Holland river cruise next spring . . .

[Xoe]

I am hoping for input from this great board about my just-booked river cruise in the Netherlands.

 

I have long yearned to see and experience more of Holland, the land from which my paternal grandparents emigrated as children. Thus far my only time in Holland was a 28-hour layover in Amsterdam; not enough!

 

I have just reserved a 9-day R/T Amsterdam "Windmills & Tulips" river cruise on Viking Legend, a new ship to be launched this summer. I'll be traveling solo, as my husband dislikes air travel. My reservation is for a single stateroom on the top deck, cost $3221 w/ all fees on an Early Booking Discount. I could add Viking's airfare and airport-ship transfers for $895, but am leaning toward booking my own air because only NW/KLM/soon-to-be-Delta flies SEA-AMS nonstop, and their schedule is very good for this trip. Cost for that today is $1033. It seems worth the extra cost for direct flights that greatly reduce the risk of missing the ship, or arriving without luggage.

 

Have any of you made this cruise on a Viking ship before? Do you have any words of wisdom or suggestions about my plans? (It may be hard to compare price if you have traveled with a companion; single supplements can be tough on cruises.)

 

Another question about timing for flying in to Amsterdam: Passengers board the ship on March 27, then have that day and the next day before sailing from Amsterdam the evening of March 28, thus providing 2 days for sightseeing there while accommodated on board. In addition, at the end, we dock in Amsterdam and have another entire day there before our cruise ends the following morning. In light of that, is there any reason to fly in a day early to have a pre-sailing "cushion" day, and/or an extra day for sightseeing, since my nonstop flight would arrive at 6:40 a.m. on March 27?

 

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated. I could cancel this booking with only a minor penalty at this point, so if there's something I should change, please tell me. THANKS!

[nordski]

Hi

 

These are excellent questions and I'm certain you'll garner many great suggestions as we did before our Tulips and Windmills cruise

 

We were on the Viking Spirit beginning on April 8th 2009 and, if you're experience is as great as ours, you'll be well rewarded for your planning. Here are some thoughts.

 

As for flying in early, you're correct, because of the itinerary there is minimal chance of missing your cruise. However, depending on your resilience to jet lag, the first day may not be one in which a lot of sightseeing is an attractive option. Also, there is a bit of time spent in transit from the airport, boarding the ship and caring for luggage, forms etc. Furthermore, unless the itinerary has changed, you will only visit the Van Gogh Museum as part of your Amsterdam tour. But there are the Rijksmuseum, Ann Frank Haus, Resistance Museum and other sites well worth a lengthy visit. Many of these could be visited in the time allotted, but why rush yourself?

 

Also, although on the last day your boat will dock in Amsterdam, is your visit to Keukenhof Gardens in the morning? And there may be an optional visit to Delft in the p.m. and thus potentially negligible time in the city.

 

Therefore, I would argue, that you should do what we did, fly in a day early to get a longer taste of Amsterdam, particularly when you're arranging your own flight. If anything, I regretted not flying even a day earlier. One caveat to this, if you plan to take other cruises, say of the Rhine River, you may have another chance to spend time in this wonderful city.

 

In preparation for your cruise, since you have some Dutch ancestry, may I recommend a family memoir entitled The Occupied Garden which deals primarily with the **** Occupation of The Netherlands. It was a wonderful preparation for the Resistance Museum which was well worth the visit.

 

All the best.

[Xoe]

That's exactly the kind of information I was hoping for. Reading an itinerary only gives you a certain amount of information, and there's nothing as valuable as the "been there done that" report.

 

Based on your suggestions, I will book my flights to get there a full day early, thus giving myself jet-lag recovery time AND more time to explore and experience the city and the culture. Yesterday I found what seems a good price ($92) for a single room at the Hotel Bellevue, seemingly a good location and walking distance from Central Station if I choose to come from the airport by train. The hotel reviews on TripAdvisor are positive for what I want (good location, moderate price -- I don't seek "fancy").

 

GREAT recommendation for the book to read. I'll request it from the library, or buy it if it's not available there.

 

Anyone else have feedback? I'm listening!

