My last experience of travelling P&O wasn't the best, it was 18 months ago aboard the Pride of Kent from Dover to Calais and back and she was a clinical and unispiring vessel in all respects - frankly horrid. I have travelled from Hull previously however in 1998 on Norstar to Zeebrugge and the following year on the Norsun to Rotterdam, both trips I enjoyed very much. My concern was that P&O had maybe dumbed down the North Sea Ferries experience - I need not have worried.
I arrived in plenty of time to take a walk along the public footpath in between the port itself and the river. The Pride of Hull was berthed as expected at the river berth built in 1993 to accommodate the freight vessels Norbay and Norbank.
In 2001 a new passenger terminal specifically for the Pride of Rotterdam and younger sister Pride of Hull was built and its from the top of this terminal that cars join the ship via a side loading door 7 decks up on the port side of the vessel. Also in the terminal is a multi storey car park for passengers on minicruises leaving their vehicles behind. On my journey in February 2011 it was priced at £5 for 24 hours or part thereof meaning £10 for the duration of the trip.
The terminal itself is spacious but used very little with just one arrival and one departure a day. Our crossing was lightly loaded with perhaps 500 onboard and checking in was quick and efficient. One of the side effects of such large ships with passenger accomodation so high up is getting from ground level to gangway, on these vessels no less that 6 escalators had to be travelled to get to the required level on deck 8.
Once on board I was shown to my cabin, a premier 2 berth outside on deck 9 which was clean, comfortable and adequately equipped for the overnight crossing. The power shower was in fact excellent and the fittings of a high standard including a marble sink unit.
Next door for those seeking solace from the crowds was a quiet lounge so quiet in fact on my trip it was very under used.
Children are well catered for with expansive children's facilities - I saw more than a couple of children escape from their parents grasp to make the the ball pool !
The Irish Bar was a nice spot to enjoy post dinner drinks and the only place I could find onboard where one could simply sit and watch the TV. Two cinemas are provided each showing 3 films per night.
Freight drivers enjoy their own extensive restaurant area and lounge on board - not surprising given the vast freight capacity of the ships.
It was off to Amsterdam for me for a full day including a brief trip to Schiphol airport some 20km and 13 minutes by efficient train service away. Then back to the city for photography and shopping. The coach dropped us off at 11am and was back and waiting for us from 4pm although they were on a fill up and go basis the last one leaving the city after 5pm.
I arrived in plenty of time to take a walk along the public footpath in between the port itself and the river. The Pride of Hull was berthed as expected at the river berth built in 1993 to accommodate the freight vessels Norbay and Norbank.
In 2001 a new passenger terminal specifically for the Pride of Rotterdam and younger sister Pride of Hull was built and its from the top of this terminal that cars join the ship via a side loading door 7 decks up on the port side of the vessel. Also in the terminal is a multi storey car park for passengers on minicruises leaving their vehicles behind. On my journey in February 2011 it was priced at £5 for 24 hours or part thereof meaning £10 for the duration of the trip.
The terminal itself is spacious but used very little with just one arrival and one departure a day. Our crossing was lightly loaded with perhaps 500 onboard and checking in was quick and efficient. One of the side effects of such large ships with passenger accomodation so high up is getting from ground level to gangway, on these vessels no less that 6 escalators had to be travelled to get to the required level on deck 8.
Once on board I was shown to my cabin, a premier 2 berth outside on deck 9 which was clean, comfortable and adequately equipped for the overnight crossing. The power shower was in fact excellent and the fittings of a high standard including a marble sink unit.
After leaving my case in the cabin, camera in hand I set off to explore the ship. The main passenger accomodation is located on Decks 8 and 9 in a style reminiscent of large overnight ships of the 80's - its cabins forward public rooms aft. Curiously the main entertainment venue on the ship is in the centre of the deck, my concern was that this would generate unwelcome noise for passengers in cabins directly in front of the show lounge but this was not the case - until of course the venue closed and people returned to their cabins despite notices asking people to be quiet after 22:00.
The show lounge did brisk trade despite the ship being fairly quiet many people enjoyed the live entertainment but it was a bit to 'Butlins' for my taste.
