DFDS Seaways from Dover to Dunkerque

DFDS Seaways

DFDS Seaways have up to 12 services a day from Dover to Dunkerque, a crossing that takes on average 1 hour and 45 minutes. It is the only ferry company sailing to Dunkerque offering shorter driving times to Holland, Germany and Belgium.

DFDS Seaways Schedule

The brand new Norfolk Line Ferries sail every two hours from 02:00 every day. The journey takes 1hr and 45 minutes.

I’ve travelled on just about all cross channel ferries this year for press trips, reviews etc, so I was pleased to at last use the Norfolk Line (now DFDS Seaways) service from Dover to Dunkirk. I wasn’t disappointed.

Loading at Dover is as straightforward as it is with all the other operators, you just turn up, they take your car registration number at the check in and hand over your boarding pass. If you have priority boarding, they’ll send you to a different lane where you can be loaded onto the ferry before the others. You’ll then be able to disembark before the other vehicles at Dunkirk.

On board, you might notice that both the Norfolk Line ships are identical (if you really looked out for any differences), and have a modern feel, as they both came into service in 2005. They layout is designed to give customers a panoramic view of the sea as sit in the restaurant area, and all other areas have comfortable seating arrangements. One feature that these ships have that I have not seen on many ferries is that you can actually stand outside without getting wet. It may sound like a given for any ferry, but it isn’t, even the largest and newest ferries out there seem to have no good covered outdoor space, Norfolk Line do.

If you feel like doing some duty-free shopping on board there’s a large shop with everything from booze to souvenirs, clothes and mobile accessories.

First Class on DFDS is suitable for those who need some peace and quiet, it’s away from the busy areas behind some sliding doors which you open with a card given to you at check-in. You also get some free hot and cold drinks, biscuits and fruit. On my particular crossing, I noticed that the First Class was pretty empty, which if you want it to be is good, but it may indicate that you don’t get that much more for your money. The seating is comfortable, but not that much more than in other parts of the vessel, and actually I spent more time outside than I did inside anyway. In my experience, people who want first class will book it without asking questions, so if you want to get the best value, it’s probably best to go bog standard.

The two hours on board seemed to go quickly, and I was surprised at how quickly the ferry docked and unloaded. When we got back to Dover we were on the motorway within 10 minutes of getting back to the car.

If you are travelling to Holland, Belgium, Germany or other places in northern Europe I recommend DFDS Seaways as a cheap alternative to Eurotunnel, or even to the Dover-Calais route. It saves about 50 km of driving and gives you plenty of time to relax before and after a long drive.

Gary Phillips