If you follow our blog, you know that we travelled by ferry to Tallinn during the Easter holidays. We went there with Tallink Silja Line - on the way there with the ship Victoria and on the way home with the Baltic Queen. Here is a review that contains both a thumbs down (irritation!) and a thumbs up (wow, fantastic!). Have you travelled on these ferries? What are your experiences?
Table of contents
Ferry to Tallinn: Cabins
On Victoria we tried a DeLuxe cabin. Extra nice with a double bed and minibar with refreshments, which are included. On Baltic Queen we had an A-cabin, with two fold-down single beds. Not so exciting perhaps, but ok.
Dimensions
Both on the journey there and back, we chose the buffet. For 336 SEK you get to pick from a large buffet table including free access to beer and wine. The sushi was not great, but the table with "Nordic fish" tasted good. If you don't want a buffet, there is also a grill restaurant and a gourmet restaurant.
Hanging
We had an Irish coffee in a bar and fell asleep early, so we have no idea if there was any party atmosphere on the boat, haha. However, we had time for a lap in the duty-free shop and must say that we got really good help from knowledgeable and dedicated staff when choosing whiskey. We also have to say that the prices were unexpectedly low!
Thumbs down: WiFi
Our thumbs down goes to WiFi on board. The ticket clearly states that there should be WiFi and on the way to Tallinn, on Victoria, we actually had internet. On the way home, with Baltic Queen, however, it was totally dead. When we asked at the reception, we got a measured and disengaged answer that there were too many people on the boat (haha, should we have gone alone or?) And that we could party a little instead. Boring treatment and poor service!
Thumbs up: Special breakfast
We end with the positive! On the way to Tallinn we tried the "Special Breakfast", which is served in a smaller restaurant next to the large breakfast buffet. The rating is: The best buffet breakfast we have eaten ever. A bit smaller than the usual one, but what a quality! Wow!
Sparkling wine, delicious cold-smoked and hot-smoked salmon, duck liver pâté, Skagen scrambled eggs, real whitefish roe, Karelian pies with egg butter, luxurious breakfast cereals, fresh fruit, small pastries... The special breakfast is included in the DeLuxe cabin and otherwise costs 170 SEK (compared to 110 SEK for the regular breakfast buffet). If you want to splurge and appreciate a good breakfast, it's definitely worth it!
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Across the board says:
Then it is important to choose the right one, which we also noticed on the ferries that operate between Gothenburg and Kiel It is different, on different ferries and if we go to Tallinn we now know what to choose 😀.
19 April 2017 - 6:36
Helena says:
Yes, it is a bit like that, you have to choose 🙂 .
19 April 2017 - 9:11
Lennart says:
Breakfast is usually the best!
19 April 2017 - 6:54
Helena says:
I usually like the breakfasts too, but this special breakfast (which is served in a smaller restaurant next to the big one) was something really special 🙂.
19 April 2017 - 9:13
LinizTravel says:
Surely it was that boat with a juicer? Also remember that the breakfast was so good! Love freshly squeezed oranges. Sad m
Wi-fi!
Have a nice day in the sun.
hugs
19 April 2017 - 8:20
Helena says:
I really don't know... Maybe? The breakfast we had is called "special breakfast" and is served in a small restaurant next to the big one. Absolutely awesome! 😉
19 April 2017 - 9:14
Anette Åhnbrink says:
Oh, that breakfast! Karelian pies dreggel dreggel...I would definitely choose, love breakfast? Got really excited to go to Tallinn by ferry, I don't even like travelling by ferry, can't sleep....
19 April 2017 - 9:30
Helena says:
Haha, glad we managed to inspire you to go on a ferry even though you don't even like ferries 😉.
19 April 2017 - 19:45
Ama de casa says:
We also tried that breakfast when we went to Tallinn - great!
The thing about wiffi on boats... I questioned why the internet was so damn expensive on the cruises we've been on lately, and one reason they said was that if they were free, well, no one would have access. Wiffin would simply not be enough for everyone on board.
Yes, I do not know if it is true, but the internet on the cruises was absolutely the absolute thumbs down for, even from my side. But I bit the sour apple and bought expensive time. And when I - incredibly stressed - made my posts, it at least worked perfectly well.
I also became adept at "switching on - opening pages - switching off" and then working offline - without losing a single minute of precious time 😀.
