The cruise season has started early this year in Amsterdam, breaking all records in the North Sea Canal area, according to the port. This year’s schedule counts 149 calls by ocean-going cruise ships and some 1,300 calls by riverboats.

Among the 149 calls are 16 maiden calls, the highest number ever, and on Thursday, June 9, three large cruise ships will call in the capital, plus one more at Ijmuiden, which will see a total of 25 calls, as dredging now allows larger ships to enter the port.

One Thousandth Caller

In April, Amsterdam received its one thousandth cruise call since opening its new terminal in 2000. The caller was the new AIDAsol with 2,200 passengers.

The number of river cruise vessels is also growing rapidly. For example, during the April 16 to 17 weekend, there were 46 river cruise vessels in Amsterdam.

Shore Power

River cruise vessels are able to use shorepower at their moorings, so they no longer have their own diesel generators running. Instead, they plug into electricity from shore. In addition, shore power will also be offered at Javakade, Westerdoksdijk, Ruijterkade and West. Ruijterkade East will be able to offer shorepower at end of June.