Holland & Belgium in Springtime (2012)

Antwerp • Ghent • Veere • Rotterdam • Kinderdijk • Nijmegen • The Floriade • Amsterdam • Keukenhof • Hoorn • Enkhuizen
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Holland & Belgium in Springtime
The Floriade Horticultural Exposition
It's Included
Hotel & Ship Accommodations
Pre- & Post-Trip Extensions
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
Know Before You Go
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your River Cruise, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two vacations to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the Grand Circle Cruise Line River Cruise that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • International airport transfers to and from your ship or hotel are available for purchase
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your vacation
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your vacation with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of Grand Circle Cruise Line vacations to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

(Brussels)

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta

9hrs

Baltimore, Houston, Minneapolis

12hrs

Boston, Detroit

10hrs

Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, DC (Dulles)

11hrs

Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Tampa

13hrs

Los Angeles, San Francisco

16hrs

New York (JFK)

8hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Brussels, Belgium. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

(Amsterdam)

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Minneapolis

9hrs

Boston, Dallas, Houston

10hrs

Baltimore, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC (Dulles)

11hrs

Chicago, Orlando, Tampa

12hrs

Denver

14hrs

Detroit, Newark, New York (JFK)

8hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the Grand Circle Cruise Line family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on a Grand Circle Cruise Line trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-221-2610
or click here.

ALSO SEE:
2012 Itinerary and Prices
Photo Gallery
View all River Cruises in Europe
Solo Friendly Travel
Frequently Asked Questions
See all Program Directors, read Insider Tips, and more
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Optional Tours

Tailor your vacation with our optional tours

Select an Itinerary:
Day 4:
 Cultural Zeeland $60 per person
G1222

Begin with a scenic motorcoach ride through this peaceful, protected nature area—once the site of a World War II battle. You will arrive in the quaint town of Axel, where you’ll visit the well-restored 18th-century Grain Mill. Weather permitting, the miller will demonstrate it in action.

Next, you’ll take a short walk to the Axel Museum, where you’ll discover how the residents of this isolated Dutch Provence of Zeeland lived for the past century through its unforgettable exhibits, including traditional clothing, tools, and furniture. After time on your own to peruse the collection, you’ll go on to visit the town’s oldest building, site of Axel’s first practicing physician in the 1500s—and now a lovely café, where you might enjoy a typical Zeeland treat.
Day 5:
 Delta Works $70 per person
Delta Works

Explore a unique facet of Holland with a trip to the Delta Works, an engineering marvel designed to protect Holland from floods. Terrible floods in 1953 made clear that low-lying Holland, ever at the mercy of flooding, needed a plan to protect itself from future weather events. Over the next forty years, a complex plan led to the damming of four major estuaries, and the coordination of an extensive network of locks, sluices, channels, bridges, and gates. You’ll learn about this challenge in a film at the site and during free time.

Then, see the final step of the Delta Works plan, the Storm Surge Barrier, comprised of two huge doors that can close off the New Waterway in extreme weather. Re-embark late this afternoon.
Day 6:
 Delft $55 per person

Dating to the 13th century, Delft was a long-time home port to the Dutch East India Company. It is well known for its blue and white pottery called delftware, which was first produced in the 17th century and styled after imported Chinese porcelain. You’ll learn more about the unique pottery during a visit to a local porcelain factory. You’ll also visit the impressive “Nieuwe Kirk” (New Church) while here. Conclude your tour with a tasting of poffertjes, or Dutch pancakes.
Day 8:
 The Hague $120 per person

Just a 90-minute drive from Amsterdam, The Hague enchants with an 18th-century elegance befitting its role as a center of diplomacy and the site of the International Court of Justice. This morning, we’ll discover its highlights on an included tour, featuring the imposing Peace Palace, built a century ago and furnished with objects donated by nations around the globe, as well as the red-brick Parliament building and the historic Old Town.

After your tour, enjoy ample time to explore on your own. Don't miss the fine art found in The Hague, including works of the Dutch Golden Age master Vermeer.
Day 5:
 The Hague $120 per person

Just a 90-minute drive from Amsterdam, The Hague enchants with an 18th-century elegance befitting its role as a center of diplomacy and the site of the International Court of Justice. This morning, we’ll discover its highlights on an included tour, featuring the imposing Peace Palace, built a century ago and furnished with objects donated by nations around the globe, as well as the red-brick Parliament building and the historic Old Town.

After your tour, enjoy ample time to explore on your own. Don't miss the fine art found in The Hague, including works of the Dutch Golden Age master Vermeer.
Day 8:
 Delft $55 per person

Dating to the 13th century, Delft was a long-time home port to the Dutch East India Company. It is well known for its blue and white pottery called delftware, which was first produced in the 17th century and styled after imported Chinese porcelain. You’ll learn more about the unique pottery during a visit to a local porcelain factory. You’ll also visit the impressive “Nieuwe Kirk” (New Church) while here. Conclude your tour with a tasting of poffertjes, or Dutch pancakes.
Day 9:
 Delta Works $70 per person
Delta Works

Explore a unique facet of Holland with a trip to the Delta Works, an engineering marvel designed to protect Holland from floods. Terrible floods in 1953 made clear that low-lying Holland, ever at the mercy of flooding, needed a plan to protect itself from future weather events. Over the next forty years, a complex plan led to the damming of four major estuaries, and the coordination of an extensive network of locks, sluices, channels, bridges, and gates. You’ll learn about this challenge in a film at the site and during free time.

Then, see the final step of the Delta Works plan, the Storm Surge Barrier, comprised of two huge doors that can close off the New Waterway in extreme weather. Re-embark late this afternoon.
Day 10:
 Cultural Zeeland $60 per person
G1222

Begin with a scenic motorcoach ride through this peaceful, protected nature area—once the site of a World War II battle. You will arrive in the quaint town of Axel, where you’ll visit the well-restored 18th-century Grain Mill. Weather permitting, the miller will demonstrate it in action.

Next, you’ll take a short walk to the Axel Museum, where you’ll discover how the residents of this isolated Dutch Provence of Zeeland lived for the past century through its unforgettable exhibits, including traditional clothing, tools, and furniture. After time on your own to peruse the collection, you’ll go on to visit the town’s oldest building, site of Axel’s first practicing physician in the 1500s—and now a lovely café, where you might enjoy a typical Zeeland treat.