The Ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam can be done as a 'Mini Cruise', but is it worth the long trip?

DFDS let you do a discounted return to Amsterdam which gives you around 4 hours in the Dutch capital, but is it worth the long crossing there and back? Join me on this very trip where I'll show you everything from the transfers to the ship to the experience onboard. Let's go (ferry) cruising across the North Sea! Enjoy the video.

7/2/23 Newcastle to Amsterdam 17:00 09:45*
8/2/23 Amsterdam to Newcastle 17:30 09:15*
(*next day)

Hi, I’m Steve, a travel reviewer from Scotland. Join me on my adventures as I discover my own country, often visiting places for the first time, so hopefully it's as much of an eye-opener for you as it is for me! Don't expect expert opinion, just a very honest journey of discovery. Sometimes featuring my intrepid sidekick Alicja, sometimes featuring adventures beyond the borders of Scotland. Enjoy!

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[DurhamGooner]

Anyone else find Steve's videos comforting? Hard to describe!

[kenbriooo]

What I really like about your videos Steve is the fact that you and the videos are so normal. It gives the average person the opportunity to see what they could do and then go and do it themselves. So many vloggers lose sight of their audience and start going first class etc. Keep, keeping it real 👍🏻

[allandodds]

Hi Steve As a wagon driver, one of two of us who handled all of DFDS's part load Denmark freight when this service used to run to Bergen, Norway (using the same ferry you were aboard, then named King of Scandinavia) I used those ships weekly and completely concur with everything you noted about both Port of Tyne and DFDS staff, and the onboard facilities.
In fact I almost got banned from the Port (in their South Shields terminal) for parking a trailer to be loaded on the wrong side of a non existent line in a gravel trailer park which I'd never visited before!
But DFDS staff have always been incredible.
The crew as you'll have noted are largely Asian and European and they live aboard the ship for 6-9 months before they get home leave but are invariably just as you experienced.
In fact one of the old bar cabaret acts from the Bergen days, a husband & wife Blues Brothers tribute act now own a sandwich shop about 3 miles from North Shields and we recognised each other "from the ferry" one day!
The service and facilities aboard are truly excellent as you found out with quality food.. The only thing which P&O does and DFDS doesn't if soft boiled eggs at brekkie! Not sure how they keep em soft but they're lovely.
Come back and I'll stand you a coffee or pint, I live on a boat in the marina just behind your ferry berth.

[marinusdejager]

It's such a pleasure watching your movies! I am getting hooked! In this movie you played the Dutch Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassau, on arrival of IJmuiden. It touched me, since I am from the Netherlands, but now live in Ontario Canada. Thanks again.

[PeterWallington]

Seeing North Shields port gave me an involuntary shudder! Back in 1995 I did a return ferry with Color Line from North Shields to Norway (out to Stavanger, back from Bergen). The return journey was so rough I never made it down to my cabin all night as needed to be on deck for 🤢 reasons about every 10 minutes. Longest night of my life, the horizon would disappear with the swell & it was like a 20 odd hour rollercoaster. Never been so pleased to see the port of North Shields 😁
Love the videos 👍🏼

[tsr]

These videos are an abject lesson in how to deliver high standard, professional content. There are very few broadcast networks that could compose a video to this level.
Steve's easy going style and remarkable camerawork ensures that the viewer experiences a feeling of "being there"- while his commentary never fails to impart easily understood information that the traveller needs.
Excellent !

[diannebalemi]

I really enjoy your videos as i am crippled from a stroke, so all my travelling happens from my couch, I adore Scotland where my ancestors came from [I am born and bred New Zealand], and I love seeing the diverse countries accessable from your home. I wish you could spend more than a few hours in each place, I suppose its too expensive to stay longer and you must have other committments.Thank you for my vicarious life, I am grateful for your videos.

[angietyner]

We watch your videos since I found them during my recuperation from cataract surgery. Now, we watch them all the time. You do a marvelous job editing, and the captions are perfect.

