Howdy! For those who don't know/remember me,I'm a pretty average 17year old(how I do sell myself)fro...
Howdy! For those who don't know/remember me,I'm a pretty average 17year old(how I do sell myself)from Newcastle with an uncharacteristic passion for writing and reviewing...that kind of malarkey.I'm on here on/off throughout the ages.
Member since:12.09.2002
Reviews:37
Members who trust:30
Don't be fooled by the big nice white ships, flashy website and big corporate image - DFDS are the bad guys. Big Time.
DFDS has provided passenger services for more than 130 years. Their history dates back to the 11th of December 1866 when a group of prominent businessmen led by C.F. Tietgen decided to found the DFDS A/S (The United Steamship Company A/S). At its inception the company owned 19 ships and since then some 450 ships have carried the DFDS flag: blue with a white Maltese cross. DFDS A/S today is a modern service organisation and their fleet is one of the largest in northern Europe.
DFDS operate 6 year-round routes:
From ENGLAND.
Newcastle
- Kristiansand - Gothenburg. Operated by single ferry, Princess of Scandinavia.
Newcastle - Ijmuiden (Amsterdam). Operated by 2 ferries, King of Scandinavia, and Prince of Scandinavia.
Harwich - Esbjerg. Route operated by single ferry, Dana Gloria.
Harwich - Cuxhaven Operated by single ferry, Admiral of Scandinavia.
In SCANDINAVIA
Copenhagen - Helsingborg - Oslo. Operated by 2 ferries, Crown of Scandinavia and Pearl of Scandinavia.
Copenhagen - Gdansk. Operated by single Ferry, Dana Anglia.
- My DFDS Seaways Experiences -
But enough about what they think about themselves, here's what a customer thinks. Living in Newcastle, you'd think travelling by ferry from the port would be something we did quite a lot. But not really. The ferry port itself is actually in North Shields, about half an hours drive from central Newcastle. Alternatively, you can get the Metro light-rail network, but if you have lots of luggage, it's not a good idea. Particularly if you're taking a car. You'd be best advised to drive the car on the ferry yourself. I was travelling to Gothenburg in Sweden, onboard the Princess of Scandinavia. We left Newcastle at aro und 11, due to arrive in Gothenburg early the next morning. This crossing was fairly uneventful, everything was around average. The vessel had a swimming pool but it seemed mostly closed off. Although the sea was pretty calm they stopped us going in the pool because of the fear of the ship rolling and the swimming pool water rushing out. Seems to defy the point of a swimming pool on a ferry anyway. Many friends I have spoken to have said the same things about the pool.
- The Return Voyage -
The return voyage was from Hamburg to Newcastle, a route DFDS only operate in the summer. (I think they might have closed it now, but the vessel remains.) The Admiral of Scandinavia was considerably smaller than the Princess of Scandinavia. It is older as well. The 'Admiral' was built in 1973, the 'Princess' in 1975. This makes both ships quite old. We had, unfortunately, opted for a cheap cabin, with shared washing facilities. However the cabin was awful. Unclean, and it looked worse than the third-class cabins from Titanic. As there were only 4 beds, my mother had to share a room with 3 complete strangers. Their cabin was obviously VERY close to the ships engines, as the noise was very loud. And I don't mean a dull, low throbbing background nose, I mean a sharp, loud noise. So much so she couldn't sleep. The crew on board were from Taiwan or somewhere, obviously where the vessel was registered. That wasn't a problem, but the fact was the cabin had NO pillows. Not even one to share. So my dad went upstairs to ask for one. Here is the conversation he had:
Dad: Hello, my cabin doesn?t have any pillows. Crew Member: So? Dad: Well, I was wondering if I could have one. Crew Member. You want pillow? OK, you have pillow. Dad Actually, I need four, for the rest of my family? Crew Member: HaHa! You want four pillow? You get no pillow!
My dad then asked to speak to the captain, who came down, and when my dad asked for four pillows he was again refus ed. When my dad asked him if he slept with a pillow, the captains answer was yes, and when my dad asked why he couldn't have a pillow, the captain said 'It wasn?t his decision'. We ended up using our jumpers as pillows. As well as this, the food was cold and shoddy, there wasn't much to do, all staff were sulky and unhelpful, and the entire ship smelt strongly of smoke. It was also very unclean, and the bins seemed full everywhere. At the bar, when I asked for a coke I was told there wasn't any left. There wasn't even a video lounge, let alone a cinema. And on an overnight crossing as well.
The whole experience was enough to make me, and my family, never wish to travel DFDS again. The Admiral of Scandinavia currently serves on the Harwich - Cuxhaven route. Be Warned. My advice would be, if you live in Northen England or Scotland, to Drive to Hull and Use P&ONorth Sea Ferries - fantastic, clean and modern facilities. Or, in Harwich, use Stena Line's Harwich- Hook of Holland Service. Thanks for reading.
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We took a mini cruise a few years back and loved it. . Maureen x
mr_kipling 25.07.2005 11:43
Ive loved every time ive been with DFDS, and am going again later in the holidays. Shame to hear you had such a bad experience.
BNibbles 29.03.2003 07:58
It's a pity about the swimming pools being closed in roughish weather - anyone who doesn't like sea travel wouldn't be able to feel the ship move if they lay with their eyes closed on an air bed in the pool - opening their eyes would NOT hoever be a good idea!
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