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Day 1,
Sat. DEPART USA.
Board your overnight flight to Amsterdam, Holland.
Day 2,
Sun. ARRIVE IN AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND.
Welcome to Amsterdam, a modern city with a rich and fascinating
history. Stroll along the canals of this delightful 700-year-old
European capital with its elegant and classic architecture, cafés,
restaurants, lively marketplace and exciting nightlife. Perhaps
visit one of the city’s renowned museums such as the Rijksmuseum,
the Van Gogh Museum or the Hortus-botanical gardens. You will find
the Anne Frank house here as well. The city is also noted for its
diamond cutting trade, and tours are available to diamond cutting
workshops. Tonight meet your fellow passengers at a Welcome
Dinner. (D)
Day 3,
Mon. AMSTERDAM / VOLENDAM / EDAM / ENKHUIZEN.
Enjoy a morning cruise through the historic canals of Amsterdam.
After, there’s time to shop before your ship sails out of
Amsterdam Harbour. A short cruise on the Ijsselmeer takes you to
Volendam. This is a day to savor the historic Dutch ports and
lifestyle of the old Zuider Zee. The afternoon tour takes you from
Volendam to the village of Edam, famous for its wonderful cheese.
Continue through an area noted for its tulip fields before
returning to your ship in Enkhuizen, a charming port village with
a rich maritime past, narrow cobblestone streets and fortified
gates. (B,L,D)
Day 4,
Tue. ARNHEM.
Early this morning arrive in Arnhem. Tour the Airborne Museum
Hartenstein, which shows the course of events during the Battle of
Arnhem, one of the major tragedies of World War II. General
Montgomery failed to capture the Rhine bridge in Arnhem to reach
Berlin and finish the war by Christmas 1944. After the museum
tour, return to your luxurious ship around lunchtime and spend a
leisurely afternoon and evening cruising through Holland and on to
Belgium. (B,L,D)
Day 5,
Wed. ANTWERP, BELGIUM.
This morning, enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Antwerp, one of
the world’s most important ancient seaports. See the ‘Grote Markt’
with its beautiful city hall and the Church of Our Lady, and
admire the city’s superb architecture. The afternoon is free to
explore Antwerp on your own or take an optional excursion to
nearby Brussels. After dinner your cruise departs for Ghent. (B,L,D)
Day 6,
Thu. GHENT.
Disembark after breakfast for a guided sightseeing tour of Ghent,
the fourth largest city of Belgium. This city is the real diamond
of Flanders. In a unique way, Ghent has managed to preserve its
medieval charm and power, while keeping up with the times. The
city center alone is a showcase of medieval Flemish wealth and
commercial success. The afternoon is free to explore Ghent further
or to take an optional excursion to Bruges, one of Europe’s most
perfectly preserved medieval cities. (B,L,D)
Day 7,
Fri. ZIERIKZEE, HOLLAND / DORDRECHT.
This morning, sail through the Dutch region of Zeeland. Here you
will find one of the world’s most complex engineering projects,
the Delta Works, which took over 30 years to complete. After the
flood of 1953 the Delta Plan was born to prevent another disaster
of this magnitude. The four great sea-arms in the southwest of the
Netherlands were closed by dams. Stop in charming Zierikzee for a
walking tour and spend some free time to shop or explore on your
own. Then continue to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in
Holland. Near Dordrecht are the 18th century windmills of
Kinderdijk, the largest group of original mills in Holland.
Tonight, enjoy a special music performance on board. (B,L,D)
Day 8,
Sat. SCHOONHOVEN / KEUKENHOF / AMSTERDAM.
Leave Dordrecht early in the morning and cruise to Schoonhoven,
where you can spend some free time exploring this quaint village.
From here, a leisurely cruise along the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal
takes you to Utrecht. Disembark for an afternoon excursion to the
famous Keukenhof Gardens and see a spectacular display of bulb
flowers in bloom. Keukenhof also offers several lakes, sculpture
gardens, greenhouses, a windmill open for inspection and several
terraces to relax. Before dinner, return to your ship in
Amsterdam. (B,L,D)
Day 9, Sun. DEPART AMSTERDAM.
Disembark this morning and transfer to the airport for your onward
flight. Extra nights are available if you wish to extend your stay
in Europe. (B)
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