pintsized Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Just wondered if anyone had been on one of the mini cruises to Amsterdam with P&O ferries before? Thinking of booking one while they are on 2 for 1 and getting the additional night's stay in the city but just wondering if there will be enough time to see things in the short time you are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzijlstra Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Hi pintsized, I frequently take the P&O ferry to go back to the Netherlands. (Usually Hull Rotterdam, presumably you are talking about using an actual cruise liner from Newcastle to Amsterdam, in which case it will be a different experience altogether). A few things to keep in mind if you are considering the ferry instead: get a cabin towards the rear of the ship, away from the central entertainment areas, the wrong cabin can be really noisy all night. Ask at check-in for a really quiet cabin, the crew there usually know which are best, to ensure you get a good cabin, make sure you arrive as one of the first people If you are unlucky you might end up in the same area as, a Scottish U18 footie team, Lancashire Hells Angels, French posh school kids, wedding party. All four have happened to me and I have been across about 10 times (5 return journeys). The big restaurant has a pretty good buffet, I always find it worth pre-booking that as the food is pretty good and the service is friendly and fast. When it comes to spending a night in Amsterdam, it all depends on what you want. Amsterdam is certainly big enough to spend a week in, but if you are after a bit of a taster, a day can be more than enough (I always want to leave after about an hour!). There is a massive list of things to do: Some of the best museums in the world, great shopping on and around the Kalverstraat, some excellent restaurants and bars, if you want to party you can head to Leidscheplein or Rembrandtplein. If you want a genuine dutch experience you can head to the Jordaan or De Pijp and spend some time in a typical Dutch cafe (can't give you any recommendations, there were a few I loved when I was a student, but I think most have changed hands/closed). Do remember that Amsterdam is expensive, a Dutch sized glass of beer (0,2 liter) can set you back 3/4 euros in the wrong place, museums charge entry fees and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinz Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I should think that you'll be returning to the ship late afternoon the following day giving you 2 days in the city which should be adequate as a short break and twice as long considering your additional overnight stay. As for enough time, that would depend on what you want from it. Enjoy, I'm also considering it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintsized Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Thank you for the advice so far, it is very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willman Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 IIRC when we did the Hull to Amsterdam - it was a late departure from Hull and arrive for 8 a.m then we had a coach trip to Amsterdam and return for a late evening sailing back to Hull. It was an enjoyable day for us - the only big issue was than the Saturday night ferry got us to Amsterdam before anything opened on the Sunday morning so we had an hour or two to kill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I have been on one to Bruges and it was great. Nothing fancy but still an experience. We stayed in Bruges a day so we didn't keep our cabin but if you just go for the day you get to keep your cabin so no need to lug your stuff around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheffandy Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I say go for it. Me and the mrs have done France,Holland and Belgium plenty of times before we had kids. Now they're older we are doing Hollands version of butlins from Hull to hook of holland in 2014 & the kids are so excited to be sleeping on a ship and then driving to our accommodation 30 mins away. It does look a bargain as u say, and as an xmas treat the add ons like the extra day and cabin upgrade will make it a nice trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wornout53 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Yes.......been to Amsterdam several times. If you have booked the basic mini cruise the buses are waiting when you disembark and you reach Amsterdam about 10am and are dropped outside the central station. You are picked up from the same place at approx 5pm. On board ship the cabins are basic but comfortable and the food in the all you can eat restaurant is excellent quality and a wide selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dongle Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Book direct with p and o and drive to hull yourself, don't book with national holidays, we did Brugge last year it took 9 hours to get to hull from Rotherham with all the pick ups and rest stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Been a couple of times on the Amsterdam route. It was ok, I certainly wouldn't dismiss it but you are right to spend an extra day there if you don't want to be rushed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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