[Bill S]

We took a "Windmills and Tulips" cruise on the Viking Sky in April, 2006. The itinerary you described sounds exactly like ours. The entire experience was great!

We flew in a day early, to get acclimated and were able to walk around on our own. We used Rick Steves' book on the Netherlands and Belgium--he does a great job. We had dinner that first night at Indrapura, a wonderful Indonesian restaurant on the Rembrantplein, which is a major tram stop. We met Ine, who is a a fabulous CC member, at dinner and she suggested that we try to see Delft the next day. We decided to do just that.

So, in the morning of embarkation day, we took a cab to the river cruise ship pier area, and dropped off our luggage. We then walked to Central Station and boarded a train to Delft, about a 45-minute trip. Using Rick Steves' guide we found our way to the Royal Delft factory for a tour and a visit to their gift shop (of course). :) After the tour, we walked to the city square and it happened to a be a market day! After touring the market, we went back to the train station and arrived back in Amsterdam at about 3:30, and were on the ship by 4pm.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. If you would like to see some photos, click on my link, below, and look for the river cruise photos.

Hope this helps!

[Ine]

It looks like Bill told you all.

Although a little early in the season, donot miss Keukenhof.

http://www.keukenhof.nl

[Xoe]

Great suggestions, also confirmation of Viking as a good way to go.

 

Any input or suggestions as to how things will work on board? My small ship cruising has been on Empress of the North on the Columbia River, and 4x on Windstar (Costa Rica, twice in the Caribbean, and Barcelona to Spain). I love small ships, and am thinking I'll feel right at home.

 

Any other "must see/must do" ideas will be appreciated. I will be flying in a day early so as to have more time in Amsterdam.

[Xoe]

GREAT photos -- thank you!

[shipnc]

Hi...we did the Windmills and tulips about the Viking River Sky in 2007 and it was wonderful. Catching the flowers at their peak is always iffy, but middle to late April seems to be the heart of the envelope.

I did a comprehensive review of our trip that has disappeared from the threads, but I would be happy to send a copy if you are interested. Otherwise, here are some points that I would make:

What day is your excursion to Keukenhof scheduled? If it is a weekend, STANDBY for incredible crowds. Since the gardens of K-hof were our primary reason for taking this cruise, we flew in 3 days early and went to the gardens before we boarded the ship. This way, we got to see the gardens on 2 occasions at 2 different stages of growth and at two different level of crowds. Plus, the ship excursions are only one morning, about 2-3 hours at the most at the gardens, which are in now way enough time to see these incredible gardens.

Also, we liked arranging our own air. Getting from the airport to the ship by taxi is not cheap - probably around 45 euros - but train service to the central station is very eary and cheap, and then you could take the short taxi ride to the viking docks.

Have a great trip...I know you will.

[Xoe]

First -- Nordski, thank you so much for your book recommendation. I now am well into reading The Occupied Garden and am finding it fascinating. It's unlikely I would have found this book without your input.

 

Shipnc, I would appreciate receiving your trip/ship review. Please send it to xoedanner@yahoo.com. Thanks for your advice on timing for Keukenhof. Our ship excursion there is indeed on a weekend (Sunday). I'll be flying in a day early, so perhaps can get there another time on my own. That said -- unlike you, my prime reason for this trip is not to see the floral display at its height (although that part will be a pleasure), rather it is to see and experience all I can of The Netherlands, since it is the country from which my father's parents emigrated as children.

 

Any more advice? I'm listening!

[nordski]

Thanks for the kind comments.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I thought it was a very balanced view of life during the Occupation. Since you request more ideas, I would highly recommend Amsterdam's Resistance Museum which graphically displays, in a very interesting manner, many of the events/leaders/groups mentioned in the book. And by all means visit Ann Frank's house, but if you can pick a particular hour to be there, then order your tickets online and avoid the long lineup.

 

In terms of Dutch art, A Wordly Art The Dutch Republic 1585-1785 is a superb introduction to the displays in The Rijksmuseum. If there is a topic I didn't know enough about before our trip, it was the Dutch East India Company whose former offices and warehouses dot the streetscape of Dutch towns such as Hoorn.

