Dfds Uk

Try your hand at our new festive game for a chance to win exclusive prizes! https://dfds.co/2RuiEiZ

The weekend is here! Sit back and relax with a cocktail from the Columbus Club! 🍹

It's beginning to look a lot like... Christmas markets!🎄 For the ultimate inspiration this festive season on the best Christmas European markets and all of the goodies that you can collect when you are there, take a read of our blog post!✨ https://dfds.co/2E85oNr

If your travels this December take you to Luxembourg, be sure to pick up some ornaments from one of their many ateliers. Hand blown glass ornaments are aplenty in the city and make for a sentimental piece to add to your tree.

The oldest Christmas market in France takes place in the picture-perfect setting of Alsace. The region which is said to have inspired the setting of Beauty and the Beast. Take a step in this fairytale location during the most wonderful time of the year.

We had such a lovely day onboard King Seaways yesterday, take a look at what we got up to when we invited over 100 local underprivileged children for a Christmas party! With Metro Radio Cash for Kids

Here at DFDS we wanted to give something back to the local community at Christmas. Today we welcomed over 100 local children through the Metro Radio Cash for Kids charity for a day of food, fun and festivities onboard King Seaways!

Fancy winning some exclusive offers on our Dover - France routes or Newcastle Amsterdam route? Try your hand at our new Christmas Conga game and you could be in with a chance!⛴🎄✨ https://dfds.co/2RuiEiZ

Important message from the #DFDSelf today!
“ Please have your passport open at the photo page upon arrival to the check-in desk!”
He’s been a bit of a bossy boots today making sure things are running smoothly at check in! #elfontheshelf

We are delighted to announce that DFDS was named the World’s Leading Ferry Operator at the World Travel Awards for the EIGHTH year in a row! Winners are decided by votes from the public and travel industry professionals, which makes this an even more special award for us. We would like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted for us. Take a look at why some of our most honest critics think we won…

A cheeky little elf has arrived at the DFDS office and claims he is here to stay throughout December! Today he has been making friends at the port during check-in and has even been giving Northumbria Police a helping hand while on duty! Don’t they make a great team😎 #DFDSelf #elfontheshelf

Heading on a European roadtrip this winter? Be sure to pick up some great festive souvenirs! https://dfds.co/2E6VKLs

We would like to share a story about a little boy called David who made our day last week. David loved his time onboard the ferry with his family that when he went back to school he drew a fantastic picture in his book for the teacher! The picture was so good we had to show it to the Captain of Princess Seaways! The Captain was thrilled to see that David had such a good time and wrote to him specially to say thank you, along with a special little DFDS goodie pack! We can't wait to welcome David and his family back onboard for their annual trip to Amsterdam 😄🇳🇱

As we head towards December we are looking back at our top 5 instagram posts from the past month. We've definitely seen winter creep in with even a little dusting of snow in some places! To see more destination inspiration as we get closer to Christmas, follow us on instagram here!📸 https://dfds.co/2QozdQl

A winters sunrise as King Seaways enters the mouth of the Tyne ⛴
Photo by @judstuff

We have seen some amazing sunrises throughout November as we head towards December we look forward to seeing some more stunning seascapes snaps. Thank you to all of our passengers for sharing these brilliant snaps with us. If you would like to be featured in next months Snaps at Sea post remember to tag us!

Wrap up warm and explore Amsterdam in all its festive glory this winter with the whole family. From ice skating, Christmas markets and plenty of places to stop by for a warming hot chocolate there are so many things to enjoy in the Dutch capital! Book your winter break here from only £49pp https://dfds.co/2PEA27K

Our Black Friday sale ends today at 5pm! Don't miss out on up to 66% off your mini cruise to Amsterdam from only £30pp! https://dfds.co/2TwFhVq

We went from Newcastle to Amsterdam in February. Service was excellent and staff very friendly.Our son enjoyed children activity place. Amsterdam is very nice in the morning,afternoon is harder to breath because of lot of people and despite all this we enjoyed it.

