Night-time in Rotterdam - Superb City

Rotterdam is often seen as the ‘hard working’ counterpoint to the cultural centre of Amsterdam – and there is undoubtably a grain of truth the phrase:

“Amsterdam to party, Den Haag (The Hague) to live, Rotterdam to work”.

This reputation has been primarily built on the fact that up until 2004 Rotterdam was the busiest port on the planet (only Shanghai trumps it).

However, it would be unwise to discount Rotterdam as a destination for a short break on this basis – it is a fascinating city in its own right, with a rich culture, unique architecture and some superb attractions.

Instead of re-hashing what numerous blogs and articles have already said with regards to what there is to do in Rotterdam, we thought that we would provide you with links to some of our favourite Rotterdam guides on the web:

• Rotterdam City Guide
• City Guide Rotterdam has tonnes of information and tips
• The Official Rotterdam Tourism Board

There should be enough information there to keep you going for now.

Ferries to Rotterdam from Newcastle with DFDS Seaways can be booked online.

Iceland - Exploding in popularity in 2010

Around the same time last year we wrote a similar post on what were likely to be the destinations of choice in 2009, and we thought that we would revisit the idea for 2010. However, this year we are going to do things slightly differently and take a snapshot of opinion from some of the biggest travel websites out there. There are hundreds of blog posts and articles, each with insight into which detinations we will be travelling to in 2010, and what experiences we will be seeking.

In a completely unscientific analysis, here are what the top seven destinations:

1. Iceland – The collapse of the countries economy  (and currency) has led to a drop in prices which finally make Iceland affordable for normal human beings. It is a stunning, geographically unique country that you have to visit – 2010 may just be the year to do it, and help to rejuvinate Iceland in the process!
2. Turkey - Appears on almost every list of 2010 desinations, with many commenting on its superb value for money.
3. Morocco – A long term favourite, there are now a wealthof options for travellers of every need and want in Morocco.
4. Tunisia – Holiday operator Thompson say that they will be offering 40% more holidays to Tunisia in 2010.
5. Copenhagen, Denmark - A beautiful, green-friendly city that is well worth a visit – a model of how European cities shouild operate in the modern era. DFDS Seaways have ferry bookings to Denmark from the UK.
6. Cuba – The US Government has finally eased it’s commercial restrictions with Cuba, which means that McDonald, Strabucks and every other generic store will be opening in Havana ASAP. 2010 may well be the last chance you get to see the authentic Cuba (for a reasonable price).
7. Slovenia – This country only became independent in 1991 but is already becoming an established favourite. It offers a unique combination of mountain and sea landscape.

I referred to the following websites for opinion, i can only agree strongly with each of their choices:

• Lonely Planet
• Times Online Travel
• Frommers
• Travel bite
• Brittanica
• National Post

Does anyone out there have any thoughts on where 2010 will lead us?

Amazingly, Cheap UK Ferries, Ferry Blog has now been running since November 2008, and although i haven’t managed to post quite as much as id like, its been good fun to write about my favourite subject and get some great feedback from people of a similar mind!

However, as with all blogs there are now quite a number of posts which can be quite difficult to find if they’re not on the frontpage. Therefore, i thought that it would be valuable to link back to the ten most popular posts on this ferry blog, i think that some of the advice contained within still have some relevance.

1. Short Mini Cruise Breaks to Europe: An Appreciation – In which we blow the trumpet for mini cruises around Europe
2. 2009 Travel Destination Trends – 2010 version in development
3. Ferry boat styles – What type of ferry are you sailing on? find out here………
4. Undiscovered European Gems – Esbjerg, Denmark – A lovely place which not alot of people have heard about
5. Build a Lego Ferry: Then Visit Legoland – A fun post on the building a boat with the best toy ever
6. Beautiful Ferry Travel Images – Speaks for itself, we’re working on an updated version
7. Extended Ferry Crossings to and from Arran – News post on the Arran ferry, we’ve also heard some rumblings about a new ferry operator trying to get in on the act
8. Travelling by Ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam – Two great cities to visit
9. Buy Your Own Ferry Boat – A look at whats out there for the potential ferry moguls amongst you
10. Best European Ferry Destinations: Amsterdam – One of the best cities in Europe

There you go, i hope that there was something of interest there that you may have missed! Back soon with some new posts, thanks for reading!

