Docking in Ijmuiden during Sail Amsterdam

[Lair Bear]

Another question for Lair Bear. The Zaanse Schans does not open until 10 am but Anne Frank opens at 9. Would it be better to do the trip in reverse? Also would it be possible to see the Zaanse Schans, Anne Frank house, and the Dutch Resistance Museum in our allotted time? Pearl

 

The Zaanse Schans can be visited well before the 'museum' part opens. If you go to the following web site you can see an interactive map of the various activities as well as the opening times. Most of the interesting parts open at 8:30 or 9:00. http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

What you should definitely do is to go inside one of the windmills and see how the gears and shafts are made of wood. Climb up to the platform and get a view of the surroundings. The Zaanse Schans is free, but you have to pay to see some of the exhibits such as the inside of a mill. Although it is a bit of a rush, you could spend an hour or two here. Skip the museum and just wander through the little village, poke your head into the old store and go back to the taxi.

 

So, I would stick with visiting the Schans first and then go on to Amsterdam. However, if you have never been to Amsterdam, you should definitely do a canal boat tour. And I would do that first.

The taxi can take you directly to the boat docks, the tour takes about an hour, then you could go on to the Resistance Museum and have the taxi driver pick you up at the Anne Frank House. You could also reverse that part. But in the mean time you can enjoy other parts of Amsterdam. Walking there is safe, pleasant and the distances are not that far.

[UKBayern]

With Sail, the city is packed.

Anne Frank and a boat tour you can combine. Zaanse Schans as well is far too much and not feasible. Beware that there are hardly any tunnels and no bridges over the Noordzee Canal, the only way across is at IJmuiden or at Amsterdam. Zaanse Schans is therefore not as close as it looks on the map. Driving through the tunnel in Amsterdam is probably mayhem with Sail going on. We can predict that you will have a great time at Sail, it might just be worth forgetting about the sights and enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and looking at all the gorgeous ships.

 

We personally think it is disgusting that you are just dumped in the middle of a remote port area as is the Ceres terminal, and told to figure it out yourself. One of us actually worked in the port area, and would not know how to get away from there on his own. Public transport is almost non-existent. I would demand that the cruise line sorts something out for you, and not at the ridiculous cost that some cruise lines charge for a transfer. They should have informed you about this at time of booking. This event is one of the largest in Holland and has been on since 1975 every 5 years, so the cruise line cannot claim they did not know about it.

 

There is a bus from IJmuiden to Amsterdam. but obviously one bus cannot transport 3000 cruise passengers PLUS locals going to SAIL. The public transport in Holland is very good, but not THAT good ;) We generally do not take cruise excursions, because we like to do everything ourselves and think excursions are overpriced, but in this exceptional case it may be a good idea to just lumber the cruise line with the responsibility to get you there and back in time :D.

[azalice]

Tina, did the cab company want payment up front to take us into Amsterdam? What about the idea of a small group tour for those of us who have not been there? Were you interested in pricing that out?

 

Does anyone on the Aug.17 Azamara Journey cruise want to join in for a small group tour?

 

Alice

[Lair Bear]

With Sail, the city is packed.

Anne Frank and a boat tour you can combine. Zaanse Schans as well is far too much and not feasible. Beware that there are hardly any tunnels and no bridges over the Noordzee Canal, the only way across is at IJmuiden or at Amsterdam. .

 

You are incorrect on a couple accounts. Besides the tunnel in Amsterdam and the crossing at Ijmuiden there are three more in between.

If I were leaving the port at Ceres, I would go north-west on N246 and take the ferry across. From there it is only minute to get to the Zaanse Schans.

In addition there is a tunnel where N202 crosses the canal and a major hightway A10 that crosses.

 

Yes, it will be extremely busy during the Sail week. And to do a boat tour may involve a long line. But Pearl will be there on a Tuesday, I believe, not a weekend. So, to get back from the Schans would not be that difficult and to do what she wants is, in my opinion, very doable.

Pearl, I would suggest that you contact the taxi service with what ever ideas you have and let them decide.

[Ine]

As Lairbear states beside various tunnels you also have 2 ferries crossing Northseacanal not too far from ceres Terminal. (Another one near IJmuiden is too far out- this aparts from various ferries in Amsterdam.)

The one closes on the way to Zaanse Schans will be "Hembrug ferry" (or "hembrug pont" as we say in NL) sailing to and from Zaandam. The other one is more west at Buitenhuizen. Both charge a small fee to cars, but any cabdriver will know them. The sailing takes just a few minutes.

 

I would suggest to go Anne Frankhuis first - since you will make reservations - and you donot have to wait long. After that you can see what else to do and how busy Amsterdam might be.

On the way back you can go to Zaanse Schans by using one of the tunnels and back to the terminal as mentioned by one of the ferries.

