Having recently returned from a trip to Antwerp with P&O, I was surprised to receive as many questions about my route – the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam – as the location itself.
While you will get a lot of experiential answers to your questions from the vlog above, I wanted to cover a few of the last week’s most frequently asked P&O questions before walking you through my adventures in Antwerp (no sweat – that blog is coming very shortly hereafter!)…
What is it like on a P&O ferry?
The Cabins
On our way there and back, we had club cabins at the back corners of the boat. The club cabins, and as far as the map suggested, are the biggest on the ship and were truly nicer than the hotel we stayed in once we arrived in Antwerp. The rooms featured two twin beds, a desk, sofa, television, bathroom, and shower room as well as tea & coffee facilities, a complimentary non-alcoholic mini bar, Clarins toiletries, robes, towels, and a voucher to collect two complimentary glasses of champagne at the bar.
I found it incredibly easy to sleep in the beds and actually felt so comfortable in the room on our return leg that we spent most of the evening there!
The Food
There are two main options for meals on the boat: The Brasserie and The Kitchen. As I don’t really enjoy buffets, we opted for the a la carte option – The Brasserie – on our trip to Rotterdam and enjoyed a bottle of Rioja over a baked baby Camembert (with mini baguettes and caramelised red onion chutney) and lamb shank (served with creamy mash and a selection of seasonal vegetables) before tucking in for the night.
There are on-board deals available that reduce the cost of The Kitchen’s all you can eat options for dinner and breakfast, but I would sincerely suggest just opting for what you fancy from the a la carte. By the time the ferry docks, it’s unlikely you’ll need a huge breakfast.
The Experience
I took two very different approaches. On the way there, we got the most out of the experience by dining in The Brasserie, shopping (you can get up to 40% off RRP & no liquid restrictions!), drinking, and enjoying some live music.
On the way back, we were so tired we simply got our glass of complimentary champagne in the bar, a sandwich from the Starbucks-brewing cafe and went back to our cabin to work and unwind (which, for me, is still work).
I loved that there wasn’t a “one size fits all” option and that you can literally wake up at your destination.
How easy is it to get to Antwerp from Rotterdam?
Relatively easy! We took the P&O-supported coach to Rotterdam’s very beautiful and facility-heavy train station (a 45 minute journey from the port) and it is then only about one hour on the train to the center of Antwerp.
