The latest cruise lines to axe calls to Amsterdam have been revealed as P&O Cruises and Cunard.
The city council’s €8 per person per 24-hour tourist tax came into force on January 1st 2019.
P&O’s mini cruises to Holland from the UK have been popular with cruisers until now but the line have announced plans to drop calls to Amsterdam from March 2019.
In a statement, the line said: “All P&O Cruises calls to Amsterdam will be replaced by calls to IJmuiden. Complimentary shuttle buses from IJmuiden into the centre of Amsterdam will be available for all guests.
All guests will be advised in advance of their cruise. Ventura’s call to Amsterdam in September may instead be from Rotterdam but guests will be advised in advance.
Also we have extended the hours in port so that guests can plenty of time in Amsterdam. For the overnight calls the buses will run throughout the night.”
The Carnival Corporation-owned cruise lines join Cruise & Maritime and MSC who also announced their plans to axe calls to Holland’s capital in December 2018.
Both MSC and CMV both replaced all future calls to Amsterdam with Rotterdam.
CLIA (Cruise Lines Industry Association) said in a statement that its members were “disappointed” at the move by Amsterdam.
“This means that cruise passengers visiting Amsterdam, who already pay a significant amount in port fees and other tariffs, will have to pay a further €8 per 24-hour period that they remain in the city, whilst other day tourists, who arrive in Amsterdam by train, bus or car, would not have to pay a day tourist tax and do not also pay port or other fees.
“It is self-evident that the contribution of cruise passengers is extremely disproportionate.”
To put the financial impact of the new tourist tax into perspective, a ship the size of P&O’s Ventura (with a guest capacity of 3,080) could incur fees of up to €24,640 for every 24 hours it spends in port.
Fred. Olsen, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Viking Ocean Cruises have all confirmed that they have no plans to axe calls to Amsterdam at this time.
Other cruise lines with calls in Amsterdam this year include Holland America, NCL, Costa and Marella Cruises.
What do you think of the new tourist tax for Amsterdam? What did you vote in our poll? Has this affected your decision to visit? Leave us your comments below…
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