DFDS Weekend Mini-Cruise to Amsterdam

A couple of weekends ago me and her decided to go on one of the car ferry mini cruises from Newcastle to Amsterdam with DFDS.
The booking process on the website is pretty straightforward - but you'll soon notice how the headline price quickly starts going up once you add the meals etc.
Don't forget to print out and keep safe your confirmation!

Parking at the dock - next to the Royal Quays shopping outlet on Tyneside is straightforward, lots of space, and only a short walk to the terminal. There is a bus service too, from the railway station in Newcastle.

In the modern terminal building there is a cafe / coffee shop for while you are waiting to board. Boarding is quick and easy through the terminal - past the scary woman checking the tickets (seriously DFDS need to look to their customer relations training - a number of their (female) staff seemed to have quite an 'attitude').

The cabin was OK - we'd gone with the straightforward two bunks - no window version. There was a little bit more room here than in the Brittany Ferries cabin, thanks to a small settee opposite the bed. There was a continental power socket, shower and loo. The cabin was spotlessly clean.

The food was - well - odd. We went for the 'all you can eat buffet' both ways. On the way back we'd got the hang of it - there was a sort of selection of starters, a selection of mains, a kids selection (which included chips, and it was fine for adults to get stuck in too), a few smallish cold afters, fruit, and cheese.
Drinks were very very expensive (cup of luke warm tea £3.10 - I don't think so! Bottle of beer £5 - just say no).
Breakfast, while we are on the subject of food, was more than adequate, plenty of choice - healthy continental stuff, greasy English stuff, or mix and match your salami with your bacon and yoghurt (yummy.....)

On arrival at Amsterdam (actually Iujmuden) there was a confusing scrum for coaches - some were just a shuttle into the city, others were a 'sightseeing tour'. We went sightseeing - with a guide who proceeded to tell us how aweful the city was, how we were likely to get mugged, and pointed out how the residents of the city didn't like the red light district exanding too far - no, it wasn't an enlightening trip. Anyway, we were dropped near Amsterdam Station, with details of when the buses back were to leave.

Amsterdam is an interesting city and the 5 hours or so you get there is plenty to get a taste for the place.

Going back, the coach 'guide' was completely obnoxious about letting us and other people onto the coach to get back to the boat - I really don't know what her problem was, it's not as though we wanted to get onto her bus for some nefarious purpose - she was just plain rude. Maybe we should have got a later bus - they were every 15 minutes.

Back on the boat, after a good meal we had a look at some of the entertainment - there was admitedly plenty of choice, we settled down with a guitar player and his selection of songs - not bad, but a little overamplified. The biggest problem was, that wehre we sat in that bar was under a vent that seemed to be taking its input from the smokers deck!

Arrival at Newcastle was prompt and getting off was easy - the only problem was that I was then abducted by my wife to go into the Royal Quays outlet shopping park (where everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful).

One last word - about the Orca Charity who organise wildlife watching on the boat trip - a very friendly knowledgable group of people who are doing a valuable job of keeping track of marine wildlife.