Jayestravellingadventures

01.12.25 – 05.12.25

I recently disembarked from a 4night cruise to Amsterdam, and of course I took my mum. I have been to Amsterdam n a number of cruises but what made this one even better was Christmas. The ship was covered in beautiful festive decorations. Lets begin from the very start which is embarkation day.

As it was a 4 night cruise there was no option for parking when booking. We tried to be as cost effective given the time of year. The night before we stayed in our regular hotel with was the Holiday Inn Express M27 J7, the facilities are perfect and not to mention the food is just what you need. We then had some time to pass so we opted to do some Christmas shopping (the hotel is near to a shopping centre), before heading to The Elizabeth Hotel to drop off the car which only cost £25 ($33.41). After a short wait our Uber had arrived which cost £15 ($20.04) and the drive was short and smooth. Where CPS would of cost us around £120 (160.36) we ended up saving over half.

Once we arrived at the port we dropped our bags off and headed straight into the building, there was a queue to get to the check in desks, however these moved quickly and we only waited a maximum of 10 minutes. The security line was also speedy and we were walking the gangway towards the ship. As we stepped foot onboard and walked the red carpet there was an elf and a fairy to greet you, the decorations automatically made you that more excited for the short getaway.

We did the normal stuff of heading to the cabin and grabbing a bite to eat, once all passengers were onboard we got an announcement by the captain that the ships departure was delays due to strong winds. I’m not complaining! So I headed tot e gym while mum got her nails done and enjoyed our time onboard even though we hadn’t set sail yet. The entertainment for the first night was brilliant, his name was Russ Parsons who sang songs from male icons. Once we left we had dinner and then done some late night shopping.

It was a day at sea so we done all the usual things including a deep tissue massage (It was just what I needed). The massage was £116 ($155.01) however, I won a £50 ($66.81) voucher in a raffle on the first day as well as I had £60 ($80.18) on board credit meaning the massage cost me a massive £6 ($8.02). AT 1750(cet) you could see us approaching land so, a lot of people were at the front of the ship watching us gently sail in. We then freshened up and had dinner before enjoying the band called PULSE. We docked at 2200(cet), so after the band finished playing myself and mum got changed and went for a brief late night walk in the city to see all the lights.

Then next morning we had all day in Amsterdam so there was no rush in exploring however, we went for some breakfast in our restaurant as the buffet can be very busy. Our first stop once ashore was of course Van Stapele cookies they are absolutely amazing. I then fell into Pull & Bear and got some items (their check out system still amazes me every time). When in Amsterdam you have to go to a Duck shop right? So we did. There was some Christmas shops and markets where we done even more shopping before getting some Stroopwafels for someone. As we were getting hungry we stopped off at Schreierstoren (The Tower of Tears), where I had a hot chocolate and a warm cherry crepe. The food and service was delicious and a place I will go back to every time I am in Amsterdam. It was a short walk back onboard to drop our stuff off freshen up and relax before heading out at 1800(cet) to see more Christmas lights.

Before dinner we there was a celebration in the atrium where staff came together to dance and allow us passengers to show our appreciation for them as most will be working away from their home and loved ones at Christmas. We left Amsterdam at 0000(cet), so before bed me and mum stood on the balcony to watch us leave.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise down in the restaurant to start our day off, as it was a sea day we really took the time to relax. The only downside to winter cruises is on sea days everyone is inside so finding a seat is slightly more difficult, however this doesn’t effect my time onboard. There was plenty of time to shop before a special pantomime in the theatre at 1500(cet), there was only one viewing so seats were filled up fast leaving some people to stand the whole way through. The show was brilliant however I do believe P&O missed an opportunity to have their own theatre company do this instead of their Christmas show ‘Deck the Halls‘ (I wasn’t impressed by this at all), especially with one of the snowman’s trousers falling down and more…

Even though it was a short cruise we still had time to hide ducks around the ship, which is always fun and makes you feel a little mischievous. Then it was our last night to dress up and enjoy being onboard. We said goodbye to our waiters who each night tested my napkin folding skills and then surprised us with some jaw dropping magic tricks. Some staff onboard are extremely talented!

In the morning we decided not to put our cases out and to disembark our self as we had a lot to do, there was a short queue which moved fast and before we knew it we were outside waiting for our Uber. Unfortunately for some people the ship had to dock in a different cruise terminal due to a larger P&O ship coming in early as the weather was bad, meaning those with CPS had their cars moved or had to jump onto a transfer to get to their car. It didn’t effect us luckily so we were on the road by 8am.

Overall the holiday was magical and perfect to enter the Christmas period. Although the 4 nights does bring in certain clientele it didn’t effect our holiday at all and it was a shame we were heading home so quickly. Another thing to factor in is the weather, this can cause some slight changes to any itinerary as well as make the journey a little bouncy. The captains will always be prepared and make the sailing as smooth as possible.

There is one last thing that I need to mention… Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!! Cheers ❤

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