Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Pattaya welcomed around 2,600 tourists and crew members from the cruise ship 'Westerdam' on Wednesday morning. The vessel, operated by Holland America Line, was anchored near Koh Lan, with passengers and crew transported to Bali Hai Pier to explore the area.

 

The 'Westerdam' is a vista-class ship, measuring 280 meters in length. It initially docked at Laem Chabang Port on Monday and has planned its next stop at Koh Samui, scheduled for tomorrow. The arrival of such a large number of tourists provided a lively and bustling atmosphere at the pier and surrounding areas.

 

Officials from Chon Buri Immigration, Marine Department, and Tourist Police were present to assist the incoming passengers, ensuring smooth disembarkation and coordination. The event is seen as part of the ongoing efforts to boost tourism in Pattaya, contributing positively to the local economy.

 

Looking ahead, Pattaya and other destinations in Thailand are expected to see similar visits as cruise tourism gradually picks up. This trend is anticipated to continue providing economic benefits as the tourism industry recovers, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Key Takeaways

• Pattaya welcomed 2,600 visitors from the cruise ship 'Westerdam.'
• The ship is en route to Koh Samui, its next destination.
• Local officials facilitated a smooth arrival for tourists.

 

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-12-17

 

 

 

Gee good for ladyboys

I wonder how the immigration play this? Do they all get a 60 day visa exempt entry? What about any whose nationalities do not qualify for VE?

15 minutes ago, JAG said:

I wonder how the immigration play this? Do they all get a 60 day visa exempt entry? What about any whose nationalities do not qualify for VE?

Good question.  I've also wondered how this works; could get expensive for some nationalities, or of course nearly impossible!

Authorities estimate that each tourist will spend 1 billion baht.

6 hours ago, JAG said:

I wonder how the immigration play this? Do they all get a 60 day visa exempt entry? What about any whose nationalities do not qualify for VE?

Cruise ships organise it all.

8 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Gee good for ladyboys

 

Buggery on the high seas. 

Cruise ships?

Should we be happy or sad  ?

That was the first time I can remember seeing a big cruise ship like that in Pattaya.  I didn't notice more people than usual walking around.

Pretty neat, we were at Central Mall and was wondering about the ship. 

 

It does sound like a nightmare for the passengers, waiting in line to board a water taxi, then land at the pier to be greeted by hungry taxis. Yikes

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

That was the first time I can remember seeing a big cruise ship like that in Pattaya.  I didn't notice more people than usual walking around.

Coincidentally or not, I did meet a group of people from Holland the other night at dinner.  But I'm not sure that cruise ship despite it's name and country of registry actually sailed from the netherlands

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

I didn't notice more people than usual walking around.

They were on coaches cluttering up Pattaya Tai + cable laying guys meant a 45 minute journey from 2nd Road to Suk.

2 minutes ago, gk10012001 said:

Coincidentally or not, I did meet a group of people from Holland the other night at dinner.  But I'm not sure that cruise ship despite it's name and country of registry actually sailed from the netherlands

Thrills...

I met 4 people, including a former workmate, off a ship berthed at Laem Chabang pretty much exactly 6 years ago, just before Covid was a thing. Their cruise began and ended in Singapore and took in stops in Vietnam and Cambodia. I think Samui was their next stop. They had just 6 hours in Pattaya from 10am till 4pm.

We went to the Pratumnak viewpoint, the cafe at the viewpoint (now no more, I believe), Big Buddah, a massage on 2nd Road then onto a restaurant; Sonias on Beach Rd Soi 4; before they were picked up where they were dropped off, outside A-One hotel on Beach Rd.

The ship had a different name, Princess something or other, but maybe was the same ship.

They had an option of a ship organised trip to an hotel where they would sit by a pool with a bar and restaurant, priced at 100 US dollars per person. Instead, I paid for a hired baht bus and all food and drink and they reimbursed me in dollars before getting their transport back to their ship.

They were all from the UK and visa exempt.

I gather the ship's passengers were mostly couples and families, so not full of mongers looking for ladies or ladyboys.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Pattaya welcomed around 2,600 tourists and crew members from the cruise ship

 

Just seen Upnotovers post, posted while I posted mine. My friend's cruise did not take in the Phillipines, Malaysia or Hong Kong and they had just visited Vietnam and Cambodia before Laem Chabang.

Post deleted

The Westerdam, a distinctly Dutch name for a ship, is the owner sometimes HAL?

58 minutes ago, gk10012001 said:

Coincidentally or not, I did meet a group of people from Holland the other night at dinner.  But I'm not sure that cruise ship despite it's name and country of registry actually sailed from the netherlands

As far as I know, the Holland America Line has now been bought by the USA.

4 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

As far as I know, the Holland America Line has now been bought by the USA.

Coincidentally, a special museum has opened in Rotterdam in which the HAL plays an important role.
This is mainly due to the fact that this company played an important role in transporting emigrants to the United States.
For those who are interested, the name of the museum is Fenix.

7 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

As far as I know, the Holland America Line has now been bought by the USA.

 

Yeah parent company is Carnival, they purchased HAL in the 90's according to google.

A ship a day keeps the proctologist away.

TAT's number for quality tourists has risen sharply, so has the numbers of Clap cases onboard 

10 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Good question.  I've also wondered how this works; could get expensive for some nationalities, or of course nearly impossible!

Same for crew members, in certain countries, they stay onboard and cannot leave.

How did pattaya immigration cope with processing 2600 passengers? By the time they cleared immigration it would be time to turn around and board the ship again, 

14 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Yeah parent company is Carnival, they purchased HAL in the 90's according to google.

In America, Holland Cruise Line is often thought of as a cruise line with mainly old, 65+.  Think of Holland passengers - canes, walkers, and tiny elec scooters.  IDK, that's just what I've heard over the years.  

 

7 minutes ago, Thumbs said:

How did pattaya immigration cope with processing 2600 passengers? By the time they cleared immigration it would be time to turn around and board the ship again, 

 immigration will go onboard to process.....

11 hours ago, JAG said:

I wonder how the immigration play this? Do they all get a 60 day visa exempt entry? What about any whose nationalities do not qualify for VE?

 

4 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Cruise ships organise it all.

Should imagine that the cruise ship pays one hell of an agents fee!

Anyone know if you could board the ship at Laem Chabang, do a 20 day cruise and disembark at Laem Chabang on the way back? Or does it have to be Singapore to Singapore?