Anne Frank house/museum in Amsterdam

We went in February 2024 and there was no wait at all for ticket holders. I had just had a knee replacement in October and was having the other one right when we got back, and FWIW, I was fine with the stairs etc.

I haven't been there recently, but I seem to recall that parts of the museum (it is a house,
after all) are narrow and kind of single-file? Someone else may be able to confirm. That
would seem to imply the chances of a queue are non-trivial.

I would also guess that the chances of the queue getting longer increase as the day goes
on.

But more importantly, if you really only have 3 hours from the time the plane touches down
till you need to get on the ship, you'll be scrambling just to get to the boat, especially if you
are flying in from the US. If you have to claim bags, clear immigration, and get from Schiphol
to the terminal downtown, that will probably take 2 hours. If you actually have 5 hours, well,
maybe there's a chance.

I would have the same time concerns as Shoeflyer. Even assuming you arrive on time, you don't have 3 free hours in Amsterdam. You would be lucky to have 2. And still need to get to the museum, tour the house, and then get to the river boat. And what would you do with your luggage? The Anne Frank House doesn't have luggage storage.

The whole point about the timed tickets is that there is no long line to wait in. You can enter the house at the time on your ticket without much wait. There will of course be a short line, because you won’t be the only one with tickets for that particular time slot and you won’t be able to go thru the ticket and security check all at the same time. But the people you’re in line with all have tickets for the same time slot.

CJean raises a good point though. What will you do with your luggage? The Anne Frank house only allows you to enter with a small backpack or purse and they have no left luggage facilities. You therefore won’t be allowed to bring your cruise luggage into the house and you won’t be able to store it there.

There is sadly no way you have time to do this.

Are you arriving at the airport in Amsterdam from the United States or Canada, or from elsewhere in the Schengen zone ?

If the former, it will take you a while to get out of the airport (due to the need to clear immigration). While Schiphol is more convenient than many airports in this regard, it still takes at least a little time. Then the time to get to the Anne Frank House.

Again, Schiphol is closer in and the train and tram system means you could get there more easily than you could get to a similar site in other cities, but it still takes some time.

Then the time to tour the house itself, then the time it takes to get to your cruise ship dock so you don't miss your boat.

And this is all assuming your plane arrives on time - which is certainly not guaranteed !

This is just way too little time. If you want to visit the Anne Frank house, you need to build in an extra day in Amsterdam.

Thank you all for your replies/thoughts. We actually are arriving from Paris, not the US, as we will have already been in France for several days. So, it's my understanding that we don't have to go thru customs again in Amsterdam; is that correct? I've also checked with the cruise line and they said we can stow our luggage there, a few hours early, prior to embarkation. I've checked the distance from the airport to the cruise terminal, and then the cruise terminal to the AF house, and it seems like it can work out. BUT I see what all of you are saying, that in spite of my best efforts to make this work, it probably is just going to be too tight and too much of a risk time-wise to make it work. I appreciate all of your input! (can anyone tell me if we have to go thru customs again in EU countries, once we've already gone thru it in our initial arrival in Paris?)

You won't have to go through immigration in Amsterdam....

Many folks confuse immigration and customs. Customs is where the officers eyeball
you as you exit the baggage claim area and decide if you're carrying contraband goods
or trying to sneak in without paying requisite duty. Immigration is showing documents
to prove you're allowed to come into the country (or region).

Since you've already legally entered the Schengen Zone in France, you're good in
Holland as well.

I can appreciate wanting to try and do this, but if the ship leaves without you.....

It definitely helps that you do not have to go through immigration in Amsterdam, won't be jetlagged arriving from the States, etc.

I would still be wary. Especially since you are apparently considering going

-- airport
-- ship to give over your luggage
-- Anne Frank house
-- back to ship for boarding.

And don't forget, in there you have to actually have the time to visit the Anne Frank House ! And as someone mentioned above, much of the visit is kind of single-file and it's all one-way, so there is no dashing around at your own pace within the museum.

I've checked the distance from the airport to the cruise terminal, and
then the cruise terminal to the AF house, and it seems like it can
work out.

Don't assume your boat will be docked at the cruise terminal. You may not know until the day before when a dock is assigned. We were on a river cruise in late May and I had booked our hotel based on where the cruise terminal was, but our dock was as far away from there as it could possibly be.

I've checked the distance from the airport to the cruise terminal, and then the cruise terminal to the AF house, and it seems like it can work out.

The distance may look good but it is how busy it is on the road or on the train that may determine travel time from the airport to where your ship is docked. Rush hour can be really bad and even worse or lighter on certain days of the week. Peak traffic around Amsterdam is typically between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM (mainly going into Amsterdam) and again from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM (mainly going out of Amsterdam but still busy in the center) on weekdays.

Also, how quickly you will get your luggage could be depending on the time of day with intercontinental flights and business people arriving in the mornings creating more load. Also, when travelling during European holiday season (mid July - August), it can be even more busier with arrivals during the day,

Unfortunately, these things out of your control may negatively impact the time left between leaving Schiphol and boarding your ship.

I’d never suggest less time in Paris but perhaps you could look at taking the train for the Paris -> Amsterdam segment and getting an early train from Paris? That would give you more time in Amsterdam.

You’d have to be careful because if your flights are all on one itinerary skipping a segment without canceling beforehand can jeopardize your remaining flights. Did you book this flight separately or did the cruise line do it all for you?

We booked a separate flight from Paris to Amsterdam, not part of our other itinerary. But it is already in the morning, as it arrives around 10:30 a.m I guess we won't try to do the Anne Frank house,, given all your suggestions. Anyone have any other ideas of how to spend a couple of hours around the port area in Amsterdam while we're waiting to embark on the ship?

OP, I hope you do realize that there's a decent chance you won't have a couple
of hours to wander around. Your timing/estimation is based on everything going
right. I would suggest not trying to cram something in, getting delayed/lost on
your way back, and watching your ship depart without you.

Having said that, the Het Scheepvaartmuseum (National Maritime Museum) is not
very far away.