Cruising on a Shoestring

Although it is advertised as a 'Mini-Cruise' I do think this is maybe more wishful thinking than an appropriate label - now don't get me wrong - I was under no illusions that this would be anything like a 'real' cruise - after all it cost us just £109 for 4 people for a 2 night cruise - but in reality it was just a super-long ferry crossing. After booking the 'cruise' I discovered that you were not allowed to take your own food on board this - fact alerting me to the chance that eating on board was going to be expensive and how the company made their money!! Well I'm always up for a challenge so loaded out suitcase with numerous bags of crisps, biscuits and pouches of drinks and hoping that any sniffer dogs at the port wouldn't be trained in detecting Cheesy Wotsits  (after all this was a main link from Amsterdam and I doubt Wotsits are the usual substance smuggled on this route)

Once safely on board we were directed to our cabin or as Louie christened it 'cabinet' - It felt a bit like being on the Titanic and we were definitely in  Steerage - we were so low down in the ship we had to decompress in the lift to prevent getting the bends on the way up - Our cabin was compact and with folding bunks that we thought probably best that the smaller kids don't sleep on (a) the risk of falling from quite a height could result in multiple breakages and (b) I suspect neither of them would have the weight to keep the bunk from folding up with them should the sea get a bit choppy.

As we were even way below the car decks I suspect that our value is considered less than that of an average Vauxhall Astra in cruising hierarchy - demonstrated by the fact that the door next to our cabin was the only thing preventing the sea from entering our level!

 

I really didn't want to risk getting drunk on board and opening this one by mistake!!

On the upside of being this low down we had the drone and the vibration of the engines to soothe us sleep as they seemed to be on the other side of the wall - pretty good central heating source too ;)

Amsterdam was pretty fantastic though - I've been to Holland lots but it was my first time there - will definitely be heading there again but maybe not via a 'mini-cruise' ;)