Guided Day Trip - Volendam, Zaanse Schans, Marken & Edam

Stef 'The Rock' absolutely the best part of the whole tour. Very entertaining, and engages well with all people on the tour whether on the lower deck or the upper. Also when i boarded the bus i kept bumping my head and Stef noticed and got us seats with extra leg room which was nice, and much appreciated. The other two guides were Luca and Aurora, who were nice enough, but i'd say without Stef, the tour wouldn't have had a lot of personality. This guy deserves a pay rise! The windmill was nice, had some nice views, but if you were a red band, you had far more time to look around, as being a green band, you get some information about the windmill, but nothing life changing, there was no wind, so there wasn't much of a demonstration (no fault of the windmill people) but it was quite a walk back to the coach, which by the time you get back to the front area, you have very little time left to take photos or buy stuff. If you any mobility issues, it could impact your enjoyment of the day, so it'd be wise to go with the red band so you look around at your leisure and pace. The Clogg factory we had a nice demonstration from Sebastien, which was entertaining, although when you get to the gift shop you can try cloggs on, but i noticed the cloggs on sale were like 75 euros, so not the cheapest, but a nice place to visit regardless. It would be more hygienic if only people who wore socks could really try on the cloggs, as if someone had a varooka for example, it could be passed on, or maybe disinfect them between users. The Boat Ride - This was cool, lasts about 25 mins, quite scenic, there are toilets (free to use) and you can also buy tea/coffee etc on board, we sat on top deck which was nice and breezy. The Cheese Factory - Not personally into cheese, but if you are somewhat a cheese connoisseur, you might enjoy it and want to purchase some in the shop at the end, but they weren't exactly what you'd call cheap to purchase, but as i say, i'm not into cheese so can't really give a comparison. It'd be advisable to have cocktail sticks for people to pick up the cheese samples with as it would be more hygienic, Lunch Time - We found a little restaurant around the corner from the chocolate place that Luca has us all meet back at 13:30 to go back (or 13:10 to test chocolate) which was fine, there are plenty of places to eat and drink, and also some seating along the side of the harbour for anyone who isn't looking to buy food or drink. Returning to the coach - When it was time to return to the coach, i don't know if Luca had told anyone in his immediate vicinity that we were heading back to the coach, but it was the right time, and he had started walking off with his flag and people following him from our coach, which is strange because the rest of the tour they had announced when we were leaving. The journey back to the coach was quite a walk, not an issue for us personally, but again if you have mobility issues, it may be a bit difficult keeping up. Arrived in back at Amsterdam station ahead of time, once again with the wonderful voice and tunes of Stef 'The Rock' to end the tour with. All in all a nice day, but can understand why people see it as a tourist trap to try and get people to spend money in the places we visit.

It is an excursion worthwhile for what they explain and the places they know. The guides were always aware of our doubts.

Went on hot day (over 30 degrees) coach air conditioning struggled a bit tbh. Left on time and pick up location easy to find in train station. You go into offices and show booking if done on mobile where they will give you a wrist band to be worn on tour to identify you to venues visited and paper tickets that are taken by next set of staff as you get on coach. There’s audio guide on coach and headphones provided. Usual large tour where you follow guide perhaps watch demonstrations and are head back to coach so take pics on route. No food to be consumed on coach but we bought water obviously and has odd sweet. Enjoyed watching clogs being made. Then after demo you have ten mins going via shop and straight back to coach. Boat trip was busy but nice. Get a breeze on top deck The tour we booked started at 12. If you book this please eat before hand as we didn’t stop for lunch u till after 4pm and were told most places weren’t serving anymore. You won’t have time to linger but you will fit in a lot of beautiful locations. Last stop in Edam was brief and nothing in particular visit but beautiful location and everyone was wiped with heat. Finished off spot on time.