Cruise from April 23

RutheK

HI - Anyone going on this cruise from Amsterdam on April 23? Just like to introduce ourselves. We are coming from Palm Springs Calif. and arriving in Amsterdam on the 21st. Anyone else? Enjoy hearing from you. Ruthe and David Shatz

winegal51

Hi..

There are three of us going on this cruise! 2 from Los Angeles and one from Phoenix. We are arriving on the 21st and 22nd. Look forward to meeting you.

Sherry, Phyllis and Alex

terizim

hi! we will be joining you also. we'll arrive early morning of april 23 from new jersey. we plan on visiting the anne frank house before our 4 pm tauck evening begins. i heard it was a must-see. you can pre-order tickets online and avoid long lines. we are also staying at the amigo one extra night, in order to visit bruge & ghent. we're looking forward to meeting you all!
teri & ross zimmerman

Silverfox40

Good Morning to all,

My wife Susan and I are on this trip also and look forward to meeting our fellow travelers. We live in Conway, Arkansas, arrive 1 day early and stay 1 additional day in Brussels. This will be our first river cruise with Tauck. We took the Week in London and Paris with Tauck last Spring and were most impressed with Tauck's organization, arrangements, etc. so we decided to try this one. Susan and Dee E Webb

gator44

Hi,

There are two more of us going on this trip, arriving on the 21st in Amsterdam, and staying two extra days at the end in Brussels. We are from The Villages (retirement community) in central Florida.

This will be our 7th tour, but our first river cruise.

I have a couple of questions, if anyone can help with answers I would appreciate it. First one is for Terizim. We also are planning on seeing the Anne Frank house. Is there a specific website I should go to order the tickets? And how did you pay for them?

The other questions I have is about money. I know most all tips are included, but if I decide to give an extra tip to someone for extra good service, should it be in Euros, or will they accept US money? I've been told I don't need Euros, then I was told by someone else I do need Euros, they don't take US money, yes they do etc.

And also, been told by a friend who just traveled to Europe last year, that some places would not accept their credit card because it did not have a RFID chip or pin number. Anyone visit Europe lately that can verify yes or no?

Thanks for any help, and looking forward to this trip, although not the flight over. We will be flying from Orlando, layover in JFK for about 3 hours, then direct to Amsterdam.

Arleen

Silverfox40

Hello Gator, we were on a Tauck trip to London and Paris in late April '14 and used our credit card extensively ( Wife did ) without chip with no trouble but it may be different this year. I plan to double check with our credit card issuer before April. Also last year we used dollars mostly for additional tips but also gave our Euros near the end to dispose of them. There is always a exchange fee to convert them back to dollars. Looking forward to meeting y'all.

terizim

http://www.annefrank.org/en/Museum/
i have not bought my tickets yet but i will before we leave. i am re-reading her diary now so i'll have a better comprehension of the visit. it's hard to remember when i read it in grammar school!
we travel to europe with tauck every year and have never had a credit card problem. we just received new cards though with chips in them. most places in europe will not accept the american express card, so bring an alternative.
can't wait to meet you all!

British

I would not say it is true that "Most places in Europe do not accept American Express card"
Anne Frank House, don't leave it too late to buy your tickets, your preferred time might sell out. oh and surprise, surprise you can buy with an Amex card.

crackers54

terizim wrote:

http://www.annefrank.org/en/Museum/
i have not bought my tickets yet but i will before we leave. i am re-reading her diary now so i'll have a better comprehension of the visit. it's hard to remember when i read it in grammar school!
we travel to europe with tauck every year and have never had a credit card problem. we just received new cards though with chips in them. most places in europe will not accept the american express card, so bring an alternative.
can't wait to meet you all!

