Greetings! Information needed regarding the Silja Lines cruise (round-trip) for July. Should we call direct and make reservations from U.S. now? Any hints for saving money? Supposedly with a railpass there is a discount for a one-way passage, not the 2 night mini-cruise. Any hints much appreciated!!

A friend and I did the Silja line from Helsinki to Stockholm in August. I made the reservations on the Internet from home. You might do a search for Silja.

Thanks for the reply, Boots. Which deck did you book? I notice there are 2 and would appreciate any advice you can offer. Did you enjoy the experience? Where else did you visit in Scandinavia? We'll be hitting the capitals, do Norway in a Nutshell tour with a stay at the Stalheim Hotel before spending our last days in Bergen.Wish we had more time to visit smaller towns.
Happy travels!

We did it from the U.S. -- there's only one American company that books the cruise. The railpass gives discounts, but not for the overnight part. We did the overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki/Day in Helsinki/then overnight back to Stockholm.
We did this in July, 2002.

It was, surprisingly, the highlight of our trip. And the trip was pretty darned good to start with.

We are not cruise kind of people, so we were really pleasantly surprised. I'll check the deck that we stayed on (there are many) -- I do remember we had an outside (view) room. The duty free (and I'm generally not a big shopper) was incredible. In fact, I had read that most people on this line are not tourists, but rather people from Sweden and Finland going solely for the duty free shops. Even the souvenirs were substantially cheaper, but they had the most amazing array of wines and liquors that I've not seen anywhere else.

Aside from the shopping, if you like seafood, you must try the smorgasbord. Includes alcoholic beverages. It was the best buffet dinner I have ever had.

The most fun, for us, was the karaoke. People, mostly Finns, singing English songs better than anyone whos primary language is English. There was a piano player on board who was from California. But the locals taking this cruise really know how to have a good time.

The director (who led the karaoke) was a scream. He was some guy who spoke many languages, and obviously had been bit by the acting/singing bug. Corny, but anytime there was a lull, he'd stand up and sing himself. They also had several "sing a long" songs in Finnish, that were really quite easy to sing along to.

One final word: the views. As you're sailing out of Stockholm, you go through the Archipelagos -- all the tiny little islands; and at that time of year, the sun just lays on top of the water at the horizon and languishes before it peaks down and the sky turns this wild, wild turquoise. It is crazy beautiful, and romantic as you'll ever get.

Hello Andeesue,
I take ships to get from Point A to B. I don't like them much. The Silja Symphony (I think the other one is called the Serenade) was a nice ship, however. It was clean and efficiently run. I think there are several decks. We were on one of the upper ones, and I booked a cabin with a window. One bed was on each side of the window. At about 3 a.m., we stopped at Mariehamn, and I enjoyed watching the activity at the port. There are several restaurants. I suggest you check the menus before you book.
The Swedish Archipelago is lovely, and in July you will have very little darkness, perhaps from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
My four grandparents came from Sweden and Denmark, and several Norwegians have been my students at the Engineering University where I teach, so I go to Scandinavia every year, sometimes twice a year.
We took a day trip from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia via ferry in August. That was a very interesting day.
I have seen only Helsinki and its near surroundings in Finland, so I can't comment on the scenery there. Norway has far more beautiful scenery than either Sweden or Denmark.
Most Scandinavians speak excellent English. People are somewhat reserved generally; they are honest, and there is little crime. I find the food somewhat bland, but I do have "pockets" of food in the capitals with the exception of Norway where I usually eat in the homes of students.
Everything is quite expensive.
Copenhagen is the most cosmopolitan of the capitals, and the people seem to be less serious in tone there.
If you have any specific questions, do ask. I'm not sure I can adequately answer them, but I will give you my impression.
Have a lovely trip.
Boots Newstrom

I agree with Surfergirl that you should at least once try the large Smorgasboard (or Captain's Buffet as they label it, I believe). Vast choices of starters, a couple of entrees and sumptuous desserts. Beer (Finnish and a bit bland), soft drinks and wine are included in the price.
Dining à la carte is pretty expensive and the sticker price for the buffet isn't exactly cheap, either, but it's really a good deal. I think Silja give a 10 % discount if you make reservations already along with your booking of the passage. Do inquire about this.

Apart from that I would advise you to book an exterior cabin, preferably with water view. This may sound strange but the Silja Symphony and Silja Serenade were the first ferries sporting a big arcade in the ships' interior. Thus, they do feature some cabins with a window that face the arcade instead of facing the outside and I believe they are the same category. Apart from that it is still preferable to have a window facing the arcade than opting for one of the cheaper interior cabins with no windows at all. I would feel a bit uneasy in them plus they don't sport that tremendous view on the archipelago.
Enjoy your trip- it's a great way to travel the Baltic Sea!

