Ferry to Netherlands - expensive!

[wineschmine]

Hi all,

Does anybody travel by ferry and could give me a few tips?

We are in the east of Scotland and would like to get the ferry to Amsterdam (or similar). I found a Newcastle to Amsterdam route that would be ideal, but for 2 adults, 2 kids and a car it's coming out at over £1k. This is on DFDS. I also tried P+O, similar route, and it was also over £1k.

We like camping holidays, Eurocamp or similar, and I'm just getting fed up airports and flights.

Because we live in Scotland, it would be a lot of driving to get right down to South of England for ferry or the tunnel, which is why I was thinking ferry to Netherlands from north of England (Newcastle and Hull seem to the the ports, I think).

Any tips/suggestions very welcome!

For DFDS from Newcastle we usually book around Christmas for early summer travel when there's an early bird discount with 10 or 20% off. Price varies by travel day so check different days. It was slightly cheaper to go as soon as Scottish schools break up, accommodation was definitely cheaper. Food options are really limited on board, buffet or restaurant. No other food except the coffee shop bit which has a few cakes.

We thought about flying but it's so handy having the car, especially if you're planning on going to theme parks etc. Each year I look at Eurotunnel and its so much cheaper but just can't face the drive down.

We did it this year and had such a fantastic time over there and loved the ferry.

I’m sure our ferry was ‘only’ around £600.

We’re also in Scotland btw! The whole thing just felt so convenient and it feels like your holiday starts as soon as you get on the ferry.

I would definitely be more organised about food next time. The restaurant is so expensive.

We're doing this exact journey (Newcastle to Amsterdam and we live in Scotland) in July as a family of 5 and it cost just over £600 which I thought was decent value. I wonder if you just have to book quite far in advance? No good for this year I appreciate!

Yes, we're the same and I think we booked at Christmas so got the discounted fare.

We’re just back from Neth now and it you can fit it into your budget, do go to Efteling. We’re really not theme park people but loved it.

having said that I’m not sure I’d want to go in peak season- we queued 10-15 minutes but were clearly set up for hour long plus queues.

we stayed on-site which was convenient and the park entrance is included. But there are lots of unofficial accommodation options nearby which I dare say would be cheaper

Sorry to jump on your thread, OP. Am searching for netherlands threads for inspiration - we're on the ferry from Hull tomorrow evening.

@StillWantingADog - we are staying at the very same place! Any recommendations for the local area?

@JoanThursday
great!
I recommend hiring bikes on site and visiting Gouda at least (half hour ride). We got them for 3 days and went further afield across the lakes and windmills. My kids took a while getting used to the Dutch bikes tho.

it’s an easy drive to Utrecht (park at park and ride and get the tram, very cheap).

we struggled to find any properly big supermarkets however there is a decent Jumbo about 1k away. Biking distance. On-site supermarket very expensive.

if you’re into parkrun there is a great one almost on site.

the site is lovely but watch out for the goose poo (there are a lot of geese, mostly babies when we were there). The pool doesn’t have any slides or lifeguards (!) but is extremely clean with long opening hours.

Oh and Efteling was excellent. Is about an hour from the site. We ended up staying there for the last 3 days. You could do it but 1 day not really enough.

Ah thanks so much for the quick response, @StillWantingADog!

We're actually taking our bikes with us, and we've already spotted the ride out to the windmills. Looks fab.

Good tip about the supermarket - thanks!

The kids are desperate to go to one of the big parks. We're tossing up between Efteling and Duinrell at the mo.

If you can do Gouda on a Thursday morning, they have the cheese market on then.

dont not go to the Efteling just because you can only go for the day. I have been several times just for a day trip and you can fit in lots.

kasteel de haar is nice

Efteling is so much better than duinrell you can’t really compare
mine liked the duinrell water park. I didn’t particularly (felt it needed some tlc and staff all a bit grumpy).

Thank you! All this is very good to know.

It is expensive but could you try to think of it as part of your holidays? I travel to France with Brittany Ferries and it is due wateringly expensive but more convenient than flying and I always worry about a strike at an airport now, after being caught up in one a few years ago for 20 hours.

My DH won't agree to P&O anymore either.

If they want a big park definitely the Efteling.

how old are your children? It’s currently open till 10 and the rides will be quieter at both the start and end of the day so if they are old enough to last the full day get there for opening and do some of the bigger rides straight away then do them again in the evening/

If you're not planning on going until Easter they have the discounted fares starting in Dec/Jan you just have to keep your eye on their website or sign up to email alerts. I'm sure they sent me an email about the early bird booking last year in Jan.

Watching this with interest as it is something I have considered lots of times - only thing putting me off is the prospect of seasickness and the thought of a long night with 3 puking children plus myself potentially feeling grim too. Is the ferry big enough to avoid feeling like you are rolling about?

I do often feel sea sick but haven’t had it on these overnight ferries, they are pretty big. You will probably feel some movement from the boat if it’s rough but I wouldn’t expect you to be throwing up from it.

We are doing Hull-Rotterdam in a few weeks, having previously done it in 2019 and Hull-Zeebrugge before that. If you book the ferry through Eurocamp or Canvas you will get a huge discount. I've just checked ours and the return journey (in school holidays) is £628.68 - cheaper than our flights to Europe last year. We booked well in advance tho- as soon as the ferry dates come out in October for the following year.

Yep, we booked back in November for our hols departing this week.

We added meal packages for dinner and breakfast, and got a 15% early bird discount off the lot. I did sign up for updates but didn't hear I thing! I found a discount code buried deep on the p&o website.

Sea sickness: I'm wondering that too! Going out to get meds later. None of us get car sick, so fingers crossed. The forecast is looking okay for this week too.

@JoanThursday, have a lovely holiday.

I was worried about this as when we went last month the forecast was “wind force 5-6- rough”.

it was fine. In bed you could feel some gentle motion but I quite liked it. Pretty sure it’s better if you are lying down. No risk of anyone being sick though there were bags provided in the room! And it was totally calm coming back.

These bigger ferries have stabilisers and are less affected by the conditions than the old, small ferries that used to sail across from the UK to Europe.

The night ferry to the Netherlands from Harwich is very quiet and relaxing. You can board from around 21.00 so if you get on early there is time for a glass of wine before turning in. The first hour out of Harwich is really gentle, so if you drop off before midnight (or even before the ferry sails at 23.00) the next thing you'll notice is the wake-up call. Don't worry - be happy ...

For anyone wondering about the Dutch school holidays, the Autumn holiday is 14-22 October 2023 for the south and middle of the country, and 21-29 October for the north.