Don’t go on a Saturday two night mini cruise from Harwich [DFDS].
When you depart the UK on Saturday you arrive at Esbjerg on Sunday 1 p.m. local time. You have 5 hours to explore, but guess what Esbjerg is shut on a Sunday - all of the shops, without exception are closed, and only a couple of restaurants are open.
DFDS really should warn mini cruise customers about this.
The ship was lovely and the cabins were great, but the downside, if you are a drinker or not, are the prices on the ship. - £4,50 for a pint of beer [well almost a pint] and £3.00 for a coke. The restaurants were not very good the buffet was poor at a price of about £22.00 per adult I expected so much more. Breakfast was very good , the cost was about £10 per adult and this was not bad value.
Overall had a good trip, which we made the best of it and had a laugh, but the cost was massive for a short break and Esbjerg was shut for the day.
|||
Did you really expect shops to be open on a Sunday?
Regarding restaurants: You must have been in the wrong places. I lived in Esbjerg for 13 years and was never short of a restaurant for Sunday lunch.
Hans
|||
I understand what you are saying about the shops.
But in England shops open on a Sunday, albeit on reduced hours, but they are open.
What I am saying is DFDS is advertising mini cruises to Esbjerg but when you get there it is shut on a Sunday - why sell a mini cruise when the destination is closed for the day. Leave on a Saturday evening and arrive on a Sunday afternoon, how can you expect to take in and enjoy a city when it is closed, deserted and has no atmosphere.
Of course a local can find a place to eat, but after all you have 5 to 6 hours there. I found a place to eat and it has to be said that it was exceptional.
A meal might take an hour or max 2 hours and will leave you wondering what to do for another four hours before the ship returns back to the UK.
I appreciate your feedback Hans, but if you spent all that time travelling to visit a foreign country for a short time you would expect a bit more.
Why sell a trip that arrives on a Sunday?
I also understand that many people were not stopping and were onward bound, but as a mini cruise you should be warned. It is utterly pointless.
Hope you are not offended. I did not get to see the city, but would have liked to.
DFDS offer one other travle plan during the week, I am trying to ward moni cruisers - take the other date not the weekend trip. That is all
|||
I am not offended.
DFDS offer mini cruises on all departures AFAIK.
If it were me going on a trip to UK for the first time, I would have done a bit of research before I booked the trip instead of moaning afterwards.
Hans
|||
The funny thing is I did and I was advised that the shops shut on a Saturday. How wrong was that.
My biggest gripe is with DFDS oh and, my own stupidity I guess.
The reason for my post was to forewarn others. Overall we had a good trip but it was let down when we arrived in Denmark.
My kids had a great time and if they have a great time I generally do as well.
Thanks anyway.
|||
Have to echo some of Griggster%26#39;s comments regarding the prices on board the boat. Due to the weak pound it is now even worse. In the bar and restaurant expect to pay about £3 for 1/4 litre of beer or £5.50 for a pint and about £2.50 for a small glass of coke. Unlike travelling on a plane you are allowed to take liquids. We took cans of soft drinks with us and were very glad we did.
As griggster mentioned the breakfasts are much better value than the dinners. My advice if you are on a budget is to book the breakfasts (they are a little cheaper if you book online in advance) Stuff yourself at breakfast and it should keep you going all day then you could grab a snack in Esbjerg. Part of the pleasure of smorgasboard buffet dinner used to be the wonderful desserts, sadly they are now very disapointing.
The cabins were good and clean and tidy and I think £150 per cabin represents pretty good value.The staff on board were quite helpful and polite. The entertainment on board for adults is pretty naff, a terrible singer/guitarist. The entertainment for children however looked quite good with pirate tours, magic shows (the children got party packs and ballooon sculptures) and family quizes.
The check-in was very straight forward, at Harwich and Esbjerg and starts 45 minutes before departure rather than the advertised hour and 45 minutes, so no need to turn up too early. The car park at Harwich costs £7.50, which again is pretty good value and it is only 2 minutes walk from the check-in.