Onboard the colour pallet was generally shiny cream tiles, cherry woods and red and green fabrics all very restful and in excellent shape despite the fact that the ship is now in her 10th year of service.
The lovely bar in front of the premium Langans brasserie reminded me of pre-dinner bars aboard cruise ships.
Langans brasserie itself is a beautifully appointed space with great service on my trip and beautiful food.
Next door for those seeking solace from the crowds was a quiet lounge so quiet in fact on my trip it was very under used.
For those on a budget there is a coffee bar which was well used serving pizza, pies and sandwiches which all looked to a very high standard.
Children are well catered for with expansive children's facilities - I saw more than a couple of children escape from their parents grasp to make the the ball pool !
The Irish Bar was a nice spot to enjoy post dinner drinks and the only place I could find onboard where one could simply sit and watch the TV. Two cinemas are provided each showing 3 films per night.
Freight drivers enjoy their own extensive restaurant area and lounge on board - not surprising given the vast freight capacity of the ships.
I took dinner in the Four Seasons buffet restaurant which was the first and indeed only disappointment of the trip. Gone was the waiter served starter service and authentic Indonesian curries of previous trips - indeed gone were the Asian crew that cooked them, in their place a bland and uninspiring range of British favourites prepared bythe largely Portugese crew - there was a couple of curries but the 'star attraction' was the carvery which was extremely popular although personally I don't enjoy such fayre. The cold buffet was devoid of shell on prawns in its place a bowl of ready peeled ones, bland and disappointing. Deserts were attractive however and the meal included tea and coffee and was cheaper than the equivilent meal on DFDS.
After dinner it was a quick dash around the outer decks on a rainy but not too cold evening.
Morning with P&O is welcomed by the sound of the ding dong advising that the Four Seasons Buffet was open for breakfast followed at regular intervals by other points of sale. I dined in Four seasons having pre-booked and the meal was acceptable. It was to be my last visit to this venue as I had decided to upgrade to Langans for the evening meal.
On arrival in Rotterdam there were 10 coaches waiting to take passengers on their trips to either Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Adjacent to our vessel the Stena Carrier had arrived from Harwich on the service previosuly operated by P&O. To our stern two empty linkspans and in the distance over at the Hook of holland, the Stena Hollandica and Corragio from Harwich and Killingholme respectively.
It was off to Amsterdam for me for a full day including a brief trip to Schiphol airport some 20km and 13 minutes by efficient train service away. Then back to the city for photography and shopping. The coach dropped us off at 11am and was back and waiting for us from 4pm although they were on a fill up and go basis the last one leaving the city after 5pm.
Once back on board it was time for a quick shower and a beer in the sunset lounge on deck 12 at the top of the vessel. After that I booked my table at Langans. For starter I enjoyed Oak smoked salmon accompanied by complimentary bread rolls and for main course sirloin steak with greenpeppercorn sauce, new potatoes and seasonal veg with a tomatoe sauce. It was beautifully presented and a real treat in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.
After the meal I went on deck to witness our departure. The berth used by the Pride of Hull is a curious set up. The linkspan and mooring dolphins are at an angle to the harbour wall so that in escence the vessel points in a south west facing position. This allows a longer vessel to berth in a short space but it was a very tight squeeze to manourve partucularly as the Stena Carrier was parallel to us and as we swung round with tug assistance there was little room for error indeed the Pride of hull appeared to pivot on the stern ropes holding her to her linkspan requiring very skilled seamanship indeed. Once pointing in the right direction we were off.
In the morning were arrived back in Hull on time at 07:20 but due to passenger gangway failure it was a full 90 minutes before we left the ship hearded into cattle buses. Fotunately for myself and three others the bus was full and we were assigned to the minibus behind which was being driven my some realtive of Michael Shumaker as we managed to beat the bus to the terminal and skip the inevitable queue through passport patrol where we were selcomes by a customs sniffer dogs inspecting our cases for Amsterdams finest herbal products. Once clear it was back to the car and away. A very successful and enjoyable weekend.
