Amsterdam Port

[wombat_5606]

Ugh, that's unexpected. Good to know

I haven't done the itinerary that you are cruising, but I will tell you that there are usually ATM machines in the port facilities. Do some research on the ports with an idea of what you're going to be doing and then decide if you need some cash.

We were fortunate in that most of our ports used Euro's, so we got some cash to take with us for the 2 week cruise at the airport ATM in Amsterdam, but we aren't big souvenir people. We ended up using very little cash.

Here's a couple of my port guides:

https://www.whatsinport.com/
https://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html
https://www.ricksteves.com/ and his forum.

Unless you know you're going to be spending a lot of cash, I would not order it from your local bank. That's just my opinion, though. Do what you feel comfortable with. I felt like I had done enough research before we left and I was confident that I knew how much cash I was going to need. I think we came home with less than 5 Euro, so my plan payed off. (We actually gave it to our daughter to use on her trip to South Africa, which had a layover at Schiphol Airport.)

 

[AquaDame]

We ran into a couple of places (smaller shops) where they could not accept our cards - just so you are aware - they only accepted my brother's dutch debit card, period. I guess the dutch do not like credit cards and have a separate system with their banks. First time I had seen anything like it... he also has a separate terminal from his bank at home that is hand held they use to make online purchases.

 

[Karin1984]

We ran into a couple of places (smaller shops) where they could not accept our cards - just so you are aware - they only accepted my brother's dutch debit card, period. I guess the dutch do not like credit cards and have a separate system with their banks. First time I had seen anything like it... he also has a separate terminal from his bank at home that is hand held they use to make online purchases.

Nope, we don't and that was the biggest complaint when I tried to sell the co-branded credit card for our airline. "You can't use a credit card anywhere!" And then i had to pull up my list of all the stores in The Netherlands where you could use it.

Ok, things are changing and being in a tourists city like Amsterdam will be different from a small village. Rule of thumb: supermarkets do not accept credit cards. Not talking about little convenience stores in a tourists area, but an actual supermarket.
At museums you usually shouldnt have a problem as they get more foreign tourists. Restaurants can be hit or miss. The bigger the restaurant, the better the chance they will accept cards. Most online stores will accept credit cards.

Dutch mentality: we are not 'buy now, pay later'-people. We are 'buy now, pay now'-people. And credit cards don't match with that

And as for the handheld device we have to go with our bankcards, its just an extra security measure. Nowadays with online purchases I don't need it often anymore, it is replaced by a QR code on the screen in the payment path and I scan it in my bank's app.

 

[harriet2]

Nope, we don't and that was the biggest complaint when I tried to sell the co-branded credit card for our airline. "You can't use a credit card anywhere!" And then i had to pull up my list of all the stores in The Netherlands where you could use it.

It doesn't help it's an American Express card (or has that been changed?) I used to have my dad's partner card (because that would give me his high frequent flyer status, so annoyed they removed that perk ) and we're still arguing about who would have paid if I'd ever used it, because I literally never used it (we both thought it was the other ), it was my emergency, tucked away safe, card, during travel, never occurred to me to use it at home

 

[pjacobi]

Most European credit cards are chip&pin, while most US credit cards are chip&signature.

When you use a chip&signature US credit card in Europe, it will be automatically detected and print a signature slip to sign. This works in most shops and restaurants.

The only place in Europe requiring chip&pin are automatic vending machines, since no one is available to verify signature. Use cash instead.

Due to extremely high interest and fees, never use a credit card for cash! Use your ATM and PIN for cash.

Notify bank and credit card company of travel plans.

The US will eventually go to chip&pin, but gas stations keep getting transition delayed due to cost of pump upgrade.


-Paul

 

[Karin1984]

Small update from NL:
Museums in the Netherlands can re-open from June 1st, with limited capactiy. 30 visitors at a time. There was a newsarticle this morning how different museums prepare, from Amsterdam:
The Anne Frank Huis has done some simulations and normal for them is 75 visitors per 15 minutes, this would need to be brought back to 30, however, they will start off with 15 visitors to see how that is going.
The museum is small and some areas will only allow 1 visitor at a time.

NEMO Science museum (great for families with kids) is more a do/experience-museum has been using the time closed to figure out how to make this work. Things like workshops will be more showing instead of doing for the time being, as participants are normally close together. They will keep an closer eye on kids as they are more unpredictable in their behaviour than adults. However, their experience in general is that kids know very well that there are rules when they go to the museum. So they are not too worried.

 

[harriet2]

Small update from NL:
Museums in the Netherlands can re-open from June 1st, with limited capactiy. 30 visitors at a time. There was a newsarticle this morning how different museums prepare, from Amsterdam:
The Anne Frank Huis has done some simulations and normal for them is 75 visitors per 15 minutes, this would need to be brought back to 30, however, they will start off with 15 visitors to see how that is going.
The museum is small and some areas will only allow 1 visitor at a time.