I was lucky and went up and got in line our free afternoon and got in. Listen for the bells ringing in the church nearby. All I could think is how often they heard them.

gator44

Thanks to Silverfox40 and terizim for the responses back to my questions. As for the money, I think I'll just put some money aside, and once we get over to Amsterdam, if I need Euros, I'll get them exchanged there, otherwise I'll just use US money. If I have Euros left over, I'm already booked for another river cruise next year (Budapest to Prague) so I can save them for then.

As for the chip in the card, my newest Visa card came with one, and we had a very big article, almost a whole page in the Sunday paper about how the US is making changes to credit cards that will require a pin number, but not to expect this to go into effect until at least 10/1/2015. I'm going to use my Hyatt Visa card because they do not charge any International charges if I use the card anywhere in Europe. Starting to get excited about this trip.

Terizim, I did a search, but will have to go back and use the website you supplied. There were no dates available for the month of April. I'm thinking they just haven't posted any dates yet, maybe too early? But I did find another little trip we are going to do, and that is the Canal Cruise. It's about a 75 minute cruise and costs around $14 US. I emailed the Customer Service people to find out where they pick up. Now I just have to check how close for far it is from the hotel. They also have a cruise that you can get off/on to visit the different museum's, but that one is more expense, around $40 US.

terizim

gator44, i think we may have missed our chance for online tix to anne frank's house. it looks as if they are already gone for april and nothing is available until after may 9. shoot! we'll follow crackers54 story and just try to get tix when we arrive at the house. the church bells - so sad!
does anyone know what the plan might be if we arrive early in the morning of 4/23? can we get onboard?

sidecar

The website for the Anne Frank house says that online tickets are limited, but you can always get tickets at the door.

gator44

Terizim, I did try to buy some tickets last week, but all they had left on the website was one for 5:30pm, and one for 6:30pm. I think I will see if the Concierge at the hotel might be able to do something. We are going to take the Canal Cruise. It's a 75 minute tour of some of the canal's right in the area, and it's only about $14 USD. They also have a tour that you can get off and on, and visit the museum's.

I checked with my cell phone carrier, and they have a cheap package deal I can get while we are in Europe. No charge for phone calls in, only $.08 USD for outgoing calls. I don't plan on using the phone, but just in case of an emergency at home, I can be contacted.

As for getting aboard early, according to the book they sent, on the Itinerary page it says, "Cabin check-in on board the riverboat is at 4:00pm. If you arrive before 4:00pm, you may enjoy the ship's public areas. No formal lunch is provided but light snacks will be available after 10AM". We are arriving on April 21st, and there is suppose to be transportation for us from the hotel to the riverboat, just don't know right now what time they will take us there.

vivamus

Gator44, I am replying to your reference of having a cell phone carrier that would charge $O for incoming phone calls and $0.08 for outgoing calls. I have made several trips to Europe and always take a cell phone for emergency. While I usually do not make any calls, it is peace of mind in event of emergency back home so one can be reached. I have done research on phone options. I am a Verizon customer and their global rates for Holland are $1.29 minute for phone calls. The text charges are much lower. By chance were you quoting text rates vs. voice phone call? If you are quoting a voice phone call, could you please share who your carrier is as I have never found anyone to offer rates as low as 8 cents a minute to talk from Europe. A local travel agency has consistently recommended Global.com -- you buy a phone (cost depends on features). You get assigned an international phone number. Texts to phone are free. Voice rates are similar to Verizon rates. Phone is good is 190 countries. You have no charges if you do not use phone. You only get billed for the calls you make while traveling. So, I have been tempted. But could you please share who your carrier is an affirm that you were quoting rates for a phone call vs text. Thanks.

terizim

hi gator44. thanks for the info on anne frank's. we plan to play it by ear now. we'll see what time we actually land, get to the ship, how far the house is and whether our room is ready. by the way, i believe tauck is taking us on a canal cruise the following day. check.
we just use text messaging and emails. never bother with phone calls at all. if you have the same provider, texts are free. for att, anyway.
i hope our tulip timing is right! we're not budding here in nj and it seems we have their same weather. could be perfect?!
looking forward to meeting you!

