love2crews.

We have also referred several friends to him over the past year and they have all said they had amazing experiences, too. I hope you enjoy his tours as much as we did. 🙂

I believe he is the only guide. Here's his website. https://privatedaytoursamsterdam.com/

Here you go. You can let him know "Princess Rachel's" family sent you, lol. https://privatedaytoursamsterdam.com/ info@privatedaytoursamsterdam.com

I believe Steve is the only guide. You will most likely communicate with Marlou (Steve's wife) via email before your tour. Both Steve and Marlou are extremely helpful and patient-and I ask a LOT of questions, lol.

There must be something up with all their accounts. I had to reset my password the other day too (just for accessing the website, not for checking in). Thinking it might have something to do with the rebranding... Not sure, but glad it's not just me struggling with the login, lol. Bon voyage!

Looking forward to following along. Thanks for taking us with you!

I find the app to be rather finicky. Sometimes it cooperates, sometimes it doesn't. So it may not be you, lol! There are also some sample menus on the Celebrity website. Albeit, not as current as the app would probably be.

Uffe with Great Dane Tours is amazing. He is super flexible and patient. He knows everything about everything, too. We spent two days with him and at the end of the second day, we had him drop us at Tivoli and then we took a taxi back to the port from there. We only spent a few hours at Tivoli. I think it was worth it-we are Disney fans so wanted to visit because of the Disney history. I will say, if you opt for the photo package, make sure you download the photos BEFORE you leave the park. Or else you will never see them (yes, we learned the hard way 😞 )

We did the Best of Scandinavia last May on the Apex. It looks like your ports differ a little from the ones we visited, though. I did a (very) detailed live and included everything you'd want to know. Happy to answer any questions you may have. Enjoy your sailing. 🙂

Visby is a hidden gem. Not many tour providers there, though. We used Consu with Your Gotland Tours and we had a wonderful day. I can't help with the other ports, but if you're looking for a guide in Visby, Consu is the way to go. 🙂

Hands down Great Dane Tours. Uffe was our guide for 2 days and we had an incredible time in Copenhagen.

As many other have said, Delft is a great place. We painted our very own Delft plates, there. Terrific experience. I'd also HIGHLY suggest Giethoorn. It's truly a fairytale village. You can read more on my live thread. I have tour providers and everything you'd want to know. 🙂

I highly recommend VIP Travel Services. We used them in May of last year and they were great. BTW, I love your username. 😉

If you're worried about AMS, you can opt for a meet and assist service to take you through customs. Regina was our escort upon arrival and departure-she was great. Here's the email if you'd like to inquire. info@schipholmeetandassist.com

We used VIP Travel Services and can't fault them.

VIP Travel Services was very reasonable when we used them last year. Great service, clean cars, and always early.

We booked with Private Day Tours Amsterdam (Steve). He was AMAZING. If you can only do one thing, I would suggest Giethoorn. It's surreal. Here's my live thread where I detailed everything we did (including tour providers, hotels, transfers, etc.) Feel free to ask any questions. Enjoy your time in Amsterdam.

We stayed at the Pulitzer (highly recommend) and the Kimpton DeWitt (do not recommend) back in May/June of '23. I did a detailed live if you're interested in more info about the hotels, as well as what we did in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas. I HIGHLY recommend a day trip to Giethoorn.

We booked several transfers with VIP Travel Services and everything was seamless. The driver was always early, easy to find, and the cars were spotless.

A quick search took me to Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam-North Riverside. Their website states they have a lift to all floors. Breakfast buffet is included and it's about an 8-10 minute drive to the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal. It looks like prices for early July are around $200 (give or take a little, not sure of your exact dates). https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/gb/en/amsterdam/amsmk/hoteldetail/amenities?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-NL-_-AMSMK

I find it helpful to use Google Maps. You can search by map area, so make sure the map is showing the area near the port and then search that specific area. You can also sort by the date you want to stay and set filters for price as well. I'd be happy to take a look and see what I can find for you. I know early July...if you don't mind sharing the dates I will take a look. 🙂

Rotterdam has a roped off area with a few tables set up against the windows. Very makeshift, but not much time is spent there anyway. 🙂

The complimentary Eden Cafe is towards the entrance of the Eden space. We didn't have much luck in the cafe (not big fans of the meals we had there), however, we loved the Eden restaurant for dinner. There is also a bar in the main center area where the entertainment is. As others have mentioned, they have special drinks there. Think special effects like dry ice and uniquely shaped glasses. They also offer cooking classes that take place in the Eden kitchen. The entire Eden space is unlike anything I've ever seen on a cruise ship. 🙂

Most excursions need to be cancelled 48 hours before the activity to avoid cancellation fees. Keep checking as it gets closer to your sailing. 👍

My take on independent shore excursions: I love the flexibility independent shore excursions offer. I tend to book direct with the tour operators. I do, however, browse sites such as Viator. If you look under "Additional Information," you will find the local tour operator. Then you can reach out directly to the tour operator. Of course I always make sure the operator is well reviewed and there are RECENT reviews. If there aren't a lot of reviews but they're all good, I'll see if the reviews are a ) all in the same language, b) posted around the same time, or c) if the reviewers only have a couple reviews. For me, these are red flags. I also make sure to tell the operators we have to be back to the ship 2 hours before the ship is scheduled to leave port. For example, if we're in port until 9pm, I'll tell the operator we need to be back by 7pm. I DO NOT tell them we're in port until 9pm; just that we need to be back by 7pm. Also, if we have a long drive, I will NOT book with independent tour operators. I will book with the cruise line. For most tour operators, this is their job and they do not want to risk their reputation if something goes wrong. They will do everything in their power to get you back to the ship. Of course stuff does go wrong every now and then, but by allowing a minimum of a 2 hour cushion, we have always made it back to the ship in time. 🙂