We took the DFDS Pet Cabin on the ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle. This is one of the few routes you can use to bring a dog to the UK since they do not allow you to fly with your dog unless it is via cargo. As my pawrents are originally from Newcastle this was the obvious route for us to take. This was our end destination so it made complete sense.
As we did not have a car, we were classed as foot passengers. This means that you can’t book the trip online. I’m not sure why this is but it meant we had to call the call centre to book. We arrived in Amsterdam on the Wednesday and we wanted to get the ferry on the Friday. When we called up, they said there was 1 pet friendly cabin still available. They only have limited numbers of pet friendly cabins so I imagine during busy times it is wise to book well in advance. If they don’t have any pet friendly cabins left, you would need to book a normal cabin and put the dog in the kennel area for the length of the trip.
Check In
We were told we should check in at least 45 minutes before departure so that all of my documents could be checked. Departure was 5:30pm so we got there for 4.30pm to be on the safe side. The only people before us were other people with dogs. There was no queue so we got seen to straight away. All of my documents were handed over as well as my pawrents passenger locator forms for the UK. The check in agent checked everything and made sure I met all of the entry requirements for the UK. All was fine and we were given our room key (which was a paper ticket) and were told to sit in the waiting area until boarding.
After about 30 minutes we were called to go through immigration. This was very smooth and we were then in another waiting area. After another 5 minutes we were called to board. We were directed to a small bus with a few others. The bus took us onto the ferrry and we went up in a lift to out floor. The staff directed us to our room and were all really friendly.
DFDS Pet Cabin vs Kennel
There are two options for your dog on the trip. You can book a pet friendly cabin or you can book a kennel. A pet friendly cabin allows the dog to stay with you in the cabin during the whole trip. The only pet friendly cabins that are available are the 4 bed sea view standard cabins. They can accommodate up to 2 medium sized dogs and up to 4 humans. These are made up of 4 bunk beds for the humans. The cost is £32 per dog.
Alternatively, you can book a kennel for the dog and you are free to book any cabin you like for yourself. This would mean you could book either a 2 bedroom cabin or one of the nicer Commodore cabins. The 2 bed cabins are only about £15 cheaper than the 4 bedroom. The kennel cost for the dog is pretty much the same as the charge for the pet cabin at £30 per kennel.
So for us there was not even a decision to be made. It was obvious we would choose a pet friendly cabin. For the same price as a kennel and it meant I could be with my pawrents the whole time it’s a no brainer. The only reason I could see for booking a kennel for the dog would be if you wanted to book the nicer Commodore cabin. However, as much as my pawrents would have preferred a nicer cabin, isn’t the point of travelling with your dog to be with it?
Cost
We paid £176 for the 4 bed pet friendly cabin and an additional £32 for me. The total cost was therefore £208 for the trip. Given the journey was 17 hours, I feel this is quite a good price. If there were 4 of you it would be pretty cheap in fact. Whilst we didn’t need a 4 bed cabin, they are the only ones which are pet friendly but I still feel the cost is quite good value.
DFDS Pet Cabin : The Cabin
The dog friendly cabins are on the lowest floor of the ferry. The corridor has wooden floors. We saw about 5 dogs in total.
Our cabin was towards the end of the corridor. As we were towards the end and on the ground floor this seemed to feel like we were right above the engines. Which did mean it felt a lot more choppy and was pretty noisy compared to when my pawrents were up on the other floors exploring.
As we were only 2 humans and myself, the 2 lower bunks were made up with bedding. The upper 2 bunks were folded away to give us more space. The room itself was pretty small and narrow and I think if these 2 bunks were down it would feel pretty claustrophobic. Also I feel that if you had a larger dog, it would also be quite cramped.
There was a German Shepherd next door and he had with him a plastic crate. I have no idea how they managed to fit the crate inside the room with the dog, crate, luggage and the humans. We had 2 suitcases plus my Sturdibag and my Kurgo and there was very little space to move around.