Used the DFDS mini cruise on a few occasions and always had a great experience, staff always friendly, easy booking and very reasonable prices! Check in and security is a breeze, rooms small but fine enough for how much you need them! Food on board is great and entertainment has always been good, can't find any faults up to now and hoping I won't in the future! I organised a surprise trip a while ago and the staff went above and beyond to ensure the 18 people who were in on the surprise

for my partners birthday remained a surprise completely until we were on board with drinks in hand, they even accommodated me by sneaking balloons into our cabin! People complaining about weather conditions are crazy to place blame on dfds, it's an act of god, if diversions happen then yes it's disappointing but for passenger safety I feel it's only right, rather be safe than sorry!!! Looking forward to sailing again this August!

I would totally recommend. Staff was nice and friendly. Customer service was helpful and quick whenever I had some kind of question.� It was such a nice experience, what I didn’t expect. Rooms were tidy, breakfast was good!�

I haven’t been on a cruise with dfds before but I can vouch for dfds’ brilliant customer service. MK responded immediately to my Facebook query and , even though I made several errors with my own booking and had to change my sailing dates several times ( I don’t know what has gotten into me!), remained patient, professional and very responsive throughout. Thanks and I hope I didn’t ruin your week! I’d buy you a drink but I figured the very least I could do was leave a positive review. x From, a (very) happy customer.

Always love the crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe, so handy and fairly priced, good food on board too.



I do feel for you though reading some of the other reviews, you get 1 star from people for bad weather, misbehaving children, people who buy non-refundable tickets and don't get a refund, etc...! Wow just wow and the admin person has to just politely reply, they need a medal for biting their tongue!

Great ferry crossing! Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because they take so long to release the new year bookings. Trying to book and can't book the return for January 2019!

So many negative reviews, even some about the rough seas! Like that's there fault!? �

I have stayed in the small prison like rooms and the top rooms and I would recommend to pay extra for a quality room. Alot to do on board and no it isn't cheap but when is any ferry, plane or train cheap? Bring ur own food if u want. Buffet restaurant is good, lots of choice and desserts are amazing!

Staff couldn't do enough and work so bloody hard. Maybe next time before moaning about them, you could ask them how long they work and when they saw there family last.

I have done this crossing with no kids and with and would recommend it for family's and for the ones without. There is things to do for all sorted of people.

Definitely going again in the winter... Once they let me book my return!

Traveled on Monday evening from Newcastle to Amsterdam...... well I can’t rate it much more as we paid for 4 meals as was 2 of us traveling each way but we paid paid In advanced as this was “cheaper” but we still found that expensive for the explorer kitchen buffet for £20 each! £4 each for a coke and Diet Coke so that was £16. The shop on board for your “duty free” is mega expensive but I liked what I bought. Cabins are small but it’s only over night which was fine. Staff are friendly enough but didn’t see any entertainment both nights as we were travel sick so we spent our time in the cabin. Coffee shop is reasonable priced. I don’t think il be traveling at the of the year as the sea was mega rough going out. May try again but shall have food before I get on the ferry.

I remember the Herald of Free Enterprise. After it sank, safety regulations were revised and strict laws applied. Unfortunately the staff on the park deck of the Princess Seaways have not heard of them. They pack the cars in like sardines in a can, so tight that the driver cannot get out of the car without climbing over to the passenger side. And then when they are in, the passengers cannot get themselves and their overnight bag through the tight gaps between cars without scraping the paint on the cars.

The boat is seamingly old and in need of renovation. The prices on board are over charged and my bunk bed had a 20° lisp toward the gap, which resulted in 30 minutes of sleep before rolling over again in the wrong direction. I remember it being much better.

Waiting already 1 hour in car to get off ferry,now finally off there is an extremely long queue for passport checks. We have 2 small dogs desperate to do their business but we get no priority for having dogs ������

Because of my work I have to use the ferry Newcastle - Ijmuiden on a regular basis as I need my car on the continent. Have been doing this for the past 10 years but I am sad to say that each time on this ferry the value for money gets less and less where as the prices go up each year ......

I used to have positive experiences in the blue riband restaurant that has now been changed in the North Sea Brasserie.... small menu, limited choice..... 40 Euro for a 2 course menu , of which the main course was a piece of steak with some French fries. I can get that in a Snackbar for a tenner !