NEMO Science museum (great for families with kids) is more a do/experience-museum has been using the time closed to figure out how to make this work. Things like workshops will be more showing instead of doing for the time being, as participants are normally close together. They will keep an closer eye on kids as they are more unpredictable in their behaviour than adults. However, their experience in general is that kids know very well that there are rules when they go to the museum. So they are not too worried.

Oh this would make it a really good time to go to the Anne Frank Huis, might look into that. Although we try to keep the intelligent lock down up a bit more then the official rules allow (no hairdresser yet)

 

[Karin1984]

Oh this would make it a really good time to go to the Anne Frank Huis, might look into that. Although we try to keep the intelligent lock down up a bit more then the official rules allow (no hairdresser yet)

Same here, although, I think my first outing will be Burgers' Zoo (Also a good tip for the OP, as this zoo is near Arnhem ) And I so want to experience Efteling with reduced capacity!
In other news of Amsterdam attractions, Artis Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in Europe, will re-open tomorrow.

And there is more news. In the Rijksmuseum, the big museum where many of the important paints are, they are working on Operation Night Watch. This includes studying Rembrandt's most famous painting The Night Watch, and they took super detailed pictures of the painting and you can zoom in almost to the pixels, you can see all the details and cracks in the paint. Really cool to see.
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/most-detailed-ever-photograph-of-the-night-watch-goes-online

 

[BadPinkTink]

@Karin1984 thanks for the updates for Amsterdam. I know things are very uncertain right now, but I have to stay positive and continue with my cruise planning for September. Now that places like Ann Frank House are reopening, with restrictions, would it be a good idea to start looking at booking tickets for September? Before Covid 19 the plan was to book tickets as soon as they become available as cruise port days are busy days and availability runs out fast.

 

[harriet2]

@Karin1984 thanks for the updates for Amsterdam. I know things are very uncertain right now, but I have to stay positive and continue with my cruise planning for September. Now that places like Ann Frank House are reopening, with restrictions, would it be a good idea to start looking at booking tickets for September? Before Covid 19 the plan was to book tickets as soon as they become available as cruise port days are busy days and availability runs out fast.

They're opening in June, with a maximum of 30 people, if all goes well, it's up to 100 in July.
I'm not sure if (before all this) you'd really notice the presence of a cruise ship in Amsterdam, it's always busy, but at the same time, not sure how it'll be now. I just checked the Anne Frank Huis and they weren't selling tickets yet (nor did they give a date when they would), but be aware, I don't think they're refundable, so if the cruise doesn't sail, but the museum is open, you might loose your money, be prepared for that (or check the conditions)

 

[Karin1984]

@Karin1984 thanks for the updates for Amsterdam. I know things are very uncertain right now, but I have to stay positive and continue with my cruise planning for September. Now that places like Ann Frank House are reopening, with restrictions, would it be a good idea to start looking at booking tickets for September? Before Covid 19 the plan was to book tickets as soon as they become available as cruise port days are busy days and availability runs out fast.

It's 2 months in advance or the day of visit. You cannot do it earlier. They haven't announced any changes to this. So I'd suggest to look into the latest procedures about 2 months + 1 week in advance.
And I'm with Harriet, Amsterdam is busy, period. Amsterdam is not comparable to some Caribbean islands where you have multiple big ships each day. The cruise industry is a recent thing in Amsterdam (since 2000) and 'only' 180 cruise ships visit Amsterdam in a year, with a total of 300K visitors. 8-9 million tourists visit Amsterdam each year in total. A cruise ship doesn't add that much on average. Also Amsterdam is bigger than Nassau for example. It spreads more.

 

[RedSox68]

bumping up. Hoping travel will be open next year

 

[Karin1984]

bumping up. Hoping travel will be open next year

Anything particular you want to know about the current situation? Or just bumping to see if there are new tips?

 

[harriet2]

Current situation is that the city centre of Amsterdam is very busy and because of that reason they are one of the two places in the country where a mask is required.

 

[I_love_Cruising]

How much time is recommended for the Van Gogh museum? And do we need to prebook tickets?

We would also like to do a canal boat tour, to see the sights. Would this be better in the morning or late afternoon? We are in port from 7 AM to 6 PM.

Does anyone have a recommendation for where to eat? We would like to taste something typical for Amsterdam or Netherland.

 

[Karin1984]

How much time is recommended for the Van Gogh museum? And do we need to prebook tickets?

We would also like to do a canal boat tour, to see the sights. Would this be better in the morning or late afternoon? We are in port from 7 AM to 6 PM.

Does anyone have a recommendation for where to eat? We would like to taste something typical for Amsterdam or Netherland.

I personally would always prebook tickets for museums if you can. Just because to save you time when you arrive. At the moment you would need to make a reservation, but hopefully when cruiseships return, this won't be necessary anymore.

