IMPORTANT ! Hi everyone. This ferry no longer operates on this route. It is still operating somewhere else as mentioned in the comments. I will leave it up though as a bit of history.
Excellent video. The only thing that you did not mention is that you can take your dog with you in your cabin, rather than it being locked up in a kennel. The dog can be walked on one of the decks outside. This makes this ferry unique for dog owners.
This video is for those just wanting info on the ferry. If you watched our last episode you will already have seen most of it. Our next Norway video is out this Friday 👍
Hello. The same vessel MS Romantika was operated by Tallink, an Estonian shipping company. The ship is still owned by Tallink, however it's chartered to H&N lines. Next summer I highly recommend taking Tallink, to explore the Baltics and the nordic countries. Tallink has currently a fleet of 15 ships, 6 of them chartered due to Covid (including Romantika), and 1 under construction. They operate on the Stockholm-Helsinki, Stockholm-Turku, (Stockholm-Riga used to be a route, but Tallink has no interest at the moment, and all of the ships operated from Riga are currently chartered), Tallinn-Helsinki, Tallinn-Stockholm, Paldiski-Kapellskar (Only for trucks and cars, no foot passengers allowed). Most of their ships are built after the 2000s, and they have the same design as MS Romantika, maybe even more modern. What can I say about the prices, well, prices are lower than Holland Norway Lines, obviously depending on the date, route and cabin you're taking. They have a big choice of cabins, starting from the cheap underwater cabins up to suites. Also I highly recommend not taking a car, you could save up to around 350 euros. 2 way cruise without a car would cost you around 300 euros, maybe a bit more. Although, buffets and a cabin on both ways are included, and you will have a whole day to explore your destination before going back. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. Greetings from Estonia!
Forgotten to mention that M/S Romantika was signed on this current route for 3 years as instead parking at Riga harbor to wait for the day of launch on Riga - Stockholm route again. Also new ship M/S MyStar what was under construction got ready and it started to operate on Tallinn Helsinki route yesterday as taking M/S Star out of route however ship will be back on route next year with new departure time from Tallinn.
I live in Søgne just outside Kristiansand and wanted to take the ferry to Nederland some day, thank you for making a great video about it, hope your trip in norway was nice :)
@@LifeistooshortCK yes, I've wanted to visit the Netherlands for years now, and I love taking cruise ferries (I have family in Finland so we usually took the Stockholm-Helsinki line once or twice a year)! I watched "Undercover" on Netflix, it's a Belgian/Vlanders crime series and I couldn't believe how similar Dutch and Norwegian was. So hopefully I get to go there to visit both the Netherlands and Belgium, and to go there by ship from Norway perhaps next year
Perfectly done guy's Great info for anyone considering a similar trip... For many people the unknown journey can be quite daunting. Your lovely informative films make decisions much easier... Thank you 😊
Another good one, I really appreciate the effort you both put into your videos, thank you. I am so pleased that you detail the costs and prices so clearly - it's very helpful.
It’s our intention to drive up to Norway one day, so thank you for the info you’ve provided. Sometimes all one wants is the basics such as costs, routes, ideas etc and this video provided that. We as a couple always prefer easygoing and not too planned trips, and although next year will be “our” time to explore, in the back of our minds we probably have around 10 years left for touring in our/a van …. Love your videos by the way! ❤️
We plan the minimum which is why we paid over the top for a one way crossing. It gave us the freedom to come back another way if we had the energy left to do that 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK yes that’s a good point! ... And sometimes I think to myself “well if I hadn’t spent so much doing that, I could have done something else” … but as you quite rightly say “Life is too short” so just do it 😊
Great to find this video - the Norwegian ferry routes are absolutely fantastic. Also, the facilities on this ferry look excellent - VERY well equipped as a ferry!
I am Norwegian and I take this ferry to The Netherlands and I think it was very nice trip to Groningen and so return to Norway. I think it is much easier for norwegians to take a trip to the Netherlands if they are from the Southern Part of Norway. I have never been in the Netherlands before this ferry connection. I think Norway and The Netherlands have come much more near each other with this ferry connenction. And the Grand Buffet food was very good.
@@LifeistooshortCK Yes, and the landscape in Netherlands are so different from montainius Norway. Such a flat landscape from Eemshaven to Groningen, but it was very cool with the farms, canals and the windmills.
This is a very good review of the ship & everything that goes with it..that idea of showing you what was on offer food wise was good so that you could see what it's like before you purchase. Think Carole has a sweet tooth 😋 good innit Carole 😋 😜 nothing better than a lovely dessert 🍨. ..keep the videos coming 👌
Very civilized arrival times! (I'm not a morning person). Still about 3-4 hours drive tho from Hoek van Holland but amazing news there is now a more direct ferry route.
We took the same ferry in june 2022, ate at the buffet as well going and coming back. The food was good and while the price isn't cheap it is including the drinks so it isn't all that bad. We had a wonderfull time on the ship as well with our car + caravan and can't wait to go again!
Great video guys, the wife and I will be heading back across the pond after 25 years living in the USA and we fully intend to build a van and follow some of your routes and obviously visit some of your eateries along the way, my belly also rules me head!!!!