 

The ceres terminal was often used by QE II,when in Amsterdam (the ship was sailing too deep for some tunnels) and also as additional terminal when the port is busy. Plans for the future are to build another newterminal closer to the city.

 

The best advice for all of you either docking in IJmuiden or at Ceres check with your fellow passengers through your Rollcall. That way you might find others willing to join you and you can share the costs.

We have done that in the past and it worked great.

[Pearl64]

Again, thank you Ine and Lair Bear. Unfortunately, we will be in Amsterdam on a Saturday so I am sure it will be super busy. I do like the idea Ine proposed of doing the Anne Frank house first. I will probably give a lot of leeway getting into town so we do not miss our tour. I was thinking of 10 or 10:30 with leaving the ship shortly after we dock and are cleared. I think you are right, Lair Bear, about giving the cab company what we would like to do and take it from there. I do have my group together and will decide what we want to see. I think seeing the Anne Frank house and then to Zaanse Schans might be better. We will have an idea of traffic and can decide what we can do. How long will it take us to get to Zaanse Schans? How much time should we allow? Will an hour and a half do it?

 

UKBayern, I too wondered about our sail away. It should be a good sight. It is unfortunate that we chose this sailing instead of another and miss all this. But, we will have to deal with it and do what we can.

 

Again, thanks all for your kindness and giving suggestions.

 

Pearl

[UKBayern]

LiarBear, the crossings by ferry do exist, and if you like by all means use them. The taxi WILL let the meter run, costs wil continue to mount in the waiting time.

We used to live there, and ignored this possibility on purpose. But well..... it's your day, your money and ultimately YOUR choice so by all means go ahead.

[UKBayern]

Oh, by the way, N202 only crosses a side channel of the Noordzeekanaal.

At IJmuiden you can cross over the locks, the next bridge is on the other side of Amsterdam.

There are two tunnels in downtown Amsterdam but traffic will be very congested (it already is under normal conditions) especially with Sail on.

Highway A10 is the ring road of Amsterdam with the Coentunnel (where it crosses the canal) featuring high in the top-10 of congestion points for many years.

Highway A9 and A22 tunnels can only be approached by driving almost to Haarlem or almost to IJmuiden, so they don´t help much. If traffic is flowing freely (which is by no means always the case) they could be of some use.

 

Sail used to be practically in our backyard. We lived in Amsterdam for many years, Pepijn drove for a courier service and later even worked at the Seamen's Centre in the port and visited all terminals on a daily basis.

That's before working in hotels all those years and hence speaking to guests (what did you do, where did you go, was it nice..... ) and getting their take on a nice day in the area.

We are trying to give you sound advice about what we expect you can manage to do in one day, and whay we expect is simply too much.

What we would really not like is for you to have a terrible day because of stress (hurry, hurry) or in the worst case missing the ship.

In short, we are trying to give the advice of the sort we would hope to receive ourselves on this forum.

 

Happy sailings, Natascha & Pepijn

[Ine]

LiarBear, the crossings by ferry do exist, and if you like by all means use them. The taxi WILL let the meter run, costs wil continue to mount in the waiting time.

We used to live there, and ignored this possibility on purpose. But well..... it's your day, your money and ultimately YOUR choice so by all means go ahead.

 

If Pearl makes an arrangement in advance by booking a private driver (as I understand she does) she will have a fixed rate for that day. No matter how or when the taxi drives.

Pearl I have often heard of people making reservations at Anne Frankhuis at a certain time (10.30 sounds o.k.) when arriving earlier they could enter anyway. You will have seen it in 1 hour.

I think at Zaanse Schans you will need 1,5 to 2 hours at the most.

I donot know the time your ship docks and sails again, but in general most ships are in Amsterdam between 8 and 5.

Always make your schedule with extra time (in case of delays) but any private driver will know that.

[Pearl64]

Again, thank you, Ine. Yes, the taxi has a fixed rate for the day or half day. I am also glad to know that if we get to AF early we may get in. I will contact the taxi company and get their opinions as well as the other members of my group.

 

Again, I thank all of you for all the suggestions. With prior arrangements I am hoping we can do what we want.

 

Pearl

[GACRUISER456]

Pearl & Alice,

Sorry for the delayed response... been enjoying our weekend outside until today's rain came.

 

Anyway, I have emailed the Driving4U company to ask about payment. They did not specify anything in the original email other than the 85Euros was one way. I would DEFINITELY not pay ahead of time for this service. If this company doesn't work out, I will look in to other taxi services. Sounds like the prices should all be about the same though. Yes, with 8 people from our roll call, it will be cheaper than the cruise lines transport and provide a longer visit in town. So far there are 6 of us signed up from the roll call - just need 2 more people for a full van.