More posts on the horizon......

Short Mini Cruise Breaks to Europe: An A

2009 Travel Destination Trends

Ferry boat styles

Undiscovered European Gems – Esbjerg, De

Build a Lego Ferry: Then Visit Legoland

Beautiful Ferry Travel Images

Extended Ferry Crossings to and from Arr

Travelling by Ferry from Newcastle to Am

National Ferry Fortnight is Here – Great

Buy Your Own Ferry Boat

Best European Ferry Destinations: Amster

Bizarre Holiday Complaints

Norovirus kills one on Mini Cruise ship

UK Weather Disrupts Ferry Crossings

As we have mentioned several times previously on this blog, ferry travel has come a long way in the past few years, and is in fact evolving constantly. Like so many other sectors, the internet has changed how we go about booking ferries and plays a significant role in our decision making as to what ferry trip to take and when. However, there are still a few things to bear in mind that aren’t publicised too clearly. With this in mind we thought that it would be useful to compile ten useful tips on ferry travel for any trips that you may be planning in 2010.

In no particular order, here we go:

1. Book early - Ferry fares rise as the boat bookings start to fill up.
2. Be wary of routes with limited sailings – If you are planning a ferry trip on a longer route (with infrequent sailings), if sailing on popular dates be aware that these sailing can sell out months in advance.
3. Join a ferry travel club – If you take regular short breaks throughout the year, joining a ferry travel club can offer you discounted fares where you pay an annual fee for a year’s membership.
4. Try and travel midweek -  fares are much likely to be cheaper if you travel midweek – weekend sailings can be significantly more expensive.
5. Be careful with your ferry booking – Many ferry companies policies have high cancellation fees, check the terms and conditions of bookings carefully before booking.
6. Take details of your vehicle -  roof and rack measurements are handy to have close as it is  likely that you will be asked for them.
7. Load up the car - taking the car on-board obviously has many bonuses, including taking all the luggage you require, plus why not bring over some goodies with you as well?…….
8. You can take your pet on the ferry – Most major ferry operators will charge around £10-£15 per pet each way. Surely much more preferable to leaving you pooch in the kennels.
9. Once you’re aboard – you’re on holiday! - The new generation of ferries have a wide range of facilities on board, so when you get onboard your holiday can start – whether its for some high class dining or shopping, there’s  no need to wait until you get into port.
10. Book a cabin if sailing overnight -  guarantee some privacy by booking a private cabin. If you feel that this is not necessary most ships have reclining seats which are comfortable enough!

Are there any other tips that you would offer budding ferry travelers?

Increases in Air Passenger Duty, coupled with a raft of added charges for check-in, baggage and anything else that can be legitamately charged for is set to give the ferry travel insustry a boost in 2010. This is the opinion of the Passenger Shipping Association as it looks forward to the new year.

Ferry travel on the up?

Figures outlined by the PSA indicate that despite these being economically difficult times when people don’t perhaps have the spare cash to book holidays – for the first 10 months of 2009 show the number of passengers travelling to Western Europe by ferry only fell by 3.7% (compared to the same period last year,) whereas the number of people choosing to fly to the same countries has decreased by an estimated 9.8%. The number of ferry passengers to the Continent up until the end of October was 20.6m.

In recent years many have become ’spoilt’ by the so-called Budget airlines flying to Western European destinations, however, the swathing cuts that have been made to some of these services means that these are not the attractive answer they once were. You can see a full range of PSA reports from this page their website.

Aircraft to stay grounded?

What are your thoughts on the PSA findings?

Will you be switching from the aircraft to the ferry in 2010?

We are interested in your thoughts………..

The appaling weather that we have seen over the last week here in the UK continues to have a severe effect on ferry crossings across the country. 11 CalMac routes on the Clyde and around the Inner Hebrides were hit by strong winds and high tides.

