Anne Frank Museum

Lunabear

We are on the Oct. 20 Amsterdam to Budapest trip. We will arrive in Amsterdam on the 19 th.
Not sure if we should try to make the reservation for the Museum on the 19th or 20th.
Does anyone know about what time you are picked up to board the ship?
Anything other ideas of things to see or places to eat?

AshvEd

Just in case you don't know, timed entry tickets for the Anne Frank Museum & House go on sale exactly 60 days in advance and sell out quickly. I began checking at 58 days just to make sure I had figured it out correctly. We departed the hotel at 2PM for our river cruise however that is no indication it will stay that way. In Amsterdam we enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum and Rembrandt's House and Studio. It's a fabulous city.

Claudia Sails

Based on 3 prior cruises including one that started in Amsterdam, I'd estimate between 3 and 3:30. The TDs will be in the hotel that morning to answer questions like when your bags will get picked up and when the bus will pick you up. Small bags can be left with the hotel in storage after you check out or the TD may be willing to give you extra tags so those get taken with your big bag direct to the ship.

If you don't need to go back to the hotel to pick up anything left in storage, you can go to the ship directly. They dock at a place called De Ruijterkade. Look on a map of Amsterdam where the Hilton Double Tree hotel and the Central Library are near the Central Train station - you'll notice it looks like a small island. There is a pier that juts out into the water which provides docking for at least 8 river boats. You can take a tram to the train station and walk over to the boat. If you want to do this, confirm it with the TD.

Other things to do.... if the weather is nice just walking around is fun. If you don't have a good travel guide book already, I highly recommend Rick Steves Pocket Guide to Amsterdam. It's small, has good maps, recommended self guided walking tours and lots of info on sights to see.

For food, on our own we eat pretty light so we usually track down a department store like Bijenkorf that has a good lunch room or look for a place with take out for a picnic. Oddly enough, the Central library I mentioned has a cafe/cafeteria up on the top floor with one of the best free views of Amsterdam. Also, there is a place I researched last time called Bistro Bij Ons that specializes in Dutch food. It was recommended by Lonely Planets website. They have a location near the Anne Frank house. Website is http://bistrobijons.nl/en/index.html We never made it over there but it's on our list for next year when we do your cruise in reverse.

As to booking the Anne Frank on the 19th, its a bit of risk air travel being what it is. Plus you just feel like crud the first day. On the first day of jet lag I figure I'm doing good to walk around in the sunshine, find an ATM, get something to eat, maybe take a swim in the hotel pool and try to stay awake as late as possible.

Best wishes on your cruise.

Lunabear

Thank you for all the suggestions. Rick Steve’s book was also recommended by our nephew, definitely a must.
We don’t have iPhones,but we may be able to download Rick Steve’s audio tour to IPad. (another recommendation from my nephew)
We also like to “picnic” when we can. Hoping for good weather.
It’s our first river cruise, we are both looking forward to this adventure.