see the tulips. The best time I could get was a Uniworld cruise leaving on April 16th. We go to the Gardens on the 17th. I will keep my fingers crossed that it is not too early. I would be really disappointed if they weren't in bloom.

micked10

[Ine]

Thanks Ine,

I hope we are not too early to see the tulips. The best time I could get was a Uniworld cruise leaving on April 16th. We go to the Gardens on the 17th. I will keep my fingers crossed that it is not too early. I would be really disappointed if they weren't in bloom.

micked10

 

You will always see some tulips in bloom, as there are "early" bloomers too. Besides there is a nice big glasshouse that also has great shows.

I have some Keukenhofphoto's online of earlier visits on:

http://s73.photobucket.com/albums/i208/Inevd/Keukenhof%20and%20flowerfields/

[micked10@earthlink.net]

What a wonderful flower show. Thanks so much Ine. It is even prettier than I imagined!! I have wanted to do this for about 10 years so we can hardly wait. Thanks for the reassurance that at least we will see something in cause we are a few weeks early. I imagine it is just like we are now in Missouri. Usually we have a beautiful fall with lots of color around early Oct.. This year because of an extremely hot summer our leaves are just now changing.

I will keep my fingers crossed and say my prayers that we will see a maximum amount of tulips in bloom.

Thanks for the good information.

micked10

[Benita]

free2scour- We are on the April 27 sailing, too. We are flying in a day early - was able to get a nonstop flight from Miami to Amsterdam.