Where does the ship dock in Amsterdam?

[12B@C]

We are booked on the Regatta for a Baltic cruise that also stops in Belgium and the Netherlands. In (near) Amsterdam we are interested in doing a private tour that includes Volendam and the Zaansche Schans (a restored village with several windmills where Pieter the Great spent some time learning about ship building).

Can anyone tell us if the ship actually goes through the canal and locks to Amsterdam or does it stay in the port just inside from the North Sea? What are the facilities and means of transportation to downtown Amsterdam?

What about the other stops such as Copenhagen and Stockholm. Is it possible to identify the port locations on Google maps?

[Druke I]

I don't recall the name of the dock/port in Amsterdam, but just outside the gate there was a trolley line that took about 10 minutes to get to the main rail station (and transfer point to most trollies).

 

We were there on Regatta, 8-05. Getting into town was very easy.

[loum140]

In Amsterdam, we took a tram from the dock area to the Central Station, where we changed to a local bus to get to the Museum District. Coming back, we took a canal tour to Central Station, then the tram.

 

In Copenhagen, we got some local currency because we expected to take the local bus into the center of town, but decided to walk instead to the Little Mermaid first,(fairly near the ship), then kept going till we reached the city center. Not too bad a walk. Walked back as well. So we ended up changing the money back into euros again and took a loss all around.

 

In Stockholm, taxis were plentifull, as was the hop-on-hop-off bus. We shared a cab with another couple as they were at a hotel right near ours.

Can't remember the fare, but it was on the meter (in euros as well as local currency) and not too expensive split two ways.

[drwong]

In Amsterdam, we moored at the main cruiseship terminal near downtown. You could catch a cab, bus, or trolley out front - just note that service may be less frequent if arriving on a weekend. We awoke after the ship had moored to the pier so I can't tell you how we got there (she travels in the dead of night) but when we left, we exited via locks and canals right around sunset. We could see the ship's reflection in several of the glass office towers as we sailed through the canals into the North Sea.

 

In Copenhagen, we had to moor several miles from town at an industrial containership terminal. Somehow taxis were able to locate us and the four of us caught one into town for around 50 Euros. However, the local vendors wouldn't take Euros but instead insisted on the local Danish Krone which were hard to come by as all the banks close on the weekends and the ATM we found didn't appear to have an English-language option. We found a cash exchange booth in the main train station - we were dinged about $5 each when we exchanged our currency - we should have pooled our money and made one transaction instead of paying for four separate ones.

 

In Stockholm, we moored miles from town at the Frihamnen docks on the east side of town. We were able to take the city bus from pierside to downtown and back again. Oceania offered a shuttle for $10 per person and taxis charged two to three times that amount. Sweden also uses its own currency, so you'll have to either exchange cash or use credit cards there. Also, the cost of items was extremely high in socialist Sweden (compared to the US) so don't be shocked when you get your credit card bill upon your return home.

[Fetchpeople]

My own experiences in docking differ from those posted already:

 

Amsterdam docks are usually very close to the main railway station, a site easily located on a map and perfect for branching out to the entire city by mass transit. I recall using a trolley to go from the airport to downtown; it was simple and quick and, of course, reasonable.

 

Copenhagen docking may well be within a sort walk of the heart of the city. Right at the dock is an information center, money changer, and some shops. We walked from the dock to the Resistance Museum, a newer and larger version of theo ne I had seen a few years earlier. I can strongly recommend it. From there we walked on to thechanging of the guard, to a palce visit, to the Nyhaven area and Stroget, the elegant shopping street.

[12B@C]

That is exactly what I was looking for. I was hoping that the ship would actually go through the canal to get close to downtown Amsterdam. Now we can consider what options to take for our excursions to Volendam, de Zaansche Schans and then a canal boat trip in the afternoon. Hopefully we will have enough time to see some of the Rijksmuseum also.

Likewise in Copenhagen. I guess the distance to town depends on the actual dock the ship goes to. But we can always take a taxi for the four of us.

I wonder if it might be a good idea to get some Danish and Swedish currency before we depart the US. We will be in Copenhagen during the week so that might not be a problem. It will be the weekend when we arrive in Stockholm. So dollars and euros are not always excepted??

[derricj]

You may find this site helpful. Scroll way down for ports listed on the far left side.

 

http://www.europeportreviews.com/

[englishlee]

From where the ship docks it's a 15 minute stroll to the Central Railways station. Alternatively you can catch tram number 25 or 26 from outside the terminal which will also take you to the station in about 5 minutes. Canal rides can be caught as you walk from from the Central Station towards the city centre, maybe a 5 minute walk.