How long have you been working onboard the King of Scandinavia?
I came onboard only a few days ago, but have been with DFDS for 15
years now.
What was the condition of the Val de Loire
when she was handed over to you?
I was not onboard when the ship was handed over in Cherbourg. From
what I have been told the ship had been operating primarily as a
freight ship during her last few months with Brittany Ferries, so
many of the outlets onboard had already been shut down prior to
handover. On the hotel side the ship was not in that good a
condition, allot of cleaning had
to be carried out for example. On the mechanical side I have been
told she was in excellent order.
What major work have you carried out
onboard, if any?
As you have seen whilst walking around the bulk of the work carried
out is cosmetic,
whilst the biggest change onboard was the conversion of the old
self-service restaurant into the ‘7 Seas Buffet Restaurant’. The aft
end of deck 9 has had some work done too.
The reclining seat lounges have been removed (with the exception of
one, which we are not sure what the current plan is for), to create
a sports bar and drivers lounge. The conference rooms have been
turned into a computer games area and children’s playroom.
A casino and large slot machine area have also been installed where
previously the newspaper kiosque was found. The crew mess rooms on
deck 10 have been completely refurbished. Our product is not too dissimilar from that of
Brittany Ferries’ which made the transition a relatively simple one.
The ship is still very much as she was with
Brittany Ferries. Are there any plans for further modifications to
be made?
At the moment there are no plans for any big changes. The
replacement of carpets and signage is ongoing, and some cabins will
receive some work, but no, nothing major.
The onboard artwork remains, will this be
remaining?
All of the artwork that you see onboard is still the property of
Brittany Ferries. It will remain on loan to us until the arrival of
their newbuild. Whether or not it will all be removed I think
depends on how Brittany Ferries want to style the new ship. I am
sure DFDS & Brittany Ferries will come to some arrangement!
Brittany Ferries vessels are decorated
around a theme, eg Val de Loire had a maritime theme. How does
DFDS style their vessels, are they individual or part of a group
‘brand’?
The DFDS fleet has a common identity onboard. There are plans in the
future to organise themes onboard however, although these will be
seasonal and fleet wide, involving celebrities for example. I am not
sure on the full details at the moment.
What happened to the swimming pool?
The swimming pool was in need of a complete overhaul/replacement. It
was decided that decommissioning it was the better option. The
current plan is for the space to become a crew recreational room
(table tennis, TV, cinema etc).
Have there been any problems since she
entered service with you (DFDS)?
It has been relatively trouble free, we’re always learning as we go
along and are
continually trying to improve the experience and product onboard.
The biggest problem we have is signage for the stairwells to the car
decks. It’s a very confusing layout which has both passengers and
crew confused at times. For example, certain deck areas can only be
reached by a single stairwell, only from deck 6! We’re not quite
sure how we can improve
it at the moment, but we will do our best!
We had a couple of incidents as you mentioned (the small fires and
watertight door injury), which we have learnt and adapted from. We
now don’t close the watertight doors at night, although this is only
a temporary solution as it is a requirement by our flag state to
have
them closed, which we currently have an exemption from. It was quite
a challenge to get her up to standard (in safety terms) to that
required by her new flag.
How have the passengers reacted to the King
of Scandinavia?
99% of the feedback we have received though our comment card system
has been positive. The only negative reaction we get, in fact, is
regarding the stairwells to the car decks.
Do the crew enjoy working onboard compared
to the Duke of Scandinavia?
This has been a problem area for us. Onboard the Duke of Scandinavia
the crew were all accommodated in a common area, whilst on here we
have crew spread out on decks 1,
2, 5, 6, 10 & 11. Compared to Brittany Ferries’ 80, we have 170 crew
members, so most have to share a cabin onboard. We don’t use shore
side cleaning staff which is one of the reasons for the larger crew.
The Duke of Scandinavia was a fantastic ship to work on,
and as many of the crew are from her, for most the crew conditions
were quite a disappointment. It is something we are trying to
address, but short of removing passenger cabins I am not sure what
can be done. The conversion of the swimming pool will soon be
complete, which will help. Our Polish crew are onboard for 2 months
and the Indonesian crew, 4 months, so good living conditions are
important.
I noticed a number of liferafts have been
removed. Has the ships passenger capacity been reduced since coming
to DFDS?
Yes, the passenger capacity is now about 1,500. The removal of the
reclining seat lounges was a major factor in this, but also, all
passengers must be assigned to a cabin, unlike the day crossings
with Brittany Ferries.
Has the rather strange garage configuration
posed any problems?
From what I have been told by the loading officers she is a very
easy ship to load. It is just the stairwells that are the problem!
How has the King of Scandinavia handled in
bad weather on the North Sea?
I was talking to the Captain about this yesterday and he said that
he found the ship to be very stable. She has not been in any
significant weather since coming up to the North Sea yet, but
imagine she will be good. From a manoeuvring point of view she is
underpowered, particularly the bow thrusters, and if there is any
significant wind, particularly in Ijmuiden, we need tugs.
Unlike the Duke of Scandinavia the sponsons have been installed
inside the ship (within
the car deck) which has made her more stable. The Duke of
Scandinavia bobbed around
like a cork following their installation on the outside of the ship.
What is DFDS’ target market on the route,
and approximately how many of your
passengers are mini-cruisers?
Freight is our biggest customer, but we want to be able to offer
ships with a high standard of passenger accommodation/facilities.
Our market is similar to that of Brittany Ferries’ but we are always
looking to increase it.
At this time of year (June) we don’t carry many mini cruisers, aside
from a Friday night departure from Newcastle. In the summer months
it can account for up to 50% of the passengers onboard. The
mini-cruise market is becoming increasingly difficult with
competition from the cheap airlines, so we have to keep the price
right.
Would DFDS consider purchasing from
Brittany Ferries again?
Yes, certainly, I don’t see why not. The two companies appear to
have a good working relationship.
With many of your competitors operating
newer, custom designed vessels, does the company have any plans to
replace the Queen of Scandinavia, and is the King of Scandinavia
just a stop gap measure, or a long term investment?
Its no secret that DFDS have tried to sell the Queen of Scandinavia
on many occasions. Since the last major refit carried out onboard
her, the feeling is now that she will remain for at least another 5
years following the investment made. As for the King of Scandinavia
she is here to stay.
Did you like the Duke of Scandinavia, and
how do you think she will fare with
passengers on the channel?
I have very fond memories of the Duke of Scandinavia. She was
popular with both passengers and especially her crew, for me she was
much easier to manage. Her layout was simple, making getting around
much easier than onboard here. I think she was more suited to a
night sailing than a day one, only having a couple of bars and not
much seating.
I think there are plans to install seats on her soon.
Will the King of Scandinavia be operating a
new year’s cruise this year?
Yes. Last year was the first time we have attempted a new years
cruise (onboard the Queen of Scandinavia & Duke of Scandinavia) and
they were extremely successful. This year we hope to offer a full
cruise style product, where meals and drinks will all be
included in the ticket price. The ship will sail down to Amsterdam
itself, through the locks. The King of Scandinavia cruise will be
for Dutch passengers, whilst the Queen of Scandinavia will sail from
Newcastle – sorry!
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