P.S. Under the following link I include a picture of Silja Serenade from Swedish ferry afficionados site "faktaomfartyg.com", just to give you an impression

http://www.faktaomfartyg.com/silja_s...990_bild_2.htm

http://www.silja.fi/

Check that, it is Silja's home page. There are more than two decks (four if I remember right), after all there is room for almost 3000 passengers and over 300 cars.

If you make reservations beforehand there is one worry less when you are in Stockholm. Plus July is the most popular holiday month in Scandinavia, and cruises are popular ecspecially during weekends.

If possible, book a cabin with an outside window so you can see the archipelago even from your cabin. The little islands outside Stockholm look lovely (you would have similar sights if you took a cruise to Turku in the south-west of Finland, but the waters on a way to Helsinki are very hard to navigate with a big ship, so it sails more in the middle). But make sure you are on the deck when you approach Helsinki, the ship docks right in the heart of the town.

Surfergirl is right about the tax-free shops. According to Silja they are biggest in the world after London Heathrow.

And restaurants: everybody is right about the buffet, it is always worth a go. But I go sometimes to wine+dine cruises. There are theme weeks with different kitchens in á la carte restaurants. I remember once I just ate oysters, oysters and more oysters.

Even if you are trying to save money buffet is recommendable when you compare the quality+quantity to the ship's snack bars.

Thank you all for your input. This message board in invaluable and I look forward to helping others as you've helped me!

Hey, I just thought of this. I was finally able to get the 2004 rates for the roundtrip mini-cruise. Prices of course have gone up like everthing else these days. Does anyone know if Silja Lines ever upgrade people like the regular cruise lines do? There is a big difference in price for outside cabins. Thanks, as ever, for your insights!

On the website it looks like the packages are from Helsinki to Stockholm. Surfergirl said she did it from Helsinki to Stockholm with a day in Helsinki. The link to other prices is not working. Comments?

Is it generally a bumpy trip?

No. The ship is huge, like a floating hotel. My husband did not have to take any dramamine and could actually stand outside and watch everything sail by. Even in the cabin, he could look out of the window, something he is unable to do without getting immediately sick even if the ship is in dock!

The Baltic Sea is a comparatively calm sea. Especially in July there should not be any rough seas expected. Plus, those two ships really are huge and will provide you comfy transportation.

I do not think that there is a big chance of getting an upgrade. These ships also serve as ferries, are usually pretty well booked and boarding is not much of a personal affair as time in the port is really short and boarding needs to be handled quickly.

Andeesue:

Actually, if you check in early, there is a chance you will be upgraded.

I have travelled this route five times, and have been upgraded from seaside class to Silja class twice. I just happened to check in at about 12 noon due to the fact that I had had to leave my hotel room in Stockholm.

The boats stay in harbour for about nine to ten hours; during this time cabins are made up. Boarding starts about an hour before departure, and most passengers turn up about one to two hours before boarding, i.e. after 3 p.m.

Enjoy your trip.

Phil.

Thanks, Phil...there is quite a price difference between cabins that it seems possible that many would book the less expensive ones. Nice idea to check in, put away luggage, then relax. Appreciate your insights!

I wanted to report back that this mini-cruise was great. We did check in early as we wanted to drop off luggage in the lockers at the terminal so we could then tour Millesgarden (which was fascinating for those into sculpture and gardens. We were upgraded to a higher window cabin which was fun.
Our request for a window table for the smorgasbord dinner was granted. We were seated with a lovely Swedish couple that we had a wonderful time with. Nice touch that wine was included, granted it wasn't great wine...
Later in the evening we hit the upper bar to experience karaoke. I must say it was amusing to hear a Finn sing along with American country western music. All ages were involved, kids and adults included.
We only went one-way. We did a city tour of Helsinki (the tour bus held our luggage), then used the lockers at the train station so we could ramble through the city. Enjoyed the Athenaeum-the Swedish couple told us about this gem. We then took the FinnAir bus to the airport and flew Blue1 to Oslo. Really made the most of our time.

Andeesue, glad you enjoyed your trip.

Did you get up and sing?!?

We went to the Millesgarten after we got off the boat coming back from Helsinki, and it's an amazing place.

Thanks for the report, Andeesue. Sounds very interesting.