 

Thanks for all the advice! Although it is a great time to be there for the festival, it sure does add another challenge to visiting the city!

 

Tina

[Ine]

Pearl & Alice,

Sorry for the delayed response... been enjoying our weekend outside until today's rain came.

 

Anyway, I have emailed the Driving4U company to ask about payment. They did not specify anything in the original email other than the 85Euros was one way. I would DEFINITELY not pay ahead of time for this service. If this company doesn't work out, I will look in to other taxi services. Sounds like the prices should all be about the same though. Yes, with 8 people from our roll call, it will be cheaper than the cruise lines transport and provide a longer visit in town. So far there are 6 of us signed up from the roll call - just need 2 more people for a full van.

 

Thanks for all the advice! Although it is a great time to be there for the festival, it sure does add another challenge to visiting the city!

 

Tina

 

By checking Google I found this taxicompany in IJmuiden. When in doubt, you can always mail them too with your requests.

http://www.tcij.nl/tarievenuk.html

[Lair Bear]

Pearl I have often heard of people making reservations at Anne Frankhuis at a certain time (10.30 sounds o.k.) when arriving earlier they could enter anyway. You will have seen it in 1 hour.

.

Let me give you an example of what Ine says here. My wife and I had been to the Anne Frank House before, but our friends had not and made a reservation for 2:30. But after walking along the canals etc, we arrived there at about 2:00 pm. There was a long line of people waiting to get in without reservations. We saw the door to the left of the line entrance with a speaker button. After we pressed the button we were met by a person to open the door who told our friends to go ahead and enter.

Sorry folks, in line, but that is the way it worked. So, be sure to make a reservation!!

 

Most visitors coming from all over the Netherlands (and perhaps Germany and Belgium) to see 'the fleet' will be arriving by train and concentrate on the waterfront. It will be crowded along the Ij. Perhaps a canal tour starting there is not possible because of this. But you could check to see if you can board one far away from Centraal Station. I believe the following web site shows canal tours that start further from the main waterfront activities (near the Rijks Museum???) and you can still see most of the interesting sights in an hour or so. http://www.amsterdamcanalcruises.nl/

But again, check with your 'tour guide'.

 

PS... I made a mistake about the road ID going through the tunnel west of Amsterdam. Instead of N202 I should have said N203. But that is water over the dam!

[UKBayern]

PS... I made a mistake about the road ID going through the tunnel west of Amsterdam. Instead of N202 I should have said N203. But that is water over the dam!

 

Oh, right, now we know which road you mean. Can we suggest to everyone to zoom in on google maps a bit more, this is one of the ferries, the "Hembrug ferry" (or "hembrug pont") that Ine already mentioned, not a tunnel. It goes every 20-30 minutes depending on time of day.

 

Good suggestion to pre-book Anne Frank museum, it will definitely save time. Lines can be very long.

 

By the way, if anyone is still unsure where Ceres is: have a look on google maps http://maps.google.de/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114813615335683192872.00045e2a60391492828ec

between the Afrikahaven and Amerikahaven you see a bit of railway line running up north and then turning east (right) dead-ending against the Amerikahaven. The quayside just above the end of the line is the Ceres terminal. Unfortunately this is not a passenger railway line, it's cargo only.

[GACRUISER456]

I sent a request to book with Driving4U over a week ago and have not heard back. So, towards the end of last week I sent an inquiry to the company Ine recommended... still no response. Just wondered if Europe was on vacation...? :D

 

Pearl, did you ever hear back from any of the companies discussed in this thread?

 

I have checked my Spam filters, but don't seem to have anything over there. I'll wait a little longer before I send another request, but it makes me nervous when I am trying to book important transportation.

 

Thanks!

[Pearl64]

Yes, GACRUISER456, I did hear back from Rudy's Taxi Company and have made arrangements to use him for 8 hours. We thought that way we could to do most of what we wanted. We plan on seeing the Anne Frank house, Zaanse Schans, a canal ride, a city tour. The driver will speak English. Our price was about 70 euros per person (8) for all day and no extra charge for mileage. He seems to be handling things in the correct way. You should read the terms and conditions that is posted on their website. It does seem to give the passenger some rights. You can reach him at info at the name of his company and then nl. If you google his company, it should come up. I have everything arranged but sending him back the contract. I need to figure out how to do that.

 

I also heard from Ambassador Taxi after the second email to them. Their prices were similar.

 

If this doesn't work out, Amsterdam will be an adventure but I am hoping this all works out.

 

Let us know how your plans work out. Good luck. It is too bad we couldn't have docked right in town but at least we found out early enough.

