Harwich - hook of holland ferry
We are thinking about travelling to Delft site in our motorhome. We live in Suffolk so Harwich to hook of holland seems like a good idea. We have never used this route before so would like any tips folk could give us as to what to expect. We are not sure if we would prefer to travel overnight and book a cabin but can't find what time you embark for the overnight crossing.
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Hi.
Ferry leaves Harwich at 23.00 so boarding about 20.00 to 21.00. Gets in at 08.00. We always take day crossing but still take a cabin. It's a pleasant trip but it is only a ferry so don't quite know what other info you require.
Delft site is good for visiting the town.
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I am sure if you look on the Stena Line web site you will find all the information you need such as timetable, costs etc. but just to make it much easier and save you 2 minutes of searching here is a link for check in times and timetables.
However I think day sailings to Holland are about 9:00 am and the night about 11:pm, coming back 2PM and 10PM but if you look you can confirm....
As to weather you go day or night depends on your circumstances and time, if you have lots of time and don't mind wasting a day holiday sitting on a ferry then go day, if you like to make the most of your holiday go overnight so you don't waste any time, of course the cost may also sway your decision.
But one thing for sure, if you live in Suffolk and are visiting Holland why use any other port? Different if you were going to southern France or Spain etc....
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Thank you - yes I had looked at the site for times etc but it did not say how early you could get on the ship. I was trying to work out do we go overnight - board early have a meal and a cabin and sleep. Or go day and sit somewhere and read - which is what we do on the Dover/Calais ferry - but that of course is only 1 1/2 hours. Lots to ponder!
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Going to Delftse Hout, Hook of Holland is so simple the site is 16 miles from the port so takes about 35 to 40 minutes.
The overnight ferry gets in at 8am so you will be there well before 9am. Whether that's acceptable to the site I don't know.
The day ferry sails at 9am so is no problem for you living in Suffolk. I think it arrives about 5.15/30pm so you would be on site by 6pm
Both ferries are modern and spacious but I find the 6 hour day crossing a bit boring. I can put up with that as it is a lot cheaper than overnight when you factor in the price of a cabin.
Wednesdays are generally the cheapest days to travel
Dover to Calais, living where you do, I wouldn't even consider it.
The site location is great, especially for you with a motorhome. There is a bus stop about 5 mins away and you can buy books of tickets for travel. The town centre is about 30 mins walk and the railway station is just through the other side of town. Trains to Rotterdam and Amsterdam are frequent.
We will most likely be there in April for the tulip festivals.
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One thing to bear in mind for Delft site is that,although it accepts ACSI, there is a national holiday to celebrate the King of The Netherlands birthday in April, as well as a carry over from Easter, so be aware that ACSI prices and days of acceptance need to be checked.
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Thank you harryb and wherenext very helpful info. We are off to Spain/Portugal in April/ May so will miss the bulbs this year maybe another year? We are hoping to go to Delft late June early July.
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We used this ferry for the first time this year, and it was good, so we would use it again.
We did a day crossing in late April, it was not that busy, we did not take a cabin as we were happy to use the chairs/sofas provided. We had no problem securing a good seat in the lounge and the time soon passed surfing the web on the free wifi and eating our sandwiches for lunch (plenty of people do that).
We drove to Delftse Hout for our first night, it did not take long and was easy to find. We made dinner on arrival at the site.
Coming back in June we ate lunch on the boat as a special treat and headed to a nearby CL to overnight on arrival.
We decide on a crossing using a combination of price and where we are heading. This crossing was cheaper than a Channel crossing for us.
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We use the ferry at least twice a year, both day and night crossings. Day crossing we always pay for the lounge, occasionally we get a cabin. Night time we usually load by 9pm then a couple of drinks before bed. Rarely eat on board. Plenty of facilities on board so relax and enjoy. Delft is only half an hour from the Port.
Edit. If you get the overnight ferry it’s no problem at Delft as reception is open from 8.30am
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Hi, we used this route in 2015 and, if heading East into Europe again, would probably use it again subject to the cost being acceptable.
So far as the day V night question then I think cost will be a major part of that decision as, when we traveled, the difference was significant.
We stayed overnight in the lanes just before the check in area, Stenna confirmed this was acceptable,arriving at past midnight-we thought the journey would be easier later in the day but hit road closures which delayed us quite a bit- and we got a day cabin which let us catch up on missed sleep and made the crossing seem quite short.
We just had a breakfast on the way over but coming back had a meal in the restaurant and it was one of the best we had in the entire 4 week trip.
As others have mentioned the cost for us was less than for a Dover crossing and this, and other reasons, promoted us to give it a try and we are very glad that we did.
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Hi Beverley, You say "travelling to Delft" , and I hear of so many people who get no further into the Netherlands than that. Do please press on further and go on into other parts of the country. There's a lot more to see and do, and it is after all 200 miles from top to bottom. I hope it all goes well.
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