Rhine River Cruise: Amsterdam

Night city view of Amsterdam, the Netherlands with Amstel river

 Have you ever accompanied your parents on trips on their bucket lists? 
I am lucky to have both parents living, and we discuss what they want to see or experience before it’s too late.
 My father and I were both blessed with airline careers, where we traveled a great deal by air but rarely by water. He was an avid sailor until his mid 70’s but never experienced traveling through Europe by boat.
 On his 80th birthday, I asked him what else he wanted to experience, and he said he wanted to see Europe on a river cruise. So I made the arrangements and spent seven wonderful days with my father on a Rhine River cruise.

This post was written in 2016, but I recently updated it with new photos and more information. Now that many of us are planning vacations, I thought you would enjoy my Rhine River Cruise! I had forgotten to do the entire river cruise in 2016. Therefore I am going to finish it!

What is a River Cruise

Beautiful medieval Cochem town over Rhein,Germany.

For those of you who have never been on a river cruise, this is very popular for people over 50. The river cruises range from 7 days to 21 days, and the destinations are not limited to Europe but expand to Russia, Asia, and Egypt.

River Cruises vs. Ocean Cruises

  1. You see land every day, not vast amounts of water.
  2. Rarely see children on board, not unless you book a Disney Adventure.
  3. You are docked in a city and walk off the boat vs. taking a little boat to a town.
  4.  River boats are not floating cities; the small number of passengers means you can meet and know 50% of the passengers. Which I did, but that’s an option.
  5. You do not experience sea sickness. Instead, you can hardly tell the boat is moving.

The First 2 Days in Amsterdam
September 9: Arrival in Amsterdam

I arrived at 10:30 am in Amsterdam with only 2 hours of sleep but with three movies under my belt. However, I was fortunate to be sitting in business class on Delta, so I had a lovely dinner and light breakfast before arrival.
When I arrived at the Marriott Courtyard in Amsterdam at 12:30, I went straight to sleep. I woke up late afternoon and stayed at the hotel. The weather was sunny and 82!
Robin LaMonte arrives in Amsterdam
Why am I showing you this bathroom?
Because I am an interior designer, silly and thought this was a wonderfully designed small bathroom!
 Robin LaMonte loves her European bathroom at the Marriott Arena
 The bathroom had a Grohe shower and faucet and a Duravit toilet. I spent a lot of time in small compact bathrooms on this vacation.

I dined alone in the hotel restaurant on my first night and enjoyed having duck prepared Dutch style. Delicious!

Robin LaMonte dines alone at the Marriott Arena have duck prepared Dutch style.

September 10: Sightseeing in Amsterdam

In the morning, I decided to venture into downtown Amsterdam for a bit of sightseeing, but I was 20 minutes away from the center of Amsterdam. So I took the metro train instead of a taxi. Mind you; I am 50ish sightseeing alone in a foreign city. This was a completely new experience, but I was not worried. I decided to walk behind women shopping together to blend in. I also carried my small pouch purse in front of me and left my big designer bags at home. No fanny packs, please! They scream American tourist!
Robin LaMonte travelled on the Metro train in Amsterdam
Word of caution for all you who have never been to Europe: Plan on doing a lot of walking! Purchase perfect walking shoes because European cities have many cobblestone sidewalks; while charming and quaint, they can make you twist your 50ish ankle!!
Robin LaMonte recommends good quality walking shoes

I purchased these Naot casual walking shoes from Foot Solutions in Atlanta, but  I highly recommend everyone invest in a good quality shoe, not just wearing your sneakers. I also packed my golf skorts because they do not wrinkle, and I prefer skorts to shorts when I travel.

Amsterdam is a city of canals, decorative gabled roofs, bicycles, museums, the Anne Frank House, and the famous Red Light District.
There’s so much to see and explore in Amsterdam. This city is a 2-day trip.

The wooden shoes worn in Holland by the Dutch filled the souvenir shops in Amsterdam.

The wooden shoes worn in Holland by the Dutch filled the souvenir shops in Amsterdam.

I highly recommend taking a canal boat tour and seeing Amsterdam from another perspective.

I highly recommend taking a canal boat tour and seeing Amsterdam from another perspective.
Below: Many of the canals in Amsterdam are lined with houseboats. Do you see them in the photo through the bridge?
Many of the canals in Amsterdam are lined with house boats.
I ended up walking for 4 hours before I headed back to the Amsterdam Central train station. It was so hot that I purchased a pair of walking sandals in Amsterdam for the rest of my trip and switched to sleeveless tops paired with my golf skirts.

September 11: All aboard the Avalon River Boat!

We boarded the boat at 5:00 pm and were greeted in the lounge by the captain and crew of our Avalon excursion. This was also an opportunity to meet your fellow passengers. As you can see, we are all over 50.

All aboard the Avalon River Boat!

Dad stayed on the top floor, and I was on the second floor. There is a lower floor on all river boats, but you don’t get a good view outside your room. 
The lower level is also the cheapest, so if you don’t need the view, go with the lower level pricing of your river cruise boat*.
*River cruise lines tend to penalize single passengers and expect to pay double if traveling alone. My father did, and I had to pay an upcharge when my husband had to cancel at the last minute. I spent more to be a single passenger if I still wanted to go on the trip without my husband. There were a few single passengers on this trip with dad and me.

Avalon Waterways bedroom and bathroom. This bed was so comfy!

All rooms have twin beds that can be pushed together to make a queen size bed. Plenty of storage, and my luggage went under the bed. They limit the size to 30″x21″x11″, which is a nice size suitcase. (Not the carry-on size. Checked baggage size.)

Avalon Waterways bedroom and bathroom had ample storage

The tiny European Marriott bathroom prepared me for the small cabin bathroom. This bathroom had L’Occitane products which I love! Avalon Waterways bedroom and bathroom

All set for dinner and ready to meet my fellow passengers on this Rhine River cruise.

All set for dinner and ready to meet my fellow passengers on this Rhine River cruise.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that you learn safety and evacuation procedures on the first night of your river cruise. But not until after the cocktail party!

First Day on the Rhine River Cruise-Amsterdam by Canal

We spent the first day of our Romantic Rhine River Cruise in Amsterdam taking a canal tour.

Amsterdam is a city of canals and this canal tour is something I highly recommend!

Below: Do you see the decorative gabled roofs on the canal houses? Part of the beautiful architectural elements I love about Amsterdam.
Shown are examples of the Step, the Bell, and the Ornate Raised Neck Gable Roof.
Below: The building on the corner has two Step Gable Roofs. Isn’t it wonderful!

Now we’re finally departing Amsterdam. I hope you get a chance to see Amsterdam!

Next stop Cologne, Germany, and the castles along the Rhine River!
Until next time!

 

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