Live from 7 Day Norse Legends, Aug 12-19, 2023

[Banditswife]

Thanks for sharing.  Great pictures

[renee00]

Day 8: Amsterdam 

 

We did a quick Lido breakfast before disembarking around 9. I probably shouldn't have been surprised that most of the ship decided to disembark at the same time (there definitely weren't many early birds on this cruise!). It was a long line wrapping through the music walk, but it moved steadily. The captain and senior crew were there to wish every single guest goodbye, which I thought was very sweet. This was the most involved ship captain I've ever seen. 

 

We then needed to kill the day in Amsterdam before checking into the Sheraton at the airport. We dropped our luggage in lockers at the train station. I've got to warn everyone: these were the most convoluted lockers I've ever seen. The system was baffling and there were no clear instructions anywhere. But we persevered and finally set off with our bags safely stowed. Saturday in Amsterdam in August was complete chaos, so packed everywhere.  

 

We decided to visit the palace, and that ended up being quite the treat. It was a fascinating tour that you followed on a audio headset as you went from room to room. We greatly enjoyed learning about the history and the amazing artwork there. Then we did some final shopping, successfully retrieved our luggage, and took a train to the airport hotel. The Sheraton is nice, with large rooms, and very conveniently located at the airport. 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow is home! Thanks for following along with my trip, everyone!

[QuattroRomeo]

Have a pleasant flight home, and thank you for including us on your cruise!

[CNSJ]

6 hours ago, renee00 said:

The captain and senior crew were there to wish every single guest goodbye, which I thought was very sweet. This was the most involved ship captain I've ever seen. 

Who was the Captain?

[renee00]

4 hours ago, CNSJ said:

Who was the Captain?

 

It was Werner Timmers. I hope I get to cruise with him again.

[smokesmom]

7 hours ago, renee00 said:

 

It was Werner Timmers. I hope I get to cruise with him again.

He was the one who did our vow renewal on the Rotterdam in March. Very personable and kind. I was hoping he would be the Captain in September but I believe he takes a break before we embark.

[Trish Traveler]

On 8/18/2023 at 3:40 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

We were on that cruise in May, and disembarkation went fairly smoothly. There is still a walk to the area where the luggage and cars are available; easy to meet the cab. We booked ours from the ship, as we had a better idea of what time we would be through. But in fact we got our luggage and were waiting before the car arrived. 

I know every disembarkation can be a different experience, but just wondering if you could give me an idea of the rough timeline of when you got off the ship, arrival at Schipol, time through security, etc.

Did you do walk off, or put your luggage out the night before?  Also, when you say you booked a cab from the ship, how does that work?  What company did you use?  If you don't prebook, is the cab line really long?  

Just trying to get info for my cruise next month.  Never been to Amsterdam, so not that familiar.

Thanks.

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, Trish Traveler said:

I know every disembarkation can be a different experience, but just wondering if you could give me an idea of the rough timeline of when you got off the ship, arrival at Schipol, time through security, etc.

Did you do walk off, or put your luggage out the night before?  Also, when you say you booked a cab from the ship, how does that work?  What company did you use?  If you don't prebook, is the cab line really long?  

Just trying to get info for my cruise next month.  Never been to Amsterdam, so not that familiar.

Thanks.

We put our luggage out the night before, as is our practice, but we're careful to keep what we need for the next morning! I've heard scary/funny stories. But the luggage was easy to get, as it's in a big hall that you walk through anyway to get to the cars, which are right outside. And there are helpful people to ask where to go.

 

There are some reliable companies if you want to arrange a car. For our arrival in Amsterdam before the cruise we used Welcome Pickups to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. They were about the same price as Uber, and we liked the driver. I would have trusted them again, but because our hotel was so close to the ship we didn't. 

 

For disembarkation we decided to arrange a car and booked the day before arrival from the ship; we were in a Neptune suite, so the Concierge booked the car. You could probably ask guest services, but we found that getting a ride after getting our luggage would not have been difficult. I don't think the line was too long, but my memory is a bit hazy. If we had it to do again, I think I would just try to get a taxi after disembarking, as the problem with booking is that you don't really know what time you'll be ready. I'd suggest asking guest services what they know about the process.

 

I'll add that it was easier than I thought it would be, so rest assured that it will be okay.

[Trish Traveler]

6 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

We put our luggage out the night before, as is our practice, but we're careful to keep what we need for the next morning! I've heard scary/funny stories. But the luggage was easy to get, as it's in a big hall that you walk through anyway to get to the cars, which are right outside. And there are helpful people to ask where to go.

 

There are some reliable companies if you want to arrange a car. For our arrival in Amsterdam before the cruise we used Welcome Pickups to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. They were about the same price as Uber, and we liked the driver. I would have trusted them again, but because our hotel was so close to the ship we didn't. 

 

For disembarkation we decided to arrange a car and booked the day before arrival from the ship; we were in a Neptune suite, so the Concierge booked the car. You could probably ask guest services, but we found that getting a ride after getting our luggage would not have been difficult. I don't think the line was too long, but my memory is a bit hazy. If we had it to do again, I think I would just try to get a taxi after disembarking, as the problem with booking is that you don't really know what time you'll be ready. I'd suggest asking guest services what they know about the process.

 

I'll add that it was easier than I thought it would be, so rest assured that it will be okay.

Thanks, that is helpful 👍 How was the experience at the airport?

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 hours ago, Trish Traveler said:

Thanks, that is helpful 👍 How was the experience at the airport?

We were lucky; we departed on a Sunday morning, and even though everyone said to get to the airport very early (and we did), we went through everything very quickly and smoothly. The only line was checking in for our flight.

[BSinPNS]

We disembarked the week before and there were large and small taxis available just outside the terminal.  porters were available inside.  Schiphol was a pleasant experience.  No lines. 

[Trish Traveler]

On 8/19/2023 at 12:50 PM, renee00 said:

Day 8: Amsterdam 

 

We did a quick Lido breakfast before disembarking around 9. I probably shouldn't have been surprised that most of the ship decided to disembark at the same time (there definitely weren't many early birds on this cruise!). It was a long line wrapping through the music walk, but it moved steadily. The captain and senior crew were there to wish every single guest goodbye, which I thought was very sweet. This was the most involved ship captain I've ever seen. 

 

We then needed to kill the day in Amsterdam before checking into the Sheraton at the airport. We dropped our luggage in lockers at the train station. I've got to warn everyone: these were the most convoluted lockers I've ever seen. The system was baffling and there were no clear instructions anywhere. But we persevered and finally set off with our bags safely stowed. Saturday in Amsterdam in August was complete chaos, so packed everywhere.  

 

We decided to visit the palace, and that ended up being quite the treat. It was a fascinating tour that you followed on a audio headset as you went from room to room. We greatly enjoyed learning about the history and the amazing artwork there. Then we did some final shopping, successfully retrieved our luggage, and took a train to the airport hotel. The Sheraton is nice, with large rooms, and very conveniently located at the airport. 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow is home! Thanks for following along with my trip, everyone!

Thanks so much for the great review!  We will be enjoying this same itinerary in two weeks!

[renee00]

25 minutes ago, Trish Traveler said:

Thanks so much for the great review!  We will be enjoying this same itinerary in two weeks!

 

Have a great cruise!