Entertainment on deck 9 used to be ok but I am now having to witness some cheap shit band called Deja Vue, I guess Polish labour too , trying to sing in English ....

I guess there is nothing wrong with trying to maximise your margins but DFDS have lost the plot ......

Worst trip yet !! Got on the king seaways this afternoon 11/10/18 before boarding the ship I notice that I was on deck 5 I ask if there’s was a lift and she said no while at the check in counter I explained that I have a problem with me right leg and walking the stairs is to much. The check in girl advisor me to go to the customer service desk and ask for a room change and she said they are rooms available. I goes to the customer service desk on deck 7 and the advisor has told me that there no rooms and I will have to put up with the room and deck 5 as the ship is a full house tonight !! Am in a cabin on deck 5 you can here the engines rattling very loud no air-corn working and to top it off they charge me £8 for a can of coke at the bar !!



Been coming twice and year no problem and am definitely not returning again

Well I can not comment on the mini cruise to Amsterdam as I never got to go but the customer service to try to amend or explain things was absolutely awful. I booked and paid for a min cruise for my 80 year old mum and friend who unfortunately can’t go now due to ill health . After numerous live chats and telephone calls no one will help me because my mum is the lead passenger name (cause the trip was for her ) . After many stressful conversations one lady tells me they will try and help me but my 80 year old mother hd to ring to make sure there was a note put on the booking to allow me to speak on her behalf . This did cause her concern because she didn’t understand why she had to do it .

So I ring today to try and explain the situation that I am in Kent and my mum is in Cumbria . i would have gone myself but have just come out of hospital and start chemotherapy tomorrow . Only to be told that there is no note on the booking so no one can talk to me .

Like I said I can not comment on the service whilst on board but I can say how stupid and small and insignificant I have felt whilst trying to sort this out . I was reduced to tears on more than one occasion and would not use this company again for that reason .

Cball

Travelling with pets is a nightmare! Price is the same for 1 or 5 ppl but need to pay for a pet £15 each and can't take them on the board?! If you charge extra for something and then treat it as a cargo is absolutely unfair! Why you haven't got a special room for travellers with pets? When someone takes 3 pets will pay more for them(£45) than for 5ppl and a car (£29)and need to keep them in a car?!

Penny pinching....

We use the Newcastle Amsterdam crossing every year and this year there have been changes.



The Blue Riband restaurant experience has been downgraded.

You now have to pay for WiFi... It's not cheap.

So... Unless you pay the outrageous maritime data rate or by some WiFi you are cut off.



And to add insult to injury ( of you're English) they are not showing the world cup games on board. They don't feel it's worth paying the fee.



How does this compare to other ferry companies?

Perhaps our last dfds trip....

One of the most ignored monopolies in Europe. The prices during the summer holidays are disgusting, but the way they treat delays is even worse. My ferry was due to leave at 0:45 from Dover, I arrived at 22:30 in Dover and wasn't able to reach the ticket booth before 2:30. I got re-booked on a ferry at 7:40 and they're not prepared to give a refund and instead say it's the French border control's fault. Absolute fraud. Should inform the EU about this.

Not happy at all, I have been using Dfds services for 3 years now,but it seems to get worse every year. We are travelling with our pooch yearly, being asked to pay and having to let that poor dog on it’s own scared in the car. Why having to pay £30 this morning for my dog when I can’t even see it for nearly 4 hours while travelling? Waste of money. The toilets are never clean, children shouting and people running all over the place. Nobody is really taking care properly of all the aspects,but we have to pay lots to use the service. Staff are rude most of the time, travelling with pets is a nightmare, it seems that every year something is changing, my dog is registered in uk for 3 years now, has a passport and everything in date,but I have to stress every time when going on holiday and wanting to come back to uk. UK Vets are assuring you that everything is fine,but then you come here,have the passport checked by dfds staff (who by the way didn’t even knew to read it properly and asked for MY HELP) and they make you pay extra and wait 6 MORE hours after travelling 2 days,because of a few hours time difference for my dog’s clinic examination. Staff are not taking in consideration that the place where you’re coming from has a different time zone (so the passport will appear to be signed at the wrong time) and you cannot make sure when travelling by car for 2 days that you will make it exactly on time to have the dog entering in uk EXACTLY 24 h after it has been examined by the vet (dfds are not bothered about traffic issues, car problems etc). We’ve arrived earlier, not later to have my dog’s treatment ‘out of date’. We’ve been asked for money again and again,staff were not willing to help at all, having to pay more than we first paid for our ticket. Disappointed,will make sure not to come back in future and pass this onto however is considering to travel with dfds.