 

Sorry if this is just too much information, but we loved this cruise and it's easy to get excited again about it. Since it's a small country, I hope that you get a chance to visit the centres from which your family emigrated.

[Xoe]

There is no such thing as too much information or too many pre-trip ideas, especially because there is a lot of "lead time" between now and next spring. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.

 

I saw the Ann Frank house only from the street on my 28-hour layover in Amsterdam; had I tried to visit, it would have taken every bit of my too-short time there. So, good to have the suggestion for buying an on-line ticket in advance.

[Xoe]

I'm adding a note to my thread, hoping that Shipnc will see this about-to-be-bumped-up post and send his review along to my email address, given a couple messages above this one. Thanks in advance, Shipnc!

 

I continue to do reading that further whets my appetite for this trip. I'm enjoying The Occupied Garden greatly, and finding Rick Steves' guide book both helpful and entertaining.

[nordski]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/my-genes-are-dutch-but-i-am-not/article1202576/

 

Hi Xoe

 

The above article is from the Toronto Globe and Mail and might interest you as a somewhat bittersweet and conflicted reaction to visiting the "homeland".

 

I'm not certain what to make of her reaction, but part of the story re: the wooden chest is certainly affecting. Regardless, I think we have a lot to learn from the Dutch, especially their success in rebuilding their nation after the war.

 

We had a woman on our cruise who visited the village from which her family emigrated. There were records of her ancestors and, for her, it was the highlight of the cruise and in a way for us as well.

[Xoe]

. . . and anticipation are a large part of the fun of travel, don't you think?

 

Nordski, again you have provided wonderful information and ideas. This article makes fascinating reading. I am another generation and more decades removed from the ancestral immigration from The Netherlands (my grandparents emigrated in the early years of the 20th century), so do not expect such a strong reaction. I expect more a sense of completion in gaining a better understanding of my life and the lives of my ancestors. As always when I travel, one of my big pleasures will be simply to drop myself into the activities and culture of the places I will be and just be there. My traveling solo this time will facilitate that.

 

Other than our First Nations people, all of us North Americans are immigrants, so this story is almost everyone's story, the differences being at what age/stage/decade/century the uprooting/rerooting took place. Even the Native Americans were uprooted in that their world, as they'd known it, was changed by the upheaval of arrival of Europeans; a major difference is that it wasn't a change they sought.

 

I agree that the Dutch have lessons to offer, not only in their rebuilding after wartime occupation, but also in achieving a tolerant and successful way of life in very compact conditions -- a small country with a high population density.

 

I am told I will feel at home there physically. At 5'11" I am often by far the tallest woman in countries I have visited (e.g., Thailand and Belize), but I should blend in well on this trip. My husband's and my Dutch ancestors were from Friesland and Groningen, not where we will be going on Viking Legend, so there will be no visit to ancestral villages, and I don't have precise enough information to accomplish that anyway.

 

I am trying to improve my pronunciation of the Dutch "g" sound -- my grandparents were masters of course. I want to get some kind of Dutch language primer since I do have lead time before this trip. Any suggestions?

 

As always, I appreciate your input (and I'm still hoping for shipnc's review).

[CPT Trips]

On our "Holland in Spring" trip, we had one day that the ship travelled from one place to another during the day. Several pax took the opportunity to use the rails to see things not on the itinery rather than take the optional tour or stay aboard. The program directors were helpful in planning and a simple phone call from the rail station to the ship confirmed the location at the dock and provided instructions to the taxi driver. Rick Steves was helpful too.

[nordski]

On our "Holland in Spring" trip, we had one day that the ship travelled from one place to another during the day. Several pax took the opportunity to use the rails to see things not on the itinery rather than take the optional tour or stay aboard. The program directors were helpful in planning and a simple phone call from the rail station to the ship confirmed the location at the dock and provided instructions to the taxi driver. Rick Steves was helpful too.

Xoe

 

I'll second CPT Trip's suggestions. The woman on our cruise who visited her ancestral home also was able to get train advice etc. from the Cruise Director and headed off with a buddy.

