Author Topic: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam  (Read 16691 times)

Offline Captain Kernow

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Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« on: August 14, 2016, 10:55:04 PM »
Hi all,

My father and I would love to have a ship spotting holiday in Rotterdam. Ideally where we can watch the ships cruise by and see tug works taking place, My Dad is not able to walk too far and I have seen some great footage on youtube and wondered if anyone can advise a friendly hotel etc near the port inlet so we can get to see some container and tanker action passing by.

Your help would e much appreciated and make a 81 year old man very happy, as well as the son !!

Kind regards

Jon

Offline Pieter_Inpijn

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2016, 08:38:57 AM »
Rotterdam-area is great for shipspotting but the problem is the position of the sun.
In case you stay at Maassluis, it is always opposite of you, so bad pictures.
Crossing with the ferry to Rozenburg is better.
Two hotels at Rozenburg: Hotel Rozenburg and Hotel Pico (have not been there myself).
At Rozenburg you can sit along the New Waterway near the the ferry-landing.
Hotels on website www . booking . com (type in the name of the town: Rozenburg, Maassluis, etc.)
Staying at Rozenburg and owning a car give you also to possibility to drive to the far end of the "peninsula": there you see Europoort and New Waterway.
Take a look at Google-Maps for orientation.
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Offline simonwp

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2016, 09:50:47 AM »
If your father is unable to walk much I would possibly suggest a Spido cruise from the centre of Rotterdam, there are several different tours, although you have to book ahead for some to guarantee a place, e.g. the full day tour to Europoort. But the Botlek tour is walk-up. The boat has facilities which may be important for a gentleman of your fathers age.

Alternatively either stay at or go the Hoek Van Holland by train, then take the small passenger ferry to Landtong (the peninsula Pietr refers to.), If you take the full round trip you go right into Maasvalke as well, and get close to big containerships and tankers. At Landtong all Rotterdam and Europoort, but not Maasvalke, traffic comes right past you. You can see Maasvalke traffic but need a long lens for photographs. However there are no facilities at Landtong unless a mobile snack bar turns up.

Offline Dave van Spronsen

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2016, 06:53:26 PM »
If you search an nice hotel next to the water you have in Vlaardingen an nice hotel next to the water
What also is nice little bit exspensive is the old cruise ship SS Rotterdam,
Now the locations:
In the morning hours you have the best light conditions
In the Europoort,Noordzeeweg than you drive all the way to the Landtong you can take pictures from the berted Tankers and Bulkcarriers and see the tugboats and some ferries
Second place is Maassluis you can see the ships passing by but its not so busy anymore but on Thursday and Friday you can see the AidaPrima
Where i go every morning is the beerkanaal,at the Pilot Station Markweg
In the morning light the conditions are perfect
you can see the containerships coming in or out some tankers and if you are Lucky an bulkers
Or just go to the Maasvlakte you can see everything coming in or out
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Offline Mike Griffiths

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2016, 09:08:44 AM »
Rotterdam-area is great for shipspotting but the problem is the position of the sun.
In case you stay at Maassluis, it is always opposite of you, so bad pictures.
Crossing with the ferry to Rozenburg is better.
Two hotels at Rozenburg: Hotel Rozenburg and Hotel Pico (have not been there myself).
At Rozenburg you can sit along the New Waterway near the the ferry-landing.
Hotels on website www . booking . com (type in the name of the town: Rozenburg, Maassluis, etc.)
Staying at Rozenburg and owning a car give you also to possibility to drive to the far end of the "peninsula": there you see Europoort and New Waterway.
Take a look at Google-Maps for orientation.

I must correct you Pieter - Maassluis is excellent for morning photos!
By late morning you have to cross over on the ferry to catch the sun.
But at the Rozenburg ferry there there is to much background clutter for nice photos imo.
So photographers used to walk south east along the footway down to radar post 8 where there is a background screen of trees which is much more acceptable. At this point there is a small lay by where local photographers used to take photos. Now it is some years since I went there!
If there is rain forecast and you have no car - best to stay near the cafe at the Rozenburg ferry and hope for an improvement and get good light until the evening.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2016, 09:10:28 AM by Mike Griffiths »

Offline Captain Kernow

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2016, 11:17:04 PM »
Thank you all so very much for your info so far ! I will be looking into these suggestions and looking at booking next year , I have booked a cruise to the Fjords next year aboard The Brittania leaving Southampton, the last time was on board M.V Van Gogh and thoroughly enjoyed it , so hopefully I will visit Rotterdam later next year, but good to have so many helpers here to make the trip a success.

Kind Regards

Jon

Clydee

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2016, 08:44:36 AM »
Information supplied by members in this Forum thread has been recorded in the category titled SHIPSPOTTING LOCATIONS found at the end of the list of categories.