P.S. myself and my family used to travel from Dunkirk-Dover more than 5 times every year and followed the same routine/respect regulations given by uk vet to have our dog with us, never had an issue until today. Funny enough that when dfds are late, they pretend that it’s normal, you never get a discount or anything else, you have to deal with it and whatever.

From start to finish was a shocking. While booking none of the correct details were taken after the 3rd time they finally got things right. Then we tried to book transfers from Newcastle to the ship and still the details were wrong on the morning of traveling we had to contact DFDS to get this corrected.

The cost of meals is very expensive take food with you.

The mattresses on the beds are disgusting and covered urine stains yuk yuk yuk.

Calais to Dover. Food was cold and hard. in the Lounge the drinks machine did not work properly and no members of staff around at all at the time in there to speak to them about it. Shame as previously had good experiences with DFDS but will no doubt use P&O next year.

Always travelled with dfds previously but i guess they rather the buisness go elsewhere. Over two hours this afternoon attempting to book travel and no luck because their site won't accept the registration plate of a car despite it having travelled with them before. Phone lines on constant hold costing me 13p a minute plus they will charge me an additional 5.00 for booking by phone but their website forces me to! Complaint email takes 5 days to reply to and I want the bookings sorted today. Guess it will be another line from now on!

We went from Newcastle to Amsterdam in February. Service was excellent and staff very friendly.Our son enjoyed children activity place. Amsterdam is very nice in the morning,afternoon is harder to breath because of lot of people and despite all this we enjoyed it.

Used the DFDS mini cruise on a few occasions and always had a great experience, staff always friendly, easy booking and very reasonable prices! Check in and security is a breeze, rooms small but fine enough for how much you need them! Food on board is great and entertainment has always been good, can't find any faults up to now and hoping I won't in the future! I organised a surprise trip a while ago and the staff went above and beyond to ensure the 18 people who were in on the surprise

for my partners birthday remained a surprise completely until we were on board with drinks in hand, they even accommodated me by sneaking balloons into our cabin! People complaining about weather conditions are crazy to place blame on dfds, it's an act of god, if diversions happen then yes it's disappointing but for passenger safety I feel it's only right, rather be safe than sorry!!! Looking forward to sailing again this August!

I would totally recommend. Staff was nice and friendly. Customer service was helpful and quick whenever I had some kind of question.� It was such a nice experience, what I didn’t expect. Rooms were tidy, breakfast was good!�

I haven’t been on a cruise with dfds before but I can vouch for dfds’ brilliant customer service. MK responded immediately to my Facebook query and , even though I made several errors with my own booking and had to change my sailing dates several times ( I don’t know what has gotten into me!), remained patient, professional and very responsive throughout. Thanks and I hope I didn’t ruin your week! I’d buy you a drink but I figured the very least I could do was leave a positive review. x From, a (very) happy customer.

Always love the crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe, so handy and fairly priced, good food on board too.



I do feel for you though reading some of the other reviews, you get 1 star from people for bad weather, misbehaving children, people who buy non-refundable tickets and don't get a refund, etc...! Wow just wow and the admin person has to just politely reply, they need a medal for biting their tongue!

Great ferry crossing! Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because they take so long to release the new year bookings. Trying to book and can't book the return for January 2019!

So many negative reviews, even some about the rough seas! Like that's there fault!? �

I have stayed in the small prison like rooms and the top rooms and I would recommend to pay extra for a quality room. Alot to do on board and no it isn't cheap but when is any ferry, plane or train cheap? Bring ur own food if u want. Buffet restaurant is good, lots of choice and desserts are amazing!

