Amsterdam Zoo Mini Cruise with DFDS | A Review

This is an advert for August 2022. Any edits / shares beyond this date have not been asked or paid for. Prices and information correct as of August 2022. Please check with DFDS for the most up to date information.   I feel like we're fairly lucky living where we do and having a port offering daily direct crossings to Amsterdam on our doorstep. I have travelled from Newcastle-Amsterdam with DFDS a fair few times over the years, both as part of a mini cruise and as part of our holiday to Duinrell & Efteling where we travelled with our own vehicle.  Personally, I love travelling this way. I feel like the second you step on board, your holiday starts. I know we'll travel this way again and I already have my eye on a trip to Center Parcs in the Netherlands as a future holiday option.  Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for some FAQs.  In this post, I'm going to share with you our recent Amsterdam Zoo Mini Cruise experience. This is the second time we've taken this specific trip and it's an ideal weekend break idea for families or somewhere to consider if you feel like you've exhausted your options for days out and would like to try something new.  Trip Overview  The Amsterdam Zoo Mini Cruise is available from £79 per person and this includes two overnight stays in a cabin, return coach transfers to the zoo, zoo tickets and some on board entertainment.  Meals, drinks, the cinema and amusement arcades are available for an additional charge.  You check in at Port of Tyne Passenger Terminal which is just past Royal Quays Outlet. There is a drop off point, buses stop nearby or you can park in their secure car park (it's £24 to park for the weekend).  Check in opens at 2:30pm and closes at 4:15pm. If you live fairly close, you should be able to pick the kids up from school on a Friday and head straight to check in. Mini Cruises depart daily and are perfect as a school holiday treat too. The cheapest departure days are usually a Sunday or a Wednesday which is something you may wish to consider if travelling with pre-schoolers.  The ship leaves Newcastle at 5pm and you arrive in Amsterdam the following morning at around 9:45am. All timings are approximate as it can depend on travelling conditions etc.......  Once docked, you depart the ship, go through passport control and there are staff waiting at the terminal to direct you to your coach. It's not like an airport with lots of people holding up signs and clipboards at all - generally, you are the only ship arriving and it will only be DFDS coaches waiting for you. It would be difficult / impossible to get lost.  The staff will direct you to the next coach and once it's full, you set off for Amsterdam. You drop off in Amsterdam Centre first of all so kind of get a mini tour of the city from your seat before heading to the zoo.  You should arrive at Amsterdam Zoo between 11am and 11:30am. Your driver will drop you off at the entrance, let you know what time the coach will pick you up and give you your zoo tickets so you don't need to queue at a ticket office.  We were collected from the Zoo entrance just after 3pm and our ship left Amsterdam at 5:30pm. We were back in Newcastle for around 9:15am the following morning. The timings work so well for a weekend break as you still have your full Sunday to rest / complete homework etc.... Cabins  We have always travelled in a standard sea view cabin as this fits in with our budget. Cheaper non-sea view cabins are available if you're on a tight budget but if you can, the sea view really is worth it.  On previous trips, we have stayed in a five berth cabin which is very similar to the cabin below but one side has triple bunks. Five berth cabins are ideal for families with younger children but now that my kids are older, we generally always book two rooms wherever we stay and we're thankful for the extra space. There aren't too many five berth cabins available and they do go quickly so if you'd like to book one, try and book well in advance. On this trip, we booked two rooms - myself and Dee in one room and Steve, Harry and Jack in the room next door.  Cabins are basic but clean. Beds are made up for you and there are towels provided. There is a small vanity area with a mirror, chair and plug socket (there's only one plug socket and it's a european plug socket - I recommend bringing an adaptor and a USB extension if you have multiple devices to charge).  There's a waste paper bin and each cabin can be temperature controlled. We travelled in 30C heat and our cabin stayed lovely and cool with cool air being circulated constantly.  Once you leave port, you won't have access to free WiFi and if you'd like to use your phone's data at sea, it's extremely expensive. In the past, we've downloaded films to our phone before our trip and just had a bit of a social media break which is actually nice.  If you do wish to purchase WiFi on board, you can but again, it's not cheap ( see here for pricing ). If you stay in an upgraded Commodore Cabin, complimentary WiFi is included which is a nice perk.  We did purchase WiFi on this particular trip and it worked very well. How good is modern technology!  Back to the cabin and there is a bathroom including a shower and toilet too. Again, all basic but clean and does the job.  In the evening if required, you simply pop down the upper bunk. I always find the beds to be comfortable and get a good night's sleep.  The following snaps were taken through our cabin window. Gorgeous views!  If you prefer something a little more luxurious, premium cabins are available and they look lovely. Some come with additional perks such as lounge access. For me, I will 100% stay in a premium cabin in the future, especially if I'm travelling with just Steve or with less children but at the moment when we're travelling as a family of 5, the standard cabins serve us just fine and are perfectly comfortable. You can read more about premium cabins here.   Where to Eat in the Evening  On our outbound journey, we dined in Explorer's Kitchen. This is an international all you can eat buffet with a kids section and vegan and vegetarian options too.  If pre-booked, it costs £22 for ages 12+ and £10.50 for ages 4-11. Infants aged 0-3 dine free. You need to make a reservation and this can be done in advance or if you head to the restaurant reception when you board you can make it then (we were able to book our preferred time of 7pm doing this).  On our sailing, the restaurant was busy and not taking 'walk ins' until after 9pm so I would strongly recommend booking in advance.  I have dined in this restaurant on several occasions over the past 8 years and can hand on heart say it's the best it's ever been and I do think dining in this restaurant offered good value for us.  