Despite the ongoing challenging market conditions, over 65,000 passengers sailed in August alone, revealing an increase of almost 4,000 passengers compared to last year. DFDS Seaways is the only ferry operator to sail between Newcastle and Amsterdam and offers two daily sailings.

During August this year, 65,302 passengers sailed with DFDS Seaways between Newcastle and Amsterdam, compared to 61,551 in August 2012.

Commenting on the record figures, Max Foster, passenger director at DFDS Seaways said: “Every ferry sailing on our Newcastle to Amsterdam route in August was fully booked, which is a fantastic achievement, especially given the continuing tough economic conditions. Striving to deliver excellent customer service is at the heart of everything we do and we are delighted that the hard work and dedication of our onboard and shore-based teams, coupled with our high quality ferries, seems to be striking a cord with our customers.”

DFDS Seaways cruise ferry service departs daily from the port in North Shields, Newcastle at 17:00 and arrives at 09:30 the next morning into Amsterdam ferry port.

World Travel Awards
Adding to the celebrations, DFDS Seaways was also awarded the prestigious accolade of ‘World’s Leading Ferry Operator’ at the 2013 World Travel Awards Gala in Doha, Qatar. This is the third year in a row the operator has taken the title.
The World Travel Awards, hailed as the premier awards programme for the travel and tourism industry, celebrates excellence throughout the global travel, tourism and hospitality sector. The winners are decided by votes from travel industry professionals and consumers.

In addition to the ‘World’s Leading Ferry Operator’ accolade, DFDS Seaways also received the title of ‘Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator’ at the European leg of the World Travel Awards held in August 2013. Together, these titles recognise the DFDS Seaways’ commitment to excellence during the last twelve months

“We are very honoured to be awarded ‘World’s Leading Ferry Operator’ for three consecutive years. This is a fantastic endorsement of the excellent service and standards we strive to deliver to our loyal customer base. This prestigious award is testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff, who work tirelessly to provide the very best travel experience,” said Foster.

He added: “We believe that a customer’s holiday should start as soon as they board a DFDS Seaways ferry and are committed to continuing to provide the highest quality service and experience for everyone who sails with us. That is why we recently announced a £4 million investment in our Newcastle to Amsterdam cruise ferry service to upgrade onboard facilities, as well as install new energy saving propellers on the ships to help make them more efficient.”

More Information
DFDS Seaways operates a comprehensive passenger route network, which incorporates six routes from the UK to Europe, via Dover-Dunkirk, Dover-Calais, Newhaven-Dieppe, Portsmouth-Le Havre, Newcastle-Amsterdam and Harwich-Esbjerg, providing passengers a wide range of choice and a gateway to Europe.

DFDS also operates a number of ferry routes across the Baltic Sea.
For further information please visit www.dfds.co.uk or head over to Hall 18./119 here at ITB Berlin.