Ten years ago I took my first ferry cruise and started writing trip reports in this blog, originally intended for friends and family who gave me the trip as a birthday present to follow my journey.

This crossing of the western Mediterranean Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar on the ferry Ikarus Palace by Grimaldi Lines will always set the bar – high for adventure factor and time spent in open waters, low for the quality of food, which was abysmal.

This trip from Livorno to Tangier also established a few staples for every ferry cruise, such as the song Sunny being played in the outside bar when sailing, the linen that almost always contains a dirty and/or torn piece, the mediocre food and of course such as The Weird Fellow Passenger – other than yours truly. Over the years this category featured a middle-aged guy with eight pieces of luggage dressed in a scary Gestapo leather coat, another guy dressed up as Inspector Gadget, a group of German women dressed like extras in Lawrence of Arabia on our way to Tunis, a group of Moroccan travelers littering the entire ship with shells of sunflower seeds and an elderly couple fighting quietly, yet very bitterly, over the definition of the term hamburger. I also found out on that taking a ferry trip just for the journey and to fly right back sometimes irritates border officials, which can lead to lengthy conversations.   

Sailing from Cádiz on the southern tip of Andalusia almost felt like the second leg of my previous journey, as I almost picked up where I left off in 2015 and continued on to the Canary Islands. The Albayzin by Trasmediterranea again was a sturdy working ferry, carrying freight and trucks over the Atlantic and I always find that these vessels make the time at sea much more enjoyable, as they offer few distractions and allow you to focus on observing the sea and the sky during your crossing. The ferry was quite small, so battling the wind and waves in the open Atlantic again felt adventurous and romantic. I highly recommend doing the full trip to Santa Cruz de la Palma, as the crossings between the Canary Islands are very scenic, especially the day leg between Las Palmas on Gran Canaria and La Palma on Tenerife, which offers spectacular views. My itinary even allowed for a brief shore leave in La Palma. The food on this trip was again pretty lousy, but at least included in the ticket price. I had booked an inside cabin, as the passage itself was expensive already, but didn’t feel comfortable in a windowless box being tossed around by the Atlantic waves, so from then on, I made the cheapest availably outside option my go to cabin option.    

In contrast, Brittany Ferries turned my trip from Portsmouth to Santander on the Pont Aven into a veritable gourmet cruise. Everything on board was tasted so good and was so nicely presented and I didn’t even try the fancy restaurant. The whole on-board experience was pretty upmarket on this cruise ferry and contrary to its’ reputation the Bay of Biscay treated to with sunshine and calm waters.

Having accumulated a pile of airmiles lead to my first ferry trip in Asia on Panstar’s Panstar Dream ferry from Busan to Osaka. Even though this was a shorter trip, it was all the more memorable, as it is one of the most scenic routes you can travel on a commercial ferry. It passes under a few impressive bridges such as the Busan Harbour Bridge and the Kanmon Bridge between the main Japanese Islands of Hunshu and Kyushu, and the continues through the Seto-Inlandsea which offers a variety of sights with industrial areas and lively shipping traffic taking turns with serene national parks culminating in an epic arrival into the Bay of Osaka. Even though I had been to Japan before, arriving there on a ferry felt pretty special – and triggered a comprehensive, yet very friendly, questioning by a Japanese customs official. I definitively recommend this trip if you are touring East Asia. Panstar will have a brand-new ship on this route, the Panstar Magic, from April 2025, just in time for the Osaka Wold Expo.

I was able to resume my ferry crossings soon after COVID stopped all travels with a minicruise on Color Line’s ferry Color Magic in July 2021. The crew did an amazing job adhering to all safety protocols while still making the journey pleasant. The route from Kiel traverses the border of the North and Baltic Sea, crossing the Kategat and Skagerak – marine areas with magnificent vistas of small islands, green coasts and a lot of interesting ship traffic. Entering the Oslo Fjord is equally impressive. The Color ferries are as close to cruise ships as ferries can get, and offer plenty of amenities such as a spa, shopping mall, several restaurants and an indoor water park, bars pubs and so on. All very nice, but a bit too much for me. I will, however, fondly remember the pickled herring varieties and the super-friendly staff in the Grande Buffet restaurant.

My next overnight ferry crossing was the shortest possible in Europe, as it took just some 30 minutes, as part of Trenitalia’s InterCity Notte night train from Rome to Sicily. A great trip too, bit it doesn’t count here.

