Amsterdam banning cruise ships

[cruisr]

For your reading pleasure.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66264226

This will be interesting

[commodoredave]

This topic is getting lots of attention in the Ports (Europe, Amsterdam) board. Here is what I said there:

 

The intention to ban cruise ships in Amsterdam is part of a growing trend among popular tourist destinations to reduce carbon emissions, reduce daily visitor numbers, make cities more attractive to local residents, and increase the economic value of each visitor (spend).

One of the unfortunate aspects of this kind of ban is that it may not distinguish between mega-ships and small ships, or obnoxious visitors and respectful ones. It also doesn't allow for a reduction in daily cruise ship visits to address over-crowding and reduce environmental impact, as they have recently done in Norway and before that in Alaska.

This trend will likely continue and may pick up steam as local resentment against tourists grows in some regions.

The cruise industry has brought some of this on itself by building ever-bigger mega-ships with too many passengers on them, and sailing too many of them into the same ports on the same days and weeks. The impact at times can be over-whelming to local residents and their environment.

Unfortunately, I don't think we cruisers are going to get a lot of sympathy from the general public for this situation. In fact, (excuse the pun), the tide has turned against us.

The only saving grace may be that these types of bans and limits may reduce cruise line demand for mega-ships, and increase demand for smaller ships. It may also require spreading out passenger visits to a port and/or region over a longer season, which would reduce over-crowding and make our visits more enjoyable for all. 

But no matter what new rules are adopted, smart people and companies can and usually do figure out a way to make things work for the benefit of most. 

[FlyerTalker]

In Hawaii, the locals dislike tourists.  So I oblige their wishes and spend my vacation dollars elsewhere.  I hope they appreciate the lack of any financial contribution to their islands.

 

Guess that I'll just have to do the same with AMS.  Might still change airplanes there, but I might also stop buying Heineken and other Dutch products.  If they don't like me, I can also not like them.

 

Protectionism works both ways.

 

 

[Mahogany]

I assume this doesn't apply to river boats.

[labonnevie]

This clearly is a trend. 
I don’t know where it stands now, but last year Bar Harbor, Maine was proposing a limit of 1,000 cruise ship passengers a day. This in contrast to 270,000+ the previous season. 
They also require ships to tender from a location out of view of the main area of town. 

[SLSD]

I totally support the autonomy of any country/port to regulate the number of cruise ship tourists to visit them daily. I think the huge mega ships have changed things.  What port wants to be inundated by 5,000 people in a single day.  I don't want to sound elitist, but not all cruise passengers are interested in the same experiences.  I can only imagine that the influx of 5,000 passengers would be some port's worst nightmare.  No location should be subjugated to an unpleasant  experience. 

[SLSD]

Tell me if I am remembering incorrectly--but doesn't Amsterdam have TWO ports?  One is near the center of the city and the other one is out a bit--maybe a 20 minute drive.  As I recall, when we sailed out of Amsterdam on Ovation several years ago, we didn't sail from the port in the city--but from the port that was out a bit.  It was a more industrial port--and that port is not being closed.  

[labonnevie]

On one of our cruises, Rotterdam was the port for Amsterdam. 

[SLSD]

30 minutes ago, labonnevie said:

On one of our cruises, Rotterdam was the port for Amsterdam. 

Our cruise port was not Rotterdam, but was not the central port in Amsterdam.  

[Vineyard View]

We spent several days in Venice before boarding Quest in May. We asked servers at a couple restaurants, as well as out hotel, what the impact has been on them with the ban. They all responded positively. More people are staying and spending their dollars in the city than before the ban. It has turned into a win for them - it also kept intact their UNESCO status. So for cruise passengers it is much more difficult to sail into or out of Venice, but for the local businesses, at least what was shared with us, has been positive. 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

We spent several days in Venice before boarding Quest in May. We asked servers at a couple restaurants, as well as out hotel, what the impact has been on them with the ban. They all responded positively. More people are staying and spending their dollars in the city than before the ban. It has turned into a win for them - it also kept intact their UNESCO status. So for cruise passengers it is much more difficult to sail into or out of Venice, but for the local businesses, at least what was shared with us, has been positive. 

That is good to hear.  It is fairly obvious that there are way too many cruise ships and so many huge ones.  I applaud cities and towns placing limits and even bans on them.  I love cruising, but realize that it can be a very indulgent and non green way to travel.  

[JPH814]

On 7/21/2023 at 6:10 PM, Mahogany said:

I assume this doesn't apply to river boats.

I would not assume that.   When the article referenced over 100 ships, it would have to include the river ships.  

[Vineyard View]

There is an article posted on Oceania regarding this that towards the end states river ships, at this time, are not being considered. I have no idea how many ocean ships dock in Amsterdam over the year. 

[SLSD]

51 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

There is an article posted on Oceania regarding this that towards the end states river ships, at this time, are not being considered. I have no idea how many ocean ships dock in Amsterdam over the year. 

I read somewhere (don't remember where) that even river cruise boats will be limited.  

