How does a ferry trip work?
Departure is in the late afternoon and arrival the next morning. As soon as the guests have left the ship at 11 a.m. at the latest, the crew get on with their work: the cabins are cleaned on a piecework basis, as are the public areas; in the kitchen, supplies are replenished and preparations are made for the evening and cleaning and maintenance work is carried out in the engine room. There is a maximum of 5 hours for all this. The ferry has to be ready again by 3 p.m., because that's when the first new guests board.
Transport and loading
The entire ship is loaded within a maximum of 90 minutes. Among other things, the crew in the loading area has all vehicles driven on board, assigns them a place and secures them. On arrival in the harbour, all passengers must leave the ship. As a rule, the vehicle deck opens 15 minutes before docking. The crew then has around 45 minutes to unload the ship completely. The most exotic animal transported on board was an elephant. Another unusual vehicle transport was over 70 Morgan sports cars on their way to a rally through Scotland.
Large selection of cabins
The KING SEAWAYS has 510 cabins with and without sea view, including 6 pet cabins and 6 barrier-free cabins. The cabins offer space for up to 5 people. Upgrades to premium cabins with additional space and inclusive services are possible. The great advantage of a ferry trip: there is no luggage limit! There is enough space for fishing, diving or photographic equipment. Incidentally, around 5,000 dogs go on the big crossing every year.
Eating and drinking on board
There are 8 restaurants and bars on board as well as a club. The 7 Seas buffet restaurant offers 16 different hot dishes every evening and an extensive breakfast buffet in the morning. The Blue Riband offers à la carte dining and the Explorers is a steakhouse. Little Italy is a family-friendly Italian restaurant. If you're feeling peckish, there's the Lighthouse Café. Live music from a pianist or troubadour awaits you in the Navigatorsbar. The Compass Bar is perfect for an aperitif or a wine and whisky tasting. The Mermaid Bar is located on the outside deck.
What the kitchen has to offer
Every year, around 134,000 passengers from Germany travel on the Amsterdam-Newcastle route. In total, around 570,000 passengers travel on the route each year. That's quite a lot of food. Up to 1,000 meals are prepared every day - 80% of which are home-made. For the evening buffet in 7 Seas, 14 tonnes of seafood and 30 tonnes of other hot meals are prepared each year. A total of approx. 1,600 - 2,000 tonnes of food are brought on board each year and approx. 150,000 breakfast guests are welcomed. Around 11,000 steaks are served each year and 95,000 litres of beer are poured. The meat comes from Denmark and the USA. Try the buffet for yourself on a mini-cruise to Newcastle.
There is something for every taste
Of course, vegetarian and vegan dishes are also available. Fresh vegetables are delivered on board daily. We have our own bakery on board! Pizza, bread and desserts are freshly produced on board. Every year, around 300,000 loaves of bread and rolls and 20,000 pizzas are baked in-house. Around 40,500 portions of soft ice cream are also served each year and over half a million oranges are processed. If the oranges were laid side by side, they would cover a distance of 44 kilometres. There is a selection of over 100 different drinks in the bars and club: 50 cocktails, 16 types of beer and 40 types of whisky alone.
Entertainment programme on a ferry?
Yes, that's possible! A ‘Sail away party’ on departure provides an atmospheric start to the daily evening entertainment programme. In the Columbus Club, a host entertainment manager leads the passengers through an entertainment programme with singers, dancers and games. In one year, for example, around 12,000 bingo tickets are sold on board. Later in the evening, a DJ plays for the late night party, while the roulette balls roll in the casino.
On-board cinema and shop
There are 2 cinemas on board. The film selection is updated regularly. 15,000 tickets are sold for 25 different films a year. The on-board shop offers 2,500 products in an exclusive range of perfumes, cosmetics, toys and clothing as well as sweets, spirits, wine and beer. On average, 11,000 bottles of whisky are sold in the Bordshop every year. There is a selection of over 120 types of whisky in the shop, most of which can also be tasted there.
Travelling with children
In the Kidz' Club, a ball pool, treasure hunt and craft and colouring table await children aged 4 to 8. There is an entertainment programme during the holidays. The environmental protection organisation Orca Wildlife has its own room on board and invites young and old to take part in exciting whale watching. Between 2007 and 2015, observers recorded 4,000 fin and humpback whales and dolphins on the trip across the North Sea.
Finally, the fascinating view of the sea is always an experience - pure seafaring romance! Incidentally, an average of 3 marriage proposals are made on board each year.
The faces behind the ferry trip - the crew
The ship sails under the Danish flag. People from 11 nations work on the KING SEAWAYS. During the year, 250 people work on board on a rotating basis - in the high season, up to 145 employees are on duty at the same time. Many employees have been working on board the KING SEAWAYS since it was put into service by DFDS 10 years ago. In the staff area there are two lounges, a fitness room and a kitchen. The crew rooms (single or double cabins) are spread over several decks.
Safety on board
For safety reasons, everything on the bridge is doubled, from the GPS and radar to the electronic control system. The ferry has 6 lifeboats and 2 fast rescue boats. The lifeboats can be lowered on both sides should the ship list and one side cannot be used. Safety drills are carried out every week and each crew member has a special task in an emergency, e.g. fireman/woman.
Technical data of the KING SEAWAYS
The KING SEAWAYS is an impressive 163 metres long, 27 metres wide and 50 metres high, with a draught of 6 metres and 12 decks. It can accommodate 1,400 passengers and around 600 cars. The ferry was launched in Bremerhaven in 1987 and underwent a general overhaul and modernisation in 2006 and most recently at the beginning of 2017. The KING SEAWAYS has 4 engines, each with 7,500 hp (4,900 kW) and a weight of 2 tonnes. Two engines each drive one drive shaft and thus one of the two propellers. The engines have run for 180,000 operating hours to date. It takes about ½ hour to start the ship's engines. There are 4 additional engines for the ship's power supply - e.g. for light and hot water.
The Amsterdam-Newcastle route
The ferry alternates overnight with its sister ship PRINCESS SEAWAYS between the ports of IJmuiden near Amsterdam and North Shields, a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne. The daily distance between Amsterdam and Newcastle is 267 nautical miles, which corresponds to around 500 kilometres. With a cruising speed of 21 knots (approx. 40 kilometres per hour), the ferry takes 16 hours to reach its destination.
Shipping fans can experience the exciting details live on a three-day mini-cruise and combine a sea voyage with an exclusive city trip to Newcastle.
