HARWICH TO ESBJERG
For anyone wishing to try cruising without having to spend a lot of money, or spend too many days at sea, there is another option other than the recognised cruise lines. There are several ferry companies operating out of the UK with regular crossings to Europe, some of which require an overnight stay on board resulting in an economical way to experience cruising.
Obviously, the facilities on board these ferries are not in the same league as the large purpose built cruise ship, with their swimming pools and numerous other resort type attractions. However, the standard of cabins and restaurants can be surprisingly good and it can certainly be a most relaxing way to cross the sea, as part of your European holiday or, as in my case, a mini trip in its own right.
We were sailing out of Harwich with DFDS on the m.s. Dana Sirena. The ship was built in 2002 and can accommodate over 600 passengers and 435 cars, it provides an alternate daily service, carrying car and foot passengers, as well as freight, from Harwich, on the east coast of England, to Esbjerg in Denmark. The crossing takes approximately eighteen hours and you can choose from three cabin grades, with either inside or sea view cabins.
The time of departure was 18:00 and check in started at 17:00. Unlike airports there is no need to arrive hours before. We arrived in good time at 16:45 and as we had driven to the port we left our car in the Pay at Meter car park, it was then just a short walk (or lift) up the stairs to the terminal building. There is a cafe and toilet facilities, as well as the DFDS office prior to the departure lounge, Harwich is also served by a direct rail service to London Liverpool Street and other local branch networks for those not wishing to drive.
Check in was quick and efficient and we were soon settling into our twin cabin with sea view, the cabin was small but comfortable and had its own private shower/wc. I arranged to have a tour of one of the Commodore De Luxe Class cabins and lounge, these are situated higher up on the ship and can only be accessed by staff and passengers staying in those cabins. The cabins are larger and resemble a good hotel room. When staying in these cabins, guests also have access to a private lounge and bar where they can take their meals if they wish, rather than going to the main restaurant or bar. There is always a steward on hand to help.
Feeling rather envious of the fantastic views and comfort of the Commodore Class, I returned to my own cabin and got ready for dinner. There are four eating options, The Seven Seas Restaurant, Explorers Steakhouse, The Blue Riband Restaurant and The Lighthouse Cafe. We decided to treat ourselves to The Blue Riband Restaurant with its a la carte menu, excellent food and very pleasant surroundings, the waiters were very attentive. Tables by the windows are reserved for those staying in the Commodore Class cabins. The Seven Seas Restaurant serves hot and cold food from a self service food station, for those wanting lighter snacks, the Lighthouse Cafe should suffice.
After dinner we took in the entertainment in the bar, a male singer/guitarist who was very entertaining with a good mix of songs. We then retired for the night to our adequately comfortable beds. Ships time is CET (one hour ahead of British time).
I had a very pleasant walk around the deck before breakfast, a little bracing as this was mid October but the sea had been (and will continue to be so throughout our cruise) very calm. Breakfast was a full English in The Seven Seas Restaurant, after that it was a case of relaxing until our arrival in Esbjerg at 13:00.
The ship does offer a coach excursion to Ribe, a beautiful town to the south of Esbjerg but as we had experienced that excursion on our last mini trip to Esbjerg (which incidentally was from Harwich on board The Dana Anglia some ten years earlier, and was a three day mini trip with one night in port in Esbjerg) we decided this time to make our own arrangements and once ashore we headed directly to the offices of Scandlines and purchased tickets for the next ferry over to the little island of Fano.
The crossing took just twelve minutes, on what is basically a car ferry. The upper deck had basic seating available for foot passengers. The island of Fano is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys scenery and peace and quiet, it has many thatched cottages and has a certain charm about it. We explored Fano for a couple of hours before returning to Esbjerg where we discovered, that as it was a Saturday afternoon, most of the shops were closed. However, we found a nice cafe/bar and whiled away the time before boarding at 17:45 for our 18:45 departure.
As we had enjoyed our meal in The Blue Riband Restaurant so much the night before we decided to eat in there again. We did look at the food available in The Seven Seas Restaurant and it did look very nice, and would have been easier on the pocket, but we felt like spoiling ourselves as we were having such a good day. As with the previous night, the food, service and atmosphere were perfect, I certainly didn’t expect to find such good food on a ferry crossing the North Sea. After dinner we took in the entertainment again in the bar before retiring to our cabin.
In the morning we had a full English breakfast in The Seven Seas Restaurant before having a walk around the ship, it was a beautiful sunny Autumn day, the sea was the calmest that I had ever seen the North Sea (and I have crossed it dozens of times) and as we sat on deck resting, taking in the sunshine we really could have been on a cruise. We arrived back in Harwich at 12:00 feeling relaxed and recharged.
