Go everywhere, Do everything

I was determined that our Easter adventure this year was going to be flight free and it made sense to start our adventure a bit closer to home rather than getting the train down to London. On the positive side the ferry was fabulous, lots to do and great food. There were some negatives though and I’m not sure I will persuade everyone to take that ferry again.

The DFDS ferry route runs from Amsterdam to Newcastle, leaving at around 5pm (depending on the day) and arriving around 10am the next morning.

Accommodation

We booked a 4 bed cabin interior cabin for the 3 of us with 2 sets of bunks and a ensuite shower room. The room itself was comfortable, there was just enough storage space for all our luggage and us.

Each bed comes with a pillow and duvet and a towel. There wasn’t enough plug sockets so a multi-plug would be useful or portable chargers and you will also need a European adapter.

The Ferry

We travelled on the Princess Seaways from Newcastle to Amsterdam. The cabin options are standard, sea view or premium (if you are travelling with a pet there are also pet friendly cabins).  

The ferry has various places to eat, bars, duty free shop, a casino, amusements and a cinema. There is also a play area for younger kids. 

It was busy but didn’t feel overcrowded and there was plenty of places to spend the crossing.

The Food

We were really impressed by the food choices on board. We went for the buffet dinner in the Explorer’s Kitchen and a buffet breakfast. There was also an A la carte menu available in the North Sea Bistro for dinner and pastries and coffee available in the Coffee Crew in the morning. 

There was a huge selection of food available in the buffet restaurant with lots of international options and I was really impressed by the vegetarian selection. 

Getting there as a foot passenger

From Newcastle train station there is a shuttle bus that takes you directly to the port, this is bookable when you book your tickets and is £7.00 per person. The bus stop is opposite the front entrance of the train station on Bewick Street. 

This was an easy option however there were a couple of issues. The bus was a normal double decker bus so there was no space for luggage storage which meant it was very crowded. There were also more people than seats so not everyone waiting got on, I’m not sure if this is because they had oversold seats or people had turned up without tickets. I would definitely recommend arriving early at the bus stop. The bus takes about 15 -20 minutes. 

Taking a taxi directly to the port would also be an option. 

At the Amsterdam end there is also an option to add on a coach transfer, this seemed to be better organised with coaches with luggage storage waiting as we exited the ferry terminal. This transfer takes a little longer and drops you near the Central Station in Amsterdam. This transfer costs £9.00 per person.

 

Our Thoughts

I’m not sure I will be able to persuade Andy and Pip to travel on this route again. Even though the ferry was a great option for saving us a night of accommodation, had great food and lots of things to do; there were a couple of reasons why we probably won’t do it again. 

The North Sea is very choppy which made for a night of sea sickness. We all felt quite queasy so didn’t really enjoy much of what there was to do onboard. 

Our cabin was on deck 2 which would have been fine except for the fact it was incredibly hot and the air conditioning wasn’t working. Being hot and feeling sea sick do not make for the best night’s sleep. 

Check in was also very chaotic although I think that this was because a cruise ship came in at the same time adding to the chaos. There was no information when arriving about whether we needed to check in or get in line for security and there were hundreds of people milling around. We waited at the check in desks to get our cabin number and then waited again to get through security. Once on board we were shown to a stairwell that we had to carry our luggage down to our room only to find that there was a lift we could have used although the lifts are tiny. When we arrived at our room we found that the key cards we were given at the terminal didn’t work so we had to go up to reception and change them. 

Logistics:

• Time on board is European time so you are instantly 1 hour ahead when you board in the UK.  
• Transfers and meals should be booked when booking you cabin as they seem sell out and don’t seem to be available to book as an add on later. There were queues for the restaurants onboard for those who had not booked a table. 
• There are 2 cinema screens on board with 3 showings during the evening, tickets are available from the reception onboard. 
• If you are travelling with a vehicle, pack yourselves an overnight bag to take to your cabin as there isn’t a lot of space in cabins and lifts. 

We travelled in April 2024 when Pip was 11.