Thank you all
Clyde

Offline Charles Mercier

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2016, 07:09:45 PM »
Dear Captain Kernow,

It seems most of the people advising you are still living in the 1980s.... The good places for shipspotting in Rotterdam are no longer Maasluis or Rozenburg or Vlaardingen, not even the 'land tong'  !!  Shipping has changed completely in Rotterdam over the last 15-20 years and most of the traffic has moved to Europoort and the Maasvlakte, with only smaller tonnage passing Maasluis (feeders, chemical carriers, very few large containerships, the odd reefer - if you are lucky). A day at Maasluis/Rozenburg could actually prove very boring unless you are a big fan of small ships !
If you really want to see exciting shipping movements (large containerships, bulkers, tankers) and virtually spot EVERY ship coming in and going out of the port, you need to go to the very port entrance at the MAASVLAKTE. Obviously it is a long way to go from Rotterdam city, and you need a car for that, but the advantage for your father is that you can park your car on the beach over there, and spot ships from your car, without having to walk. The place is truly spectacular, you wont be disappointed. You may find Hotels/pensions at the nearby city of Oostvorne - not so close any more since the construction of MASSVLAKTE 2 but still easy to reach daily by car from the spoting place at the MAASVLAKTE/port entrance.
A good - but expensive- hotel at Oostvorne is Wapen Van Marion. You may google the name to get more info.

Hope the above helps
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Offline Hannes van Rijn

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2016, 06:10:43 AM »
Dear Captain Kernow,

It seems most of the people advising you are still living in the 1980s.... The good places for shipspotting in Rotterdam are no longer Maasluis or Rozenburg or Vlaardingen, not even the 'land tong'  !!  Shipping has changed completely in Rotterdam over the last 15-20 years and most of the traffic has moved to Europoort and the Maasvlakte, with only smaller tonnage passing Maasluis (feeders, chemical carriers, very few large containerships, the odd reefer - if you are lucky). A day at Maasluis/Rozenburg could actually prove very boring unless you are a big fan of small ships !
If you really want to see exciting shipping movements (large containerships, bulkers, tankers) and virtually spot EVERY ship coming in and going out of the port, you need to go to the very port entrance at the MAASVLAKTE. Obviously it is a long way to go from Rotterdam city, and you need a car for that, but the advantage for your father is that you can park your car on the beach over there, and spot ships from your car, without having to walk. The place is truly spectacular, you wont be disappointed. You may find Hotels/pensions at the nearby city of Oostvorne - not so close any more since the construction of MASSVLAKTE 2 but still easy to reach daily by car from the spoting place at the MAASVLAKTE/port entrance.
A good - but expensive- hotel at Oostvorne is Wapen Van Marion. You may google the name to get more info.

Hope the above helps
++


Bullshit !!! today ,you can still make exellent pictures in Maassluis,Rozenburg and the landtong.On the Maasvlakte large ships do not come every day.

Offline David Walker

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2016, 09:50:14 AM »
Nothing wrong with Maassluis/Rozenburg/Vlaardingen/Landtong as photography locations. I've had excellent days at each in the last four months. At Rozenburg I've taken some of the best photos I've taken in the last year, the light can be spectacular. Maasvlakte is indeed a great spot, but if you don't have a car it's difficult to get to. I go to Hoek van Holland and sit on the breakwater - and have been really pleased with the results (I've done this in the last month, not the 1980s...).

In case it hasn't been mentioned, if you get to HvH, the RET fast ferry to Maasvlakte is well worth a go. The round trip is an hour, and if you time it well you can have some excellent views of large moving ships. It's 5 or 6 euros.

Hope this is of use - enjoy your trip!

David

Offline Captain Kernow

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2016, 04:36:17 PM »
Again. Thanks you all for your valued help. As I live in Cornwall and have just bought a Panasonic Lumix FZ45 , I shall be taking it with me to Falmouth etc and try my best to get some decent photo's uploaded here for you all to peruse over, You really cannot beat a bit of shipping ;-)

Regards to you all
Jon

Offline john white

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2016, 05:27:35 PM »
having just spent 7 days in holland ending up at Rotterdam i found lots of interesting vessels to photograph in the Waalhaven and sorrounding area
john

Offline Captain Kernow

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #12 on: September 02, 2016, 04:31:27 PM »
Thanks John.

I have google earthed Waalhaven and it looks perfect . I have sailed past that breakwater a few times so know the port location very well.

I'll look into hotels in Waalhaven and see whats available.

Thanks everyone for your great help

Offline john white

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Re: Ship spotting holiday location Rotterdam
« Reply #13 on: September 02, 2016, 06:27:09 PM »
hello there is the old liner SS ROTTERDAM now a hotel moored in the Maashaven looks nice and prices are pretty good 
john

 

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