Netherlands - The Golden Age of Hoorn & Kinderdijk

Click on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50059636&postcount=374 for information on viewing a video of our visit to Hoorn and Kinderdijk on a recent Viking river cruise of the Netherlands

Ron

Click on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50059636&postcount=374 for information on viewing a video of our visit to Hoorn and Kinderdijk on a recent Viking river cruise of the Netherlands

 

Ron

Nice video. Thanks for posting!

FuelScience

Thank you for the video! We are very interested in a river cruise in the Netherlands, and the Viking Windmills and Tulips itinerary looks great.

One concern I have, though, arises from a number of posters who have complained that Viking does not necessarily dock in Amsterdam, but outside the city in an industrial port, which to me would seem to defeat one big plus of a river cruise -- being docked in town and being easily able to get off and see the city. (This would seem particularly important given the amount of time this cruise spends docked in "Amsterdam.") Can you comment on that, or on what your own experience was?

We are experienced ocean cruisers, and our only river cruise so far was with Viking in China, which was one of the best trips we've ever taken. But in reading these boards, it seems that Viking's reputation in Europe is not as stellar, at least not when things "go wrong."

Any advice would be much appreciated; thanks!

Thank you for the video! We are very interested in a river cruise in the Netherlands, and the Viking Windmills and Tulips itinerary looks great.

 

One concern I have, though, arises from a number of posters who have complained that Viking does not necessarily dock in Amsterdam, but outside the city in an industrial port, which to me would seem to defeat one big plus of a river cruise -- being docked in town and being easily able to get off and see the city. (This would seem particularly important given the amount of time this cruise spends docked in "Amsterdam.") Can you comment on that, or on what your own experience was?

 

We are experienced ocean cruisers, and our only river cruise so far was with Viking in China, which was one of the best trips we've ever taken. But in reading these boards, it seems that Viking's reputation in Europe is not as stellar, at least not when things "go wrong."

 

Any advice would be much appreciated; thanks!

The docking situation was one of my biggest disappointments with the Viking cruise. In Amsterdam, Viking uses 4 different docks. Three are next to the central train station and 1 is at an industrial dock on the outskirts of the city. Our ship docked at one of the docks near the train station for departure, but when we return to Amsterdam at the end of the cruise we were docked at the industrial site. Trying to locate your ship in Amsterdam is a frustrating experience if you don't take the Viking transfer. We went to two different docks before we finally located our ship at the third dock.

We thought maybe the situation might improve after we left Amsterdam. NOT! In the ports of Antwerp and Bruges we docked outside of town, so a bus was required to take us to the city center for our morning tour. If you did not take an optional tour in the afternoon you were a prisoner on the ship. At our stop for the Delta Works the ship was offloaded on the side of an expressway and we met the ship at another location 5 hours later. The bus only made two one-hour stops during this entire time.

At many of these stops we saw ships from several other cruise lines docked in the middle of town.

Our ship did not arrive into Rotterdam until &:30 pm and we docked completely out of town, so nobody even bothered to get off the ship. No tour was included or offered.

After we returned I work Viking customer service a complaint letter and received absolutely no response. The only reason to pay such a premium for a river cruise is for the convenience of docking in the middle of town, but Viking has shown this not to be the case. This was our first river cruise, but I can't say that I'll ever take another Viking cruise. Some people have told me that the situation is different on the Rhine or Danube river cruise, but I have no experience with these cruises.

I hate to be so negative, but this was our experience.

Happy Travels,

Ron

If The cruise line provides the telephone number of the ship or the cruise director you, or your taxi driver can call and get the docking location.

.....

I hate to be so negative, but this was our experience.

 

Happy Travels,

Ron

I truly appreciate your iinformation and candor. One of the most valuable things about Cruise Critic is getting real information and not cruise line spin and marketing. Thank you very much for taking the time for such a detailed reply.

If The cruise line provides the telephone number of the ship or the cruise director you, or your taxi driver can call and get the docking location.

That was not the case with Viking! We called the number we were giving for the ship and got a recording saying no messages were being accepted.

Ron

On my recent AMA Waterways and Avalon Waterways riverboat cruises...I was able to phone the riverboats using the numbers listed in my documents. My driver was able to deliver me to the exact location of each riverboat without any trouble.

Not sure why Viking can't provide the riverboat numbers as well??

All the docking locations on my April 2016 cruises for both the above riverboat companies were right in the centre of the port city. Very easy to just walk off the boat if you wanted to do a tour on our own.

