Cruise line includes transfer from airport to river cruise ship ONLY if we also purchase the air portion of the trip from them.
That wont work for us. Has anyone taken a river cruise from /to Amsterdam and how hard was it to get to the port? Thanks
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5429 posts
There are frequent trains from the airport to A'dam Centraal station. From there it's a short taxi ride or a 10 minute walk to the River port.
You'll likely find more detailed info if you go to the River cruise forum on Cruise Critic. com
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6442 posts
They don't always dock in the same place in Amsterdam. I was told that most often they dock right by the main train station which was where ours was supposed to dock. The night before we were told it would dock some place out of town. I believe the taxi ride was about 25 euro. Not the biggest deal, but would have been super convenient had it docked in the center or town. FYI, I don't know that'd I'd ever use the local transportation piece to base a decision on the air travel for a cruise. Unless the air were free or super cheap, I would make my own arrangements. They act like the local transport is a big deal, it isn't. Also, we really liked getting to Europe a few days early and staying a few days later. At least thru Viking, they charge a lot more if you make those arrangements thru them.
Posted by
307 posts
We did a river cruise last year. We purchased our air fare from the cruise line. We came in early and did not need transportation from the airport. We met near the dock in Amsterdam and were bussed to Haarlem for the departure. Our return was to the river cruise boat dock, about 1/4 mile from Centraal Station in Amsterdam. Very easy to get to the train.
So IF the ship departs from Amsterdam, take a train from Schipohl to Centraal Station. Very easy and you will have no problem.
If you purchase your air separate, your cruise line will tell you where and when the departure will occur.
BTW our air fare through the cruise line was half of the advertised air fares. It did not even make sense to use frequent flyer miles because the number of miles needed were ridiculously high.
And coming in a couple of days early was helpful to have most of the jet lag behind us when we started the cruise.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8965 posts
Diane, you have a similar question regarding the cruise terminal in Basel. I'm guessing you haven't decided which direction you want to go. Either way, at the end of the cruise and you are needing to get to a hotel, airport or train station (and don't want to pay for the optional airport transfer) the cruise ship can arrange taxis to meet you at the dock. We did Amsterdam-Basel last year on Viking, and they asked for passengers to let them know, a day or so before the trip ended, if they needed assistance for ongoing travel. We (six of us) were going to the SBB train station. They had a taxi waiting for us ( and the dozens of others in the same boat), by name at the dock. Easy.
Dont know about getting to the dock, but I'll bet any taxi can get you there, as long as you know the right one.
Posted by
307 posts
I don't know which cruise line you are using, but when we went on Avalon last year, they bent over backward to accommodate passengers. I have had friends who traveled on Viking with the same results.
I would suggest you consider calling the cruise line and talking to them.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6442 posts
Just be aware that the cruise ships do not always start/end at the Centraal Station in Amsterdam
Posted by
Fredericksburg, VA
241 posts
Diane: I suspect the cruise line will provide the location of the point of embarkation to you before the cruise begins. If a Viking cruise, the Resources section of their website has a FAQ area where they have posted maps with the embarkation locations for the cities they serve. For Amsterdam here it is: http://wpc.475d.edgecastcdn.net/00475D/PDF/portlocations.pdf
Enjoy your cruise,
~Darrel