King Seaways Review

King Seaways is a modern cruise ferry with three main decks of public space on offer.

King Seaways

DFDS operates King Seaways on the Newcastle to Amsterdam route alongside Princess Seaways.

M.S. King Seaways (formerly M.S. King of Scandinavia) was built in 1987 by Schichau Seebeckwerft AG of Bremerhaven, West Germany, and was put into service by DFDS in 2006, following duty by two other shipping firms previously.

Following a comprehensive refitting, King of Scandinavia was put into service under the DFDS marque (registered in Copenhagen) on the Newcastle (UK) to Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) route where she has sailed ever since. Her first voyage was on 11th March 2006.

On 29th January 2011, King of Scandinavia sailed with a brand new livery and now carries the name of King Seaways.

Vessel Layout

King Seaways features comfortable cabins and a wide range of facilities.

Deck 7 is home to the 7 Seas Buffet Restaurant, shops, and Guest Services. An Observation Lounge can be found at the front.

Deck 8 is where you will find the Bake 'n Coffee and Latitude cafés, the Kids' Club, Navigators Bar, Explorers Steakhouse, and the Blue Riband restaurant.

You will also find a conservation room in association with ORCA, a dolphin and whale charity.

Head upstairs to Deck 9 and you will find live entertainment in the Columbus Club, a Sports Bar, a casino, Amusement Games, and more shops.

Sky Bar is on Deck 10 along with the Commodore De Luxe lounge (with restricted access just for Commodore passengers). Mermaid Bar is on Deck 12 and relies on good weather to open.

Most foot passengers do not see the car deck and cannot appreciate the huge scale of the decks. The vessel is capable of carrying up to 600 cars.

The video above is from DFDS and shows a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes during a turnaround. Typically ships dock in the morning and depart late in the afternoon. Adverse weather can reduce this time further adding to the pressure.

Facts & Figures

If you're a ferry buff or mechanically minded then check out these vital statistics for King Seaways:

  • Length: 162 metres
  • Width: 28 metres
  • Draught: 6.2 metres
  • Displacement: 4,160 deadweight tonnes (DWT)
  • Gross Tonnage: 31,395 gross registered tonnes (GRT)
  • Cruising Speed: 21 Knots
  • Power: 4 × MaK 8M552 diesel engines with a combined output of 19600 kW
  • Number of Cabins: 543
  • Passenger capacity: 2000
  • Cargo capacity: A total of 1,250 lane metres for cargo (equates to around 102 40-foot trailers), or a combination of trucks, trailers, coaches, caravans, campervans and cars up to the equivalent of 600 cars
  • Electrical system: 220 V. AC

King Seaways Deck Plans

This deck plan image for King Seaways shows the vessel layout in a profile view:

King Seaways Deck Plan

  • Ferry comfort
  • Ferry food and drink
  • Ferry entertainment
4.3

Summary

King Seaways is a large ferry with lots of public space inside. The ship has a great choice of dining venues, bars, lounges, and entertainment.

Read more in this series

  1. Getting to Port of Tyne International Passenger Terminal
  2. King Seaways Review (you are here)
  3. King Seaways Cabins
  4. Food & Drink on King Seaways
  5. Entertainment on King Seaways
  6. Guide to Ijmuiden, Amsterdam
  7. Novotel Centre Tour Noire Brussels Review
  8. Top Things To Do, See, And Eat In Brussels
  9. Brussels Christmas Markets and Light Show
  10. Brussels Christmas Markets Mini Cruise Review on DFDS' King Seaways
(Photo credit(s) to David Fiske. Deck plan credit to DFDS)
Disclosure: DFDS kindly supplied a half board mini cruise to Brussels, including overseas transfers and a hotel. I paid for travel to and from the Port of Tyne, UK hotel, car parking, incidentals onboard, and meals and incidentals overseas. The opinions in this article are my own.

Written by David Fiske

David first found his sea legs on a cruise around the Caribbean in 2009. Since then he's looked for any excuse to get back on the water which led him onto creating Mini Cruise Reviews as a way to showcase short min breaks that sail from the UK (on ferries or cruise ships).

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