19 April 2017 - 9:37
Helena says:
The breakfast was awesome!!! 🙂 Yes, I remember that you had problems with wiffi on your cruises! Do not understand that it should be so difficult ...? Had there been expensive internet to buy, I might have attracted, but there was no ... 😉 Funnily enough, the internet worked on the way there, and then it felt like we were at least as many! But it is probably most annoying when it says that there should be internet and then there is not, then you have kind of counted on it ...
19 April 2017 - 19:47
Ditte says:
Nice to read re review, think it is also true what we thought. Certainly there is a difference between these ships. I won a trip many years ago and got to go with the premiere trip on Victoria and then in a luxury cabin and where everything was included. Really good. Have since travelled many times with Victoria and lived in a luxury cabin or first class cabin, absolutely worth it. And of course it is good that there are different restaurants to choose from. Funny to hear that the luxury breakfast is still good and the environment there is clearly calmer and nicer.
Baltic Queen feels quite worn and boring so we usually avoid it, but can be difficult because the boats change days. Have sometimes flown home from Tallinn, which is very convenient.
Sad with a poor treatment at the reception and also that it says that the internet should be available and then it does not.
19 April 2017 - 10:54
Helena says:
Interesting to hear that you had similar experiences! We really thought the breakfast was really, really good. And also, as you say, a calmer environment! And yes, it was probably the case that Victoria was a nicer boat simply.
19 April 2017 - 19:48
Matts Torebring says:
Thanks for the breakfast tip, I will buy it immediately. My next purchase is the Qweensbed. I want to sleep well and hold your hand when I fall asleep. Internet, I will have to go without, when the thumbs up, for so many other essentials.
19 April 2017 - 18:35
Helena says:
We really recommend the breakfast! And yes, it's more cosy with a queen bed 🙂.
19 April 2017 - 19:50
Biggeros says:
Sad that the Wifi was so poor on the return journey and the staff not so accommodating ÷/.
That's quite a breakfast!
19 April 2017 - 18:46
Helena says:
The breakfast was fantastic! Yes, an apology or something would have been appropriate, we thought ...
19 April 2017 - 19:50
Husis blog says:
My owners have unfortunately only travelled the boring boats between Sweden and Germany. But it seems that there are nicer boats too...?
19 April 2017 - 20:01
Helena says:
It varies a bit between the boats and depends on which cabin you choose etc, but we had a good trip 🙂.
19 April 2017 - 22:14
Ruth in Virginia says:
My first trip by ferry was from Nynäshamn to Gotland.
in the summer of 1949, You boarded at midnight and arrived at the
Visby at 7am the next morning. My former fiancé and I were travelling
in the hold with our bikes next to us. What was on the
upper part of the ferry, I don't know. But a wonderful cycling holiday
we had!!! Newly engaged.
19 April 2017 - 20:21
Helena says:
Love is the solution to most things 🙂 We actually travelled without a cabin a few times in 2015 when we took different ferries in Europe. That worked too, but this was more comfortable 😉.
19 April 2017 - 22:15
Netti Starby says:
How sad that wifi did not work as it should and that particular boat I have never travelled with. The cabin looked really cosy but I usually choose the b-cabin because I spend almost no time there except when I sleep. Fun to read about your recessions about the trip! <3 Hugs
19 April 2017 - 22:05
Helena says:
Of course you should choose to spend money on what you think matters. I could easily sacrifice the nice cabin just to get the fantastic luxury breakfast, haha 😉 But of course it was a bit cosy to be able to sleep together in a larger bed ... 😉.
19 April 2017 - 22:17
BP says:
I would have liked to have breakfast for dinner, so to speak;-)
Booohoooo for not working wifi. This happened to us yesterday on the Norwegian flight to Alicante. So terribly annoying.
19 April 2017 - 22:19
Helena says:
Oh have you travelled to Spain? Lovely! And isn't it annoying when there should be wi-fi, and then there isn't........?
20 April 2017 - 5:40
Quick trip says:
Now you know what the service is like on the different ferries, so now you can always go with your favourite. 🙂
20 April 2017 - 7:00
Marina says:
Nope, I have never travelled on any of these boats. In fact, I have only travelled by ferry to the east once and then to Åland, but it is so many years ago that I hardly remember it. The slightly more expensive breakfast really looked fantastic. And you can perhaps eat so long that you do not need any lunch and then it immediately becomes affordable 😉.
20 April 2017 - 8:05