Any ferry travellers here? (Newcastle to Amsterdam)

I have used that ferry a few times for work. Our European office was in the arrival port.

I never paid anywhere near those prices.

Looking at the website it seems just to be supply and demand as you are travelling in high season. Although I have travelled in the summer and it wasn't as expensive. although this was more than 4 years ago.

Not sure when the fares went through the roof?

From Central Scotland I'd consider Hull-Rotterdam. When we lived in Aberdeenshire Newcastle was far enough away as it was. Even now when we do Hoek-Harwich-Hoek to visit relatives in Norfolk we do the overnight crossing. Yes, £400 buys a lot of petrol and accommodation, but it also means your holiday starts earlier, relatively fatigue free. Driving the length of England is exhausting.

We go to France or Holland quite often. Ferry price have shot up this year.

We are heading to Brlgium next week. Ferry from Hull to Rotterdam was £600 return.

So we are driving to Dover and heading to Dunkirk. £100 return.

Massive saving for a 5 hour car drive.

We made our bed.... so we will have to pay for it unfortunately.

That does seem expensive. We used it pre pandemic for ski trips, it was that vs the drive to the tunnel from Scotland so there was an easy cost/benefit comparison. Iirc it was a bit more money then the tunnel option but less driving etc etc

As above though, I think you are high season

Have you checked Harwich to hook?

We have booked in Newcastle-Amsterdam in April, with pedal bikes to do a few days touring around the tulips and coffee shops.

Yes, it is chuffing expensive as you need a cabin, and of course it is a long crossing. It is about 25% more than when I first looked last year IIRC.

Cheapest cabin (inside) for two of us is £119 and £153 each way, plus £34 for the bikes each way = £340 return for two of us with two bikes.

DFDS do discounts for over 60's and regular '20% off' sales.

We did not book food and plan to take picnic tea with flask, and head for a coffee shop as soon as we land.

We are heading to Brlgium next week.

IIRC you were going to watch some racing.  What are you off to see?

On a motorbike you're not just saving riding time, you're saving nearly 1000 miles of tyre squaring off on our lovely motorway network.

That said, I live 30 mins drive from the ferry at North Shields, cross the North Sea 3-4 times a year and will always, always head down to Hull. It's a better crossing, with better ships, cheaper, you're off quicker, onto nicer roads, you don't share a car deck (and more importantly on a motorbike a linkspan) with diesel and grease soaked trucks. Yes P&O are a bunch of absolute turds, but so are DFDS. They all employ/exploit Philippino crew on €sweetFekAll.

Normally we picknick on the way out for dinner and breakfast, do the buffet on the way home and breakfast in the lovely new starbucks at the entrance to king george dock. Check the price of club cabins - the fridge and free booze is useful and they have marginally better beds.

Also the ride down is really really good. From Edinburgh you can take the A68, drop onto the utterly beautiful A697. Suffer the A19 to Teesside and then do part of the Helmsley TT, down through the moors and into Hull completely avoiding the A1 & M62. That run is like a holiday in itself.

I did Newcastle to Amsterdam one way in 2022, came back Dunkirk to Dover as I was stopping off at my folks on the way back north.

Saved around 8-9 hours driving to Dover, plus I arrived in Europe well rested and could do more of the driving then rather than having to stop for a sleep halfway through France.

Rather annoying having to book and pay for a cabin when I have a camper van two decks down.

The times and convenience suited me but it was expensive, just over £300 for a van one way if I remember right.  I would recommend it as a nicer way to travel from anywhere north of Newcastle but it isn't cheap.

Rather annoying having to book and pay for a cabin when I have a camper van two decks down.

Well as it's completely illegal to have passengers accessing cargo spaces at sea, for a variety of reasons, but mainly due to safety, it seems entirely reasonable.

One thing about the NCL to AMS ferry, it can be a bit crazy on a weekend with day trippers to the coffee shops. Although I don't think there will be many in high season at those prices.

@leffeboy

3 races mate

5.2.25 maldegem exact cross

8.2.25 superprestige middelkerke

9.2.25 x20 trofee lille.

Got loads of beer tokens. ?

I’m quite shocked at how expensive it is! But perhaps I am being naïve?

It’s not just you that got a shock - we tried to book for during the (Scottish) summer holidays and it was £1,000 return for a family of 4 plus car. Ouch.

@ton

Excellent 🙂

Got loads of beer tokens.

Always.  I might be up at middelkerke.  I'll DM you if it looks likely and bring extra

We used it in August 2023 and it cost nearly £1200 for a car with bike rack and 2 adults and 2 kids so £600 for 2 people and 2 motorbikes sounds similar.
The Hull to Rotterdam ferry is apparently a lot cheaper but the wrong direction for Denmark.
I've travelled on both ferries and the ships all seemed similar facilities etc.
If going again I'd maybe calculate the extra miles with kids in the car Vs £ differently but it was best for us that year.

thanks all, glad to see I'm not being a tightfisted old bugger.