For anyone wanting a mini break with a difference this is certainly an inexpensive option, DFDS also have a service from Newcastle to Amsterdam and have a good selection of short breaks in Denmark, Sweden and Holland.
Obviously, the facilities on board these ferries are not in the same league as the large purpose built cruise ship, with their swimming pools and numerous other resort type attractions. However, the standard of cabins and restaurants can be surprisingly good and it can certainly be a most relaxing way to cross the sea, as part of your European holiday or, as in my case, a mini trip in its own right.
We were sailing out of Harwich with DFDS on the m.s. Dana Sirena. The ship was built in 2002 and can accommodate over 600 passengers and 435 cars, it provides an alternate daily service, carrying car and foot passengers, as well as freight, from Harwich, on the east coast of England, to Esbjerg in Denmark. The crossing takes approximately eighteen hours and you can choose from three cabin grades, with either inside or sea view cabins.
The time of departure was 18:00 and check in started at 17:00. Unlike airports there is no need to arrive hours before. We arrived in good time at 16:45 and as we had driven to the port we left our car in the Pay at Meter car park, it was then just a short walk (or lift) up the stairs to the terminal building. There is a cafe and toilet facilities, as well as the DFDS office prior to the departure lounge, Harwich is also served by a direct rail service to London Liverpool Street and other local branch networks for those not wishing to drive.
Check in was quick and efficient and we were soon settling into our twin cabin with sea view, the cabin was small but comfortable and had its own private shower/wc. I arranged to have a tour of one of the Commodore De Luxe Class cabins and lounge, these are situated higher up on the ship and can only be accessed by staff and passengers staying in those cabins. The cabins are larger and resemble a good hotel room. When staying in these cabins, guests also have access to a private lounge and bar where they can take their meals if they wish, rather than going to the main restaurant or bar. There is always a steward on hand to help.
Feeling rather envious of the fantastic views and comfort of the Commodore Class, I returned to my own cabin and got ready for dinner. There are four eating options, The Seven Seas Restaurant, Explorers Steakhouse, The Blue Riband Restaurant and The Lighthouse Cafe. We decided to treat ourselves to The Blue Riband Restaurant with its a la carte menu, excellent food and very pleasant surroundings, the waiters were very attentive. Tables by the windows are reserved for those staying in the Commodore Class cabins. The Seven Seas Restaurant serves hot and cold food from a self service food station, for those wanting lighter snacks, the Lighthouse Cafe should suffice.
After dinner we took in the entertainment in the bar, a male singer/guitarist who was very entertaining with a good mix of songs. We then retired for the night to our adequately comfortable beds. Ships time is CET (one hour ahead of British time).
I had a very pleasant walk around the deck before breakfast, a little bracing as this was mid October but the sea had been (and will continue to be so throughout our cruise) very calm. Breakfast was a full English in The Seven Seas Restaurant, after that it was a case of relaxing until our arrival in Esbjerg at 13:00.
The ship does offer a coach excursion to Ribe, a beautiful town to the south of Esbjerg but as we had experienced that excursion on our last mini trip to Esbjerg (which incidentally was from Harwich on board The Dana Anglia some ten years earlier, and was a three day mini trip with one night in port in Esbjerg) we decided this time to make our own arrangements and once ashore we headed directly to the offices of Scandlines and purchased tickets for the next ferry over to the little island of Fano.
The crossing took just twelve minutes, on what is basically a car ferry. The upper deck had basic seating available for foot passengers. The island of Fano is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys scenery and peace and quiet, it has many thatched cottages and has a certain charm about it. We explored Fano for a couple of hours before returning to Esbjerg where we discovered, that as it was a Saturday afternoon, most of the shops were closed. However, we found a nice cafe/bar and whiled away the time before boarding at 17:45 for our 18:45 departure.
As we had enjoyed our meal in The Blue Riband Restaurant so much the night before we decided to eat in there again. We did look at the food available in The Seven Seas Restaurant and it did look very nice, and would have been easier on the pocket, but we felt like spoiling ourselves as we were having such a good day. As with the previous night, the food, service and atmosphere were perfect, I certainly didn’t expect to find such good food on a ferry crossing the North Sea. After dinner we took in the entertainment again in the bar before retiring to our cabin.
In the morning we had a full English breakfast in The Seven Seas Restaurant before having a walk around the ship, it was a beautiful sunny Autumn day, the sea was the calmest that I had ever seen the North Sea (and I have crossed it dozens of times) and as we sat on deck resting, taking in the sunshine we really could have been on a cruise. We arrived back in Harwich at 12:00 feeling relaxed and recharged.
For anyone wanting a mini break with a difference this is certainly an inexpensive option, DFDS also have a service from Newcastle to Amsterdam and have a good selection of short breaks in Denmark, Sweden and Holland.
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