We're cruising again. Consult the not-to-scale map below to see the route we take. Use the page buttons at the top to navigate.
This site is being made up prior to the trip so I don't have to work as hard ON the trip.
This site is being made up prior to the trip so I don't have to work as hard ON the trip.
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This page will show our trip to Amsterdam and our stay there prior to the cruise. We've been here before but it's always nice to be here.
For airfare this time we'll use credit card points plus some cash to use Delta from JAX to BOS to AMS.. Why Delta? We despise UA, AA has poor service to AMS, British uses its hub at Heathrow (blech), Aer Lingus no longer connects nicely returning, and the others all have odd routes (like via Istanbul).
Also, the JAX-BOS leg uses the Airbus A220-300 which has a fine reputation for comfort and economy.
While researching the cruise terminal we were cautioned that IJmuiden is a completely different area from Amsterdam. They're some 33km apart. There's a good reason for this; the locks that ensure a good depth of water at Amsterdam are located inland of IJmuiden, and the cruise terminal is seaward of them - thus they can dock here without regard for the lock status.
Google maps shows this: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.461958,4.5668655,14z?entry=ttu
(Cont'd)
We looked around the area between AMS and IJmuiden and found a beach resort town on the North Sea by the name of Zandvoort. We looked into hotels and found almost all booked during June. It must be a very popular place for the Europeans.
We reserved an apartment, but then found that one was on what we call the second floor, which D doesn't like. So we canceled that one and found another on the ground floor in a good location shown by the red dot in the map above. We're close to the train station and the North Sea. Since it's a beach town, I'll bet there are numerous bars and entertainment places. Already we've found an Austrian restaurant for schnitzels and a couple of Italian trattoria. The address is 24 Pakveldstraat, Zandvoort, 2042 KD, Netherlands. There will be a link to pictures of the town and beach and apartment here eventually.
In the full-width picture of the Zandvoort beach above (looking south), the train station is 200M away to the left of the picture. It takes 30 minutes to get to Amsterdam Centraal. Easy enough if we want to go into town for a few hours. So we are close to the airport, the cruise terminal, and the city.
The apartment complex is at right. There are either three or four small apartments in it. We're looking west toward the beach and hotels along the beach.
