Travel & Tourism

You can take a mini cruise to Amsterdam for just £65

And using just one day off

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 5th December 2024

Did you know you can fall asleep in the UK and wake up in the Netherlands, with tickets that are cheaper than a train to London? 

There are mini cruises to Amsterdam and Rotterdam running year-round, with tickets from just £65 a head. 

These bargain mini breaks give you a chance to experience a holiday on the high seas and a brilliant city break in one. 

And the best part is that you can have a two-night adventure using only one day of annual leave. 

We went along on a P&O Ferries mini cruise to see what it’s all about. 

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Your holiday begins just outside Hull, swiftly boarding your ferry by 7pm (a MUCH quicker process than boarding a plane). 

Each passenger is greeted by P&O staff who’ll show you to your cabin. 

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You can take a mini cruise to Amsterdam to eat Stroopwaffels. Credit: The Manc Group
You can take a mini cruise to Amsterdam to eat Stroopwaffels. Credit: The Manc Group
The view from a canal boat tour in Amsterdam on a mini cruise
The view from a canal boat tour in Amsterdam on a mini cruise. Credit: The Manc Group

There are various sizes of cabin available – ours were the Premier Cabins, with a modern interior, two single beds and an en suite bathroom. 

Although the P&O ferry that runs to the Netherlands is a little smaller than the huge passenger vessels sailing around the Caribbean, there’s still a surprising amount of entertainment on board, from interactive quizzes to a casino to live acoustic musicians in the sky lounge to a full show in the showlounge. 

There are also a few restaurants and bars, including a Costa, an Irish pub and a decent cocktail bar, alongside the main buffet restaurant. 

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Once you’ve tired yourself out on board and hit the hay, you’ll be ready to wake up in the land of tulips and canals and bicycles. 

The Pride of Hull, which runs mini cruises to Amsterdam
The Pride of Hull, which runs mini cruises to Amsterdam
The Pride of Hull, which runs mini cruises to Amsterdam

The ferry docks in Rotterdam, where you can spend the day, or there are coaches ready to whisk you off to Amsterdam. 

It’s surprising how much you can pack into a day in this vibrant city – start with a wander down some of the canals, grab a portion of Dutch fries loaded with parmesan and sauces, visit one of Amsterdam’s many museums, spend an hour on a canal boat tour seeing the city from the waterways, and grab a cocktail before embarking on your return journey. 

The coach drops you within walking distance of the city centre and all of the must-visit attractions of Amsterdam, whether you’re after stroopwaffels or coffee shops or a visit to Anne Frank’s house.

After another night on the ferry, and a whole new buffet, you’ll dock back on home turf first thing in the morning, and can comfortably be back at your desk before the work day even begins.

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You can find out more about P&O mini cruises to Amsterdam HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

Manchester Airport trains cancelled more than any other UK airport during Christmas season

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Airport sees more trains cancelled during the Christmas season than any other UK airport, a new study has revealed.

We’re certainly no stranger to a train cancellation or prolonged delay here in the North West, and train services to and from our region’s airport – which is the third busiest airport in the UK, and the largest outside of London – tend to be among the most cancelled of them.

But now, a new study by Arriva has found that Manchester Airport trains are as unreliable as we think… in fact, the most unreliable in the country.

As Christmas fast approaches, many people will be set to make some important journeys to visit family abroad, or to just escape cold weather, but due to transport prices increasing and regular cancellations occurring, it’s been found that more than half (51%) of Brits suffer from travel nerves, which is why knowing the most effective route to your nearest major airport matters.

Transport company Arriva has conducted a new study revealing the most efficient and cost-effective airport transport method this December for the five largest airports in the UK.

A new study has found that trains to Manchester Airport are cancelled more than any other UK airport during the Christmas season / Credit: Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)

And you can probably guess the train isn’t one of them.

According to the study, Manchester Airport experienced a total of 626 train cancellations last December in 2023, with Northern Rail services accounting for the majority of them with 492 services failing to turn up – making our region’s airport number one on the list nationwide.

