DFDS Harwich - Esbjerg ferry to be discontinued

[306024]

A bit more here:

http://http://www.eadt.co.uk/business/harwich_dfds_to_axe_esbjerg_ferry_route_from_september_1_3578356

Fortunately the Harwich - Hook of Holland route is doing well.

I recall a trip on the Dana Anglia on one of their mini-breaks, which included a coach trip to Ribe (very old Danish town) where I learnt Danish for bookshop was boghandel.

Anyway the loss of the Esbjerg route has prompted me to look in my archives from 25 years ago. Taking Tuesday 25 July 1989 as the example, Harwich saw the following sailings:

Arrive / Depart
06.45 Hook of Holland 11.15
12.30 Esbjerg 17.00
13.00 Kristiansand 16.00
16.30 Gothenberg 19.30
17.45 Hook of Holland 21.45

All had boat trains to / from Liverpool St, and both the Hook of Holland departures had relief boat trains as well.

The Hamburg sailing tended to operate on the opposite days to the Esbjerg sailing in the summer, and there was also a Saturday Oslo sailing.

Shame to see how all this has declined, but at least there are now some summer cruise ships:

http://www.harwich.co.uk/cruise_times.asp

 

[Greenback]

The number of cruise ships at Harwich seems to be increasing alongside the current boom in cruising. Dover is also becoming more popular for smaller cruise ships, I think using the former Western Docks station.

 

[Deerfold]

I think most people tend to use it as a figure of speech regardless of the transport mode, if they are doing a short sea crossing. My mate said he was driving all the way to France last year as he travelled via Dover, but the previous year he used Brittany Ferries to Santander and described it as the ferry to Spain then driving to Portugal!

But that's my point - the post I originally replied to used "driving all the way" as an alternative to a (relatively) short ferry crossing.

 

[button_boxer]

I made enquiries about taking a car on the Immingham-Esbjerg freight ferry for a trip I'm planning later this year (from somewhere an hour's drive from Immingham to somewhere an hour from Esbjerg - no brainer). I was told they do take cars on this route but only on a standby basis if space is available - you have to phone up the day before to find out whether or not you're travelling the next day.

So great if you're flexible on dates, not so great otherwise. I can see why they do it as they would make much more money using the space for an unaccompanied HGV trailer. I also asked about Immingham-Cuxhaven but that one is definitely freight only.

Harwich-Esbjerg wasn't sailing on the day we needed, so in the end I booked Hull-Rotterdam and will have a six hour drive on the continent rather than one hour.

 

[Greenback]

But that's my point - the post I originally replied to used "driving all the way" as an alternative to a (relatively) short ferry crossing.

I wasn't replying directly to your earlier post, but I was agreeing with what you said!

 

[Deerfold]

I wasn't replying directly to your earlier post, but I was agreeing with what you said!

Oh. Ok. Thanks.

 

[Greenback]

Don't worry, I should have made my post clearer but I wasn't thinking straight due to having been given medication at the hospital earlier yesterday afternoon! I know what I wanted to say, though, even if it isn't immediately apparent!

 

[306024]

Just a couple of weeks left now, and most sailings seem to be fully booked. Had the opportunity to travel to Esbjerg last week and despite the end being nigh the food and service was excellent. Sad to read the comments in the guest book, the route will be missed by many it seems.

 

[Greenback]

I'm sure it was a popular route. Not sure if it was profitable or not. It could be that it just didn't make enough of a profit compared to the investment needed to keep the service running.

 

[richw]

Today DFDS announced closure of Portsmouth to Le Havre as well.

 

[jopsuk]

I don't think I realised they ran a Portsmouth-Le Havre route. At least in that case it's a reduction in competition, not a total withdrawl, as Brittany Ferries serve it as well. The year-round service though is now an économie route- I wonder if this may change with DFDS leaving? They run a summer-only fast cat.

 

[Greenback]

I didn't know they did Portsmouth to le Havre either! Mind you, I like Brittany Ferries so I've never looked beyond them for longer Channel crossings.

 

[Busaholic]

As nobody else has commented on this aspect, the irony of new environmental regulations making the route uneconomic so that people have to fly or make a hugely long car journey has not been lost on me. Is joined-up thinking now a criminal offence?

 

[Greenback]

As nobody else has commented on this aspect, the irony of new environmental regulations making the route uneconomic so that people have to fly or make a hugely long car journey has not been lost on me. Is joined-up thinking now a criminal offence?

I thought it had always been an offence in this country

 

[Busaholic]

I thought it had always been an offence in this country

Sadly, I have to concur.

 

[jon0844]

As someone who has travelled Harwich to Esbjerg many times since the 80s (maybe even the 70s as a baby), I've been on most of the boats, and been in just about every different class and cabin.

More recently, Commodore Class was an upgrade worth paying for (sometimes the upgrade was very cheap, and they were open to offers if you upgraded just before boarding) to have a little extra space to relax, given the last boat they used was horrible.

I've done a lot of crossings, and used DFDS to other destinations including just having cheap cruises (e.g. to Gothenburg when it still went from Harwich) without a car, and just a matter of a few hours in Sweden before coming back. Lots of bars, restaurants and cinemas.

