The main purpose for our trip to Amsterdam was to take a Viking River Cruise on the Rhine. It was a 7-night trip starting in Amsterdam and going upriver to Basel.
You can board the ship as soon as it arrives (in the early morning) but cabins are not available until 3 pm. After our self-guided tram tour of Amsterdam, we arrived back at Centraal Station. We walked over to the De Ruijterkade dock and went onboard (it was around 2:30 pm). Our cabin was already available and we were shown to it.
Lunch was served from 11 am-3 pm.
The Chicken Consomme was salty.
Cannelloni al Forno--baked meat & spinach filled pasta rolls, gratineed mozzarella, tomato sauce. This was okay.
Marinated Lamb Chop with ratatouille, baby potatoes, black olive jus. This was delicious. It was fork tender and had good flavor. Definitely a better option than the cannelloni.
Iced Coffee Float with coffee ice cream and whipped cream. This had ice crystals and was just okay.
After lunch, there was Wine & Cheese tasting in the Aquavit Terrace.
You could also sign up for an included walking tour of Amsterdam at 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm and 4:00 pm. We heard from other passengers that it was disappointing. You walked over to Centraal Station and that was it.
After the Wine & Cheese tasting, we went back to our hotel and picked up our luggage. After returning to the ship, we unpacked then went to the Welcome Briefing followed by the Safety Drill. The alarm sounded and we put on our life jackets and met in the Lounge. There are no lifeboats onboard. If the ship sank, you simply swim to shore.
Dinner was at 7:15 pm. Wine and soft drinks are included with lunch and dinner. They even have Fever Tree Ginger Beer. Every night, you could choose from The Classics.
Or, you could choose from the Regional Specialties or the rotating Dinner Menu.
Bitterballen--beef meatball with spicy mustard. This had a good coating. It tasted like KFC.
Seared Sea bass Fillet with lemon, caper and parsley sauce. This was good--tender, no bones.
Tampoes--vanilla Napoleon with red berry coulis. This was not crispy.
New York cheesecake with berry coulis. This was thick but not creamy--still a better option than the napoleon.
The ship left Amsterdam at 11 pm. It was beautiful to be on deck and see the lights of Amsterdam pass slowly by.
2022 07 15
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