"PRIDE OF YORK" passenger facilities and Technical Data

                                  Reception area located on deck 5

                                   Cafe Oliveto situated on deck 5

                                     Moonlight lounge situated on deck 6

                                      Casino located on deck 5

                                      Boulevard Bar situated on deck 5

                                    Shopping area situated on deck 5

                               Langan's Brasserie and Wine Bar situated on deck 4

                                  Children's Playroom and quite room located on deck 4

"PRIDE OF YORK" was loaded with passengers to her full capacity on friday 23.11.2012, being a friday a lot of people took advantage of the mini cruise to Bruges, just 15 kms away from Zeebrugge where the Cruise Ferry docks, the ship normally arrives at 9.30 am allowing plenty of time for a shore excursion to the amazing Bruges, the return voyage to Hull is at 7 pm local time. "PRIDE OF YORK" has been a difficult ship for me to judge, I've been sailing with her since 1992 when she was the NORSEA, for the past 10 years she looked tired and showing her age, but today she looks exactly the same as she did all those years ago, in fact looking better, her passenger facilities far from being luxurious are spacious, clean and attractive and well looked after, they are located on decks 4 (green deck), 5 (red deck) and 6 (blue deck). The mini cruise is a perfect getaway for a couple of days, reasonable food, relaxing cabins and decent entertainment can be experienced on board the ship and of course the excursion to Bruges one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Photos above 23.11.2011 Technical Data of this old friend of mine as follows

Yard: Govan Shipyard, Glasgow, UK
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Keel Laying Date: 24.8.1985
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Entered Service: May 1987
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GRT: 31.785
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Draught loaded: 6.13 meters
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Length: 179.20 meters
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Breadth: 25.35 meters
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Breadth with stabilizers extended: 32.12 meters
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Stabilizers: HDW fin type
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Service speed: 18 knots
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Main Engines: 4 Wartsila/Sulzer, total 19.200 KW
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Passengers: 1011
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Cargo: 850 cars, or 180 x 12m units
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Distance from Hull to Zeebrugge: 202 nm
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Built as the NORSEA for NORTH SEA FERRIES, renamed 22.1.2003 "PRIDE OF YORK" and transferred to P & O FERRIES.

"PRIDE OF YORK" arriving Zeebrugge

Photo taken of board "PRIDE OF YORK" arriving Zeebrugge on the very foggy morning of the 23.11.2012

S.S."ROTTERDAM" preserved as an Hotel/Restaurant/Museum at Rotterdam

Built in 1959, the Steam Ship "ROTTERDAM" ended her ocean going days back in 2000, she has been restored and open to the public since February 2009 permanently moored at her home port of Rotterdam. Anyone can dine, visit the ship and even stay on board, for all the information concerning this not to be missed opportunity please visit the ship's official website, by clicking here. Photos 24.11.2012

Back at sea on board cruise ferry "PRIDE OF YORK"

Back on board Cruise Ferry "PRIDE OF YORK" built 1987, no longer a British registered ship, she now flies the Bahamas flag, photos 23.11.2012

Mini-Cruises with P & O FERRIES from Hull

mini cruises | Mini Cruise Breaks | P&O Ferries:

This is the time of the year to benefit the promotional rates offered by PO FERRIES and take a cruise to BELGIUM and HOLLAND from Hull. Daily departures overnight that allow passengers to spend time at leisure in Bruges, Amsterdam or Rotterdam or you can extend your stay and explore these destinations, mediaeval Bruges an enchanting city, cosmopolitan Amsterdam and Rotterdam with so much on offer, for the ships enthusiasts there is also the opportunity to pay a visit to the brilliant S.S. ROTTERDAM, where you can use the Hotel and Restaurant facilities and explore the ship with various tours on offer. To access PO FERRIES website please click link above and for the SS ROTTERDAM official website, click here. Photos above taken from the internet apart from the top one, my own photo with the PRIDE OF BRUGES departing Hull.

Maritime Le Havre from "NORMAN VOYAGER"

Photos 10.11.2012

"NORMAN VOYAGER" ready for sea at Le Havre

"NORMAN VOYAGER" ready for sea and leaving the harbour of Le Havre, yesterday 10.11.2012

my first trip on "NORMAN VOYAGER"

In the space of just nine days I did a round trip Portsmouth/Le Havre/Portsmouth on board "NORMAN VOYAGER", it was my very first trips on the ship. The vessel is part of 14 very similar ships built by Italian shipyards CANTIERI NAVALE VISENTINE, she was introduced in November of 2008 so she is only four years old. "NORMAN VOYAGER" is owned by Epic Shipping Ltd she was introduced on the Portsmouth/Le Havre route in 2011, the vessel is  26.904 GRT and has a top speed of 22.8 knots. Between 2009 and 2011 the ship was operated by Celtic Link Ferries who chartered her from LD LINES for the Cherbourg to Rosslare route, during this period in December of 2009 she received an award for saving three crew members of a struggling yacht out of Cherbourg, a plaque proudly displayed on board. The interiors of the ship are very basic but really well looked after, she actually is better preserved than the NORMAN ASTURIAS employed on the Saint-Nazaire to Gijon service also with LD LINES and delivers better food, the "boeuf bourgignon" is excellent. The ship has been operating since 2011 on the Portsmouth to Le Havre service with LD LINES, part of the project MOTORWAYS OF THE SEA. Photos 1st and 10th November 2012