Shuttle Bus Drop off Location in Amsterdam?

Does anyone know SPECIFICALLY where the drop off point is for shuttle buses operated by cruise lines when ships are docked at terminals other than the main Cruise Passenger Terminal?

The Port of Amsterdam website indicates our ship will be docked at an "alternative quai", which I'm assuming is likely to be the Ceres Terminal. I realize not every cruise line offers a shuttle from there, but would like to know where the drop off in the city centre would be if one is offered (makes it easier to plan the route of our day).

Please note: I'm NOT asking the location of the shuttle drop off run by ships docked at the main Cruise Passenger Terminal on Piet Heinkade, down past Centraal Station - unless all buses from all piers drop off in he same place. We have visited Amsterdam many times, but have always been at the main Cruise Passenger Terminal and just walked to the city centre from there, so I don't know where these shuttles drop off.

Any help would be appreciated.

I hope you will get an answer.

But it looks like May 15 the first ship this year that will use the "alternative quai", which is Royal Princess.

(As far as I remember only QEII has used that place before.)

Maybe (if you are on a different sailing) try to contact one of those passengers on the Roll-call and hopefully they can report back to you after their cruise.

Have you contacted the cruise line direct and ask them about a shuttle?

I would be really surprised that under the circumstances of this bad port location, that the cruise line would not have some answers for you.

Looking at the map, this port is out in the boonies and hard to get to and from, except by some kind of shuttle, taxi or bicycle. There are no trains or busses.

Please let us know what you find out. The schedule indicates that in 2008 there will be several ships that dock there. So, others may have some interest as well.

I appreciate the responses.

My concern isn't how to get to the centre of the city, as I agree that there is likely to be a shuttle considering the out of the way location of the pier.

I was really just wondering if there is a standard shuttle drop off location so that I (being a compulsive planner) could organize our route for the day ahead of time.

Since we've been to Amstedam many times before, and aren't trying to see all the attractions in one visit (impossible!), I'll just wait and see where we land - have to believe it will be near Dam Square or Centraal Station, both of which will work fine for walking to the places we plan to visit.

Ine - thanks for pointing out that Royal Princess will be using the same quai on an earlier cruise - I'll ask aboard to see if I can find someone with the info.

And, by the way, thank you for all the incredibly detailed and helpful answers you post. You certainly are a wonderful ambassador for the Netherlands. I'm amazed at the time you spend answering some of the same questions over and over and also with your patience.

12B@C - I haven't contacted the cruise line because I have absolutely no confidence that the answer provided by people at HQ in the US would bear any resemblance to reality. I've also learned it's necessary to verify the experience of anyone I ask on board - many will speak very authoritatively based on hearsay - yet when you ask them about their personal experience, it turns out that the person selling shorexes or the port lecturer (when Princess used to have them) has never even been to the port.

I noticed that Royal Princess as well as Costa Mediteranea arenot using the earlier mentioned Ceres Terminal.

So it looks like your ship will also dock a little closer to town in a commercial docking area. You will still need a shuttle however.

I hope this link to Google-earth works..

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i208/Inevd/alternative%20docking%20Amsterdam/GoogleEarth_Image.jpg

Thanks Ine - I'm a map fanatic and I would have been trying to figure out where the alternative docking location was and why it didn't fit with the map location of the Ceres Terminal. I appreciate the update.