Holland Norway Lines’ Romantika was also branded as a cruise ferry, but with a more toned-down approach, which I liked much better. This is a beautiful ship and I consider it my favourite ferry, comfortable and accommodating with just the right amount of service and amenities. The mini-cruise from Eemshaven to Kristiansand was relaxing with a pleasant crowd of fellow passengers. Walking through the deserted streets of Kristiansand’s old town on a gloomy Sunday morning added a special touch to this autumn voyage. Sadly, there were also dark clouds over the route and the shipping company, and HNL ceased operations a few months after my voyage in 2022. Romantika has been returned to her owner, Tallink. I hope she will sail again, perhaps under a different name, because Romantika really is quite stupid, but for the time being she is laid up in Tallinn. I hope to pay her a visit this summer when I try the night ferry from Aaland to Tallin.

I got to know DFDS as a highly organised operator on their DFDS Princess Seaways on a minicruise from Amsterdam to Newcastle in 2023 and enjoyed their seamless travel arrangements with dedicated transfer buses at both ends. With shore leave in Oslo cancelled due to COVID and that in Kristiansand on a chilly, foggy day, the excursion to Newcastle was finally a pleasant one, with plenty of time to take in the modern architecture, stroll along the River Tyne and enjoy a good pint. Speaking of pints, this trip is a booze cruise if ever there was one, and it got pretty rowdy on the return night (Friday). Much to my surprise, I found out that this wasn’t my first trip on this ferry as I had been on a crossing from Melbourne to Tasmania in 1996 when it was called Spirit of Tasmania.

After all these mini-cruises, I was in desperate need of something more substantial, so I booked a ticket well in advance for Europe’s longest ferry crossing to Seyðisfjörður, a small port in eastern Iceland. The journey on Smyril Lines’ Norröna broke records in many ways: The most journey to the port of departure in Hirtshals (13 hours by train with four connections), the starkest contrast between the magnificent ship in general and my uninviting cabin in particular, the highest prices on board, the roughest seas, the most pleasant shore excursion (Tórshavn), the most spectacular passage between the Faroe Islands, the most awe-inspiring moment of vastness and solitude as the ferry reached the open North Atlantic, and the most spectacular arrival (in Seydisfjord and its natural harbour). The top deck bar also offered the best panoramic views I have ever had on a ferry – they even have a window cleaning system and serve the strongest Margherita (my standardised test drink). Expensive, time consuming, hard to get to, but what a trip!

I took an ICE train to Hamburg, changed trains in Travemünde and took a bus to the ferry terminal, where the Finnstar was ready for boarding late in the evening for a 2 a.m. departure. The following day was spent entirely on the Baltic Sea, arriving in Vuossari (Helsinki) at 10am the next day. So I got to spend the nights in a very cosy cabin on board a very Finnish ship – polka music and sauna included. This trip took place in January, and I was able to see why Finnlines ships have reinforced hulls when we arrived in the ice-covered harbour. A perfect winter voyage, if only the food had tasted better, or at least tasted of anything at all.

When my family and I took another trip to Japan, it obviously had to include ferry trip for me, so I departed two days earlier, treated myself to a Premium Economy flight on Emirates in order to hit the ground running for my trip from Osaka Kansai to Kagoshima to catch A Lines’ Akebono to Naha on Okinawa. It was an epic Shinkansen ride, covering 900 train kilometres in just 3:45 hours during which the bullet train passed under the Kanmon Strait that I had passed on the Panstar ferry a few years ago.
The crossing to Okinawa was scenic and perfectly timed, as all the interessting parts of this multi-stopp islander service took place in daylight. Crossing through the clear waters of this subtropical paradise sure was worth navigating the complicated booking process.

I chose another a crossing to North Africa to celebrate 10 years of ferry cruises. While GNV Sirio is far from being a flagship, I saw how things have improved on these bread and butter routes. Many parts of the ship had been recently refurbished and looked stylish and inviting – a stark contrast to my dirty and smelly cabin. The trip in January 2025 was a fascinating journey from the northern to the southern shores of the mare nostrum, being seen off by church spires on Genoa and welcomed by minarets in La Goulette (Tunis) 24 hours later.

What’s next? 2025 will hopefully bring some more ferry crossings, with a day trip from Stockholm to Mariehamn on Viking Lines’ Viking Grace and a short overnight on to Tallin with Tallink’s Baltic Queen already planned.

Godspeed and to many more crossings to come!