Princess Seaways Review

Princess Seaways is a modern cruise ferry with several decks of public space on offer.

Princess Seaways

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

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Princess Seaways was built by Schichau Unterweser in Germany in 1986 for the TT-Line of the same country. DFDS purchased the ship in November 2006. She underwent renovation works transforming her into the vessel she is today.

She was named M.S. Princess of Norway and in May 2007 she was moved to the Newcastle to Ijmuiden route. She sails a timetable in tandem with King Seaways, operating a daily ferry service between the United Kingdom and Holland.

In 2011 M.S. Princess of Norway was renamed M.S Princess Seaways and was repainted in the new corporate livery.

Vessel Layout

Most of the public spaces are limited to three decks. Deck 6 is where you will find the 7 Seas Buffet Restaurant, shops, and Guests Services desk.

Deck 7 is home to the Explorers Steakhouse restaurant, the Blue Riband Restaurant, the Compass bar, the Blue Riband Lounge, the Bake 'n' Coffee café, and the Kidz' Club.

Deck 8 is where you will find the Columbus Club (complete with nightly live entertainment), a Casino, Navigators Bar and the Cinema. There's also a dedicated lounge for freight drivers.

The rear of the decks are open for some fresh air and the best sea views. On Deck 11 you will also find the Sky Bar, an open air bar that only opens when the weather permits.

Facts & Figures

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

  • Length: 161 metres
  • Width: 27 metres
  • Draught: 6.2 metres
  • Displacement: 4,110 deadweight tonnes (DWT)
  • Gross Tonnage: 31,360 gross registered tonnes (GRT)
  • Cruising Speed: 20 Knots
  • Power: 4 × MaK 8M552 diesel engines with a combined output of 19600 kW
  • Number of Cabins: 501
  • Passenger capacity: 1600
  • Cargo capacity: A total of 1,410 lane metres for cargo (equates to around 115 40-foot trailers), or a combination of trucks, trailers, coaches, caravans, campervans and cars up to the equivalent of 580 cars
  • Electrical system: 220 V. AC

Princess Seaways Deck Plan

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

Princess Seaways Deck Plan

Book your Cologne Christmas Markets mini cruise here°
  • Ferry comfort
  • Ferry food and drink
  • Ferry entertainment
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Summary

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

Read more in this series

  1. International Passenger Terminal, Port of Tyne
  2. Princess Seaways Review (you are here)
  3. Princess Seaways Cabins
  4. Food & Drink on Princess Seaways
  5. Entertainment on Princess Seaways
  6. Guide to Ijmuiden Port, Amsterdam
  7. Cologne Marriott Hotel Review
  8. You Cannot Visit Cologne And Not See These Sights
  9. Cologne Christmas Markets Guide
  10. Cologne Christmas Markets Mini Cruise Review on DFDS' Princess Seaways
Posted on by David Fiske
(Photo credit(s) to David Fiske)
Disclosure: DFDS kindly supplied a half board mini cruise to Cologne, including overseas transfers and a hotel. I paid for travel to and from the Port of Tyne, my 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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