Late Afternoon Flight From Amsterdam

Michelle5555

On the day that our Rhine cruise ends in Amsterdam, our flight leaving Amsterdam is not until late in the afternoon. Upon request, will Tauck drop us off at Amsterdam's Central (Train) Station instead of the airport? If so, are there convenient lockers to store our luggage at or near the train station so that we can spend a few extra hours visiting Amsterdam?

British

Call Tauck with your specifics and they should help with the organization,

crackers54

Michelle5555 wrote:

On the day that our Rhine cruise ends in Amsterdam, our flight leaving Amsterdam is not until late in the afternoon. Upon request, will Tauck drop us off at Amsterdam's Central (Train) Station instead of the airport? If so, are there convenient lockers to store our luggage at or near the train station so that we can spend a few extra hours visiting Amsterdam?

I could be wrong, but I believe Tauck has arranged with the hotel they use to lock up luggage of guests with late departure.

Claudia Sails

The Grace and Savor dock in Amsterdam basically at the Central Station. If you look at a map of Amsterdam, locate Central Station and then the Cruise Ship Terminal. Halfway in between the two is a long, narrow pier where about 8 river cruise ships can dock kind of parallel to the shore. It's so small it doesn't always show up on maps.

Hopefully, the TD's on board will let you store your luggage there while you do some more sightseeing then arrange a pickup later in the day closer to your departure. Takes about 30 minutes to the airport plus time to clear security and customs. I'd wanna be heading to the airport at least 3 hours before flight time.

As British suggested, talk to Tauck about this. Then when you get to the ship at the start of the cruise the CD (cruise director) will ask you to confirm your post cruise travel arrangements and you can discuss this with them as well. The second to last day of the cruise you'll get a special numbered tag for your luggage, a time to have your luggage ready for pickup and a time you will be picked up. Anybody with a 1 has the earliest pickup of the day, etc. I would assume you'd be in the last group of the day. The crew mainly just wants your room vacated so they can clean it and get it ready for the next group coming on board that day. Late departures and early arrivals mill about in the main lounge where refreshments are offered.

Enjoy

Claudia Sails

crackers54 wrote:

I could be wrong, but I believe Tauck has arranged with the hotel they use to lock up luggage of guests with late departure.

Yes, if they have a hotel stay and either arrive early or leave after checkout time, the hotel will store your luggage. Doesn't appear to be the case here.

Michelle5555

Appreciate all of the info. I'll check into it further with Tauck. We don't have a hotel stay on the back end in Amsterdam. We are flying to London in the late afternoon. Figured there would be a few hours to enjoy Amsterdam before having to head to the airport! Don't want to miss a moment!

British

I've never taken a riverboat cruise with Tauck, so I dont know what time you leave the boat or where it is in relation to the city, but if you have an afternoon flight, is there going to be any significant time to see or appreciate the city before heading to the very large and very busy Schipol airport where security is very tight. You just can't be there last minute. It's too risky.

Michelle5555

Thanks everyone for your input!
We have decided to book a private tour for about four hours. We will be picked up at the boat and taken to sights we haven't seen on the Tauck tour the prior day. Will visit some of the smaller villages in the countryside. Then we'll be dropped off at the airport about 3 hours prior to our flight. Hate to waste the hours just waiting for a flight so this works out well.

crackers54

That really sounds like a great use of time. On house hunters international they have looked in the countryside and it looks great.