5pm to 9pm was also found to be the worst time to travel by train to Manchester Airport during the last festive season, with 169 cancellations. 

Top 5 UK airports with the most Christmas train cancellations

  1. Manchester Airport – 626
  2. Heathrow Airport – 220
  3. Luton Airport – 135
  4. London Stansted Airport – 76
  5. Gatwick Airport – 18

Heathrow Airport follows in second place with 220 cancellations in December 2023, while Luton Airport ranks in third with 135 cancellations, and the 6am to 11am timeframe found to be the worst time to travel with 39 cancellations.  

While travelling to the airport is often dictated by the time of your flight, this new research has also ranked the best and worst times of day to travel, depending on the number of train cancellations.  

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It was found that midday between 11am and 2pm was the best time to travel, with only 167 cancellations in comparison to the 245 cancellations experienced between 5-9pm which is the worst.

Featured Image – Northern

Travel & Tourism

Aer Lingus is serving ‘classic’ Christmas dinners in the sky this festive period

Danny Jones Danny Jones Aer Lingus serving up Christmas dinner on flights

Ireland’s national airline Aer Lingus is taking plane food up a notch with a whole new seasonal range throughout the festive period, including ‘classic’ Christmas dinners.

Yes, that’s right: you can get the mother of all Sunday roasts in the sky.

The Irish flight operators and flag carriers are no strangers to pulling out the stops when it comes to convincing people to choose one of their planes the next time they travel, having recently held a huge Black Friday sale on trips to key holiday destinations.

With that in mind, their latest perk certainly got our attention; when have you ever heard of someone eating a Christmas dinner during a flight? Be honest: you haven’t – that’s why it’s such a great idea.

I see roasties and a sweet. Sounds like they understand the Christmas dinners to me (Credit: Aer Lingus).

What’s better than the feeling of knowing you’re on your way to a relaxing getaway? Adding arguably everyone’s favourite meal of the year on top of it for the journey, and that’s exactly what Aer Lingus has done with the new festive menu.

Starting from Sunday, 8 December, passengers on board long-haul Aer Lingus flights departing from Ireland and down the road at Manchester Airport will be serving up what they’ve dubbed a classic Christmas dinner with all these usual suspects on the plate. Meat, gravy, stuffing, veg – you get the gist.

Those flying across the Atlantic during the holidays to destinations like New York, Orlando and Barbados – three of the airline’s most popular destinations – will actually be able to enjoy food and drink from a choice of more than 50 festive favourites.

Be it the familiar roast open or the likes of seasonal turkey sandwiches, Irish cream liqueur desserts, cheese boards and special ‘Merry Berry’ champagne cocktails available in business class, with the latter coming as a winter warmer welcome drink (don’t mind if we do), there’s plenty to choose from.

Even if you’re flying economy, there’s still a scrumptious orange chocolate mousse for afters or a special Santa-inspired chocolate treat for the little ones. Provided they’ve eaten all their veggies, of course…

You don’t have to stick with a roast either (Credit: Aer Lingus).

To top it all off, the airline will also be screening plenty of classics to watch whilst you’re enjoying your food, from Home Alone, Elf, The Polar Express and Love Actually, to as well as Christmas TV specials like Friends, Father Ted, The Big Bang Theory, The US Office and more.

If none of those takes your fancy, there are also plenty of documentaries, kids’ entertainment, podcasts and games as per usual, or you should tilt your head back and enjoy some seasonal music.

Aer Lingus‘ Chief Customer Officer, Susanne Carberry, said: “At Aer Lingus, we take great pride in the role we play in bringing family and friends together to celebrate the special moments, particularly at this time of year. With the holiday season getting underway, we’re doing all we can to ensure that we make every journey count for our customers.

Christmas meals will be available onboard from 8-24 December, so if you’re looking to fly transatlantic during the festive period, you may want to take an airborne Sunday dinner into account.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – Aer Lingus (supplied)

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