The beds themselves were super comfy. The bedding was really nice and the mattress was really soft. If this bed was in a hotel we would have slept like a log. However, as we were on a boat, there was the rocking to contend with. Also as we were close to the engines it was quite noisy. So the humans said they didn’t really sleep so good. I don’t think it helped that they were still suffering from jetlag either. But I managed to have quite a lot of sleep!
Pet Relief Area
On the website it’s noted that there’s a pet relief area. This is where you can take your dog to do their business. Given it’s a 17 hour journey plus the check in time it’s a long time to go without donig your business. I’d seen pictures online of a small area with fake grass and read reviews that it wasn’t so great. So I didn’t have high expectations.
I wasn’t disappointed. The area was well and truly terrible. We followed the signs to the area and couldn’t find it. We had to ask someone who then pointed to what was pretty much a litter tray. It was just a small square I would say about 1m x 1m full of small stones. No way would I have said it was a pet relief area. Mammy didn’t expect me to go there but at least tried to put me there but there was no way I was going there. I had managed 23 hours for the plane journey I could manage 17 for this ferry journey.
This was the biggest disappointment of the trip. If they accept pets on the ferry they really should have a proper area for them to stretch their legs and do their business. This was a huge disappointment.
Other areas on the ferry
I wasn’t allowed in any of the other areas on the ferry other than the pet relief area. So the humans went to go check them out. As it was covid and out of season the ferry was very quiet. We were told there were only 86 passengers on the boat. This meant that most things were closed.
The humans went outside on the deck to take a look at the view but it was very cold! There is usually a Sky bar which is open air on the top deck. Even though the deck was outside, I still wasn’t allowed out here 🙁
They did go to one bar on board and actually the prices were quite reasonable for drinks, €5 for a large can of beer. €7.50 for a glass of wine. Due to jetlag they weren’t hungry so didn’t eat but upon booking they were told if they wanted a proper meal they had to book in advance for the buffet restaurant. Before long the entertainment began which was a male singer. However he was terrible and after 2 drinks, my pawrents decided they couldn’t stand any more and ended up coming back to see me. I have to admit I was pretty happy by this!
They told me that the decor was pretty outdated and not so great, not somewhere they would like to hang out. Perhaps the other places would be nicer were they open and it was busy.
There was also a duty free shop on board which was open where you could buy all duty free items, gifts, alcohol, cigarettes etc. However, you weren’t allowed to drink that on board in public areas. I assume there was nothing stopping you drinking it in your room.
Breakfast
As with dinner we were todl we had to pre book breakfast. Pawrents aren’t big breakfast eaters so didn’t bother. At 7am an annoucement was made that breakfast service was open and that we would be arriving at 10:15am Amsterdam time/09:15am UK time. We had been awake early so the humans went up to see if there were any snacks they could buy.
There was a Starbucks actually which is very handy for those who didn’t fancy a full breakfast but wanted something. It was very quiet and there was a large sitting area to relax at too. This was empty so it was nice for the humans to sit there and enjoy the views of the land coming into vision.
Conclusion
Overall the DFDS Ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle is convenient way to get your dog into the UK without having to fly it in via cargo. It is convenient if your end destination is Newcastle, the North East or perhaps Scotland. It is also quite a cost effective option to choose.
However, the journey is very long. Whilst they do have the DFDS pet cabins available on the journey, there are limitations. The rooms are very small. The pet relief area is virtually none existant. And pets must stay in the cabin.
The ferry itself is very large, and it would make sense if there was at least one bar, restaurant or area where you can sit indoors with your pet. We definitely would have spent a lot more money on board had we had somewhere we could all sit together. My pawrents don’t like leaving me alone for long so ended up only having 2 drinks before just going back to the cabin.
We also felt that the pet cabins were the worst cabins on the boat on the lowest floor next to the engines. It would be nice if you could choose one of the nicer Commodore cabins.
All in all, we believe that DFDS know they are offering a good option for people taking pets to the UK and don’t really invest too much into it as they know people will book it regardless. We would never choose this option for any other reason than bringing me to the UK. It is a lot better than flying me in cargo, getting to travel and stay with my pawrents. But I won’t be rushing to do it again.
There is definitely plenty of room for improvement and hopefully things will get better in the future.
Comments
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Woof woof, Wylie x
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