DFDS Seaways, Harwich to Esbjerg

we were held up by road works on the motorway and arrived late at check in so asked if we would still be allowed to board. We were advised we would be and were parked on an open deck along with other cars. The crossing was extremely smooth so were surprised on approaching Denmark to see the cars on the open deck being hosed down. When we got to our car on arrival it was extremely wet and in fact covered with puddles of water. Nobody told us that the car had been hosed and why nor was any advise given to us for any follow up treatment for the car. If the car needed hosing down it needed it for a reason and we should have been advised. It was by sheer chance we witnessed the event. It was a very hot day and the puddles of water turned into rings of salt deposits. When we were able to wash our car we found we could not remove the marks adequately. It was obvious that the hosing down had not been done properly and was possibly because it was a soft topped car and they were wary of water penetration. Surely therefore we needed to be advised.

On the return trip we asked at the customer desk what we should do and were told to send in an email which we have done to be told by DFDS that that is not the correct procedure.

Now comes the interesting bit - DFDS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS - WE HAVE BEEN TOLD TO GO VIA OUR INSURANCE COMPANY.

This company's attitude to a problem of their making is disgusting. So fellow passengers our complaint was about damage to our car your complaint could be about anything you encounter but I bet the reaction will be the same.

I chose DFDS to mimise motorway travel on my 650cc enduro motorcycle in getting to my destination not far from Hamburg. 180 miles to and from Ebsjerg seemed the sensible option but as you'll find out fate was not on my side!

The weather during the week was often foul so a pleasant and reliable ferry crossing was hoped for. Yet the outward trip was spoilt by high prices for example £5.40 for a pint of Carlsberg and around £25 for a buffet and £10 for breakfast. On a positive note at least there were tie downs for motorcycles and bikes were stowed relatively securely.

However, my return journey did not happen. Apparently the ferry Dana Sirena was "in collision" with the dock at Harwich the night before my sailing and was so damaged as to require dry dock repairs. Interestingly, I was told later by a Stena Line staff member with a sly smile that their ferry had berthed at Harwich about the same time with no such problems!! But yes it was a bit rough weather wise.

So having ridden 180 miles from south of Hamburg to Denmark in torrential rain again (is Denmark ever dry?) I arrived at the ferry terminal to find it quiet, empty and the only sign there was a problem was an angry lorry driver u-turning his HGV away from the port. Eventually a fellow traveller told me to go up to the Ticketing Office os they could tell me the ferry wouldn't be arriving in Ebsjerg for at least another week. I thought he was joking..........

But he wasn't, although the DFDS guy I spoke with on the desk tried to use inappropriate humour in a desperate situation as far as I was concerned. Could I get to Hook of Holland by 1030 tomorrow morning and get on the Stena Line ship to Harwich? No guarantees you'll get on board and by the way you'll have to pay Stena for that trip too. Well there was no way I could ride 400+ miles on a little 650 single cylinder bike having already done well over 100 miles and it was now 1600 hrs late afternoon. What a disaster and you know what, I got the impression - confimed subsequently - that this company, DFDS, as did Townsend Thoresen in the days of Pride of Free Enterprise (sunk) don't really care about their customers.

I had to stay another night at the hotel near Hamburg to gather my strength and get some sleep before my onward journey to Hook of Holland. Horrendous trip with more rain high winds and motorway speeds all of which I wanted to avoid. Thanks DFDS. Well another £70 lighter in the wallet plus lots of fuel then another £160 to Stena Line which I was almost happy to pay just to get home.

The Stena Line trip by the way was a revelation compared with Dana Sirena because I was on a big new and modern boat and the staff were helpful. Food pretty good too. I managed to get on the evening sailing and arrived early next morning at Harwich.

Well to cut a long story short I naively thought DFDS would show some good will and reimburse me for the additional expense I had incurred BECAUSE OF THEM. No such offer was forthcoming and I was quoted a lot of EU legislative drivel about what DFDS were obliged to do which is to only refund the cost of the return journey from Ebsjerg which was cancelled. DFDS Customer Services chose not to comment on much of my claim and the complaints I made about their poor staff at Ebsjerg. They suggested I might try a claim via my travel insurance. Oh thanks. Once the excess is removed and the hassle involved in another claim I felt it was not worth doing.

Nonetheless, I remain out of pocket for quite a lot of money and I am hoping that the payback for DFDS will be that lots of people out there reading my review will choose NOT TO USE DFDS concluding that they are a company to be avoided at all costs.

DO NOT BOOK with DFDS unless you are absolutely certain you want to go.

I booked a place for a car and a family of 4 and wanted to cancel a full 5 months in advance. DFDS told me that I would forfeit the entire booking fee (about £1,700), oh but I would get a refund on the meals. I will NEVER NEVER NEVER use DFDS ever again.

This cruise was the worst one I had experienced. The ship rocked so much that I was seasick for the whole time onboard and couldn't get any sleep or consume much food. Also, the buffet food they offer in their seven seas restaurant is a total ripoff for the price they are charging you bearing in mind that the price does not even offer you basic tea or coffee. It costs £2.50 for a bottle of water. I find it is unacceptable and despicable that hot drinks are not included in a £26 buffet plus the customer service is appalling from the waitresses. Don't query the price with them cos they do not like it. As with the food, don't expect anything spectacular or expensive, just something you can eat from normal supermarkets and there were flies hovering over the cold food and desserts which was disgusting. Oh and they only allow you to have 2 hours to eat so it wasn't a relaxing dinner at all. The worst thing about this company is they are irresponsible and deceiving. They will not own up to their staff's mistakes even though they admit their staff gave you misleading information causing financial loss to the customer. I would strongly NOT recommend this company to anybody at all. P&O is much much better. STEER CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY!!

The Harwich to Esbjerg mini cruise, was clean, comfortable, TV in the cabins, great showers, lovely views from dining room windows. Children's entertainer one way and folk singer on return. Food is good but pricey. Eg. breakfast is around £9 per adult (2008); half price for children. Teas and coffees about £2 each if purchased in the bar or cafe. Very relaxing crossing indeed.