I checked the Hull to Rotterdam route and the cheapest I can get that is £404 return, but I still need to travel half the distance I would to the Chunnel.
so it would be saving around £180, meaning £224 extra. However being well rested upon arriving in Europe does have appeal... This might be worth a look for us, many thanks for all the info.

I was sure that it never was this expensive the last time I looked but again that was pre-covid and everyone and their granny seems to use this as a blanket excuse.
I still think today's costs are crazy! Is this due to Brexit?

I also with they would stop talking about bringing back the ferry route from Rosyth - either just do it or shut up and go away. That's me being grumpy...

Cheers!

I still think today’s costs are crazy! Is this due to Brexit?

No. Just look at the IOM ferries for instance, not affected by Brexit and also silly prices.

I still think today’s costs are crazy! Is this due to Brexit?

No. It's actually the opposite. It's down to the EU.

Bunker fuel is expensive and there are new emission rules, FuelEU regulations, regarding what fuel they can burn. This came in this month.

The cleaner fuels will be a lot more expensive.

https://www.shipuniverse.com/maritime-regulations-in-2025-a-simplified-breakdown/#1

Hull Rotterdam is usually cheaper but they are all expensive. It usually pays to tweak dates a bit looking for the best price, but there does generally seem to be less variation in / out of season than there used to be (i.e. they are all now quite pricey).

We are only doing it once or twice a year, and usually heading for NL / Scandinavia / Germany, so any price increase vs Dover is offset by convenience, more days "on holiday" vs travelling, not needing extra overnights, viable to do with bikes and train from home etc.

Last year you couldn't book Hull-Rotterdam online for 1 cabin, 2 people and 2 vehicles (bikes and motorbikes need to be booked as vehicles - you can't just do a foot passenger booking then ignore or add the bikes later). You had to ring up which was on a huge wait, but could leave a number for callback a few hours later which worked ok.

You had to ring up which was on a huge wait, but could leave a number for callback a few hours later which worked ok.

The DFDS number is 13p per minute, so definitely chose callback.

I also with they would stop talking about bringing back the ferry route from Rosyth – either just do it or shut up and go away. That’s me being grumpy…

Agreed.

If you do go via Amsterdam from Newcastle, the buffet breakfast is good value as you can make up an excellent pack lunch, if that's your bag. I think we booked it in advance. Lots of choice of different foods, cheeses, meats, breads, cakes, fruit etc. Also hot water for a flask if you ask nicely

Thanks Gobochul, interesting!

Hull currently is looking like a good bet, avoiding the roads and traffic as much as possible and arriving in the morning is definitely appealing.

Is P&O the only option from Hull?

Cheers!

from Hull, yes. Stena run from across the water at Immingham/Killingholme, but it's trucks only.

I’ll add my tuppence - coming from central scotland used P&O Hull-Rotterdam many times with family over the years. We like it very much.

DFDS we have used once, and did not like. All IMHO etc, but Vibe is less friendly, food not so good, crossing longer so earlier departure and later arrival than hull boat, and slightly longer/more pain in the arse drive between Alps and Amsterdam Vs Rot. Also, both ways, the DFDS boat was full of absolutely hammered people so very noisy at night (even though we had a slightly posher family room). Hull boat can also have folks enjoying themselves, but not like that.

Oh, finally, if you want a laugh look at trip advisor reviews for the DFDS crossing: “My sofa was delivered very late and not the quality desired” or something like that. ROFL.

So, Hull gets a big thumbs up from me. I love it! Sad to see demise of Zebrugge boat, we preferred that even more. Would be good if Rosyth started again…

I think P&O is the only option from Hull to that part of Europe.

Not useful to the OP but what about taking vans on a trucks-only service? I was thinking of Kristiansand specifically rather than <b> the one from Immingham. Can non-freight vehicles use</b> them?<b> Van</b> I'm thinking<b> of is a camper (an actual LWB van though, not a motorhome)</b>

The fjordline service from Newcastle to Norway was fantastic and cheap. Sadly a dim and distant memory now.

@GlennQuagmire - Newcastle did really well from that. At Christmas, Northumberland Street was full of Norwegians spending their Krone.

How flexible can you be on dates?

Sounds like you're wanting the travel at the peak time of the summer holidays, so i'd expect prices to be on the high side.

You also need to factor in you're getting 2 nights of accommodation and from the last time i used the ferry, it gets you into port early morning, so you can have a full day to ride at the other side.

As a curve ball, how about and Ireland trip?
Stranraer to Belfast
Lots of craic heading south
Rosslare to Fishguard
Back up through Wales

@andrewh  That really depends on the crossing. DFDS in the UK won't let you onto their freight services, in Scandi its up for debate and you'd need to phone the port your departing from to check (how and whether you can be handled at the arriving port is key).

Stena's Killingholme-Hoek van Holland crossing uses two really big ships that have capacity for 300 drivers. They may let you on in a camper or van. They certainly won't let you on in a car or on a motorbike. They have a sister route from Immingham to Rotterdam (it docks right next to the P&O ferry in Europort). You 'd expect the rules to be the same, but the ship only has space for 12 drivers, you share a cabin with a random and they really won't let the general public use it.