But in recent years the boat has been nothing short of crap. Sure, you're getting to take your car which is what you're really paying for, but in terms of things to do - what a waste of money. The restaurant was okay, the buffet average, the play area for kids tiny, and really very little to do. Ropey Wi-Fi, rip off mobile roaming charges. I can see why a lot of people stopped going. If you were on foot, the experience would be so disappointing you'd be swearing to never go again and pay to go Ryanair or Easyjet.

However, it's still a shame. Given I've gone to Sweden so many times by boat, I really hoped that one day we might have had a return to a bigger boat, given rising fuel costs actually helped make DFDS appear reasonably competitive.

Compared to driving all the way to Stockholm, with numerous fill ups and two overnight stays, it suddenly worked out to be a good option. But there obviously weren't enough people like us doing it, compared to those that might fly and hire a car.

I think we'll look into the Tilbury boat. I looked at it before, but wonder what facilities this boat has given it's primarily freight. But if the cabins are quite nice then maybe that's an option - and saves on even more fuel and mileage.

 

[Abpj17]

That's such a shame; I guess cheap flights have done it in.

I went on the boat to Denmark when I was little - we went to Legoland for my birthday [long before there was one in the UK!]

 

[jon0844]

I've also done Legoland.

Never had a terrible crossing, but did get kept overnight in Esbjerg town (in a very nice hotel it has to be said) when the boat was late coming in and wasn't fit to go back out due to bad weather and damage done to windows and cars.

It was still choppy going back, but according to the crew not in the same league as coming the other way. The first and only time of using the ferry in December!

 

[jopsuk]

As nobody else has commented on this aspect, the irony of new environmental regulations making the route uneconomic so that people have to fly or make a hugely long car journey has not been lost on me. Is joined-up thinking now a criminal offence?

it shows the very easy ride air travel is getting on enviro regulations.

 

[Tetchytyke]

As nobody else has commented on this aspect, the irony of new environmental regulations making the route uneconomic so that people have to fly or make a hugely long car journey has not been lost on me.

If you believe DFDS that is. It sounds like a convenient excuse to me. DFDS appear to be a company in trouble, to be honest. Even on Dover to Calais/Dunkirk they look to be struggling, their prices seem to be reliably double what P&O or MyFerryLink can charge.

I think the truth is that they think they can make more money somewhere else.

It's always a shame to see ferry routes close though. I did the Esbjerg crossing once, I went to Legoland in about 1991. Going out it was awful but it was really nice coming back. DFDS can still be good when they get it right, such as Newcastle to Amsterdam.

 

[CC 72100]

DFDS appear to be a company in trouble, to be honest. Even on Dover to Calais/Dunkirk they look to be struggling, their prices seem to be reliably double what P&O or MyFerryLink can charge.

When we did a price comparison for Calais - Dover in August, P&O came out cheapest, MFL slightly more expensive (~10 pound I think) and then DFDS were a lot more expensive.

I did also see recent interviews in which the main 4 Dover strait transporters (so that includes the tunnel) all admitted to having had a good summer; except one - DFDS, who pointed to over-capacity on the Dover strait.

 

[jon0844]

When DFDS switched to a newer, but smaller, boat with no real facilities for passengers I think the writing was on the wall. I don't remember when this was, but it was rather a shock to the system - and of course DFDS had spun the 'new boat' bit to people without mentioning the lack of facilities until you boarded and thought 'is that it?'.

It became extremely expensive and not that enjoyable; even the shop was tiny, so I doubt that made much money. It ended up as just a means of saving fuel/time in driving through France and to Denmark. And because of the high prices at certain times, we ended up driving all the way* and staying in two hotels each way for less money than the ferry - which is mad!

* To pedants, yes, when crossing to France, I wasn't technically driving but I was still sat in the car, in the driving seat and making 'vroom vroom' every now and trying to turn the wheel.

 

[Greenback]

I agree that DFDS are struggling. I think they have made some bad decisions along the way. My first few trips on them in the late 1990's were lovely, but I noticed they had started to go downhill from 2003 onwards.

 

[jon0844]

That was about when the new ferry came into operation.

 

[Greenback]

Probably, I can't quite remember!

 

[reb0118]

Well I'm off to Esbjerg a week on Friday. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Busaholic]

I only ever travelled on it once, in 1969, and then only one way (back) so obviously my custom wasn't enough to keep it going. P.S. Who or what is Legoland and does it belong to the E.C.?

 

[jon0844]

Legoland is a character in Lord of the Rings isn't he?

And the lack of investing in a return trip is clearly why DFDS is in this mess now, having never fully recovered from the loss. Thanks very much.

 

[starrymarkb]

Actually Legoland Windsor may have contributed. A chunck of the tourist traffic may have been going to Legoland Billund (initially the only one!)

 

[jon0844]

Yes. Legoland UK has done so well it's attributed to a big boost in Merlin Entertainment's profits this year.

We had relatives from Sweden come over and went there in July, whereas before they went to Billund. And they flew here!