Sailings to Arran, Bute, Cumbrae, Gigha, Iona and Lismore, and between Gourock and Dunoon, were among those cancelled.

Several Stena Line ferry sailings between Stranraer and Belfast were also cancelled as well as numerous sailings accross the English Channel.

Gale force conditions and torrential rain swept east across the country leaving a trail of damaged property and flooded communities.

The best thing to do in these uncertain times is to keep up to date with the latest situation. Here are some helpful websites:

• BBC Ferry Travel page
• Environment Agency
• RAC Ferry Travel

Most of the major ferry operators will have up to date information on the latest weather developments as well:

• Stena Line
• Aferry News
• DFDS Seaways Ferry Bookings
• P&O

Safe journeys folks!

Here we have an exciting poll for you to take part in. In our previous post we highlighted the growing popularity of Festive Breaks to the continent, as opposed to staying put here in the UK. What we would like to find out is where your ideal festive break would take you?

We’ve included destinations throughout the continent so most of you should have been to at least one of these places over Christmas and New Year. The winner will be crowned with the coveted Cheap UK Ferries ‘Best Festive Breaks Destination’ champion  -a title that they are all desperate to get their hands on, so make sure you vote for your favourite!

Thanks for taking part.

There are definitely an increasing number of people choosing to eschew the ‘ordinary’ celebrations here in the UK and head to the continent over the festive period. If you are looking for some options, ferry operator DFDS Seaways has a number of specially tailored short breaks to a variety of destinations throughout Europe – including Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Hamelin, Copenhagen and Cologne. Ferry Bookings for these trips are still on offer.

Amsterdam

Bruges

Brussels

Are you heading to away this festive period? Let us know where you are off to!

It’s truly amazing what you can purchase on the internet these days. The good news is that if you are a budding ferry baron you van purchase your ferry fleet online and get your company up and running. We thought that it would be interesting to take a look a some of the ferries available to buy online at the moment.

What types of Ferry can i buy?

There are all concievable types of ferries available to buy online. Here’s some examples:

Got a spare £1.7m floating around? Then why not invest in this 2004 Passenger/Car Ferry – originally based in Greece, this would be an option for short crossings on relatively calm seas – which rules out most routes in Northern Europe.

Ferry for sale

Fancy operating a loch-based tourist route? Then this could be the boat for you - complete with lovely on-deck seating! A bargain at $1.6mUSD.

Tour ferry?

Lovely table and chair arrangment

For those of a slightly more ambitious nature, what about this 1982 Ro-Ro passenger ferry? Its specs are pretty tasty:

• Passenger Cabins : 302
• Passenges berths : 766
• Crew Cabins : 97
• Crew berths : 167
• Car capacity: 430 cars
• Cars on car deck only: 400 cars

Starting you own ferry company? Try this

No price is supplied for this boat.

As you can see, there is a diverse range of ferry boats available to buy online. Hopefully we have inspired some of the budding Shipping Magnates amongst to to get invloved in the ferry industry!

We’ve all enjoyed playing with Lego at some point in our lives, it truly is one of the greatest toys ever invented and has doubtlessly inspired genrations of engineers, architects and many more professions in-between. Believe it or not, there is even a Lego Movie on the way!

For those that possibly haven’t looked at the Lego range for a while (like us) – it is quite bewildering to see the sheer scope of what is on offer.

Well, now we can add ferry boat-buildiers to that list with this very cool 3 in 1 lego ferry kit. Yes, this Lego kit can be made into two ferry types and a plane.

3 in 1 Lego Ferry Kit - Re-live your childhood!

Here’s a great little video on constructing your Lego ferry:

After you’ve constructed this boat, and have become suitable enthused you can visit Legoland Denmark for real. A massive tourist atraction for almost 40 years now, not only can you see some incredble examples of Lego (see Mount Rushmore below), there are also rides and rollercoasters and all sorts of other great fun things to get up to. Well worth a visit.

Mount Rushmore at Legoland Demark