Late change of embarkation port

[Nang]

We arrived in Amsterdam this morning to find an email from HAL telling us our cruise on the Rotterdam embarkation port has moved to Rotterdam from Amsterdam. Its Friday morning and cruise starts Sunday morning. No offer of assistance unless you have a transfer booked. NOT HAPPY!!!

 

I guess we will be having a train ride first thing Sunday.

[oakridger]

Did they say why it was being changed?  I can see that making that change for future cruises due to the Amsterdam Schiphol airport mess but with LOTS of advance notice (6 months?).

 

Anyway, no matter the reason they certainly need to arrange bus/train transfers at their expense for all affected passengers!!  Dang!

 

~Nancy

[MAVIP]

45 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Did they say why it was being changed?  I can see that making that change for future cruises due to the Amsterdam Schiphol airport mess but with LOTS of advance notice (6 months?).

 

Anyway, no matter the reason they certainly need to arrange bus/train transfers at their expense for all affected passengers!!  Dang!

 

~Nancy

The reason is the lock of IJmuiden. Water level is too low and the lock drastically reduced the number of ships that can enter. In NL we are trying at this moment to reduce salt water replacing the rivers sweet water.  I hopes this helps a bit to understand the change. And the people in Rotterdam will be glad to receive you Sunday! 

[MAVIP]

1 hour ago, Nang said:

I guess we will be having a train ride first thing Sunday.

You already found www.ns.nl?  If not maybe this will interest or help you a little bit:

1. normal "Sprinter" trains without changing trains from Amsterdam CS tot Rotterdam CS for example (not too many passengers maybe) leaving at 10:20 and 10:35.  takes 1 hour 14 or 13 minutes. Price: 2nd class € 16,90, 1st class € 28,22.
2. NS International Intercity Direct (no stops, € 2,70 extra costs) for example leaving at 10:08 and 11:08.  takes 41 minutes.  The train of 11:08 is marked as possibly very busy, the one at 10:08 as "busy".  Departure at Spoor (rail, perron) 14a. 

From Rotterdam CS to the cruise terminal in Rotterdam is a short ride by taxi. Or by Metro/subway Costs € 1,44 with a OV card you might have bought for your days in Amsterdam; I do not know other prices.....sorry. (right from the station to Wilhelminaplein - Metro D direction De Akkers!  6 minutes). 8 minutes walk to Cruise Terminal. 

 

Please enjoy your stay and your cruise. 

[oakridger]

1 hour ago, MAVIP said:

The reason is the lock of IJmuiden. Water level is too low and the lock drastically reduced the number of ships that can enter. In NL we are trying at this moment to reduce salt water replacing the rivers sweet water.  I hopes this helps a bit to understand the change. And the people in Rotterdam will be glad to receive you Sunday! 

 

Thank you very much for explaining the problem with water levels.  As a California resident, I fully feel the pain of how drought is affecting so much of the world at the moment.  Also, it's very kind of you to offer the train suggestions to the OP!  I do also hope HAL steps up and helps all passengers get to Rotterdam.

 

~Nancy

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for sharing . We board next week the Rotterdam...

[fkfad]

51 minutes ago, MAVIP said:

You already found www.ns.nl?  If not maybe this will interest or help you a little bit:

1. normal "Sprinter" trains without changing trains from Amsterdam CS tot Rotterdam CS for example (not too many passengers maybe) leaving at 10:20 and 10:35.  takes 1 hour 14 or 13 minutes. Price: 2nd class € 16,90, 1st class € 28,22.
2. NS International Intercity Direct (no stops, € 2,70 extra costs) for example leaving at 10:08 and 11:08.  takes 41 minutes.  The train of 11:08 is marked as possibly very busy, the one at 10:08 as "busy".  Departure at Spoor (rail, perron) 14a. 

From Rotterdam CS to the cruise terminal in Rotterdam is a short ride by taxi. Or by Metro/subway Costs € 1,44 with a OV card you might have bought for your days in Amsterdam; I do not know other prices.....sorry. (right from the station to Wilhelminaplein - Metro D direction De Akkers!  6 minutes). 8 minutes walk to Cruise Terminal. 

 

Please enjoy your stay and your cruise. 

This is so very helpful!!!  Thank you for taking the time to post!  We are slated to embark in Amsterdam on July 31...  Is there any forecast showing that the lock is expected to rise to normal levels any time soon?

[MAVIP]

27 minutes ago, fkfad said:

This is so very helpful!!!  Thank you for taking the time to post!  We are slated to embark in Amsterdam on July 31...  Is there any forecast showing that the lock is expected to rise to normal levels any time soon?

I just saw in the port schedule that the Rotterdam is expected to be in Rotterdam the 31st too from 07:00 - 17:00   https://www.cruiseportrotterdam.nl/cruise-calls/    I try to follow all the news, but I did not read anything up to this moment about an end date (just messages of HAL passengers here in Holland speculating to embark too at Rotterdam at later dates, homeport of the Rotterdam) The situation at the locks is caused by the low level of the rivers sweet water and the fear of the salt water  rising further into the farm lands etc, which cannot be reversed (?right word?) and harmfull for crops etc.

