Im planing a short break in Febuary,will have a few days at the end of my stay spare so if things are ok i would see about staying one maybe 2 nights longer.Maybe in include a stay in roermond for ying yang.
How late can you leave it to book the boat from the hook of holland or have any of you just gone to the port and been able to get the next boat.I would think the boat would be a bit more flexi over late bookings.
Ive booked my outbound Eurostar but have the return date is open at the moment. _________________ Now this is my kinda place! I
should become a regular.
You can buy tickets at the port (I've seen people do this at Harwich).
I've just tried looking on the Stenaline website and it will let you choose a ferry leaving this evening from Harwich for £26 each way (+ cabins £22 each way for overnight sailings). I don't think that's any more expensive than when I've booked weeks ahead - it quotes me the same price for dates in December.
They seem to have "economy" and "flexi" fares on the Stenaline Website but for foot passengers they just seem to quote the flexi fares.
Unlike trains & planes it doesn't look like there's too much penalty for travelling last-minute. The only issue would be that I don't think the rail & sail deal would be available, so you would probably have to buy a separate rail ticket to Hook of Holland and again from Harwich.
For a car passenger, the prices might rise as space becomes limited on the car deck, but for a foot passenger I doubt the cabins are ever close to fully booked, certainly not in February!
I could always ring the port the day before and see if i could get on the next one then book.I have 3 nights booked in my normall hotel.I will sort a hotel for extra nights when there depending on my funds.
Trouble with Eurostar all the cheap seats can fill rather quickly i wouldnt risk going to Eurostar without a booked seat.
I was reading the flexi booking via stenaline so i could book for my inbound then cancel and change it i guess.Im going to email stenaline and ask lol. _________________ Now this is my kinda place! I
should become a regular.
I took the ferry in May of 09. I booked well in advance and got what I thought was a pretty good deal. I got to the terminal at Hook of Holland and asked about changing my ticket. I was already missing Amsterdam! I got on the boat, even though it would have been possible to exchange the ticket for the next night by paying a fee. The Stenaline doesn't make their money by booking individuals, they are really more for the cargo trucks and cars. I was traveling alone, so it worked out great for me. I don't think I would do the same trip with a group. When I arrived in England, I caught the train to London, and then got right on another for 2 more hours to Portsmouth. I would do the ferry again. I thought it was a good value and as long as you are in no hurry, it was great! I was smoking blunts all night out on the open deck!!!
When i travel im in no rush as i always take a week of so a night on the boat is good for me as im only 1 hour away from the port and it means i avoid travel through london.So for me a trip to Amsterdam Is 1.5 HRS to get on the boat 6/7 hours sleep then 1.5hrs train to ams.I then get to amsterdam early on the 1st day with some decent sleep before. _________________ Now this is my kinda place! I
should become a regular.
Re: stenaline Posted: 10/11/2009, 22:51
brunno69 Supporting Member Posts: 79
Location: Essex, UK
I checked out EuroStar on their site as I've always wanted to try it especially now they have the Thalys all the way to Amsterdam with a change in Brussels. I had to choose a random date in January before I could find a daytime Friday available, cheapest it costs over £160 one way (I live between London and Harwich port), and takes about 7 hours with changes. From Harwich to Hook overnight with a cabin costs about £50 and takes about 7 hours. True you have to add 2 hours and €16 to get from Hook to Amsterdam by Dutch Rail (make sure you get your ticket on the boat) but you are looking at about £150 return compared to £350, with no significant time advantage, and as ams2008dam says you loose no time to travel, it is sleep time which is greatly appreciated both on the way there and back. I can spend a weekend in the Dam (arrive Saturday 10am and leave Sunday 6pm) and not need to take a day off work. You can rearrange your Ferry at a drop of a hat once you've booked it, I did it about 1 hour before sailing once when I fell asleep on the train to Rotterdam and found myself back in Amsterdam. _________________ Wishing I was in the city of dreams
Your better buying eurostar separate which can be as cheap as £60 return london -brussels book early though.Then intercity for around £55 return so around £115 for london to Amsterdam return.If you book it all through Eurostar they stripe you up.Go through Rail europe for the 2nd leg of the journey.
I like the ease of stenaline which also saves me travel on the tube with a couple of bags.
With a private cabin on stenaline it still works out slightly cheaper than the trains. _________________ Now this is my kinda place! I
should become a regular.
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