I would do a canal cruise later in the day. In the morning you are full of energy so a good time to walk around. The canal boat tour can be your way to rest your feet for an hour or so.

The Dutch don't really have a cuisine like France or Italy have We do have a lot of national snacks and sweets. These are the most well-known.
- Poffertjes -> Mini pancakes, to be eaten with icing sugar and butter
- Pannenkoeken -> It is an almost literal translation of the word 'pancake', but the actual product is more like a French crepe, and they can be eaten plain with icing sugar or syrup, but they can also have sweet ingredients like apple or banana, or savory with bacon.
This can be eaten as a full meal, and there are pannenkoeken restaurants. Use google to find one, but https://pancake.nl/en is supposed to be good.
Neither Poffertjes nor Pannenkoeken are considered breakfast items here.

- Stroopwafel -> Syrup waffle, you can buy them at every grocery store and in souvenirshops in Amsterdam for sure. But better is to get them warm and fresh at a stall. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/the-netherlands/articles/where-to-eat-stroopwafels-in-amsterdam/
Whenever I have a business trip to the US, I usually bring these. Always a huge success.

- Drop -> Liquorish. Most people outside NL do not like this, it's very acquired taste. Can be bought in every grocery store in the candy section. If you would take it for the first time I would suggest to buy the sweet version instead of salted.

- If you feel brave... go for ('zoute) haring' -> Salted herring, and it's eaten raw, like sushi, with raw onions and/or pickles. If you see a fish store, they will probably sell it. Another thing they will probably sell is 'kibbeling' or 'lekkerbekje', both is battered fish (like you can get in Epcot in the UK), but the first is small bites, and the second is a full piece filet.

On a rare occasion I do eat pickled herring, but salted is not my favourite

- Other savoury snacks can be found at a 'snack bar' (don't get confused by the word bar, it just means fastfood joint) or from an automat. 'Frikandel' or 'kroket' are the most popular snacks, but there is a lot of variation. (Usually no or very limited vegan or vegetarian options) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automat#Netherlands

 

[RedSox68]

Anything particular you want to know about the current situation? Or just bumping to see if there are new tips?

Just looking for new tips? We won't be there until next August.

How much time is recommended for the Van Gogh museum? And do we need to prebook tickets?

We would also like to do a canal boat tour, to see the sights. Would this be better in the morning or late afternoon? We are in port from 7 AM to 6 PM.

Does anyone have a recommendation for where to eat? We would like to taste something typical for Amsterdam or Netherland.

Wonderful questions. And thanks Karin1984 for the great information.

Anymore hotel recommendations?

 

[JM23457]

Anymore hotel recommendations?

We stayed at 't Hotel (yes, it's called 't Hotel), an affordable boutique hotel in the historic 1700's part of Amsterdam, right on a canal. Very steep stairs (authentic Amsterdam historic building) and a nice cafe downstairs. It's just a 5 - 10 minute walk to the Anne Frank House, and we were also able to walk to Amsterdam's big art museums & other major sights from there, too. We also walked to the central train station from there. Attentive service- they're happy to carry your suitcases up & down the steep stairs for you, and when we arrived with soaked luggage, they directed us to a nice nearby laundrymat (also walkable).

 

[RedSox68]

We stayed at 't Hotel (yes, it's called 't Hotel), an affordable boutique hotel in the historic 1700's part of Amsterdam, right on a canal. Very steep stairs (authentic Amsterdam historic building) and a nice cafe downstairs. It's just a 5 - 10 minute walk to the Anne Frank House, and we were also able to walk to Amsterdam's big art museums & other major sights from there, too. We also walked to the central train station from there. Attentive service- they're happy to carry your suitcases up & down the steep stairs for you, and when we arrived with soaked luggage, they directed us to a nice nearby laundrymat (also walkable).

Thank you so much, but the steep steps concern me. My husband has mobility issues and I don't think it would be safe for him. Sounds like a great place though. Wonder if they have any 1st floor rooms.

 

[Karin1984]

Thank you so much, but the steep steps concern me. My husband has mobility issues and I don't think it would be safe for him. Sounds like a great place though. Wonder if they have any 1st floor rooms.

Just to let you know, the numbering of floors is different in the Netherlands (Europe?) than in the US.
What the US calls 1st floor is ground floor, or 0 in the Netherlands. The first flight of stairs you climb brings you to the 1st floor.

So if you plan to go to a historic hotel in Amsterdam, double check rooms on the ground floor or if there is an elevator. Historic buildings don't always have space for an elevator.
Same goes for certain tourist attractions. The Anne Frank House is not fully accessible to people with mobility issues. If your husband has an issue with the steep stairs, he will only be able to visit the modern part of the museum. https://www.annefrank.org/en/museum/practical-information/accessibility-museum/