a few random thoughts on Netherlands

[sailorman]

I'm not sure I've seen any scaremongering with regard to Holland and the Netherlands, I'm off on a tour at the end of August but as previously stated I won't be entering via Belgium until they clarify the position one way or the other, inexpensive Marina fees is not top of my list of reasons for going, but the thought of a 500 Euro fine, whether a remote chance or not, is quite a good reason not to go to Belgium. Shame really 'cos Antwerp is one of my favourite continental Cities.....

your choice & the scaremongering IS working. The Dutch seem to be able to go back home with red, and for that matter ships stores too, a chap i was drinking with in the RNSYC was ordering his at the time :encouragement:

 

[Stork_III]

your choice & the scaremongering IS working. The Dutch seem to be able to go back home with red, and for that matter ships stores too, a chap i was drinking with in the RNSYC was ordering his at the time :encouragement:

Loading "Ship's Stores" does not make it legal to take them back to Netherlands, or UK. I have been boarded by customs twice on leaving the entry lock at Flushing. They were only interested in 2 things, duty free goods from Belgium, and red diesel, receipts for tankage and no red in jerry cans.

 

[sailorman]

Loading "Ship's Stores" does not make it legal to take them back to Netherlands, or UK. I have been boarded by customs twice on leaving the entry lock at Flushing. They were only interested in 2 things, duty free goods from Belgium, and red diesel, receipts for tankage and no red in jerry cans.

i am only stating what i was told & saw the chap order at the bar. nothing more.there seem to be differing standards within europe

 

[Boz]

Loading "Ship's Stores" does not make it legal to take them back to Netherlands, or UK. I have been boarded by customs twice on leaving the entry lock at Flushing. They were only interested in 2 things, duty free goods from Belgium, and red diesel, receipts for tankage and no red in jerry cans.

I thought Duty Free was a thing of the past....

 

[sailorman]

I thought Duty Free was a thing of the past....

General Stores are still in business, I believe their main customers are the Belgian Navy and other shipping. They still sell via the RNSYC

 

[Javelin]

Too much south in the wind for Wednesday for my liking so it looks like Thurs for our crossing.
Anyone else going over shortly ?

 

[Javelin]

So halfway across the tss we met a huge beam trawler, trawling, no ais. Struck me as a little dodgy

 

[sailorman]

was he 300 + gross tonnes

 

[sailorman]

We stayed a night in Haarlem and therefore didn't pay the transit fee. Made a very cheap sto! Use the alongside pontoon just north of the Catherinebrug.

Cards seemed ok in restaurants but not in supermarkets.

But see Dan's No 1 comment - small inconveniences are forgotten in light of such a lovely country.

Sailorman - we can't recommend coming back via Hook of Holland. Eek

Dutch supermarkets only accept cash or the dutch chipnic cards

 

[Gwylan]

Anybody mentioned this???

Doesn't your debit card work? The one we used to use as a cheque guarantee card.

My experience was that in Benelux credit cards are settled at the end of the month. Usually a direct debit. So a bit pointless.
Also the nationals are generally more fiscally responsible.

 

[Gwylan]

If you swing by the local gemente (council) they have a procedure for everything.. Even what days you can eat certain foods.
Its quite a simple life here in NL as long as you fill in the form and pay the license to live and breathe.

Or walk on the wild side and mow your lawn after 1800. Or on Sunday or a Bank Holiday - Feestdag

 

[Koeketiene]

Dutch supermarkets only accept cash or the dutch chipnic cards

Not been my experience last year.
Though I used a debit rather than a credit card.

 

[Plum]

Dutch supermarkets only accept cash or the dutch chipnic cards

That's not my experience. When were you last there?

 

[Tradewinds]

It's a little random I found (or it was in 2016-19 when I had a berth at Amsterdam Marina. For example, the Albert Heijn supermarket in the mall at Molenwijk (the garden village about a mile behind the marina) which was a fair size wouldn't accept UK cards - cash (via an ATM near the checkouts) or Dutch card only. The small Albert Heijn near Amsterdam Centraal (opposite Lovers) accepted UK cards. Another popular one with tourists, the large AH just off Dam square, didn't accept UK cards - again there was an ATM within the store.

So, in my experience a mixed bag (not just with AH but many other retail outlets in different towns) - it's all part of the charm of the place IMO.

