Amsterdam Canal Cruise with Unlimited Food and Drinks (Captain Jack)

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Itinerary

• Captain Jack canal cruises follows a standard Amsterdam inner-city itinerary, but unlike most companies, they cruise the route counterclockwise, which I found quite enjoyable.

Meeting Point

• 🗺️ Near the Rijksmuseum: Museumbrug 2, 1073 AX Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 🗺️ Near Central Station: Prins Hendrikkade 33b, 1012 TM Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Ship

• The boat has a capacity for up to 20 passengers. The sides are 50–50% split between semi-permanent wooden sidewalls and a temporary winter cover. The entire roof is also temporary.

• There’s comfortable padded seating with (Flagship branded?) pillows and a mini bar table in the middle where you can access snacks and drinks.
• Winter: The ship is well insulated but not heated, which on the positive side means there is no fogging of windows. I did not feel cold when I was in November. You get 360° panoramic views through the large windows.
• Summer: Both the wooden sidewalls and temporary covers are removed, and the boat becomes fully open-air.

Food And Drinks

• I have tried several “unlimited food and drinks” cruises, but this one had the most extensive selection of all.
• They had a variety of typical Dutch food that everyone would love to taste, such as stroopwafel, Christmas ginger cookies, Gouda cheese, sausage, crackers, and more.
• The cruise also offered a wide range of soft drinks, wines, beers, and possibly even Prosecco.

Crew

• On this particular canal cruise, there was only a captain on board, instead of the usual captain and service crewman who serve food and drinks.
• I really enjoyed the experience. The captain was an old-school sailor who fit the role perfectly and was a great storyteller, with a deep and distinct Arnold Schwarzenegger-like voice and accent. The pace of the stories was relaxed, and I appreciated the personal style of storytelling.
• Additionally, the cruise took a counterclockwise route in the canal, which was a refreshing change from the usual clockwise route taken by most cruises.

Live Commentary by Skipper

• Instead of a fixed audio guide, Captain Jack offers live narration in English on their cruises. The skipper I got was an older guy who exactly fit in the role of Captain.

• He was quite charismatic and his storytelling was informative and pleasant to listen to. He was happy to answer any questions we had during the cruise.