 

Pearl

[Lair Bear]

I did hear back from Rudy's Taxi Company and have made arrangements to use him for 8 hours. We thought that way we could to do most of what we wanted. We plan on seeing the Anne Frank house, Zaanse Schans, a canal ride, a city tour. The driver will speak English. Our price was about 70 euros per person (8) for all day and no extra charge for mileage.

Pearl

 

I am glad this all worked out well for you, Pearl. Docking where the Regatta will be and then to get into town will be difficult on your own, but having a guided tour for the day at that shared price has to be a lot better than what the ship has to offer.

Again, I will be curious where the driver will take you on the city tour, but I am sure it will be an enjoyable day for all.

[UKBayern]

I sent a request to book with Driving4U over a week ago and have not heard back. So, towards the end of last week I sent an inquiry to the company Ine recommended... still no response. Just wondered if Europe was on vacation...? :D

 

Pearl, did you ever hear back from any of the companies discussed in this thread?

 

I have checked my Spam filters, but don't seem to have anything over there. I'll wait a little longer before I send another request, but it makes me nervous when I am trying to book important transportation.

 

Thanks!

 

Europe is not on vacation at the moment, different parts will have 1 week school holiday in the 2nd half of February some 13-21 February, some 20 to 28.

The area around Amsterdam gets its turn 20-28 February. Businesses stay open though, some staff with kids might take a week off.

[GACRUISER456]

Exellent news! I heard back from Rudy's Taxi very quickly and they were even cheaper than the other companies I had been trying to reach. So our transportation is set now! Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Lair Bear]

Exellent news! I heard back from Rudy's Taxi very quickly and they were even cheaper than the other companies I had been trying to reach. So our transportation is set now! Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

Again I am glad it worked out for you also.

Of course, Amsterdam, during this special even of tall ships in town, will be difficult but exciting to visit. We will be there this summer also but are wondering what your experience will be like. Please let us know.

[Ine]

Enjoy your cruise and your day in Amsterdam.

[Pearl64]

GACRUISER456,

I am glad you found Rudy accommodating. We are booked with him also so I hope all goes well. What I liked was that there was no money ahead of time. Are you using him for all day or just into the city and back to the ship? We decided to use him for all day and see the Anne Frank house, Zaanse Schans, a city tour, and possibly a canal ride depending on time with the Sail Amsterdam traffic. My only question is how much should we tip the driver for an all day excursion? I know tips in Amsterdam are not like in the US. Suggestions anyone?

 

I just got my Anne Frank tickets. The one time was all booked up. So, if you want to see AF house, get your tickets now!

 

I will probably shoot an email to Rudy right before we leave to make sure everything is set.

 

Have an enjoyable cruise. I think we are two days after your visit.

 

Pearl

[45640]

IS THERE A TRAM or TRAIN from IJMUIDEN ?

 

Someone said there is a tram into Amsterdam??? Seams to far... but ???? Or a train ?

 

Dick:cool:

[Ine]

IS THERE A TRAM or TRAIN from IJMUIDEN ?

 

Someone said there is a tram into Amsterdam??? Seams to far... but ???? Or a train ?

 

Dick:cool:

 

 

Sorry no there absolutely is not. IJmuiden is about 15 miles west of Amsterdam. Too far for trams. Only connection is by bus, which takes up time of course.

Your only option is to walk for about 10 minutes into IJmuiden. You ship docks in the beginning of the port, no busconnections there. From IJmuiden there is an Interlinerbus, which goes to Amsterdam. Time by bus is 1 hour, plus of course time to get there etc.

This site is in dutch, but it gives an impression:

http://www.connexxion.nl/reizen_met_connexxion/14/

 

But if you are in IJmuiden during Sail 2010 - (Auguus 19th - Sailin) you better forget this bus. I think the connection will hardly be possible that day. Too much people around Northsea canal will disrupt any schedule.

http://sail2010.nl/en/

[moyaroo]

go to Dreihuis and get the train to centraal! Or call me da%$ it. I know these things! Or at least I am told so by the Dutch train company.

 

12:01 Driehuis 2 Haarlem Stoptrein (NS)

12:04 Santpoort Noord

12:07 Santpoort Zuid

12:10 Bloemendaal

12:16 Haarlem

12:20 Haarlem Spaarnwoude

12:28 Amsterdam Sloterdijk

12:33 Amsterdam Centraal 2a

 

* Show train stops

 

 

Full-fare 2nd Discounted fare Full-fare 1st Discounted fare

One-way journey € 4.90 € 2.90 € 8.30 € 5.00

Same-day return journey € 9.00 € 5.40 € 15.30 € 9.20

 

But some of us will be Green in Orange country (odd since I am usually Orange on Green day in the US) Bev wants Delft and I want Hoorn.

 

And remember your friends at Ask your mama cruise club insist that they will have a shuttle for you