When you arrive in Esbjerg it is a short walk to the main pedestrian shopping area. We took a taxi to visit the giant sculptures (Men meets the sea) this cost about £12, we discovered later that other passengers caught the bus, which was apparently quite cheap and easy. These are well worth a visit. We also later discovered that near to the sculptures is a sea-life museum, which we would have visited if we were aware of it. The trip to the sculptures is about 10 minutes in a taxi/bus or about a 40 minute walk.
|||
We%26#39;re going for a two night mini cruise in a few weeks - Friday, Saturday and home on Sunday. What currency do they use on the boat? Also, is it best to get Kroner%26#39;s for the few hours in Esjberg, and if so where should I get them (before we go or on the boat). How much do you think we%26#39;d need for a bit of lunch in Esjberg, and a wee bit shopping? I don%26#39;t like the sound of the bar prices on board so I%26#39;ll maybe have to have one or two less than I%26#39;d expected. On the site it says the rooms have movies on demand. Does anyone know what sort of prices they are?
Any advice for a nice place for lunch and anything else you think might be useful would be gratefully received. Thanks guys.
|||
From what I remember - if you are sailing from Harwich - you can pay in Danish or sterling on the boat.
I would personally use an ATM when you get there - there are plenty around.
The movies were not working - but I think they were about £5.
On board prices are very expensive probably about £5 or a little more for a pint of beer.
Take some snacks and a few carry ons with you.
There are some nice places to eat in the main square. As you apprach the square almost in the right hand corner there is a fabulous restaurant - sorry cant recall the name. But if you have a look inside there is lots of interesting stuff hanging off the walls and ceilings - looks like a very old english bar inside - lots of wood and a staircase in the middle. The food was exceptional.
We had a good time - but a bit pricey
|||
Thanks Griggster, I%26#39;ll take your advice, and I%26#39;ll see if I can find the restaurant you mention. Cheers
|||
Well we went last week and I thought I%26#39;d tell you how it went. First of all, don%26#39;t arrive too early. Check in doesn%26#39;t open till 45 minutes before departure so don%26#39;t bother getting there before that.
The rooms are nice and clean with a decent bathroom and shower. The tv in the room shows Sky News, BBC World and BBC Entertainment in English. The pay per view movies were 799 Kroner which at about £10 was far too expensive.
The breakfast is great value and there is plenty to choose from. The dinner was okay, but the dessert was terrible. Like a previous poster said, fill up on breakfast and give the dinner a miss. Drinks are hugely expensive, partly because of the exchange rate. A (near) pint of lager and a white wine cost £13.50.
The entertainment was terrible. A bloke with a guitar singing the same songs both nights pretty badly. The bar prices are too dear as well. £11 odd for a lager and a rum %26amp; coke.
Esjberg was really nice though. Nice shopping area and plenty of choice of places to eat. You get about five hours there which is plenty.
I don%26#39;t think I would go again, certainly not until the exchange rate improves. We didn%26#39;t buy anything on the boat or in E|sjberg as the exchange rate made everything far more expensive than it is here. If you do go, take a drink on board with you and a couple of snacks for the evening. Pre-order the breakfast and fill up on that. Get something to eat in Esjberg - expensive but it%26#39;s nice to eat in foreign restaurants. Make sure you have brought enough cigarettes to last as these are too dear to buy either on board or ashore.
We took one of these trips to Bremerhaven a few years ago and the boat was much better - good entertainment and a mini casino, as well as a much better choice of food - and the exchange rate was much more favourable. This one worked out just too expensive all round.
|||
Shops in Esbjer generally shut at lunchtime on Saturday and repopen on Monday, although they do remain open on Saturday once a month. What Saturday, I can never remember.. I%26#39;ve been on a few of these cruises and agree that the drinks and food can be a bit on the pricey side but I still enjoy the short break.
Look into going Commodore Deluxe class. It%26#39;s great value as you get a much larger cabin, breakfast is included in the price and there is a private lounge with free drinks and snacks. There is also a computer you can use and free wireless internet if you bring a laptop.
There is a nice museum in Esbjerg and Jensen%26#39;s Bofhus is good value for a meal. A trip to Fano only takes a few minutes on the ferry and is right next to the dock where the ship berths..