Staff couldn't do enough and work so bloody hard. Maybe next time before moaning about them, you could ask them how long they work and when they saw there family last.

I have done this crossing with no kids and with and would recommend it for family's and for the ones without. There is things to do for all sorted of people.

Definitely going again in the winter... Once they let me book my return!

Traveled on Monday evening from Newcastle to Amsterdam...... well I can’t rate it much more as we paid for 4 meals as was 2 of us traveling each way but we paid paid In advanced as this was “cheaper” but we still found that expensive for the explorer kitchen buffet for £20 each! £4 each for a coke and Diet Coke so that was £16. The shop on board for your “duty free” is mega expensive but I liked what I bought. Cabins are small but it’s only over night which was fine. Staff are friendly enough but didn’t see any entertainment both nights as we were travel sick so we spent our time in the cabin. Coffee shop is reasonable priced. I don’t think il be traveling at the of the year as the sea was mega rough going out. May try again but shall have food before I get on the ferry.

I remember the Herald of Free Enterprise. After it sank, safety regulations were revised and strict laws applied. Unfortunately the staff on the park deck of the Princess Seaways have not heard of them. They pack the cars in like sardines in a can, so tight that the driver cannot get out of the car without climbing over to the passenger side. And then when they are in, the passengers cannot get themselves and their overnight bag through the tight gaps between cars without scraping the paint on the cars.

The boat is seamingly old and in need of renovation. The prices on board are over charged and my bunk bed had a 20° lisp toward the gap, which resulted in 30 minutes of sleep before rolling over again in the wrong direction. I remember it being much better.

Waiting already 1 hour in car to get off ferry,now finally off there is an extremely long queue for passport checks. We have 2 small dogs desperate to do their business but we get no priority for having dogs ������

Because of my work I have to use the ferry Newcastle - Ijmuiden on a regular basis as I need my car on the continent. Have been doing this for the past 10 years but I am sad to say that each time on this ferry the value for money gets less and less where as the prices go up each year ......

I used to have positive experiences in the blue riband restaurant that has now been changed in the North Sea Brasserie.... small menu, limited choice..... 40 Euro for a 2 course menu , of which the main course was a piece of steak with some French fries. I can get that in a Snackbar for a tenner !

Entertainment on deck 9 used to be ok but I am now having to witness some cheap shit band called Deja Vue, I guess Polish labour too , trying to sing in English ....

I guess there is nothing wrong with trying to maximise your margins but DFDS have lost the plot ......

Worst trip yet !! Got on the king seaways this afternoon 11/10/18 before boarding the ship I notice that I was on deck 5 I ask if there’s was a lift and she said no while at the check in counter I explained that I have a problem with me right leg and walking the stairs is to much. The check in girl advisor me to go to the customer service desk and ask for a room change and she said they are rooms available. I goes to the customer service desk on deck 7 and the advisor has told me that there no rooms and I will have to put up with the room and deck 5 as the ship is a full house tonight !! Am in a cabin on deck 5 you can here the engines rattling very loud no air-corn working and to top it off they charge me £8 for a can of coke at the bar !!



Been coming twice and year no problem and am definitely not returning again

Well I can not comment on the mini cruise to Amsterdam as I never got to go but the customer service to try to amend or explain things was absolutely awful. I booked and paid for a min cruise for my 80 year old mum and friend who unfortunately can’t go now due to ill health . After numerous live chats and telephone calls no one will help me because my mum is the lead passenger name (cause the trip was for her ) . After many stressful conversations one lady tells me they will try and help me but my 80 year old mother hd to ring to make sure there was a note put on the booking to allow me to speak on her behalf . This did cause her concern because she didn’t understand why she had to do it .

So I ring today to try and explain the situation that I am in Kent and my mum is in Cumbria . i would have gone myself but have just come out of hospital and start chemotherapy tomorrow . Only to be told that there is no note on the booking so no one can talk to me .

Like I said I can not comment on the service whilst on board but I can say how stupid and small and insignificant I have felt whilst trying to sort this out . I was reduced to tears on more than one occasion and would not use this company again for that reason .

