Hull to Rotterdam Crossing with P&O Ferries
This is the second time we have done this crossing in the van. We enjoyed the journey, and we will surely be choosing this route for our future travels! Our day began with a trip to Hull in the morning, where we reached The Deep aquarium just in time for lunch in the cafe. Luckily, we had our annual tickets from the previous year (every standard ticket is an annual ticket) as the entry prices are steep for one visit - £15.50 for children and £19.75 for adults. Exploring The Deep turned out to be a great way to entertain and burn off the kids energy before our ferry ride, which was conveniently only a ten-minute drive away.
The Deep takes you on a journey from prehistoric times and around the oceans of the world, from tropical lagoons to the darkest depths of the coldest oceans. The kids especially loved the frozen walls and watching the penguins dive. There are many interactive displays and pathways to explore. We will definitely be making this a regular part of our crossing experience.
We made our way to the ferry terminal at 4pm. Check in started at 3pm and embarkation was to begin at 5pm. However after waiting only ten minutes the gates were opened and we were onboard quicker than expected. It is always worth pre-packing a bag for the ferry as once parked on board it is difficult to start pulling things around in the van. We grabbed our bag, snacks for the kids and Esme's Tonie box needed for bed time.The Pride of Rotterdam features several bars, restaurants, a casino, shops, a cinema and a show lounge. We booked a club cabin as Esme is still small to sleep on the bunk beds. This also gave us a little extra room and the bonus of a window and mini bar. We had a glass of wine to toast the beginning of our holiday and went to explore.
We made our way to the sundeck at the very top of the ferry. The kids enjoyed the view and waved goodbye to England. From there we wandered around the duty free and found a small soft play in a designated kids area. We prebooked dinner and breakfast with the ferry booking. A prebooked combined adult package for dinner and breakfast was £35.95 and a child from 4+ was priced at £17.95. Dinner was served buffet style from 6pm to 9.30pm in The Kitchen. There was a variety of foods and flavours from around the world including a choice of traditional roasts, curries, pasta, barbecued food and hotdogs and nuggets for the kids. With full tummies we headed into the large bar area for the children’s entertainment. They met an enchanting fairy who told them a story about fairy jobs before singing and dancing to some disney favourites. The entertainment was followed by a quiz and live band, however, Sam was half asleep on a chair so we took them back to the cabin for much needed sleep.
After hearing the odd car alarm earlier in the night, we had a fairly decent sleep. The shower was powerful and hot, and we left the cabin at around 7.15am feeling refreshed and ready for breakfast. Breakfast service was open from 7am and remained open until 8.30am before arriving in Rotterdam. There was a choice of cereals, cooked breakfast including pancakes and waffles, and continental with a selection of pastries, fruit, meat and yoghurts. By the time we finished breakfast we quickly headed back to the cabin to pack our bag and watch the ferry come into port.