[Primus]

The 9292 app for public transportation in the Netherlands worked great for us earlier this month.  I bought 2 tickets to where ever we were going using my smart phone.  The e-tickets would then be on my phone. I would scan the first ticket and husband would go through the turnstile and then I would scan my ticket and follow.  The trains and buses all ran on time.  The default connection time is usually pretty short but there is an option when searching to increase that time if desired.  We also traveled some by Uber and that worked really well too.

[Nang]

Thank you for the information about transport options and reasons for the change. I had determined how to get to Rotterdam from the helpful information officer at Amsterdam Centraal. I expect we will take a taxi from Rotterdam Centraal to the cruise terminal.

 

I also had assumed our mid cruise stop at Amsterdam would switch to Rotterdam. It will be good to see a new city.

 

I have just discovered a link in the dreaded email that took me to a detailed explanation of the reason for the change and that we are receiving $50 on board credit per person compensation. It was suggested train was the best way to get to Rotterdam with links to timetables. Further changes, if any, are to be publicised as soon as they are confirmed.

 

All very annoying and I hope not too many passengers miss the email and discover the news on Sunday at the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal. Hopefully HAL will have a bus or two for those who miss the change.

[StLouisCruisers]

1 minute ago, Nang said:

Thank you for the information about transport options and reasons for the change. I had determined how to get to Rotterdam from the helpful information officer at Amsterdam Centraal. I expect we will take a taxi from Rotterdam Centraal to the cruise terminal.

 

I also had assumed our mid cruise stop at Amsterdam would switch to Rotterdam. It will be good to see a new city.

 

I have just discovered a link in the dreaded email that took me to a detailed explanation of the reason for the change and that we are receiving $50 on board credit per person compensation. It was suggested train was the best way to get to Rotterdam with links to timetables. Further changes, if any, are to be publicised as soon as they are confirmed.

 

All very annoying and I hope not too many passengers miss the email and discover the news on Sunday at the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal. Hopefully HAL will have a bus or two for those who miss the change.

 

I can understand how upsetting and annoying this late change of plans is for everyone.  Thankfully you had a few days notice to make arrangements.

 

In 2014 we got off the Prinsendam Nov. 4 in Civitavecchia, and spent the night at a hotel so we could board the Celebrity Constellation on the 5th for a transatlantic back to the U.S.  That evening guests at the hotel started getting emails from Celebrity.  My email went to spam but thanks to everyone talking about their emails, I found mine.  Turns out the Constellation was in Naples and due to high winds in Civitavecchia they would not be sailing up to Civi to pick us all up.  Instead they hired about 90 buses and began disembarking guests early in the A.M. for their flights out of Rome.  They also sent buses to Civi to pick guests already there.  It took 3 hours to drive us back to Naples.  But everyone who was joining the ship was on board by 8 P.M. and we left only a little late for the beginning of our cruise.  That's the way it should be done!  I wish HAL had done something like this for everyone.  Good luck with your new arrangements.

[NavyCruiser]

Wow.  

More changes.

If Rotterdam will still board in Rotterdam in instead of Amsterdam in Sept, I hope they'll notify us as far in advance as possible.

We took the Thalys train from Paris to Amsterdam airport, & the Rotterdam to AMS airport segment is only 20 minutes.

So we're flying into AMS airport from London, so maybe easier & faster to make change to take the 3 hour Eurostar train directly from London to Rotterdam, rather than the possible hassles with Heathrow & Schiphol issues...

[billbor]

We got this email overnight, with our departure flight to Amsterdam scheduled for 5pm. After initial trepidation, it appears that we will just take the train from AMS Schipol near our hotel. GoogleMaps says that transit will take 38 minutes Sunday morning, including 7 minute walk from Wilhelminaplein.

https://goo.gl/maps/UJoUs4FJf4e2u2Dv5

[MAVIP]

1 hour ago, billbor said:

We got this email overnight, with our departure flight to Amsterdam scheduled for 5pm. After initial trepidation, it appears that we will just take the train from AMS Schipol near our hotel. GoogleMaps says that transit will take 38 minutes Sunday morning, including 7 minute walk from Wilhelminaplein.

https://goo.gl/maps/UJoUs4FJf4e2u2Dv5

Perfect, or read for e-ticket (so you will experience no problems with special cards etc): https://9292.nl/en    and train connection in time to embark as first passenger embarking 😉 https://9292.nl/en/journeyadvice/station-schiphol-airport/rotterdam_rotterdam-cruise-terminal/arrival/2022-07-24T1111?extraInterchangeTime=0&flexStop=True&flexAddress=False      instead of the tram I would suggest the Metro (subway). Tram however can be a little bit easier as it leaves and arrives at street level and at least you see a tiny little bit of Rotterdam and crossing the river you see the ms Rotterdam at your right hand side.  Enjoy.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2022 by MAVIP
forgot Metro

[RD64]

While inconvenient, please also look at this as an opportunity.

