Cruise transfers from Schiphol and Amsterdam: questions from US passengers
Ocean cruises that start or end near Amsterdam use the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam on the IJ, the Felison Cruise Terminal in IJmuiden on the North Sea, or Rotterdam’s cruise terminal; some itineraries use Zeebrugge in Belgium. These pages answer how to get between the ship, Schiphol and your hotel with a lot of luggage, when to book the pickup after disembarking, and when the cruise line’s own transfer or a taxi is the better deal.
Facts about the terminals come from the terminals’ own websites; AmstelCab prices are the published fixed prices and per-kilometer rates, with their conditions.
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Passenger Terminal Amsterdam
How do I get from Schiphol to the Amsterdam cruise terminal?The Passenger Terminal Amsterdam on the Piet Heinkade counts as an Amsterdam address, so a pre-booked car costs the fixed Amsterdam price — €90 for Business Class, €125 for Van Class — for the roughly 22 km, and it may stop right in front of the main entrance, where porters help with the cases.
What time should I book my pickup after disembarking a cruise in Amsterdam?Book for the time your cruise line gives your disembarkation group, not for the ship’s arrival: Cruise Port Amsterdam says disembarkation happens in phases and is hard to predict, and advises meeting at the meeting point on the street corner in front of the terminal.
Can one company handle airport → hotel → cruise port → airport in Amsterdam?Yes: AmstelCab books all three legs at once, each at its own fixed price, and they add up to €220 per car in Business Class or €280 in Van Class for up to 7 people when the ship sails from the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam — €90 from Schiphol to your hotel, €50 for the short hop from a central hotel to the terminal, and €80 from the ship back to Schiphol.
Is the cruise line’s transfer worth it, or should I book a private car?The line’s transfer is worth it when you fly in on the day and want the ship to know about you: Holland America, for example, has an airport representative who monitors arrivals and takes guests to the pier by coach.
IJmuiden, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge
How do I get from the IJmuiden cruise port to Schiphol with a lot of luggage?Book a car to wait for you at the Felison Cruise Terminal: Schiphol is about 31 km away, roughly 35 minutes without traffic, and a Van Class car takes up to 7 people and 7 cases for about €138, or €106 in Business Class for up to 3 people and 3 bags, fixed when you book.
Can I get a private transfer from Amsterdam to the Rotterdam cruise terminal with lots of luggage?Yes: a van from your Amsterdam hotel to the Cruise Terminal Rotterdam on the Wilhelminakade is about 81 km, roughly 75 minutes without traffic, and costs about €360 for the whole car with up to 7 people and 7 cases, or about €277 in Business Class for two or three people with 3 bags — fixed when you book.
Schiphol to the Rotterdam cruise port — car or train?Train if you travel light: Intercity Direct trains run from Schiphol to Rotterdam Centraal without a change, and from there the cruise quay on the Kop van Zuid is a short metro or tram ride.
Can I get a car from Amsterdam to the Zeebrugge cruise port?Yes, as one long transfer: it is about 256 km from central Amsterdam to the cruise terminal in Zeebrugge, roughly 3¼ hours on an empty road via Antwerp, and costs about €876 in Business Class or €1,137 in Van Class for up to 7 people and 7 cases, fixed when you book.