Procedure upon arrival...

[Suico]

We are heading to Amsterdam in November for a 2 week cruise to Budapest. We are flying in from the West coast, about 15 hours, and have a question. We will arrive in Amsterdam about 7 AM. What is the usual procedure upon arrival since the riverboat probably won't be cleaned, restocked and ready for boarding until the afternoon? Thanks...

[CincyAL]

Unfortunately you will have a long wait in front of you. The staff will try to make you comfortable in the lounge with drinks and snacks. Most boats dock close to central train station, so some folks get an early start on sightseeing..

[webfoot]

Depending on your cruise company, I know that Avalon has a hotel booked where there is a conference room with cookies, coffee, etc. for those who arrive early. They will often have some early tours running that day ...

 

But, I cannot speak for the other lines as I do not know how they handle early arrivals.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

[micked10@earthlink.net]

To Suico,

Is there any chance that you could fly into Amsterdam a day early? That way you could rest up and see some of the sights of Amsterdam. It is a fascinating city with lots to do. Then you could get a good nights sleep and get a late check-out from the hotel, take a taxi to the boat closer to the time you can check in. We did that this spring when we took a river boat Cruise from Amsterdam to Brussels and it worked out very well. Even though we had been to Amsterdam previously there are many things to do. Just a thought....

One other thing to consider--we always fly in the day before the cruise just in case there is an airline delay. We always do our own flights but if you have the flight with the cruise you don't have to worry about that.

Whatever you decide to do--have a wonderful time!!

micked10

[Ship's Wake]

The previous cruise's passengers will be disembarking at that hour of course and the crew will be focused on helping them. I would take my time getting from the airport to the boat and try to arrive no sooner than 8:30am. By then the "rush" should have subsided and you should be able to board the boat, check your luggage with the staff, and then head into the city to enjoy Amsterdam.

 

Your post did not state if you have taken a river cruise before, so in case you haven't, you should know that boarding a river cruise boat is different than a boarding a cruise ship. There will not be a cruise terminal, but rather a ramp that leads from the dock directly to the ship. Go ahead and walk on to the ship, seek out the reception desk, and ask to check your luggage. They should be able to accomodate your request.