With bicycles chained to everything that stands still long enough, more pretty bridges than you can shake a stick at and cute little art shops, book shops and cafes in every other canalside building you pass, you couldn't really be anywhere but Amsterdam.Ĭrossing four different canals in about 15 minutes, we reach the cosy cafe de Prins. What really, truly makes me feel like I'm on holiday, convinces me I'm hundreds of miles away from Newcastle, is a walk along Leliegracht, a nearby street, which is criss-crossed with picture postcard perfect Amsterdam canals. Next, we take in the bustling Dam square, nosing through a few of shops on adjoining streets. It's about half an hour into the city, and this is where the magic really starts. We don't want to waste any of our precious time in Amsterdam and, determined travellers that we are, we take some of the last seats on the coveted first bus. The next morning, a generous breakfast under our belts we join what is, to be honest, a bit of a scrum to get onto the first bus into the city.

It's worth remembering that drinks do cost extra on board, and are perhaps not the cheapest – but with dinner paid for in advance, we feel we don't need to worry too much. We leave some time later, practically rolling back to our cabins after eating more than our fill (and ignoring the raised eyebrows of the couple sat next to us who don't seem to have understood the concept of an all you can eat buffet at all). Review of Beauty and the Beast at The Customs House in South Shields.Lasagne with a side of curry? American burgers, topped off with crisp, meaty croquettes? How about a seafood salad, or perhaps you're more in the mood for a choice of about six different Chinese dishes, fried rice, noodles, spring rolls, and more – so much more.

Here we're confronted with a frankly daunting array of dishes. The nice thing is that your cabin is yours for the weekend, so there's no need to lug your stuff round the city and you can properly settle in.Īfter a few hours of this, we rouse ourselves to take advantage of the Explorer's Kitchen world buffet, included in the cruise ticket. Tour of the newly refurbished DFDS King Seaways ferry, with new bars restaurants and 16 deluxe cabins (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)Īfter a breath of bracing ocean air on the deck, my companion and I choose to settle into our cosy but comfortable seaview cabin for a while, recovering from a long week and getting on with some knitting (I'm trying to finish a cardigan in time for Christmas – I don't rate my chances too highly, but a relaxing sea voyage certainly helped).

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