Just got our documents for Uniworld, River Queen, April 21.

Just got our documents for our "Legendary Rhine/Mosellle" Cruise on the Uniworld River Queen from Amsterdam on April 21. This is our first river cruise after nearly 200 days on Holland America and we are excited.

As we look at the excursions, I notice it will say for example for Amsterdam, "Featured excursion: Amsterdam by canal", Then "Choice is Yours Excusion Options: A. Van Gogh Museum, B Rijksmuseum visit. Are we able to select two excursions, or are we limited to one excursion? We will be in Amsterdam three days prior to the cruise, so knowing what is provided by Uniworld will enable us to make better choices while we are on are own.

Any help that anyone can give based on any Uniworld cruise would be appreciated. Also, is anyone from CC going on this cruise with us?

From the way you described that particular choice, it looks as if there are three options and you choose one.

Look at the little clock icon in the corner of each excursion in your Cruise Companion. It will tell you if it's a half-day, quarter-day, or full day tour, and the placement of the "pie piece" between the hour and minute hand of the clock should detail what part of the day it is.

The good news is that if it's your first trip to Amsterdam then there are no bad choices. It sounds to me the featured excursion is partial day for everyone and then for the afternoon you would have the choice of museums. Are you in port all day?

The River Queen is one of the prettiest river boats out there. Enjoy!

You missed the text at the beginning of Day 2, before the details of the canal cruise. It states: "Amsterdam is rich in art, architecture, bridges, canals,bicycles and museums. Here, even the simplest of shops has a distinctive charm, and every street has a story to tell. Begin your day with an illuminating cruise on Amsterdam’s famous canals followed by a guided tour of either the Van Gogh Museum or the Rijksmuseum." (Highlights are mine.) There is a further note that the order of sightseeing (i.e. canal cruise followed by museums) could be changed due to time slots at the Rijksmuseum.

From the way you described that particular choice, it looks as if there are three options and you choose one.

 

Look at the little clock icon in the corner of each excursion in your Cruise Companion. It will tell you if it's a half-day, quarter-day, or full day tour, and the placement of the "pie piece" between the hour and minute hand of the clock should detail what part of the day it is.

Strangely the clock icons all had the same quarter showing (top left).

Thanks so much for your help. We are definitely "newbies" at river cruising and eagerly anticipating our trip.

We are cruising the same itinerary the end of August Also on Uniworld River Queen.... This will be our second visit to Amsterdam. The first time we stayed two days precruise this time we are going directly to ship. We love Amsterdam... If possible try and secure tickets to Ann Frank House you can buy online. We enjoyed the museums. The flower market was very interesting also tour of red light district. Great walking and trolleys are easy to negotiate. Enjoy you will love it. Anxious to hear review when you return. This will be our fourth cruise on Uniworld. River Queen is an older ship but has gotten very good reviews.. Enjoy....

As it happens, I was on the River Queen in Amsterdam twice last year, with both cruises ending there. I'm fairly familiar with Amsterdam having visited many times over the years for business and pleasure. The first cruise was in the spring, Tulips and Windmills, and we were among the few who chose the "Do as the Locals Do" walking tour which was interesting and enjoyable. In the fall, I ended a Rhine/Moselle cruise from Basel there. This time I took the Van Gogh Museum tour, and both it and the Rijksmuseum tours began with a canal cruise (about an hour or so) ending up at the Museumplein where the groups headed off to the respective museums. We returned by bus to the ship in time for lunch. I thought this was just about the right amount of time for the Van Gogh Museum as I planned to save the Rijksmuseum, which I had not seen since the renovations were complete, for another day. In the end, I spent about 6 hours there, but you can certainly visit the highlights in less than that.

As you have three days on your own, I suggest that you visit the Rijksmuseum then. The Anne Frank House is certainly worth a visit, but reservations must be done long in advance. Places in Amsterdam that I have enjoyed recently include Rembrandt's House, which has been restored in the past few years to look as it was in his time there, the Amsterdam Museum and nearby Begijnhof, and the Museum Van Loon, a grand canal house which belonged to one of the city's patrician families (we visited it on the walking tour). You might also want to make a day trip to one of the nearby historic cities such as Delft or Haarlem, but Amsterdam has lots to offer if you are visiting for the first time. If you enjoy classical music, there are concerts most evenings at the Concertgebouw. I took in an opera in the very modern opera house which forms part of the city hall complex.

