Day-Cruise Advice

EDIT - Missed the from AMS to another city part! Disregard my stuff from that perspective :) but in thinking back, we did see a lot of folks out in personal boats out in the countryside. That would be a really neat trip to take. /EDIT

No recommendation, but a few tips from my observations.

Weather is important :) so flexibility to cancel/change easily is probably a good idea. We got great weather there a couple weeks ago, but there was sporadic rain (and a downpour of an hour). This leads to...

...open boats seem MUCH nicer than the enclosed ones. We went "cheap" with an enclosed (glass windows and glass roof) boat in AMS, and it wasn't all that great. Being in the open on the canals is much nicer.

Also, there are a good mix of "big" boats, smaller but still guided boats, rental/drive yourself boats, and personal boats on the canals. I'm still trying to convince my wife to let me drive us in one of the rental boats, but that might be best in a smaller city like Delft or Leiden. Leiden would likely be my "alternative" choice for a canal tour over Haarlem (haven't been to Utrecht). But...

...we also saw many folks on SUPs or kayaks in the smaller towns and cities. Definitely not "high-end" but a neat alternative (or supplement).

From a true high-end option, the "just you and a captain on a wooden motorboat" seems the best route. Some nice snacks and beer/wine/drinks, plus a personal guide. Every so often one of those would go by in the steady stream we watched while having beers at a canal side bar. There seems to be a lot of options, and I hope you find a great one! Even our "cheap" one was a great way to see the canals, so you should have fun.

I’m not aware of any boat cruise companies that offer a day cruise from Amsterdam to Haarlem or Utrecht. This means that the only option would be to hire a private boat with a skipper, but that would cost at the very least €200 to €250 per hour.