Stena Britannica Harwich-Hook of Holland: Review 2026

Boarding at Harwich

I arrived at Harwich about two hours and ten minutes before the 11pm departure. They were already checking everybody in and the port was busy. Harwich is right on the east coast of Essex, and the overnight sailing clearly draws a crowd.

My crossing was with Stena Line on the Stena Britannica, a much bigger ship than the Superfast ferries I had used to travel between Belfast and Cairnryan a few days earlier. I was expecting more services and a more comfortable overnight experience, and on both counts the Britannica delivered.

Check-in with my motorhome was straightforward. I was directed to a lane and waited for boarding to begin.

The Cabin

I had booked an Economy ticket with a single inside cabin. The total cost was GBP 163 including the cabin and my motorhome. Compared to some of the prices I had been quoted for Ireland to France direct, that felt like good value. Current fares for a car and one passenger on the overnight sailing are around EUR 329.

The cabin was small, but I had expected worse. Two bunk beds in the room, both made up. I used the lower one. The duvet was perfectly functional. The pillows were a little soft for my liking.

On one side there was a small sofa, and opposite it a desk area with two European sockets and one British socket for charging. A TV mounted on the wall offered mostly Dutch channels. The room had its own climate control, which was a genuine plus on a warm June evening.

The bathroom was basic. The smell when I first walked in was not appetizing. But the water pressure turned out to be good, the wood-effect sink surround looked quite nice, and the shower head was decent and set at a good height. Shower gel was provided. Not luxurious, but everything worked.

For one night, the cabin did the job. I would not want to spend longer in here, but for a nine-hour overnight crossing it was more than adequate.

On Deck and Onboard

I headed up to what is optimistically called the sun deck. In reality it is where people come to smoke. But the view was worth the visit - the Stena logo lit up on the stack, lorries still being loaded below, and the last light fading over Harwich.

Even in June, it was cold up there. A warm jacket was necessary.

In the morning I grabbed a coffee and a croissant from the cafe. Both were fine - nothing memorable, but perfectly acceptable for an early start. The Britannica also has a restaurant, a bar, and a coffee house, though I did not try any of those on this crossing.

Duty Free

I assumed the duty-free shop was closed because all the doors were shut. In fact, they operated on a click-and-collect basis. I went to the desk, told them what I wanted, and they bagged it for collection the following morning after 6am. A handy service that I had not seen on other ferries.

I picked up a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Bramble gin and a bottle of Aperol. The prices were reasonable, and if you are travelling onwards to Scandinavia where alcohol is expensive, the duty free here is worth a look.

The Overnight

I did not linger after boarding. Guest Services told me the first wake-up call would be at 5:30am. It was already 11pm. I went straight to bed.

The crossing was smooth. Slight winds, calm seas. I slept well enough in the lower bunk.

5:30am came too quickly. A second alarm followed at 6am, then duty-free collection, then disembarkation. I could have done with two or three more hours of sleep. That is the trade-off with the overnight sailing - you save a full day of driving, but the sleep window is short.

Arrival at Hook of Holland

By 6am I could just about see the Dutch coast from the deck. Fresh air, calm morning, a thin line of land getting slowly closer.

Back on the car deck, my motorhome was parked at the very rear. One vehicle behind me, so I was among the last off. With an Economy ticket there was no priority disembarkation. But I was not in a rush. My campsite near Groningen was three hours away and check-in was not until noon.

The whole process from docking to driving off the ship took about twenty minutes. Smooth and well-organised.