I enjoyed the River Queen very much. It's an elegant looking ship and although the staterooms are small with no balconies, the public rooms are fine and not decorated in the over-the top way that some Uniworld ships tend to be. The service is impeccable and the meals are excellent. I hope you have a great cruise.

There are a whole lot of museums in Amsterdam. I have enjoyed the maritime museum, Our Lord in the Attic, and there is even a purse museum. It is worth pricing out the Museumkaart, because it covers most (but not all) museums in the Netherlands, and will usually also let you skip lines. If you are into museums it can be very worthwhile.

The remodeled Rijksmuseum has one of the best layouts I've ever seen. I agree that you may want to visit it on your own. The Van Gogh Museum is my favorite museum on the planet. I've been there 5 times, soon to be 6 times! Not to be missed but it is small and should be fully enjoyed on the ship's excursion.

Rent the audio tour at the Rijksmuseum -- it is one of the very best we have ever experienced anywhere. In comparison the Van Gogh Museum audio door was mediocre but still better than no tour at all. This was in August 2015 so hopefully the Van Gogh has a better tour now.

Thanks so much for all the information. We were in Amsterdam in June 2015 prior to a Holland America Baltic Cruise. At that time we were privileged to have the bother of a friend be our personal guide. He and his family live in Haarlam. Unfortunately due to the death of my BIL, we missed the first day of our planned three days. Thus, we missed the Anne Frank Museum. I already have tickets to visit the day after we arrive. In addition, we have a tour of the tulip fields scheduled. We will be staying at the Grand Amrath Hotel, (but I made the reservations, not Uniworld, so the cost was significantly lower.)

We are hoping to do an evening canal cruise, we plan to meet the friend's brother and family one evening. Since we will be using public transportation, I believe they will be meeting us near our hotel. I've asked them to pick the restaurant.

We haven't decided which museum we should do on our own, and which one we should do with Uniworld. Any suggestions?

I was "lucky" enough to do the Rijksmusuem when it was under renovation. The advantage of this was that all of the highlights were in one small area. That is no longer true. Like Gourmet Girl I would suggest doing the Van Gogh with Uniworld, and taking your own time to do the Rijksmuseum.

Hello calteacher,

a great itinerary on a beautiful vessel is lying ahead of you. In Cologne, the offered Ludwig Museum is great for modern art, but I would head to the Roman museum next to the cathedral instead. A Kölsch tasting tour sounds nice, too. In Trier take advantage of the many Roman antiquities and have a look at the Landesmuseum if it works out. I assume almost everyone will head to Luxembourg for the history tour. But for something a bit different I do recommend the trip to the Villeroy & Boch china factory and museum. They produce high-quality wares both for everyday use at home and for hotels, as well as some more exclusive pieces. I enjoyed my tour there some years ago.

Whichever options you choose I am sure you will have a great time on the River Queen.

By the way, the title picture on the vessel's web page shows the town of Boppard: https://www.uniworld.com/eu/ships/river-queen/

notamermaid

Hi hope you enjoyed your trip we are travelling on the river queen next year from Budapest to Amsterdam any tips you could reveal also what room no? We have a balcony hoping it's worth it

Cheers

We received a cat upgrade to cat 3 cabin 316. We are Heritage club members. You get a few perks if you have cruised with Uniworld before.. Cabins I heard are small but very well organized. You must have a suite! I will give a review when I return...

We received a cat upgrade to cat 3 cabin 316. We are Heritage club members. You get a few perks if you have cruised with Uniworld before.. Cabins I heard are small but very well organized. You must have a suite! I will give a review when I return...

Thanks yes we have a suite. Leaving from Budapest to Amsterdam on the 20th June getting very excited. I'm a bit worried about the age difference hope there will be some same age travellers like us. 😎

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Thanks yes we have a suite. Leaving from Budapest to Amsterdam on the 20th June getting very excited. I'm a bit worried about the age difference hope there will be some same age travellers like us. 😎

 

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Don't fret about any age differences and especially don't restrict your mingling to other passengers in your own age range. If you do so, you're going to miss meeting some very interesting and usually very well traveled people.