Tulip Time Holland Cruise...Airport Transfers

[free2scour]

Hello All,

 

I am new to the whole River Cruise experience (although I have taken 5 cruises to Bermuda on large ships) and have gotten alot of very useful information from the posting in these Forums.

 

I will be taking a Tulip Time Cruise with three others in April of 2008 and am in the process of putting together my air reservations. I am curious to know from people who have previously taken a similar cruise, how easy is it to get to/from the Amsterdam airport and where the cruise leaves from?

 

I am investigating airfares both on my own and through the cruise company and am wondering how much value I should put towards the "airport transfer" aspect of what the cruise line provides when you book airfare through them.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight people can provide.

 

Keep up the great work!!!

 

f2s

 

[Bill S]

free2scour: we have flown into Schipol twice for pre-cruise stays, once for an ocean cruise and once for a river cruise. Both times we took a shuttle van to our hotel. There are shuttle vans which serve locations in Amsterdam and no advance reservation is required. There is a shuttle van desk as you exit the terminal and they will assist you in finding a shuttle which serves the river cruise ship piers. I do not recall how much these vans cost, but generally, such shuttle services are less expensive than the cruise line transfers.

Certainly, the transfers offered by the cruise lines offer more convenience, so it just depends on whether you feel the convenience is worth the extra cost.

Hopefully, Ine, who lives in Amsterdam, will see your posting and she is wonderful about providing accurate information to CCers who are transiting her great city.

We did a Tulips and Windmills cruise with Viking in April, 2006 and had a great time!

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[tiggypooo]

I believe that Uniworld is offering free airport transfers next year. I would assume that you would have to be flying in on cruise day to get them.

If you're doing a pre-cruise hotel stay, in May this year I took that airport shuttle that Bill mentioned and it worked out very well.

If I remember correctly, it was no more than $15. Euros each. A good deal considering what a cab would charge.

As Bill mentioned just make sure you buy your ticket before exiting the terminal. We didn't at first and ended up having to wait and then had to run and get one.

[Ine]

That shuttle service Bill S. mentions (Hi Bill), goes according a schedule to various hotels, not to the cruise-terminals.

http://www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl/site/home.asp

 

Another option is the train between the airport and the city, but less convenient with luggage and you might need onward transportation to your hotel.

Otherwise you a cab for about Eur. 40/45.-- one way. Price depending on traffic (and unfortunately also on the driver willing to charge the official rate or overcharge you....)

 

You will love the flowers in that time of the year.

[free2scour]

Thanks for the replies. We are actually flying in to Amsterdam early in the morning on the same day we will be meeting our boat. I guess if I can book my flights personally for $200-$300 less per person than the cruise line offers me, it will be worth doing it on my own.

 

Is there anything else I need to consider when making this decision??

 

f2s

[free2scour]

OK, the differential turns out to be nearly $205.00 per person, so to me it's a "no-brainer" that I should arrange the airfare myself.

 

The only remaining question I have would be, does anyone know where the River Cruises leave from in Amsterdam as compared to where the airport is?

 

Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated........

 

f2s

[Bill S]

The river cruise pier area is between the ocean cruise ship facility and Central Station in downtown Amsterdam. There is a second area where river cruise ships dock, but my sesnse is that it is an overflow pier and it is located on the other side of Central Station. When we boarded the Viking Sky, it was docked at the main river cruise ship pier. I bet Ine can give you more specific information! :)

[winegirl]

We took a river cruise April 2007. Airport is quite a ways from the city and hotels, if you are staying over. River cruisers are docked primarily in a newer area that is probably a half mile hike from the Central rail station, perhaps further (a few boats were docked right behind the station but not many.)

 

We took the train from the airport to the Central station, which was relatively cheap but a hassle to drag our luggage on board the trains since you have to step up to a second level where the seating is.

 

Then we took a taxi from the Central station to our hotel (dragging several suitcases or more around the streets of Amsterdam is not advised--the bikers are aggressive, the sidewalk area for walkers is narrow and there's lots of cobblestones.) The taxi from the station to our hotel (a Radisson) cost 30 euro (that's not dollars!)

 

So the airport shuttle mentioned above, if it goes to a hotel you are using, is probably the least costly option. Or a taxi from the airport to whereever you are going, while not cheap, is going to cost about the same as using the train and then a taxi. Just get the price from the driver upfront instead of after the fact.

 

The new docking area for the river cruisers is very inconvenient and not close to anything in the downtown Amsterdam area. Be prepared to walk a long distance from the dock if you plan to use the train or visit the main area of the city. I saw some people hauling their luggage from downtown to the dock area, but I wouldn't want to do it. And you don't know for sure where your boat is docked until you get there and even then it's not easy to find since the boats tie up next to each other. Yours might not be right at the pier. We took a taxi from the hotel to the dock the next day and the driver hired by the hotel knew where the boat would be. It was a pretty long taxi ride, definitely beyond walking distance.

[free2scour]

Thanks for the detailed info, winegirl. We'll be going right from the airport to the boat, so we will likely take a taxi based upon all the feedback I have been reading in the Forums. Taxi seems like the easiest way to handle it. I'll call Amadeus upon arrival at the airport to find out exactly where the boat is docked.

 

I passed up on the airport transfers Amadeus was offering, based upon the airfare would have cost me an additional $205 per person if I had booked through them.

 

Can't wait for Spring!!!

[letsgo39]

DH and I flew out of Amsterdam a couple of days after our river cruise this summer and used Schiphol Travel Taxi for our transfer to the airport.The driver showed up exactly on time in a lovely Mercedes.We paid about 35 euro. We ordered the transfer ahead of time and the price was set. This is a really good company and you will not be cheated.

 

I agree with you about making my own air arrangements. Dh and I saved $900.00 by booking our own air this summer flying into Budapest and out of Amsterdam. Our friends used the cruise company air and they were on the same flights as we were and they paid $900.00 more for 2 tickets than we did.I always compare the cost but it has always been cheaper to book my own air. The transfers are never a problem,I just do a little research.:D