 

After a transatlantic on the previous Rotterdam - ending in Rotterdam we took the train from Rotterdam Central Station direct to Schipol. My face was glued to the window as we passed through the Dutch countryside - fields, animals, windmills. It was an unexpected treat.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Well we will be in Rotterdam a few times ....

[colin v]

We are boarding the Rotterdam August 21.  While the change in the departure doesn't scare me, it will add a new wrinkle for the flight home. We are currently scheduled to depart Schipol at 12:15 the day of debarkation.  The additional travel time from Rotterdam will certainly not help with long lines expected at the airport.

[*Miss G*]

We have had our embarkation port changed at the last minute also.  We were told to plan accordingly, with no compensation or offer of assistance, so you lucked out there.

 

Time and money took care of getting to the new port.  Passengers disembarking were given internet access in order to “plan accordingly” also.  We looked at it as a new adventure and didn’t blame HAL because they had to roll with the punches, just as we did.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

32 minutes ago, colin v said:

We are boarding the Rotterdam August 21.  While the change in the departure doesn't scare me, it will add a new wrinkle for the flight home. We are currently scheduled to depart Schipol at 12:15 the day of debarkation.  The additional travel time from Rotterdam will certainly not help with long lines expected at the airport.

One would think that because of the extra distance and that the ship could arrive in Rotterdam earlier than they do in Amsterdam that they could arrange for transfers to start much earlier to arrive at Schipol on time but having just experienced this last week and speaking with the Shore Excursion Department I actually have my doubts and truly wish you lots of Luck. We were on the first bus heading to the airport but it was not till a bit after 8am. They were allowing self disembarktion to start at just after 7, with problems at Schipol they really should have started transfers much earlier but they did not nor did they really care. Basically Shore Excursions said it was not their problem and that if concerned one could take a taxi and do self disembarkation.

[MAVIP]

12 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

. They were allowing self disembarktion to start at just after 7, with problems at Schipol they really should have started transfers much earlier but they did not nor did they really care.

I donot know the exact ins and outs nowadays, but not only personnel of the ms Rotterdam etc, but  police, customs, port agents etc need to be present in the cruise terminal at the moment disembarkation starts..... . Or: it depends on availability of civil servants too.  (And, if you ever heard stories/jokes concerning the inhabitants of Amsterdam and Rotterdam: in Rotterdam we work harder, so maybe disembarkation and transfers starts earlier at the Cruise Terminal in Rotterdam....No guarantee, JMO.)  

07:00 self disembarkation and a taxi drive of 50 minutes at a Sunday morning might be Just In Time for the 12:15 flight in the wellknown airport circumstances this "post Covid" summer.   In a case like this we would reserve one of the nice hotels at a few minutes from the Cruise Terminal and spend the quiet Sunday walking and sightseeing.   

 

[dfish]

Currently onboard the Rotterdam.  Those with ship transfers are being bused directly to Schiphol.  Those without are being bused to the Amsterdam Passenger Cruise Terminal.  They are starting earlier due to the lengthier travel time. I’m guessing the same will happen next week when we disembark.

[rotjeknor]

57 minutes ago, dfish said:

Currently onboard the Rotterdam.  Those with ship transfers are being bused directly to Schiphol.  Those without are being bused to the Amsterdam Passenger Cruise Terminal.  They are starting earlier due to the lengthier travel time. I’m guessing the same will happen next week when we disembark.

That’s a solution everyone can live with , I assume . And you get a free tour of the western part of the Netherlands 😊

[CATandSQUID]

4 hours ago, dfish said:

Currently onboard the Rotterdam.  Those with ship transfers are being bused directly to Schiphol.  Those without are being bused to the Amsterdam Passenger Cruise Terminal.  They are starting earlier due to the lengthier travel time. I’m guessing the same will happen next week when we disembark.

It would be great if HAL would put out something. My TA called HAL and they didn't know anything about the port shift!  He's going to try calling again today or Monday.

[NavyCruiser]

Thanks for the update, dfish.

Can you pls also ask Officers onboard if this a temporary change for a (few) weeks, or will this will be the case for a few months into Sept & beyond...?

Thanks,

[CruiserBruce]

On 7/22/2022 at 8:04 AM, Nang said:

We arrived in Amsterdam this morning to find an email from HAL telling us our cruise on the Rotterdam embarkation port has moved to Rotterdam from Amsterdam. Its Friday morning and cruise starts Sunday morning. No offer of assistance unless you have a transfer booked. NOT HAPPY!!!

 

I guess we will be having a train ride first thing Sunday.

Curious what you expected? Buses for all 2000 pax? That's 40 buses, if they can't re-use buses....use them for more trips. You don't schedule 40 buses in a couple days. Keep in mind they also need to redirect all their resupply logistics as well. 

 

Conversely,  as documented here, arranging transportation on your own for this short distance is not impossible. I get the inconvenience is there, but until you step on the ship, you are an independent traveler,  as far as HAL is concerned. Roughly,  the travel distance is 45-50 miles.