Ferries to Assembly - advice?
category: general [glöplog]
This year I'm doing my entire Euro demoparty experience without flying, as an eco-tourism-fuckings-to-ryanair experiment. It's worked out pretty cool so far (four parties down, lots to go...) but I need to do some forward planning for Assembly, since Helsinki is a complete arse to get to by land/sea.
The way it's working out, I'm going to go to Evoke, spend a few days "somewhere" around Germany / Denmark / Sweden, then take a ferry from "somewhere else" to Finland. So to fill in those gaps, I've decided to start from the most important criteria:
Which ferry should I take to maximise my opportunities for boozing with crazy Scandinavian sceners?
Looking at the ever-reliable seat61.com, I guess it's probably going to involve Stockholm. But then do people tend to go via Turku, or direct to Helsinki, and is Viking Line or Silja Line the one to go for? Any tips would be most appreciated!
The way it's working out, I'm going to go to Evoke, spend a few days "somewhere" around Germany / Denmark / Sweden, then take a ferry from "somewhere else" to Finland. So to fill in those gaps, I've decided to start from the most important criteria:
Which ferry should I take to maximise my opportunities for boozing with crazy Scandinavian sceners?
Looking at the ever-reliable seat61.com, I guess it's probably going to involve Stockholm. But then do people tend to go via Turku, or direct to Helsinki, and is Viking Line or Silja Line the one to go for? Any tips would be most appreciated!
viking line is slightly cheaper so that's usually the way to go
it would make more sense to take the boat straight to helsinki
it would make more sense to take the boat straight to helsinki
just stay in germany and take a ferry from rostock to helsinki.
http://www.tallinksilja.com/en/tab1/oneWay/hel-ros/default.htm
http://www.tallinksilja.com/en/tab1/oneWay/hel-ros/default.htm
Wow - 14 hours from rostock to helsinki... but the price is fair..
Straight to Helsinki is definitely a better idea if you're going through Sweden since there's pretty much nothing worth seeing in Turku. Stockholm on the other hand is a beautiful city and if I was the one doing the touristing, I'd spend a couple of days there. It doesn't really matter which ferry you take from there to Helsinki, they're all full of wasted Finnish and Swedish chavs anyway.
the boat from rostock to helsinki ain't even close as fun as the boats from sweden.
Ask orbiter, he is a pro......
gasman: If you have a quite okay budget I highly recommend you to get a cabin. I once took a top-story cabin from Isabella (Viking Line) between Helsinki and Stockholm. Let alone the majestically inspiring view, the delight of sleeping on a soft bed was priceless.
Sleeping on ferry trips, no no no...
decipher, you were doing it wrong.
ok just to clarify:
We ALWAYS get a cabin when we go to/from Stockholm. After we have some drinks in the bars and go to the taxfree and stock up on things and go to the bars and have dinner and go to the bars, we crash.
The cabin is very useful for storing the stuff from the taxfree, and provides much better sleeping. Since we always have to get up and drive thru Sweden to Norway, it's important to sleep, as sleeping in the car is less than optimal, especially for the driver.
However one doesn't need to get a top level cabin. A 'next to the engine' is fine. It stinks a tiny amount but you don't notice that much after you've slept in the cabin for a while, as with 4 people...
Also: bonus shower, which is very helpful on the way back from a party.
I think we agreed we'll take Silja if we can from now on as they had better something or another. I think it was food, maybe it was rooms.
We ALWAYS get a cabin when we go to/from Stockholm. After we have some drinks in the bars and go to the taxfree and stock up on things and go to the bars and have dinner and go to the bars, we crash.
The cabin is very useful for storing the stuff from the taxfree, and provides much better sleeping. Since we always have to get up and drive thru Sweden to Norway, it's important to sleep, as sleeping in the car is less than optimal, especially for the driver.
However one doesn't need to get a top level cabin. A 'next to the engine' is fine. It stinks a tiny amount but you don't notice that much after you've slept in the cabin for a while, as with 4 people...
Also: bonus shower, which is very helpful on the way back from a party.
I think we agreed we'll take Silja if we can from now on as they had better something or another. I think it was food, maybe it was rooms.
oh and obviously if you show up a day or two early there's always someone to hook up with and visit things in Helsinki. A day or two later isn't a bad idea either. So just go with whatever works out best for the budget.
Also check with Thec et al and find out who's coming on the ferry, perhaps you can all cram in the same cabin(s) and save some cash.
Also check with Thec et al and find out who's coming on the ferry, perhaps you can all cram in the same cabin(s) and save some cash.
silja has bacon on the breakfast thingy.
Cheers everyone! Seems like a day (or more) in Stockholm is emerging as the best option then - otherwise it gets a bit crazy arriving there in time to catch the ferry to Helsinki (early evening).
Hmm, cabins... well, given typical sleeping arrangements at Assembly, I imagine the option of an actual bed (and storage space, and a shower) will end up being more attractive than the hardcore all-nighter option. I can sort that out (and investigate the possibility of cabin sharing) later though, once other people have started making their own plans...
Where do you get 14 hours from? Looks more like 28 hours to me... not a bad idea if you've got time to kill (and I have), and probably a nice environment for finishing off a demo, but yeah... ultimately it's probably not as much fun (in "drinking with Swedes" and "visiting interesting places" terms) as the Stockholm option though. And the cabins in August appear to be WTF prices :-(
Hmm, cabins... well, given typical sleeping arrangements at Assembly, I imagine the option of an actual bed (and storage space, and a shower) will end up being more attractive than the hardcore all-nighter option. I can sort that out (and investigate the possibility of cabin sharing) later though, once other people have started making their own plans...
Quote:
Wow - 14 hours from rostock to helsinki... but the price is fair..
Where do you get 14 hours from? Looks more like 28 hours to me... not a bad idea if you've got time to kill (and I have), and probably a nice environment for finishing off a demo, but yeah... ultimately it's probably not as much fun (in "drinking with Swedes" and "visiting interesting places" terms) as the Stockholm option though. And the cabins in August appear to be WTF prices :-(
Not that it will probably be of any help, byt if you're dropping by Århus (Jutland, Denmark) at any time - let me know ;) - though it's probably a detour if your origin is Germany when going to Helsinki :)
*bump*
I guess I'll be taking the 17:00 Silja Line Stockholm - Helsinki trip on Wednesday 5th then, returning 17:00 Sunday 9th. Anyone else taking those?
(Also, on the offchance that there's anyone who hasn't booked it yet, and is up for sharing a cabin, drop me an email (gasman at raww dot org). Seems that I can get a decent discount on a 1-4 person cabin with my Interrail pass...)
I guess I'll be taking the 17:00 Silja Line Stockholm - Helsinki trip on Wednesday 5th then, returning 17:00 Sunday 9th. Anyone else taking those?
(Also, on the offchance that there's anyone who hasn't booked it yet, and is up for sharing a cabin, drop me an email (gasman at raww dot org). Seems that I can get a decent discount on a 1-4 person cabin with my Interrail pass...)
I'll put up a notice on the swedish scene forum and refer them to this thread.
be sure to stock yourself with salmiakki and minttu from the boat!