Amsterdam

[serrem2]

We have friends who are booked on the Dream leaving Southampton on Sept. 1. They just received an email that Disney was dropping Rotterdam/Amsterdam from the itinerary, and they would have an extra day in Brussels. They really wanted to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.

It seems to me as though it would be possible to do a day trip from Brussels to Amsterdam. Has anyone done this, or do you know of any possible day trips that can be booked?

 

[lorimay]

We are also on this cruise and just looked to see if it’s possible do get to Amsterdam from Brussels. 3 hours by car, 4.5 train and 5 on a bus. So we are going to pass. I knew this was going to happen the minute I saw the issue that the world cruise had. Disney is always very cautious.

 

[auntlynne]

You can find group day trips from Brussels to Amsterdam - that typically are 12 hours. Or car or train as mentioned by @lorimay.

It’s a little late to start rearranging transportation, I imagine. And Eurostar London >< Amsterdam is rerouted until next year to work on the tracks at Amsterdam Central.

This is one of the biggest challenges in cruising: changes to ports when they skip one that you really hoped to visit.

 

[Girl of the South]

How long is the Port stop and how far from the center of Brussels is it? The Eurostar train is still running from Brussels to Amsterdam and takes a little under 2 hours. The 'reroute' only affects the London departure terminal since England is no longer in the EU and you need to go through passport control.

The Van Gogh Museum is an easy tram (or taxi) ride from Amsterdam Centraal. But you WOULD need reservations for the museum. You can't just show up.

Here's the time table:

https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/train/brussels-to-amsterdam

Here is where to book tickets:

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visit/tickets-and-ticket-prices

 

[Girl of the South]

If the ship is docking for the night in Brussels, for sure you can do this! I did a one day train trip from Amsterdam to Paris and back.

 

[Lesverts]

You could. But why? Amsterdamers don't want you or your money. They've made that point pretty clear.

From Brussels there is Antwerp, Liege and Bruges. All have historic centers and sites to see. Within Brussels itself there is a collection of museums that are often criminally overlooked compared to their counterparts in London, Paris, Berlin and St Petersburg.

 

[Girl of the South]

OP wanted to see the Van Gogh museum. Plus, they have two days in Brussels so have time for both.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Why did DCL drop Amsterdam from the itinerary? Just curious. Our trip there (non-DCL) was a lot more interesting than Brussels.

Also if your friends make it to the Van Gogh museum, it's just down the street from the Rijkstad which has several Rembrandt paintings. I hope they can also fit a quick canal cruise into their Amsterdam itinerary.

 

[serrem2]

Amsterdam has been the site of several protests recently by an environmental anti-cruise-ship group. They shut down one of the entrance locks a few days ago and are promising more of the same. Several other cruise lines have cancelled port stops there.

 

[Girl of the South]

Rotterdam, too? Just curious.

 

[serrem2]

I think the protests and lock-closing have been the Port of Amsterdam. The Dream was originally scheduled for Rotterdam, so I think Disney is just being prudent and staying away in case the protests spread to Rotterdam.

 

[Girl of the South]

Thanks. I know there have been protests in Venice and even Key West.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I would def not recommend.. To get from Zeebrugge to Brussels you will need to : take the cruiseshuttlle into Brugge or Oostende which will take up to annhour depending on traffic in the morning. Then catch a train to Brussels; once again up to an hiur and on Saturday you ll deal with the madness of daytourist heading to the seaside.
The regular train from Brussels to Amsterdam: 2.5h
On top of that our public transportation system is very vunerable: strikes, a lot of parts or single tracks so as soon as an accident or technical incident occurs its a mess and trains dont run

Renting a car: on Friday traffic jams everywhere. Saturday the highways would be better but the city would still be a mess. Id also not recommend driving into Amsterdam. In holland and Belgium bikes have often priority over cars and even pedestrians for example can cross even though a car is coming and the car has to stop. And even when we dont have oriority we will just assume we have priority on our book or by foot ;-) in citys and urban areas we even have streets that are just for bikes or that are for bikes and cars but bikes cant surpass a bike.
If you are not familiar with these rules you re asking for problems.
So you d be looking at close to 3h of driving from Zeebrugge to Amsterdam if no traffic jams, park your car outside Amsterdam and wait for a train or tram to drive like half an hour into the city

 

[Rudisdey]

We have friends who are booked on the Dream leaving Southampton on Sept. 1. They just received an email that Disney was dropping Rotterdam/Amsterdam from the itinerary, and they would have an extra day in Brussels. They really wanted to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.

It seems to me as though it would be possible to do a day trip from Brussels to Amsterdam. Has anyone done this, or do you know of any possible day trips that can be booked?

In Brussels? I think it is Zeebrugge

 

[Anna131517]

Have they already booked their flights? Amsterdam is a big hub. They could fly in there, go to the museum, then fly onto their departure port (I assume Southhampton?). Amsterdam is beautiful and the Van Gogh museum really is incredible.

 

[Girl of the South]

Or if the port stop is two nights, spring for a hotel in Amsterdam and spend the night there. It really is pretty magical. Unique.

 

[tvguy]

Cruise lines generally like to avoid ports where there is the potential for civil unrest. Some of the cruise vloggers I follow have been upset that police aren't doing anything to stop the protests. The protests have been going on for two years, and so far, the courts in Amsterdam has found the Police overstepped their authority when they arrested protestors. Cruising does expose you to some of the different mindsets/laws from around the world.

 

[bcwife76]

That really is a shame. We stopped in Amsterdam last summer on the Dream before our final port of Zeebruge and ending in Southampton.