ValerieA1

Hello,
I am going on this trip also. I'm arriving in Amsterdam on the 20th and spending an extra night in Brussels so I can go to Bruges for the day on Saturday May 2. There seems to be only one day tour from Brussels. Does anyone have any information about it? Thanks for info about Anne Frank house. I will look into it.
Valerie
El Cerrito, CA (near Berkeley)

ValerieA1

Also, for anyone arriving early in Amsterdam, there is a Late Rembrandt exhibit at the Rikjsmuseum. You need a special ticket because it is timed entry. The tour takes us to the museum Friday morning after a canal boat trip but I bought a ticket to the exhibit on Wednesday just in case we do not go to the exhibit. Here is the information from the museum website.
Valerie

Late Rembrandt
February 12 2015 to May 17 2015
This year, the Rijksmuseum will be presenting the first major retrospective of the later work of Rembrandt van Rijn: a once-in-a-lifetime event. Over 100 works from leading museums and private collections from around the world will be on display here in Amsterdam.
This is the first time that an exhibition has been dedicated to the late work of one of the greatest painters who ever lived: Rembrandt. Over 100 of the paintings, drawings and prints that Rembrandt produced in the final phase of his life can be seen here, brought to you from museums and private collections across the globe. In Late Rembrandt, the Rijksmuseum is staging a major exhibition that you will only be able to experience once in your life!
This one-off event will take place from 12 February to 17 May.
If you want to be sure of a ticket, book online now!

terizim

the concierge at the hotel amigo recommended this tour to ghent and bruge. we are taking it on saturday, may 2.
http://brussels-city-tours.be/en/tours/ghent_bruges

Silverfox40

Teri, do you have to book the Ghent-Bruges day tour in advance, i.e. before we depart for Europe, or can the tour be booked after we arrive in Brussels?

terizim

silverfox, i don't know if you need to reserve the trip in advance, but i wanted to ensure a seat on the ghent/bruges bus, so i booked in advance. the amigo concierge will just put it on your hotel bill and it can be cancelled up to 24 hours prior.
if you want, their email address is concierge.amigo@roccofortehotels.com

Silverfox40

Thanks Teri. Susan and I think that would be a great way to spend the day so I will email them.

gator44

Vivamus,

My apologies for not getting back to you about the cell phone. My phone is through Consumer Cellular. The price was quoted via the Customer Service Rep., but as we all know, that information could be incorrect. I just called last week to make sure my phone would be unlocked, and I was told I needed an international sim card. I asked to speak to a Supervisor and explained that I was told they have an international plan where one puts $50 on their account. They ask for the dates you will be traveling, and will have the phone unlocked. No charge for incoming calls, and $.08 for outgoing.
The Supervisor told me that plan was correct, and she would set me up with it. If for some reason I start to get low on the money, I will be notified and I can add more to my account.

I believe one has to have a Consumer Cellular account, I don't think they will do this for outside phones.

The only other thing I was told is that I could buy a international sim card from Consumer, but I didn't want to be bothered with that, because I won't need the phone for that long.

I've also been checking out the website for the Anne Frank house, and it looks like the whole month of April is sold out, so I think since we are getting in a couple of days early, I'll check around once we get there and see if there will be anything available.

JOANQ1

Hi there - my husband Rich and I are booked on this sailing. We live in Encinitas, Ca and arrive in Amsterdam on the 22nd. We cruised last year for the first time, in Alaska in May and then Eastern Mediterranean in September. This will be our first river cruise. VERY EXCITED! We leave for a few days in London post-cruise. Looking forward to meeting new friends.

Joan Q

British

I think this thread is referring to a cruise in April 2015

randgscur

Joanq, so funny we are in Encinitas right now. We live in Connecticut but come here for winter and other times....our daughter lives here. We are takng the Northbound cruise starting 4/9. Would have been funny if we were on the same cruise. Our second Tauck trip...first river cruise.