This past April, we took a “Tulip Time” River Cruise.
It was one of the things that Mark really wanted to do, and we both really enjoyed our time in Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general.
There are always several things to consider when booking, from pre- and post-trips to peak-season pricing and, obviously, the infinite number of companies.
Having traveled extensively with Gate 1 Travel, we considered them one of our first options. Chuck had traveled to Paris years before we met, and quite honestly wasn’t a huge fan. And Mark had never been, and as a classically trained chef, he wanted to explore the location.
Isn’t it ironic?
Looking at a booking, we decided that splurging on peak season and seeing the infamous Keukenhof Gardens in all their glory was the way to go. We found a sailing that included a few days in Paris and decided that while we were there, we’d spend some time exploring Disneyland Paris.
We ended up booking a date with Gate 1 Travel, with the riverboat MS Monarch Queen. If you read our last blog series, we were on the Monarch Queen for our German Christmas Market river cruise and LOVED the ship, the crew, and the food!
However, at the time of booking, we had not yet embarked on that trip, so it was a bit of a crap shoot. Fortunately, we had a great experience and were happy to be back on the ship.
Weird Randon Stuff:
If you look back at our blogging and social media history, you know we are Disney fans. We’ve traveled to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland together, we’ve taken several sailings on Disney Cruise Line ships, and we’ve had a Disney Vacation Club membership Mark worked for WDW Catering and Events for a short time when we first moved to Florida.
However, when we visited China in 2018, we opted not to visit Shanghai Disney. Shanghai Disney was newly opened; we were there during the rainy season, and the timing wasn’t right. After returning home, we both regretted not seeing the park.
While Chuck had been to “EuroDisney the year it opened, we decided that Disneyland Paris was the opportunity to create new memories.
14 Day Tulip Time River Cruise with Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris
We opted for the 14 Day Tulip Time River Cruise with Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. We added a few days in Amsterdam to ensure a smooth trip and to enjoy the city, in addition to the extra time in Paris and at Disneyland Paris.
From Amsterdam, the trip would take us to Antwerp, Ghent, Willemstad, Kinderdijk, and Enkhuizen. It would include a full day at Keukenhof Gardens and continue to Brussels before heading on to Paris.
. The current itinerary has one fewer night in Paris and an overnight stay in Brussels. While the current offering has changed slightly, we especially enjoyed the third night in Paris before heading off on our own
It was a wonderful trip, and we hope you follow along on our next journey.
