What better way to celebrate Dougie’s 60th birthday than a 10 day Uniworld Tulips and Windmills river cruise in the Netherlands and Belgium. We’ve cruised with Uniworld before: a fabulous trip down the Seine in the summer of 2018, so we knew we were in good hands. It was all a bit last minute but aren’t these decisions often the best – just grabbing the opportunity when it arises.
Humberside to Schiphol
We chose to fly from Humberside airport as it’s usually a stress-free drive avoiding busy motorways. Not quite so stress-free this time as we were stuck behind numerous tractors, wide loads and two sewage tankers. Nice. All was forgiven when we parked near enough on the doorstep of the airport’s main building. Even better, we were greeted with birthday balloons and Prosecco. Dougie thought I’d laid on a treat for his special day but it turned out the airport was also celebrating – its 50th birthday – and all the passengers were given a free glass of fizz. You’ll realise by this gesture how very small the airport is – can you imagine the chaos if they did this at Stansted?
Easy check-in for the KLM City Hopper then a short 45 minute flight to Schiphol, Amsterdam. Just as we were coming into land, the flight attendant offered Dougie some miniature bottles of wine and snacks for his birthday. Actually they offered them to me thinking it was my birthday but we’d swapped seats. All in all, a great start to the holiday.
Uniworld’s River Queen
A coach took a number of us from the airport to the city centre where our ship, Uniworld’s Grande Dame, River Queen, was waiting for us to embark. Moored near ships from other river cruise companies, River Queen has a very different style: lots of polished wood and gleaming brass, capturing the essence of a 1930s river boat. On our two previous cruises (we travelled along the Rhine and Main with Emerald Cruises in 2014) we had balcony cabins. This time, with such a late booking, we were a little lower in the ship. However there was still a great view from the large window with the surface of the water bobbing about just below us.
We had a great first night with yet more treats for the birthday boy. He was presented with a large chocolate cake/dessert just after we’d wolfed down the soup, starter, main and pud. We picked up our spoons and gamely tucked in – well you’re only 60 once.
Amsterdam highlights
An early start the following morning. 9am sharp on the dock for a short coach ride to the Fabrique des Lumieres. This is a superb cultural space in a former 19th century gas factory. From Vermeer to Van Gogh, Dutch Masters was an incredible immersive art exhibition. As our group were the first visitors of the day, we had the space near enough to ourselves. It was truly a feast for the eyes and ears. An how fabulous to see my husband blend into a Delft street scene so effortlessly.
For our second excursion of the day we opted to join a Refugee canal cruise rather than the traditional glass-roofed affair. Yusuf, himself a refugee who has made Amsterdam his home, guided us along the canals in a colourful wooden boat which had made the journey across the Mediterranean some years ago. It was so interesting to hear from someone who has made that journey and could highlight the issues surrounding immigration.
A few hours on our own to explore more of the city was very welcome. After dinner on board, we joined our cruise manager, Rik, on the ferry across to the A’Dam Tower. A wacky Willy Wonka elevator shot us up to the top floor for a glass of wine and twinkling night views of the city. The evening could have ended up with a hospital visit as Dougie insisted on mounting a huge red fibreglass horse, nearly dislocating his hip in the process. The things these 60 year olds get up to…
The only thing putting me off is this cruise line is astronomically expensive. Is it worth it, like are the food, staff and amenities amazing?
Apologies for the late reply. It is a top end river cruise but we did book it when there was a 2 for 1 offer which made a big difference to the price. The ships are a bit smaller than some companies so the trips don’t feel so busy. Also, when we’ve compared some of the itineraries with other lines, there are a few more unusual things to do and most of them are included in the price. But we had a great cruise with Emerald years ago. They had good staff and food too.