Drinks are chargeable and can be ordered from your server. We paid for drinks with contactless when we ordered - it was around 20 euros for 5 large soft drinks. Bottles of wine started at 20 euros.  The choice is fantastic. We all enjoyed three courses featuring dishes from around the world. Everything was replenished regularly. Highlights for us were the fresh breads and dips, smoked salmon, baby squid and caeser salads to start.  The kids were super pleased to see a pizza and chips station.  There are lots of healthier options too including a yummy salad bar and the 'build your own taco' station was a real hit too.  The desserts were brilliant  - there is a cheese station with loads of different types of cheeses and fruit. Cheese heaven! As well as little cakes / mousses.  Although it's an all you can eat buffet, it wasn't too manic at all and the setting overlooking the sea is lovely.  Don't miss the ice cream bar which was a real hit with the kids.  We found plenty of choice for all of us and were very satisfied. The quality was excellent and I was really pleased to see lots of seafood options included too which felt like a bit of a treat.  On our return journey, we dined at North Sea Bistro which is a table service restaurant offering a more luxurious evening.  On the day of our trip, this was priced at 39.95 euros per adult for three courses and 11.95 euros per child for 2 courses and a drink (they weren't too strict about age limit for this menu).  I really enjoyed this restaurant. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious and beautifully presented. It's the kind of place where they'll top your wine up for you as you relax and enjoy the sea views.  Again, you can book in advance or on the day here.  The menu is impressive and offers very good value. We dined on scallops, steak and chocolate fondant without having to pay a supplement. If you compare prices to somewhere like Miller & Carter, the menu is an absolute steal.  Although a little more formal, children are very welcome here and as everything is freshly prepared, they can amend dishes. For example, they didn't have any veggie pasta on the menu but it was no problem for them to create this for Dee.  I also like that a lot of the kids dishes are presented 'build your own' style like this kids burger where you add your own salads and sauces. It makes life much easier for parents of fussy eaters. Below is the children's banana split - the kids were in heaven!  Our meal in North Sea Bistro was just beautiful and for me, it had the edge over Explorers Kitchen. I'd recommend if you're looking for a relaxing meal with good food, attentive service and beautiful presentation.  There are a couple of more informal options for grabbing a bite to eat too - Coffee Crew next to Pirate Island children's play area serves drinks, cakes and pastries and in the bar you can order loaded nachos (they looked fab and the portions were huge) and Danish Sharing Boards. There are a few other snacks like crisps and ice creams in some of the bars too.  Breakfast  If you're travelling as part of a mini cruise, I definitely recommend adding breakfast in Explorer's Kitchen onto your booking. The restaurant is open from around 7am until you dock and it's a good way to start your day. There is no need to make a reservation for breakfast - simply turn up when you're ready. I do recommend booking and paying in advance for the best prices though.  When booked in advance, breakfast is £8.75 per adult (ages 12+), £6.15 for children (aged 3-11) and under 3s are free.  Breakfast is again, an all you can eat affair and juices, tea and coffee are included too. The coffee is actually pretty decent - it's all made up in flasks and you just pick one up for your table rather than having to queue for a coffee machine.  Everything you'd expect from a breakfast buffet is available - fresh fruit, yoghurt, pastries, jams, cold meats and cheeses, cereal, hot cooked items (it's continental sausage), breads...... again loads of choice.  Alternatively, coffee and pastries are available to purchase from Coffee Crew.  Activities On Board  There is a surprising amount of things to do on board and lots to keep you entertained. For me, one of my favourite things to do is to just sit on one of the observation decks and take in the views. It's so peaceful and just such a nice view.  Try and take in the view from both the front of the ship and the rear if you can.  After a day of walking around the zoo, I appreciated the opportunity for a massage. These chairs are so good! I actually googled how much one would cost for us to have at home (and was disappointed that they are obviously, way out of our price range). They're 2 euros a shot. There is a wildlife observation desk where there are often wildlife officers who will help you spot wildlife / chat to you about what you might be able to spot and mention recent sightings. They make an announcement on the ship when wildlife talks are taking place too. These are available at no additional cost. For children, there's quite a bit to do including a small soft play area on board which is free to use and just next to the coffee shop.  There's also an on board mascot who walks around the ship and poses for photos, children's games and colouring activities and a treasure hunt around the ship. These are all available at no additional cost.  The on board duty free shop is decent and there's a large selection of discounted goods available including alcohol, perfume, beauty products, confectionary, clothes, toys and gifts.  Just to mention, you are not permitted to bring your own alcohol on board or drink anything you purchase from the duty free shop on board.  There are lots of testers available too. I love choosing a new fragrance or having a quick spritz and a reminder of old favourites.  There are a couple of bars where all are welcome. Live entertainment generally starts early in the evening and there are a mix of live bands, acoustic singers and games such as bingo to keep you entertained. When the kids were younger I used to bring sticker books which kept them entertained in the bar in the early evenings and now, we bring our favourite card games with us.  You can find out what's on at various screens across the ship or ask at guest relations.  Cocktails are 7-9 euros each and very good. I tried the Pina Colada and Frozen Strawberry Daquiri. Both fantastic and properly made rather than being from a pre-made mix. We paid for our drinks using contactless.  Whisky tasting was one of the activities for adults advertised on board and there is a casino / over 18s gaming area too.  There is an arcade on board and games like mini basket ball and air hockey - bring 1 euro coins with you for here if you can.