Please tell me about Newhaven to Dieppe 🚢

[PolkaDotMankini]

We're sailing on the Newhaven to Dieppe route (and back) over half term. The crossing is 4 hours and I'm just wondering what there is to do on board. Are there any tricks to getting a good seat? It doesn't seem worth getting a cabin but at the same time, I want a comfy chair!

hello op I hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread so I can read, would love to do the newhaven dieppe myself so am interested in responses.

In my experience, there is bugger all to do on board I’m afraid. Last time we got a cabin and a snooze - are you doing the nightish crossing?

We had a cabin and was well worth it. Had a shower and a sleep S it was an early sailing. Not much to do on board, apart from duty free and restaurant from my opinion.

i would recommend getting a comfy seat as soon as you get on otherwise they fill up. There is a shop, restaurant and bar and you can walk round the outside of the ship, but otherwise there is not lots to do. The food in the restaurant wasn’t great so we brought our own food on the way back. We also got a cabin on the way back as it was an evening crossing. It wasn’t much more but we got to lie down and rest.

It's the 11-4 sailing on the way there, then the 6-9 sailing on the way back. It's evening but the DC are 10 and 13 so not little ones up past their bedtime. They'll be quite happy with various devices and food but I need a nap!

Our top tips (based on things we got right and wrong last time) are get out of the car and onto the boat as quickly as you can to bag a table and chairs. If you take a picnic remember everything you need like plates, cutlery. Take games if you have children- we had these with us but left them in the van on the way out, but board games (eg orchard games) are ideal around a table rather than just books/tablets.

I've just checked and there aren't any cabins available on the way back. I'm tempted for the way there though. It would be nice to have a base so we can go for a wander and not worry about losing our seats.

Snacks / picnic and a good book. We found it fine. It’s 4 hours on a ferry. Nothing to do but read.

Not much to do on board but sit and read. It was a lovely day when we did it and we sat on deck for much of the crossing

I did this sailing years ago and during the day and we spent most of our time on the deck upstairs where there were some plastic chairs.

I don't remember much facilities on board except a restaurant (food wasn't great). In fact we were jealous of other people who had been to the sainsburys near port for a picnic.

Echo what everyone else said, we did it last year and had a cabin (was the 6-9 from Dieppe) and haver 3 teenaged, cabin gave us a good base and meant DH could haver a shower to wake up. Be warned, passport at Newhaven on way back can be slow, and there's no way to do priority boarding. We got to Dieppe about 1.5 hours before the sailing and were one of the first ones on and off which helped but people waited over an hour to get through passport control. Make sure you've all gone to the loo before you go to your car

Shop is teeny, definitely take a picnic, but equally it's fine and a lovely change from Calais.

We did it a couple of years ago. Take lots of food and activities, we were on board for 6 hours! It then took another 2 hours to get through passport control at the other side so go to the loo before you leave the boat. Half of the boat was closed off even though the ferry was packed due to the previous sailing having been cancelled, so there was nowhere to sit. Find somewhere to sit as soon as you get on.

It was fine on the way back but still took considerably longer than 4 hours and getting a seat was hard.

Travelled twice last year.
There is a bar and a restaurant on board although meals are sold within a set time frame so if you want a meal do it first. Bar doesnt do food apart from croissants and ice creams. You could spend the entire crossing just sitting in the bar if you wanted.
There is also seating outside which is pleasant for a daytime crossing in nice weather. It was nice on the way out as you can see quite a bit of the coast and the off shore wind farms etc.
There are also several areas inside with seating a bit like aircraft seat in rows where you can relax, read a book or snooze. I saw some people laid out in sleeping bags along there.
There was a screen showing cycling I think in the lounge area. The wifi wasn't great so recommend downloading a couple of films before you go just in case.

The duty free is quite limited.
When we travelled there was a talk from an ocean charity on whales etc which my adult daughter attended and she said it was very interesting.

There's not a lot to do on board so I just take books/papers etc. The internet access is chargeable and patchy to say the least so for four hours I wouldn't bother. I second getting on board as quickly as you can then bag yourself a table and chairs near to the cafe area. It's actually quite relaxing to chill and have nothing in particular to do.