Viking Line

...Being cheapskates we opted for Viking Line which, while it wasn't the cheapest, offered the best value and convenience by operating useful departure times.

Viking Line operate other services in Scandinavia which are listed on their website but for the purpose of this review I will discuss only my experience of using the Helsinki-Tallinn service.

Tickets can be booked at various places around the city but we booked ...
...I do think that the Viking Line option is probably the - how shall I say this - no frills option. Fair enough it does have free entertainment for adults and supervised pay areas for children but it wasn't easy to find somewhere quiet to sit and relax, or sleep, if you weren't interested in those things. Fortunately the brief crossing - two and a half hours - does mean that your hardship is short-lived.

I would certainly be happy to ... more

I thought that the memory of a terrible overnight sailing on the Black Sea from Georgia to Russia would put me off all things nautical for life but in September 2007 I allowed myself to be persuaded to sail from Helsinki in Finland to the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Admittedly the choice of vessels (I shall take this opportunity to show off my knowledge of seafaring jargon) was rather more appealing the rusty bucket that had been our craft on the Black Sea and the crossing was scheduled to be much shorter, I was still finding it difficult to get that night out of my head. But overcome my terror I did and this is what happened.

You can choose from several options to make the crossing, not just different companies but different types of craft - ferries, catamaran or hydrofoil. The ferries are slower than the hydrofoil but the duration of the crossing can vary between different ferry services too. Ferries are much cheaper than hydrofoil crossings and you also need to consider the times of departure in conjunction with the amount of time you intend to spend in Tallinn. For one day trips (a popular for natives of Helsinki as well as tourists) the hydrofoil is the best option as it will give you the most time to spend in Tallinn. Being cheapskates we opted for Viking Line which, while it wasn't the cheapest, offered the best value and convenience by operating useful departure times.

Viking Line operate other services in Scandinavia which are listed on their website but for the purpose of this review I will discuss only my experience of using the Helsinki-Tallinn service.

Tickets can be booked at various places around the city but we booked directly at the ferry terminal because it was near our hostel and because we thought this would be the cheapest method. We paid here and were given a booking voucher which we had to present at the same counter the following morning for check-in.

At check-in we had to present the voucher and our passports and were then given boarding cards. We had about twenty minutes until embarkation and we went upstairs to the departure lounge to find a seat. Soon after music started blaring from some speakers either side of a stage just behind us and an odd-looking Lady wearing a nautical officers uniform began to shout something in Finnish and then in Estonian (perhaps it could have been the other way round, my grasp of both is not what it could be) and then everyone starting cheering while a Finnish (or again possibly Estonian) version of 'In the navy' was played, still at considerable volume.

Another couple of minutes later I had a flashback to Georgia as a screen went back and everyone grabbed their luggage and made a dash for the vessel. Once on board people fled in half a dozen directions. A steward pointed out the luggage storage area: it was free of charge but on departure the door to the storage room would be locked and not opened again until arrival which seemed to us acceptable and we were happy our belongings would be safe while we stationed ourselves in the bar, feeling smug because we were close to the counter yet in comfortable seats where we could entertain ourselves quietly with a beer until we docked in Tallinn.

Well fairly quietly, television screens were showing MTV or something similar but we managed to tune out the noise as we sat for the first half hour enjoying the little islands pass by outside and planning what to do in Tallinn. We bought sandwiches and beer, and found the prices quite reasonable given the situation.

Around thirty minutes in the television screens fell silent and a steward came to each table with a piece of paper - an answer sheet for the pub quiz! Of course it was conducted in Finnish and Estonian so we tuned out. But that wasn't all, certainly not! After the quiz the karaoke began. At first I just thought the guy was drunk (you see a lot of really drunk middle-aged men in Finland and Estonia, sorry but you do) and that he was singing along to MTV, until I saw the microphone in his hand. After three performances the joke had worn thin and we decided it was time to explore the rest of the ship.

Turning right out of the bar, we were so busy chatting and congratulating ourselves on escaping the karaoke that we failed to notice we had walked into the ballroom and were in the middle of half a dozen couples intensely tango-ing. When we realised we beat a hasty retreat and turned back the other way where we found the duty free shop. Inside lots of Estonians were loading up on cheap sweeties and chocolate. We took the chance to buy some liquorice as it worked out much cheaper than buying it in Finland. On the return crossing, the shop was teeming with Finns buying cheap booze to take home.

After this thrill we found a seat near the café and we watched an Estonian family stare at the television screen that was showing the British BBC series "Doctors" they didn't look impressed and I can't say I blamed them.

Finally we took to the decks to see Tallinn Bay come into view and then went back 'down below' to retrieve our luggage and to wait by the doors to disembark, a kind of waiting game where the passengers eyed fellow sailors with mistrust, taking a step forward every time someone else did, anxious not to let others disembark first. We had arrived safely and on time. Other than a brush with some Russian karaoke we were unscathed, perhaps my sea-legs had returned?

On the return leg we stashed our luggage again but this time we found seats in a lounge where lots of middle-aged men stinking of booze were snoring heavily on reclining seats. I dosed for a while but the noise was so irritating that I went to wander and found myself loading up on half litre bottles of such delights as cloudberry liqueur and an Estonian specialty 'Vana Tallinn'.

Overall we were satisfied with our experience although generally I do think that the Viking Line option is probably the - how shall I say this - no frills option. Fair enough it does have free entertainment for adults and supervised pay areas for children but it wasn't easy to find somewhere quiet to sit and relax, or sleep, if you weren't interested in those things. Fortunately the brief crossing - two and a half hours - does mean that your hardship is short-lived.

I would certainly be happy to use Viking Line again for the same journey or others that it operates. The interiors are comfortable and roomy even if some parts of the ship were clearly due for refurbishment. The staff we encountered were friendly and helpful and buying our tickets was an easy process.

The only thing that put me off was the entertainment and if I did sail on a longer crossing I think I would make sure I paid for one of the larger cabins so I didn't have to listen to the karaoke or whatever entertainment was taking place.

Current prices are displayed on the Viking Line website but briefly, a one way crossing from Helsinki to Tallinn on the morning crossing (11.30 am) costs 27 Euro for adults Sun-Thurs and 33 Euro on Fridays and Saturdays.

The evening departure at 21.00 costs 27 Euro Sat -Thurs and 33 Euro on Fridays.

The fare from Tallinn to Helsinki costs 18 Euro for morning sailing at 08.00 (every day) or 27 Euro in the evening Mon-Sat and 33 Euro on Sunday evenings.

There are discounts for students and people using an Inter-rail or Euro Domino train pass can get a 50% discount. There are no family pass fares on this route, but there are on other Viking Line services.

It is possible to take the evening crossing at 21.30 from Helsinki which arrives in Tallinn at midnight, and spend the night on board in a cabin and disembark at 7.00 am the following morning. TO do this you need to pay a cabin supplement on top of your fare and prices range from 25 to 120 Euro depending on grade and size of cabin.

We sailed on the MS Rosella but a new ship the M/S Viking XPRS has been sailing this route since April 2008 and the pictures of it on the website do look very good. I am sure it is far nicer than the ferry we sailed on.

http://www.vikingline.fi/index.asp?lang=en

Check out the unfortunately slightly out of focus and covertly snapped photograph of the karaoke ordeal 

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