DFDS mini review

DFDS mini review.


 This month, I took the oppertunity to travel on DFDS ferries route from Newhaven to Dieppe.
The first thing to note, this ship is actually owned by Transmanche ferries, to which the vessel is painted in a rather bright yellow and white livery. The price paid was £229 for a return crossing, involving 4 people and a car. Cabins can usually be purchased for around £45 each way, however, due to the ongoing covid situation, these were not available for our crossings. Crossings are approximately 4 hours long on this route, and they seem to use 2 vessels on this service. 

  So, what were they like:

Boarding:


 Quick and painless. You pull up to a booth, they check your passport (and in current times asked us to fill out a French health form), and then assign you a queue to wait in for boarding. Check in closed 90 minutes before departure, however, I’m not sure how strictly they enforce that as they also have a side note saying last drive up is -45 mins to departure. Departure was at 1730, and by 1700, we were parked up on deck 3 and making our way upstairs.

The Ship:


 Due to the covid times, I have to say, the ship was a little disappointing. I know it’s not a situation of their doing, but, over half the vessel was out of bounds. 
The kids area was closed, which meant hyped up and unruly kids were let loose in the small areas that passengers were allowed to frequent. As well as that, whole the port side of the ship was closed off, and, as mentioned earlier, all of the cabins were unavailable too. This meant that even despite reduced capacity, everybody was huddled together in the back of the ship, and in a time of social distancing, didnt help that cause as the tables were all very close together. As ever and well known by now, masks were mandatory in the enclosed areas.
The rear external area was opened up and did offer some fresh air, as well as a chance to remove the mask for a brief moment. So, on what was usually quite a large ferry, only a very small area was usable and it made it feel very small.

The shop:


 Items seemed quite limited, with a selection of cigarettes, booze, Tobelerones and the obligatory ‘French driving kits’ for those who may have forgotten them. The opening hours also seemed erratic, with it being opened and closed several times during the crossing. Lastly, it was being managed by a very surly lady that seemed to only have a lust for life when she was shouting at a passenger for removing their card too early. 

Food:



 This was one of the ships redeeming features. We opted for a lovely madras curry and rice, followed by a delightful chocolate mousse. The children shared a meal of spaghetti Bolognase, also followed by the chocolate mousse. The portions were generous and certainly very tasty. At £25.80 for 3 mains and 4 desserts, we found the price to be reasonable for an establishment that has a ‘captive audience’.

Verdict:



 For the price paid, approx £23ppea, the crossing was certainly budget friendly. In normal times, I feel the vessel could offer some good amenities, however, in these times, I can’t help the feeling that it was a little underwhelming. On saying that, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to use this crossing again.

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