Celebrity Cruises has begun to inform passengers booked aboard sure sailings of Celebrity Apex that their Norwegian fjords cruise will not be a round-trip crusing from Amsterdam, however will as a substitute be a one-way voyage between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
While the 2 ports are comparatively shut to 1 one other, this could current some journey issues for friends. Fortunately, the impacted sailings are a number of months away, giving passengers loads of time to change their preparations.
Embarkation Port Change
Celebrity Cruises has reached out to friends aboard the July 31, 2023 crusing of Celebrity Apex to inform them of a modification to the embarkation port. Rather than setting sail from Amsterdam as initially deliberate, the cruise will now be embarking from Rotterdam.
Both port cities are alongside the japanese coast of Netherlands, roughly 49 miles (78 kilometers) aside. Schiphol airport in Amsterdam is handy to each cities, however friends might want to plan further journey time to achieve Rotterdam for an on time embarkation.
“Rotterdam is approximately 27 minutes further away from the airport,” the e-mail from Celebrity Cruises explains. “If you are flying into Schiphol on July 31, please do ensure you have enough time to commute from the airport.”
All pre-purchased transfers organized by the cruise line can be mechanically up to date to make sure friends attain the ship appropriately, and passengers utilizing different kinds of transportation, akin to trip shares, trains, or unbiased shuttles, are suggested to regulate their plans as wanted.
It have to be famous that the embarkation time stays at 5 p.m. in Rotterdam, simply because it was initially scheduled for Amsterdam.
Why Change Embarkation Ports?
The reasoning for the change in embarkation port is acknowledged as “changing operating hours at the Port of Amsterdam,” with no additional clarification.
This, nevertheless, could also be associated to different cruise ship adjustments in current months at Port of Amsterdam as a result of native salinity ranges. As salinity has risen in native waters as a result of drought and a scarcity of meltwater, lock schedules have been modified to higher regulate the water high quality, which has meant a wide range of port diversions for different vessels scheduled for Amsterdam since mid-July 2023.
Holland America Line’s Rotterdam has had quite a few sailings impacted by this transformation, which can also be influenced by the necessity for Amsterdam to accommodate different marine site visitors along with passenger cruise vessels. Likewise, Disney Magic had a crusing impacted in late July, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Dawn skipped a port of name in late August as a result of Amsterdam lock schedules.
No Other Itinerary Changes
Other than the change in embarkation port, there have been no different adjustments made to the July 31 Celebrity Apex crusing at the moment. The 9-night cruise will go to a wide range of ports in Norway earlier than returning to Netherlands and debarking in Amsterdam on August 9, 2023.
The Edge-class Celebrity Apex is the second largest vessel in Celebrity Cruises’ fleet (barely smaller than the road’s new flagship, Celebrity Beyond), weighing in at 130,818 gross tons. The ship can welcome 3,405 friends at double occupancy, and is staffed by a global workforce of 1,320 crew members who present the road’s signature distinctive service.
Celebrity Apex is at the moment homeported in Fort Lauderdale by early spring, however will reposition to Amsterdam through a 15-night transatlantic crossing in late April. The ship will stay in Amsterdam by mid-September, and any friends booked on summer time sailings ought to keep in shut contact with the cruise line for the potential of embarkation or debarkation port adjustments.
Similarly, different ships embarking, debarking, or just visiting Amsterdam might expertise related itinerary alterations, and friends ought to keep up a correspondence with their cruise line for up to date info as their crusing date approaches.
In the approaching months, along with Celebrity Cruises, ships from P&O Cruises, Holland America Line, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International, Costa Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Azamara Cruises, and extra are all scheduled to go to Port of Amsterdam.