I was impressed with the attention given to passengers on both AMA Waterways and Avalon Waterways. Excellent service on both lines. Great prices too! :)

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Hi Pat:)...I was very impressed with AMA too:D.....so much so that I

have booked another cruise with them for next year:D....sailing out

of Amsterdam again but going on the Rhine and the cruise ends in

Basel:)

Hi Pat:)...I was very impressed with AMA too:D.....so much so that I

have booked another cruise with them for next year:D....sailing out

of Amsterdam again but going on the Rhine and the cruise ends in

Basel:)

Lois I know that you stayed at Banks Mansion recently. Did the hotel call a taxi to transport you to your cruise port? Is it the same cruise port for Celebrity cruise ships? Is it walkable from Banks Mansion.? Looking for guidance since we will be in AMS during the Gay Pride Festival & the big parade is the same day that we need to get to our ship.

Shirley

Hi Pat:)...I was very impressed with AMA too:D.....so much so that I

have booked another cruise with them for next year:D....sailing out

of Amsterdam again but going on the Rhine and the cruise ends in

Basel:)

Hi Lois!

I loved both my riverboat cruises and have booked the Avalon Passion.. for May 2017. I'm sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest.

Avalon Waterways waived the single supplement for my 2017 cruise and the itinerary was what I was looking for. I would sail with AMA Waterways again too. Both lines were excellent!!

My riverboat the AmaViola (April 2016) was docked along side the AmaStella at several ports and I got a sneak peek of your riverboat too! Too bad we weren't sailing at the same time!

On my second April 2016 riverboat cruise I was onboard the Avalon Artistry II and I did a different itinerary compared to the AmaViola itinerary. I had an amazing trip!

I think I love riverboat cruising all most as much as ocean cruising!! :)

Click on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50059636&postcount=374 for information on viewing a video of our visit to Hoorn and Kinderdijk on a recent Viking river cruise of the Netherlands

 

Ron

Ron...don't know if you remember me but we sailed together on the Ruby Princess in 2012. You made some wonderful videos of that cruise as well.

I just watched your two videos from your riverboat cruise and really enjoyed them. Brought back memories of my amazing trip there too.

Everyone here is the link to Ron's Amsterdam & Keukenhof video ...

I love watching your amazing videos!

Pat

Ron...don't know if you remember me but we sailed together on the Ruby Princess in 2012. You made some wonderful videos of that cruise as well.

 

I just watched your two videos from your riverboat cruise and really enjoyed them. Brought back memories of my amazing trip there too.

 

Everyone here is the link to Ron's Amsterdam & Keukenhof video ...

 

 

I love watching your amazing videos!

 

Pat

Yes Pat, I do remember you. Thanks for the nice comments on the videos. The Ruby transatlantic was certainly a cruise to remember. It was one of our best! I just posted another video from our river cruise. This one highlights our visits to Arnhem and "A Bridge Too Far". Hope to see run into you again on another cruise somewhere in the world.

Ron

Lois I know that you stayed at Banks Mansion recently. Did the hotel call a taxi to transport you to your cruise port? Is it the same cruise port for Celebrity cruise ships? Is it walkable from Banks Mansion.? Looking for guidance since we will be in AMS during the Gay Pride Festival & the big parade is the same day that we need to get to our ship.

 

Shirley

I am not Lois, but I can tell you riverships dock in different places, more or less all around Centraal Station. Only when no large cruiseships are in port that dock is somestimes used too. Important enough to check where your ship will dock, or check this site by that time. http://www.portofamsterdam.nl/Ned/Ligplaatsenreserveringen.html

Assuming you have luggage, no it is not walkable, just a bit too far away.

I am sure your hotel can get you a cab without any problem.

Lois I know that you stayed at Banks Mansion recently. Did the hotel call a taxi to transport you to your cruise port? Is it the same cruise port for Celebrity cruise ships? Is it walkable from Banks Mansion.? Looking for guidance since we will be in AMS during the Gay Pride Festival & the big parade is the same day that we need to get to our ship.

 

Shirley

Hi Shirley, Ine gave you good information:)....I agree with her and will

say, no way I would have walked to the pier......it was about 11 Euros

by cab and yes, the hotel called them for me. They come inside the lobby

to pick you up:).....I don't know if it is the same dock for Celebrity.

All the ships that were there when I was there were riverboats.

Thanks to Ine & Lois for their responses...much appreciated.

Shirley

That was not the case with Viking! We called the number we were giving for the ship and got a recording saying no messages were being accepted.

 

Ron

On the morning I joined the ship I emailed the ship and asked them which docking location they were in. I got a response about 15 minutes later.