Day trip to Rotterdam

[FlyingAnchor]

Greetings all, 

We will be arriving in Amsterdam this coming spring the day before our cruise departs from Amsterdam. 

We land around noon at Schipol, and have a hotel near Centraal Station where we can drop our bags until we check-in. We'd love to get to Rotterdam for the afternoon before returning to Amsterdam in the evening to check in to our hotel. 

Is this easy to do on one's own? Does it require booking a partial day tour? 

Has anyone done this on their own before, and if so, any tips for booking train/transfer to/from Rotterdam and also what to see while there for a few hours? 

Thank you in advance! 

[Raisinette]

This is easily possible, however I have a suggestion...

Leave your luggage at the airport Schiphol | Baggage storage at the depot or in lockers , take a train from the airport to Rotterdam Centraal station, do your sight seeing then take a train back to Schiphol, collect your luggage then continue by train to Amsterdam Centraal and walk/taxi etc to your hotel.

The trains at Schiphol are right underneath the Arrivals concourse.  There is very frequent (mid day approx every 5 minutes!) service on Intercity trains to Rotterdam, and the journey on these trains takes approx half an hour.  Tickets can be pre-purchased on the ns.nl website, or at the ticket counter on the day you arrive. I think you can also purchase your tickets at the vending machines in the concourse, with English being a selectable language on the screen when you begin.

Good luck with your planning!