Our trip starts in 16 Days from today. We have been putting the final touches on some of our plans, specifically for the cruise port stops. We had originally planned on using the Princess Cruise Shore Excursions for two of the stops, Zeebrugges in Brussels and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. However, based on information we were able to get online, we have decided to go on our own for both of these ports.
In Zeebrugges, we are still planning on spending the day in the nearby town of Brugges, about 17 km from Zeebrugges. We will be taking a local tram to one of the two train stations, either Zeebrugges-Dorp or a nearby coastal town, Blankenberge. The tram from the port are goes to, or at least nearby to both stations, and depending on the time we can get to either station, we will choose which one we use. They both have hourly trains into Brugges, but they leave at different times. The Zeebrugges-Dorp station is actually closer to the port, but if it is more favorable to get the train in Blankenberge, based on the schedules, we will just stay on the tram for another 10 minutes and go to that station.
The terrorist activity in Brussels has raised our concern, but as of this date, Princess Cruises has not made any change to the scheduled stop in Belgium. Of course, I doubt anyone on the ship will be going to Brussels, which is much farther inland than we plan to venture.
We found out that we can get to Amsterdam from Rotterdam by train much faster and easier than taking the Princess Cruises Shuttle Bus, as we had originally planned. Going by train is also about half the cost. There is a metro station a couple of blocks from the Rotterdam Cruise terminal, and it is only a few minutes ride on the metro to the Central Train Station. There are many direct trains to Amsterdam from Rotterdam, so we actually believe we can almost be in Amsterdam about the same time as we would be leaving for the Princess Shuttle, assuming we get to the port on time.
We have also decided to go to the D-Day beaches in Normandy, France when we stop in Cherbourg, France. It in a closer drive than going to Mount St. Michel, which was our other choice for this port stop. We have planned our route, including visits to Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery, as well as a few other historical stops nearby. Everyone who visits these areas is so impressed with the D-Day memorials and sights, we just felt that we needed to see then on this trip.
We are still trying to decide just exactly what we will see in Amsterdam, Brugges, and Copenhagen. We have purchased electronic versions of Rick Steve’s books for these cities, and are reading them prior to the cruise to put together a more detailed plan for these cities.