 

At first I thought that because you were travelling solo that might not be an attractive option but, based on your response on another thread (which I loved) I was underestimating you! So it may well be worth consideration.

 

As for Dutch pronunciation I'm certain you'll do better than I despite lots of help from my Dutch Canadian friends/neighbours. Perhaps unfortunately I heard very little of the Dutch language since their English is generally impeccable and they quickly shifted to it.

[Xoe]

. . . have the most fun! I appreciate all the suggestions and encouragement and will consider an independent side-trip on the itinerary day suggested.

 

As I work on my Dutch "g" sound (Rick Steves prints it as "hhh"; to me it sounds similar to clearing one's throat), I am realizing it is time for me to pay a visit to "Europe Through The Back Door" in Edmonds; Steves is a Pacific Northwest treasure, and his store is not far from the home of an elderly family member I visit weekly. I would like a detailed map of the area of the cruise, and will see what else I see. I have already ordered Lonely Planet's Dutch language book on line.

 

Also, while still within my easy-to-cancel time frame, I will make a final check on other operators' Holland cruises in that same time frame to make super-sure that Viking Legend is the best choice for me. I'm 99% sure it is, but may as well make it 100%. I like the idea of a new ship with up-to-date environmentally-friendly features, and appreciate the inclusion of single staterooms on a new ship, indicating a friendliness to solo travelers both in ship design and pricing. Single supplements can be brutal for this kind of travel . . .

 

It seems probable that I could get an air-inclusive package with GCT for less than the total I'll be paying, but I strongly prefer to book my own nonstop air, and GCT's reduction from the air-inclusive price, if you book your own air, is only about $450. I think there's not a 1% chance I'd get Northwest/KLM's nonstop routing on any company's cruise/air package. Also I have a preference for starting/ending the cruise in Amsterdam, which not all Tulips/Windmills cruises do.

 

So, off I go, continuing my anticipation/planning fun.

[shipnc]

Hi Xoe....I emailed my review on 6/28 to the above mentioned email address. If you did not receive it, I will try again.

[Xoe]

Shipnc, your review never arrived. Did you get any kind of a "bounce" message? I've been checking regularly . . . lost in Cyberspace??

 

Would you send it again, please? I look forward to reading all about your experience. Again, it's XoeDanner@yahoo.com.

 

THANKS!

[nordski]

Xoe

 

Listened to Radio Netherlands last night, and there was a story about taxis in Amsterdam and how "liberalized" regulation has led to occasional rather unsavoury behaviour on the part of some drivers.

 

On our cruise we encountered only helpful drivers, but we initially had a plan to get from airport to hotel and generally used either hotel or cruise staff to order a taxi in the city. At one point we did utilize a taxi stand, and that turned out to be one of our more enjoyable encounters.

 

Perhaps others on this board can provide further illumination.

[Xoe]

Information is always a good thing. I expect to use a taxi from airport to my hotel on arrival on March 26, and then on March 27 from hotel to ship. I would ask hotel staff to get my cab for the latter, but suppose I'll be in a taxi queue upon arrival at the airport.

 

Any further information will be appreciated.

[nordski]

Information is always a good thing. I expect to use a taxi from airport to my hotel on arrival on March 26, and then on March 27 from hotel to ship. I would ask hotel staff to get my cab for the latter, but suppose I'll be in a taxi queue upon arrival at the airport.

 

Any further information will be appreciated.

We used the Connexxion Shuttle bus from Schiphol Airport at a cost of about 24 Euros and it dropped us off in front of our hotel. They have an office on the ground floor of the airport. No doubt a taxi is more comfortable.

 

One of the less serious issues dealt with in the radio story dealt with the all-to-familiar story (in many cities) of drivers taking long routes to a destination. But then reporters look for the dramatic rather than the typical.

[Xoe]

sounds like a good idea. Because my brain will likely be functioning at reduced capacity when we land at Schiphol, being dropped at my hotel sounds much better than juggling luggage on the train and then taking a taxi or walking to the hotel.

 

I am enjoying reading early reports on "my" ship, the newly launched Viking Legend, as board posters are experiencing her maiden voyages. Now I am anticipating PHOTOS!