Cball

Travelling with pets is a nightmare! Price is the same for 1 or 5 ppl but need to pay for a pet £15 each and can't take them on the board?! If you charge extra for something and then treat it as a cargo is absolutely unfair! Why you haven't got a special room for travellers with pets? When someone takes 3 pets will pay more for them(£45) than for 5ppl and a car (£29)and need to keep them in a car?!

Penny pinching....

We use the Newcastle Amsterdam crossing every year and this year there have been changes.



The Blue Riband restaurant experience has been downgraded.

You now have to pay for WiFi... It's not cheap.

So... Unless you pay the outrageous maritime data rate or by some WiFi you are cut off.



And to add insult to injury ( of you're English) they are not showing the world cup games on board. They don't feel it's worth paying the fee.



How does this compare to other ferry companies?

Perhaps our last dfds trip....

One of the most ignored monopolies in Europe. The prices during the summer holidays are disgusting, but the way they treat delays is even worse. My ferry was due to leave at 0:45 from Dover, I arrived at 22:30 in Dover and wasn't able to reach the ticket booth before 2:30. I got re-booked on a ferry at 7:40 and they're not prepared to give a refund and instead say it's the French border control's fault. Absolute fraud. Should inform the EU about this.

Not happy at all, I have been using Dfds services for 3 years now,but it seems to get worse every year. We are travelling with our pooch yearly, being asked to pay and having to let that poor dog on it’s own scared in the car. Why having to pay £30 this morning for my dog when I can’t even see it for nearly 4 hours while travelling? Waste of money. The toilets are never clean, children shouting and people running all over the place. Nobody is really taking care properly of all the aspects,but we have to pay lots to use the service. Staff are rude most of the time, travelling with pets is a nightmare, it seems that every year something is changing, my dog is registered in uk for 3 years now, has a passport and everything in date,but I have to stress every time when going on holiday and wanting to come back to uk. UK Vets are assuring you that everything is fine,but then you come here,have the passport checked by dfds staff (who by the way didn’t even knew to read it properly and asked for MY HELP) and they make you pay extra and wait 6 MORE hours after travelling 2 days,because of a few hours time difference for my dog’s clinic examination. Staff are not taking in consideration that the place where you’re coming from has a different time zone (so the passport will appear to be signed at the wrong time) and you cannot make sure when travelling by car for 2 days that you will make it exactly on time to have the dog entering in uk EXACTLY 24 h after it has been examined by the vet (dfds are not bothered about traffic issues, car problems etc). We’ve arrived earlier, not later to have my dog’s treatment ‘out of date’. We’ve been asked for money again and again,staff were not willing to help at all, having to pay more than we first paid for our ticket. Disappointed,will make sure not to come back in future and pass this onto however is considering to travel with dfds.



P.S. myself and my family used to travel from Dunkirk-Dover more than 5 times every year and followed the same routine/respect regulations given by uk vet to have our dog with us, never had an issue until today. Funny enough that when dfds are late, they pretend that it’s normal, you never get a discount or anything else, you have to deal with it and whatever.

From start to finish was a shocking. While booking none of the correct details were taken after the 3rd time they finally got things right. Then we tried to book transfers from Newcastle to the ship and still the details were wrong on the morning of traveling we had to contact DFDS to get this corrected.

The cost of meals is very expensive take food with you.

The mattresses on the beds are disgusting and covered urine stains yuk yuk yuk.

Calais to Dover. Food was cold and hard. in the Lounge the drinks machine did not work properly and no members of staff around at all at the time in there to speak to them about it. Shame as previously had good experiences with DFDS but will no doubt use P&O next year.

Always travelled with dfds previously but i guess they rather the buisness go elsewhere. Over two hours this afternoon attempting to book travel and no luck because their site won't accept the registration plate of a car despite it having travelled with them before. Phone lines on constant hold costing me 13p a minute plus they will charge me an additional 5.00 for booking by phone but their website forces me to! Complaint email takes 5 days to reply to and I want the bookings sorted today. Guess it will be another line from now on!