I’ve just got back from a weekend break to Amsterdam with DFDS on one of their mini cruises. I’m a firm believer in making the journey as much of the adventure as the destination, which is why I was so excited to go on the mini cruise from Newcastle to Amsterdam.
Setting sail at 5pm on a Friday from Newcastle, we sailed overnight and woke up with the sun rising over the port. After a 40-minute transfer to Amsterdam, we spent the day exploring the beautiful city before heading back to the boat and returning, waking up on Sunday morning in Newcastle.
If you’re wanting to make the most of your weekends, and have a little luxury weekend adventure, then this could be the trip for you!
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Newcastle to Amsterdam mini cruise at a glance
There are two ships that sail the Newcastle/Amsterdam route: King Seaways and Princess Seaways. For our trip, we were on the Kings Seaways which has two restaurants, a bar, a nightclub/entertainment area, a coffee shop, a children’s play area, a casino, an arcade and duty-free shopping.
There is a whole host of room types including sea views, dog-friendly rooms, premium cabins; commodore and commodore de luxe.
Commodore De Luxe Cabins
The commodore de luxe cabins are the most premium cabins on board – and boy do they come with a lot of extras!
Found on deck 10, these cabins have their own floor and you are greeted by members of the crew who take you to your room.
I couldn’t believe how spacious the rooms are in the commodore de luxe cabins. We had a twin cabin, and there was plenty of space for the two of us. On entering the room, you step into the living room area which has a sofa, chairs and table and dressing table. Then you had the two beds, built into the wall, and it felt very nautical. The bathroom on board had a shower, sink and toilet and was huge compared to the standard rooms (which was very welcome when seasickness hit!). Oh, and let’s not forget the two huge windows which give you the perfect sea view.
But Commodore De Luxe isn’t just about the gorgeous rooms…
You also have access to a private lounge where you can get drinks (soft drinks, wine, beer and prosecco), snacks, teas and coffees as well as a quiet place to sit and enjoy your journey. In the morning, you can also find pastries to keep you going before breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, this is also included with commodore de luxe cabins. Rather than heading to Explorers Kitchen with the rest of the boat, everyone staying in the Commodore De Luxe cabins have their breakfast at the North Sea Bistro. There’s a whole range of hot food, pastries and cold meats and cheeses and it is delightful here, and a lot less hectic that the main Explorer’s Kitchen.
What to eat on DFDS Amsterdam mini cruise
There are two main places to eat on board the King Seaways boat for dinner and breakfast – North Sea Bistro and Explorers Kitchen.
The North Sea Bistro
The North Sea Bistro is the a la carte restaurant on board and is absolutely beautiful.
It’s a small menu, however a great range of options from steak to seabass to oysters. I actually opted for the vegetarian option, Pommes Anna, which is a medley of thinly sliced potato, zucchini, carrot, beetroot and sweet potato served with pickled red onion and a portobello cream sauce. I can honestly say this exceeded expectations and was full of flavour.
My friend went for the steak, which looked equally as delicious, which came with a peppercorn sauce and potato wedges.
For dessert we both opted for the chocolate fondant which was delicious, but I was so sad that the center wasn’t as gooey as I would like!
The Explorer’s Kitchen
The Explorer’s Kitchen is an all you can eat, around the world buffet. With a wide selection of foods from curries to salmon wellington to pizza – there truly is something for everyone here.
Sadly, when we ate here I was actually starting with sea sickness (it was a rough crossing coming back) so my appeitite was non exsistant at this point. However, I have actually done this sailing before, and usually eat at the buffet. From experince, it’s always a decent meal with lots of options.
The North Sea Bistro costs for 2 Courses is €38.95, and 3 Courses €42.95.
The Explorer’s Kitchen costs €25.95 for adults and you can be there for 1hr30.
Personally, I would choose the North Sea Bistro as it just felt a lot calmer and I really enjoyed my meal here.
Coffee Crew
As well as these two restaurants, there’s also a coffee shop on board which sells Starbucks Coffee and sweet treats.
What to do on a DFDS Amsterdam mini cruise
There is something for everyone onboard the DFDS mini cruise to Amsterdam. We didn’t actually get round to everything we wanted to do on board either – plenty to do on my next trip for sure! Here’s a run down of what’s available;
Bars & Live Music
There are plenty of places to sit down with a drink (can definitely recommend the cocktails!), soak up the atmosphere and be entertained.
The Compass Club is where you can dance to your hearts content however it was the Navigator’s Pub where we found ourselves as there was live acoustic music, which everyone was singing along too, and it was such a good atmosphere here.
Bingo
At the Compass Club, you can also play bingo at 9pm. Sadly we missed this, but I can imagine it would be a lot of fun!
Arcade & Casino
On board there is a casino area for adults, and an arcade for all ages, which also included an air hockey table.
Children’s Scavenger Hunt
At 7pm on board, a scavenger hunt around the boat takes place for children, and they all looked like they were having a lot of fun! There’s also a mini soft play on board for them as well.
Cinema
Showing some of the latest films, there are two screens on board showing films throughout the whole evening (I think the last screening took place at 11pm).
It costs around £8 per person and is a really fun way to spend the evening, especially if you don’t want to sit in the bars.
Duty Free Shopping
Of course there is duty free on board, and I always find that DFDS has the best prices compared to other ferry operators. I actually did buy some perfume on board because the price was so good compared to back on land.
As well as your classic duty free offerings, there is also a small clothes store on board too so if you run out of clothes, don’t worry because they’ve got you covered!
How long do you have in Amsterdam on the DFDS ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam?
You dock in Holland at around 10am, and if you’re on the day mini cruise, I recommend queing early to get off, to make the most of your trip.
On this trip, we ended up in the very slow passport control queue, so we didn’t get into Amsterdam until just before 12pm. There are coaches back to the boat between 3pm and 4pm, and we headed to the coach around 3:45pm.
If you’re doing the mini cruise, the transfers between the boat and Amsterdam are included in the price. You can pay on the day as well.
Can you leave your belongings on board?
When you’re on one of the mini cruises, yes you can leave your belongings on board when you explore Amsterdam for the day. You have the same room on both journeys, so it’s essentially a floating hotel!
Overall thoughts on the DFDS mini cruise from Amsterdam to Newcastle
Overall, we had a great time on our mini cruise to Amsterdam.
I always think this is a great way to get a flavour for the city, and I’m sure you’ll want to return. If you’re wanting longer in Amsterdam, you can always book an extra night on land through DFDS to make this mini cruise into a whole holiday!
Even though seasickness hit (for the first time ever for me), I would defintely travel again. This was my 6th DFDS cruise to Amsterdam, and every time we have a great time. There is always a great level of service, and the boat is always clean and in good condition.
And that’s your guide to the DFDS mini cruise to Amsterdam. To book your trip, and find out more, click here. If you’re looking for how to spend your day, click here to read 10 things to do in Amsterdam. For more travel guides, make sure to click here and have a browse. And don’t forget to join our free substack community for weekly postcards from some everyday adventures.