[Vineyard View]

I suppose only time will tell how this all shapes up. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. These mega ships negatively impact all the ports in my opinion, and are what is driving a lot of this discussion in various places. 
When we were in Malta on Quest, a huge MSC ship was also in port. It left mid afternoon and the difference in experience and atmosphere was tremendous once the passengers were on board. This happens everywhere with these big ships, and when multiple ships are in it can suck the enjoyment right out of the atmosphere. 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Vineyard View

[jjs217]

Perhaps I read the article too fast, but when is this suppose to take effect?    

[SLSD]

10 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

Perhaps I read the article too fast, but when is this suppose to take effect?    

I've read that it will be a while.  Perhaps not for another year.  

[jjs217]

Okay - just wondering.  I have a cruise that ends (maybe?) in Amsterdam in July 2024.

[tv24]

Latest news is that the city of Amsterdam is now considering the development of a cruise port that is not in the center of town.  Not great for us cruise tourists, but probably good for the residents.

[kbnovak]

From a cruise industry organization:

 

CLIA Statement regarding incorrect reports about cruise operations in Amsterdam

21 July 2023

We are aware of the media reports about the future of cruise in Amsterdam. As the port has publicly stated, cruise ships have not been banned from Amsterdam. Furthermore, the port and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam have already pledged to undertake investments worth millions of Euros in port infrastructure and shoreside electricity for the long-term. There have been discussions on its relocation outside the city centre which started back in 2016 and which are still ongoing.

We are working with the authorities to accommodate the views expressed by Council members while continuing to support the communities that benefit from cruise tourism.

Of the more than 21 million visitors that Amsterdam receives each year, around 1% arrive by cruise ship, with cruise tourism contributing around 105 million Euros to the city annually.

[firsttimers68]

On 7/22/2023 at 2:55 PM, SLSD said:

Tell me if I am remembering incorrectly--but doesn't Amsterdam have TWO ports?  One is near the center of the city and the other one is out a bit--maybe a 20 minute drive.  As I recall, when we sailed out of Amsterdam on Ovation several years ago, we didn't sail from the port in the city--but from the port that was out a bit.  It was a more industrial port--and that port is not being closed.  

We docked at Ijmuiden last year. It's a 20 ish minute drive to town, so possibly this is the one you are thinking of?

[AmateurGO]

Two comments to this:

River cruises:  A typical river cruise boat has about 130 passengers and I would guess that, on average, there might be 3 or 4 such boats visiting AMS on any given day.  Roughly 500 passengers is a far cry from the 5000 passengers on some of the mega-ships, much less from multiple such ships at one time.

We very much enjoy visiting the Caribbean island of Bonaire (2 or 3 weeks at a time, not via cruises).  For the past 5 or 6 years (except for Covid19) the cruise industry has "discovered" Bonaire and there are sometimes two large (3000+ passenger) ships docked there.  The total population of Bonaire is 20,000 people: 5000 or 6000 people visiting on the same day is just too much!  The tourist industry in Bonaire is in the process of limiting the number and size of ships visiting on any one day, and I hope they make it work because the current situation is miserable for the residents and long-term visitors.  

[Vineyard View]

These mega ships are creating issues in ports world wide. IMO. It seems to me that different locations should have the right to limit not only number of ships but also ship sizes - maybe based on population, on fragility of the sea or buildings…..I do not know, but they have certainly changed the dynamics of traveling on cruises, and in a very negative manner. Maybe it would be fair that if you want to sail on a mega ship, then the ports available to you would be restricted?  IDK the answer. 

[cruiseej]

Cities/ports do have the right to restrict cruise ship traffic however they want. But there's a balancing act of turning away tourism revenue.

[cruiseaholic78]

How many different threads are there going to be about this, I have already posted this a few times but will repeat once again.
 

it seems the article has caused some total (un)necessary panic among future cruisers.

 

‘A few corrections/nuances from a local because the Guardian article is missing some details which seems to have lead to misinterpretations of what was actually decided; the city council has not voted to shut down the cruise terminal and it doesn’t take effect immediately. 

For some time now there is a debate going on in Amsterdam about how to control the huge number of tourists that visit the city each year. On top of that there is increasing awareness about the huge air pollution caused by ocean cruise ships. As you may know, their engines still need to run, at a lower level, to generate the electricity needed to power all systems on board. For years, there has been talk in Amsterdam about moving the cruise terminal to a place outside the city. In 2016 for instance, the city already decided to move the cruise terminal to somewhere more near the harbor, but concrete action was never taken. 
The city did reduce the number of ocean cruise ships that are allowed to dock at the Amsterdam cruise terminal to a maximum of 190 ocean cruise ships per year. 
Yesterday, the city council has decided to speed up the process of moving the cruise terminal for sea cruises. In other words; it’s time we stop talking about it and start taking action. 
That’s it. So there is no immediate shut down of the cruise terminal in Amsterdam. And until the new cruise terminal is ready, which won’t be for many many years, ocean cruise ships can still come to Amsterdam and dock in the Cruise Terminal.’