Brits endure 30-hour ferry trip to Amsterdam, then spend SIX minutes in city

Updated
Brits endure 30-hour ferry trip to Amsterdam, then spend SIX minutes in city
Brits endure 30-hour ferry trip to Amsterdam, then spend SIX minutes in city



Hundreds of British tourists who booked a weekend mini-cruise to Amsterdam spent just six minutes in the city after their ship was battered by high winds and the 13-hour overnight crossing turned into a 30-hour nightmare.

The Daily Mail reports that more than 300 people booked the £48-a-head break to the Dutch capital and should have arrived in Holland at 9am last Saturday to spend the whole day in Amsterdam before boarding the ship at 11pm.

But the DFDS Princess Seaways service from North Fields on Friday afternoon was hit by such rough seas and high winds that their arrival was delayed by 13 hours.

According to the Daily Mirror, many holidaymakers were violently ill as the boat navigated huge waves but once they got on land late at night, they were packed straight on to a coach to take the ferry home.

One tourist, Mark Dunn, 25, said: "I've done more miles than Judith Chalmers. It was blowing a gale.

"I think it was gale force eight or nine. We did not get there until 11pm. We spent six minutes in the terminal car park."

Father-of-one James O-Neill, 31, told the Daily Mail: "It was horrendous - I still feel like I'm on a boat. We should never have set off, people were being sick all over the place.

"I was on a stag do with a group of lads and ended up getting off on the Sunday morning and paying to fly home as I had an important meeting to get to on Monday.

"They've offered us another trip but I never want to get on a boat again."

Max Foster, DFDS Seaways UK passenger director said: "I would like to apologise to all passengers who were affected by our delayed mini cruise sailing on our Amsterdam route on Friday, March 22.

"The delay was caused by unpredicted severe adverse weather conditions on the North Sea, which resulted in the outbound crossing of Princess Seaways from Newcastle being delayed.

"Our passengers disembarked on Sunday morning and were transported to the Hook of Holland to travel back to Harwich via another ferry service.

"They then continued by coach back to Newcastle. We have offered all passengers affected by the delayed sailing the opportunity to take their mini cruise at another time convenient to them."

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