One of the free, and probably one of the most popular ferries is Pont Centraal Station - NDSM, this route connects Centraal Station and NDSM Werf, at the other side of the river, around 1.5 miles apart, this journey goes across the river and takes around 15 minutes, it is a quicker, cooler and free alternative to using the bus between the two locations.
Each service does get very busy, especially at peak times, and pretty typical of Amsterdam you will also find multiple bikers on motorised and non-motorised bikes on the boat.
The boat is quite large, as I recall it fits around 240 people on, which is the maximum hold at any given time/journey, the boat also has outdoor parts, looking out to the ocean, and an indoor part as well, which is perfect if you want to avoid the main crowds or during the rain.
The ferry overall did create some confusion, as it isn't always clear which ferry you are on, unlike most modes of transportation I have tried, especially in Amsterdam there was no announcement of where we were, or where we were going, even a pre-recorded message, acting like a tour boat would have been a really cool idea, making sure customers knew some cool facts and history, as let's face it Amsterdam is a very historical city.
The boat also lacked staff on the deck to answer any problems which might have happened, possibly a slight health and safety risk?
This is a free boat and is used for connecting both sides of the river, but due to a lack of staff which is needed to resolve any issues which might happen or even stop overflow, this service can get really busy at peak times and without staff, one could even expect pushing, shoving and accidents to get on etc, I even saw people trying to get on with motorbikes as people were getting off, which seemed pretty dangerous - It's useful and free so isn't terrible, but I can't justify anything over a two-star rating for the ferry, and more importantly this route. read more