 

[PeterWright]

If you spend muchtime at all in Europe, It's worth having a bank account in Euros with a European bank. Keep an eye on the widely fluctuating exchange rate and top up your Euro ccont when the rate is good using a business foreign exchange house that will give you much better rates (zero commission and smaller spread) than high street banks and others who are out to swindle tourists. If you pick Netherlands or Belgium for your Euro bank account, you will most likely get a Maestro debit card with the account and it has neot yet ailed to work for me anywhere in the Eurozone. The bank I use is ING.

Drawing foreign currency from an ATM on a UK sterling card, credit or debit, seems to be a prime means of giving money to the card issuer.

Peter.

 

[Tradewinds]

If you spend muchtime at all in Europe, It's worth having a bank account in Euros with a European bank. Keep an eye on the widely fluctuating exchange rate and top up your Euro ccont when the rate is good using a business foreign exchange house that will give you much better rates (zero commission and smaller spread) than high street banks and others who are out to swindle tourists. If you pick Netherlands or Belgium for your Euro bank account, you will most likely get a Maestro debit card with the account and it has neot yet ailed to work for me anywhere in the Eurozone. The bank I use is ING.

Drawing foreign currency from an ATM on a UK sterling card, credit or debit, seems to be a prime means of giving money to the card issuer.

Peter.

Yes I agree. I carried a Caxton Euro debit card. Far more efficient than HSBC when it came to cancelling the card when I was pickpocketed on the A'dam ferry.

Edit:
Just for general info - The search engine for lost and found | iLost
Enter where you are located in the Netherlands plus a 'lost' item (eg wallet) and you will be able to work out where the pickpockets are currently operating.
My A'dam NDSM ferry event was probably an unlucky one-off as there was a terror incident at A'dam Centraal that day (pickpocket central apparently) that made the pickpockets look for pickings beyond the station concourse.

Obviously this info is irrelevant at this point in (covid) time. But hopefully next year things will be different.

 

[sailorman]

We stayed a night in Haarlem and therefore didn't pay the transit fee. Made a very cheap sto! Use the alongside pontoon just north of the Catherinebrug.

Cards seemed ok in restaurants but not in supermarkets.

But see Dan's No 1 comment - small inconveniences are forgotten in light of such a lovely country.

Sailorman - we can't recommend coming back via Hook of Holland. Eek

We went into maas entrance one windy night diverted fron stellendam as we ere very cinseebed of pilitage in the narrow and wiidung appriachwe cintscted macobracted maas entesnce in vhr who talked us in. Plys found us a berth in the piit stn fir the night.we priceeded in the mirning to the harung nkiet.it was still windy

 

[Athene V30]

If you spend muchtime at all in Europe, It's worth having a bank account in Euros with a European bank. Keep an eye on the widely fluctuating exchange rate and top up your Euro ccont when the rate is good using a business foreign exchange house that will give you much better rates (zero commission and smaller spread) than high street banks and others who are out to swindle tourists. If you pick Netherlands or Belgium for your Euro bank account, you will most likely get a Maestro debit card with the account and it has neot yet ailed to work for me anywhere in the Eurozone. The bank I use is ING.

Drawing foreign currency from an ATM on a UK sterling card, credit or debit, seems to be a prime means of giving money to the card issuer.

Peter.

I have two euro accounts however many smaller Dutch shops require Maestro cards (which most of the world dropped years ago) so I still have a problem paying by card in Netherlands.

 

[johnalison]

I have two euro accounts however many smaller Dutch shops require Maestro cards (which most of the world dropped years ago) so I still have a problem paying by card in Netherlands.

It is three or four years since I was there but the main place I have met problems was the toll point at Haarlem, which would only accept Maestro. We probably did most of our food shopping with cash, come to think of it. I think there was a problem at the fuel pontoon at the marina inside Lauersoog and we ended up having to pay at the office instead of the pump.

 

[PeterWright]

I have two euro accounts however many smaller Dutch shops require Maestro cards (which most of the world dropped years ago) so I still have a problem paying by card in Netherlands.

So shift one of your Euro accounts to ING, who issue Maestro debit cards. They are accepted in most EU countries whether Euroland or other currency. It's ony the UK where the financial businesses are very US oriented that Visa and Mastercard have squeezed Maestro out. But note that in non Euro countries, Maestro are nearly as bad as Visa and Mastercard at ripping you off for exchange if you pay with their Euro denominated card. Tht of course, is not a problem in Holland.

Peter.