Amsterdam Day 2 - 5/8/2025 Boarding our ship

We took an Uber from Amsterdam City center to the docking location of our ship which was in Zaandam. It was about 30 minutes out of the city center of Amsterdam. When we arrived at the pier we couldn't see the ship but quickly realized that there were two ships docked side by side and our ship was behind the other. We boarded by walking through the other ship. We sat in the lounge of the ship and had some lunch before our excursion to the Kukenhof Gardens. This is our first river cruise and we're using Avalon Waterways. The ship is much smaller than an ocean cruise ship but has nice indoor and outdoor common areas, Just before we were to leave for our excursion our room became ready so we were able to drop our things and have a quick look. First impression, although we got the largest suite on the ship it was small as compared to ocean cruise ships. It was well appointed, and had floor to ceiling doors that could open in the seating area. We would later struggle to find enough electrical outlets in the right places but all in all a really lovely room.

We headed off on a bus to Keukenhof gardens with our guide. It's late in the season for Tulips and the gardens close for the year in just a few days but we were pleasantly surprised with the remaining variety of flowers. We walked the gardens and pavilions for about 2 hours before we needed to meet back up with the group.

Entrance to the gradens

After we arrived back at the ship we were almost immediately in a meeting to go over safety procedures and hos the ship operates. We met the officers and managers of the ship and then headed to dinner. We sat with a nice couple from Canada, there are quite a few Canadians on the ship, but 70% of the ship is from Australia. Everyone we've met has been quite nice. After dinner we finally got to unpack and set up the room. We struggled to find the right set up because of a lack of outlets but finally got it organized and then we went out on the deck for a final glass of wine before bed. It was a full day. Tomorrow we have a relaxing morning and then we bike in the countryside of Amsterdam for a bit. The ship will set sail while we're biking and we will meet up with it in another little town.