P&O operate a route from Teesport to Zeebrugge, but again it's freight only, generally for unaccompanied trailers and you can't use it as PAX. But then I have used their now defunct "freight only" service from Liverpool to Dublin with both my car and my motorbike. Again you share a cabin with some random , which is a little odd, they operate to a "we have a random timetable" so we docked in dublin at 04:30 rather than 06:00, much to my annoyance. The whole ship was smoking, everywhere; food was free so all the drivers took two trays up to the counter and loaded them with three or four meals each. It was weird.

Newcastle did really well from that. At Christmas, Northumberland Street was full of Norwegians spending their Krone.

Yep, judging by the number of Norwegians on the ferry it seemed to be a very popular trip for them. They could certainly party!

@andrewh no Immingham lost its passport facilities a number of years ago. They used to take a few accompanied vehicles.

600-ish these days sound like a bargain on the Newcastle Amsterdam route.

The last 2 years they wanted something like 1200-1400 from me for a Car+1 and inside cabin, for an August trip.  I used to pay 300 ish on the Rosyth route, and maybe upto about 600 on Newcastle route up until a couple of years ago.

When they wanted more for the cheapest possible overnight cabin than a flight to GLA or EDI, I said sod it and flew. Saved on 20 hours of driving. But I'm coming from EU to UK, and all cross channel fares are higher in the "wrong" direction.

I was looking at Newcastle-Ijmuiden (2 people) for mid June returning mid July. The sum quoted was astronomical as on the return trip an inside cabin is £450 and that's midweek. We'll probably use the Rotterdam-Hull one for the return trip (single trips can be booked on the Aferry site.

I had a Norwegian flatmate years ago and she reckoned the Newcastle ferry was the party boat, as it was cheaper to drink duty free on a return ferry trip than it was to go out in Oslo.

Brother went on the Harwich to Denmark (?Aalborg) ferry years ago during Tall Ships ‘99.

Both routes done for, as was Harwixh to Gothenburg, by cheap flights AIUI.

Thanks Fiat and Neal, very helpful.

What's security like on these ferries? P&O website seems to suggest tie my bike to a bollard & hope it doesn't accidentally wake up under a tarp in the back of a van.

No one is allowed on the car deck at sea.

There will also be camera coverage.

On DFDS there was always plenty of lashing points you could lock it too as well.

On the IOM ferry as a foot passenger with a bike you are first off, so it's obvious if your bike has gone AWOL before anyone has left the scene

NCL >AMS costing us £425 for 2 bikes / inside cabin in early May (not weekend).

Used Rosyth a fair bit for work. Good on the first version, but the second one was a fair bit slower - 3 hours IIRC - and a shitter boat. Low point was vacating the bar when the Neil Diamon tribute act came on to find out my cabin was directly below the piano.

All bikes and motorbikes are in a central section of the upper car deck on Hull-Rotterdam. They provide lengths of orange rope to tie them to the railings and wouldn't be bothered if you locked them as well. I think it is very unlikely something goes missing, and if it did every vehicle would still be captive when you discover the bike is stolen so would be easy for them to search for it. There are lots of observant staff on the car deck whenever it is open.

The exit ramp had problems when we last arrived in Hull and all cars had to wait and go down a deck and leave via the rear door (rather than the usual hole in the side). The bikes are actually parked on the ramp between decks, so were needed out of the way asap. So whilst the cars fumed for an hour, we got to shoehorn bikes in the passenger lift up a level, then wheel through reception (which was a bit surreal) and out the passenger gangway. Then out a side door and ramp onto the normal car exit route, so first into the passport booths and straight out in minutes!

Thanks for the reassurance, looking at going over and riding down to Roubaix later in the year.

As an update for anyone interested, I've just made the booking with P&O for Hull - Rotterdam

Massive thanks again to you all!

In the end we are heading out end of August and return 14 days later, really looking forward to it!

Making the booking with P&O they were significantly cheaper than going from Newcastle and as a bonus there is currently a 30% discount - if anyone thinking of using this route it's worth taking a look just now to take advantage of the discount.

I called them to organise it all over the phone which is the best way to do it when 2 individuals are travelling with their own motorcycles. They book it as 1 motorcycle with 2 passengers and the 2nd motorcycle on it's own.
All said and done they are almost half the price of the DFDS route from Newcastle.
And as a bonus on the way over is an overnight journey, and also overnight on the return - this means quite a lot more bike time 😀

All in was £581.70 for 2 people, 2 motorcycles, cabin, return journey. DFDS Newcastle is £1000.

Whilst it's gone up in price from what it used to be, it saves us a minimum of 12 hours to/from Le Tunnel, saves 400 miles, gives a room for 2 nights, and we will wake up fresh and ready to go upon arrival both ways.
I do love Le Tunnel, but this I think will be really good as well.

Again, cheers to you all. And hopefully the above info is of some use to others. 🙂