Queen Elizabeth Q027 not going to Amsterdam

[Lanky Lad]

I have just been contacted by Cunard to say that Q927 (4 October 2019) will be calling at IJmuiden not Amsterdam.  There will be a free bus, but a 40 minute ride, compared to a short walk.

 

Just in case anyone else was thinking of booking this trip.

[kentchris]

Carnival seem to be avoiding Amsterdam at the moment, probably due to the new €8 per head tourist tax on cruise ship transit calls. E.g. there are recent grumbles in the P&O forum that they've suddenly discovered 'operational' reasons for calling at IJmuiden rather than Amsterdam. At least one other line is reported to be doing the same.

[Ray66]

€16,000 for nothing and more than that on bigger ships. 

 

Also MSC and CMV according to this CC article:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/3619/

 

"Cruise Lines Cancel Amsterdam Calls Over Tourist Tax"

[Underwatr]

I bet a 40 minute shuttle costs more than €8 per person.

 

[AzureGreen23]

You obviously don't live in Amsterdam. 

There is a big problem with too many tourists in the center of Amsterdam, especially in the summer months and when cruise ships dock. The extra tourist tax is to cover the costs of keeping the city clean,  making sure that public transport runs smoothly and is able to meet the increased demands caused by so many tourists. Hotel guests will also pay the extra tax.

 

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the warning, what a shame.

It has been reported on several cruise line boards that calls to Amsterdam are being replaced with Rotterdam or IJmuiden.

[Ray66]

When we first cruised, the ships docked at Rotterdam. Then they started using the sea lock at IJmuiden to get to Amsterdam.

 

They are now apparently building a new bigger sea lock to be possibly finished this year.

[Lanky Lad]

I thought I had read something about a new tax in Amsterdam.  I am not sure it has quite gone to plan.

 

The trip down the North Sea Canal is beautiful so it will be a shame to miss it. 

 

 

[Morgans]

On 13 February 2019 at 12:27 PM, AzureGreen23 said:

You obviously don't live in Amsterdam. 

There is a big problem with too many tourists in the center of Amsterdam, especially in the summer months and when cruise ships dock. The extra tourist tax is to cover the costs of keeping the city clean,  making sure that public transport runs smoothly and is able to meet the increased demands caused by so many tourists. Hotel guests will also pay the extra tax.

 

We were there in the summer, after a break of about 5 years and we saw such a difference- the city was heaving with tourists (yes we were two of them of course) and the canals were choc a block too with all sorts of boats. Several of these appeared to be booze trips, boats rammed with people apparently enjoying drinking, shouting and loud music - accompanied by the all pervading smell of hash which seemed to be very, very prevalent.

We have always loved Amsterdam, but the difference, to us , was very noticeable and unfortunately wasn't very pleasant.

[Oslo Dutch]

It's not only about the cruise ships, mass tourism is in generally starting to be a huge problem for Amsterdam.  Perhaps AirBnB is a far more bigger problem than one or two cruise-ships. Apart from the fact you will have all of these shuttle busses congesting the roads in and out of Amsterdam, while normally independents can just walk off the ship into town. See how this will develop as for cruise lines IJmuiden is a far more cheaper option instead of passing the lock and sail for two hours in land.  (And they can make of profit on shuttle fares too) And 8 Euros tax a head is not that much. It sounds more like Ryanair pulling out of for example Norway stating an air tax while the real reason was they were challenged at the Norwegian Supreme Court for ignoring Norwegian Labour laws.

[Harry Peterson]

I've set up a separate thread on this issue, in case anyone wants to share information with each other in one specific thread:

 

P&O, Cunard +all Carnival brands changing Amsterdam to Ijmuiden: how to win your case

 

 

[Underwatr]

Carnival Corp isn't doing this to save money. The Amsterdam fee is a Port Fee which is chargeable to the passenger even in the event the port increases the port charge, even if after final payment. I've had it happen.

 

I think Carnival is trying to apply muscle in saying that they won't call on Amsterdam until (something favorable, potentially "more reasonable" port fees).

 

But in the end the fees are pass-thru and not a drag on their bottom line. 

Edited February 20, 2019 by Underwatr