[PietMeijer_DE-III]

Hello Steve, I am a Dutch citizen and discovered your trips to your destinations. Keep up this good work! The free ferries you pointed out near Amsterdam station are not crossing a river but the Noordzeekanaal. This is a canal digged out from Amsterdam to IJmuiden (you pronounced it very good!). This canal connects our former Zuiderzee to the Noordzee. The Zuiderzee is nowadays called the IJsselmeer because we made some land out of the water with our latest provence Flevoland. Hope you go on with your trips! 😀

[mnvzewo]

Just found your channel my fellow Scotsman 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. Love your adventures mate. Much appreciation from Dundee. 👍

[buzzukfiftythree]

Great video Steve, as always. The port staff at Newcastle need to be sent down to Southampton cruise terminals for customer service training. The staff there are incredible! Please do write to the port's senior management about the rudeness you encountered. They may not be aware of it and it needs to be sorted.

[Dylandog]

It's the informality and spontaneity of your videos that make them special. How you realise you can take an extra pillow from the bunk above; how you honestly point out that you failed initially to find the best point of view from beneath the bridge, etc. etc. You manage your camera professionally and your editing is beyond reproach. I like how you included the Dutch Anthem as the DFDS ferry approached the terminal for Amsterdam.

[MySkyranger]

Lucky man with the weather. I have been on that ferry when dozens of people have been sea sick before we left the tyne, I’m not joking.

[kenwynn]

Fab video, I moved to Amsterdam from the North East 6 years ago and I use this service regularly to visit family back home as it makes it feel like more of a little holiday compared to the 40 minute flight and airport stress

[joshhancill]

i’m 19 and i’m going away by myself for the first time on this mini cruise. I want to start solo travelling so i thought this would be a good starter for me just to ease me in. Thank you for the video, at least now I know what to expect on my travels.

[Scott]

We did the mini cruise last year, we upgraded to the outer cabin to get a window view and ate at both restaurants. It was a fantastic trip, really well organised and they had it down to a fine art. The food was excellent. We were also very lucky that we had a cabin just along from the main door, so we were able to get off first just by chance! I can honestly say the bed was so comfy and, with the aid of the gentle rocking of the ship, it was a fantastic nights sleep!
We did the trip in May and they actually had some marine biologists onboard studying the whales and dolphins and they did a short presentation and chatted to people about them and what they were doing, really interesting. Sadly didn’t see any either!
Would 100% recommend this to anyone, it’s a brilliant trip.

[pete_bluscorp]

Congrats on the 50k subscribers Marshy, well deserved mate, loved the “tablecloth” comment, true Scotsman with a great sense of humour

[brianmorrison]

I laughed when you got a warning for filming at the station. I made a few films on the Newcastle Metro system and during one of my earlier ones, the driver changed at the metro depot in Gosforth and said I couldn't film .. why I asked, I've seen plenty of folk taking pictures of filming. Anyway I got out at the next station and heard over the tannoy 'FILMING IS NOT ALLOLWED ON THE METRO SYSTEM' i returned the the previous mstation, walked 20m to the Metro HQ and asked for a permit to film. Within 5 minutes I was kindly given one by a very understanding and helpful customer services member. I got the next rtrain and finished my film. I always got a permit to film for my next journeys, but was never asked for it ... obviously one jobsworth driver.
Great trip to the Netherlands. I live in Whitley Bay just about 5 miles from the mouth of the Tyneand have seen that ferry leave several times, as I like to video the ships.
One more thing ... pity the bus to the port on the UK side was a normal double decker bus, but you had a luxury coach on the other side.

[Andy-sjdv]

The Dutch National Anthem when entering Ijmuiden was a nice touch Steve. Thanks for the interesting trip.

[kevinbarrett]

Another superb VLOG. I am in the unfortunate position of being very ill at the moment. My travelling days are over. These videos are exactly what I used to do 30 years ago. It brings it all back. Thank you so much Steve. It makes an old man very happy. Can we see more of Alicya please?