This ship is on charter from the Estonian cruise ferry company Tallink. Her normal line is between Stockholm & Riga where many of the passengers will be on a 2 night cruise back and forth.
@@LifeistooshortCK it just might. They have also chartered their ships out for accommodation at COP in Glasgow & currently for refugee accommodation in the Netherlands. It seems that Russia & Ukraine has really affected Baltic Sea passenger traffic. Many routes that historically had 2 ships plying each direction daily now only have 1 ship with a service every other day. Hope you can do a review on the Silja Line twins between Helsinki and Stockholm.
Its crazy how much they increesed the prices I moved back to Norway from Netherlands in early May this year and round trip was like 1500NOK with a car and a cabin with window both ways
Thanks for a good video. A little pricy for food and drink onboard, I would have stocked up at a lidl or aldi and prepped some sandwich rolls and a large flask of coffee and ate in the cabin, I could not justify paying 38 euros for a meal.
OOOHHH BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL. Ace trip and i lovevmy food aswell. thank you guys for this. i would never have known you could get from Netherlands to Norway like that. from memory, i always thought norway n sweden "hung" jus parralell with the top half of britain, gees. if that makes sense.
Hello Carol & Ken, unfortunately the first part of this wonderful video will soon become a kind of historic document as the Romantika will leave Eemshaven as a port of call by mid April 2023. Between April 18th and the end of May it will sail between Cuxhaven at the mouth of the river Elbe in Germany and from early June it will sail between Emden / Germany and Kristiansand / Norway. As Emden is located right opposite of Eemshaven on the german bank of the Ems estuary, it will be just a small detour. Holland Norway Line told me that they had to change ports as they had to share the berth in Eemshaven with construction vessels for future windfarms off the duch coast and this disrupted their operations too much. This is really sad as their terminal looked quite lovely in your video. I love your videos and look forward to every new adventure of the little red campervan
We did this trip with the family last summer and it was great. Saved me loads of time driving trough Germany (which I hate, because it's boring). Traveling without doing anything, it doesn't get any better. Would like to do it again soon. Great entertainment as well by the way. Been to Norway many times, but this is the way to go, from the Netherlands anyway.
@@LifeistooshortCK We had our share of driving in Norway though, but that's a completely different experience. Had so many aaahs and ooohs from the backseats, lol.
Really enjoy watching your videos, thankyou for allowing us to take part in your travels, I hope to retire in 2 to 3 years time and hope to hire a campervan and travel the UK, thanks for your inspiration. By the way iam a subscriber cheers.
Thanks for that guys, very informative. 9 euros for 2 coffees. A sign of things to come. Heard it's expensive in Norway. You said that the ship shop had everything you could possibly want... But... Did it have giant Toblerone! 😁🐕🚙
@@LifeistooshortCK i agree. This crossing will help us feel fresh enough to travel further north as we hit Norway. We’ve looked into that, looks like they’re proposing a crossing from 2025 so we’ll maybe consider that for a future trip 😁
I travelled the overnight ferry to Harwich and back many times for a day of work in the city. This one looks lovely. Not sure whether I am interested in the onboard entertainment. A good night sleep, clean cabin and taking our dog with us. Curious about Norway. Stay near Kristiansand or travel to Bergen and further? not sure yet.
Have been on this ferry when she was on Stockholm to Riga route then hers home harbour was Riga, still belong to Tallink-Silja line. Want her back for travel to Riga from Stockholm.
The buffet is a higher quality than the buffet on Stenaline Harwich Hook of Holland. The breakfast was a bit expensive. How clean were the cabins? How stable was the ship compared to larger ferries?
Fantastic series so far fair play to you both and I have one little question where you said its cheaper for a return but you was unsure which way you were coming back,could you have not booked a return whether you used it or not,or did you mean it would have been it would have been more for a return than the £566 apologies in advance if that sounds confusing lol.. looking forward to these travels as the aurora borealis is on my bucket list. take care each
It would have been more than £566 for a return but not double the single fare. We did not think we would be coming back that way as we wanted to explore some of Denmark on the drive home 🙂
All you need to know is if your cruise ship has more than 750 passengers, that's way too many check out Azamara small boats, small crowds better experience
We're considering using the ferry crossing between Kristiansand and Eemshaven next summer. Eventually going all the way to Ireland. Seems like a small boat, but hope there is something for kids.
IMPORTANT ! Hi everyone. This ferry no longer operates on this route. It is still operating somewhere else as mentioned in the comments. I will leave it up though as a bit of history.
No way ! 😢
Excellent video. The only thing that you did not mention is that you can take your dog with you in your cabin, rather than it being locked up in a kennel. The dog can be walked on one of the decks outside. This makes this ferry unique for dog owners.
We didn’t know that. That is excellent. 👍
This video is for those just wanting info on the ferry. If you watched our last episode you will already have seen most of it. Our next Norway video is out this Friday 👍
Thanks for the video. Excellent intro to the ferry crossing we are taking this year
Enjoy 🙂👍
Hello. The same vessel MS Romantika was operated by Tallink, an Estonian shipping company. The ship is still owned by Tallink, however it's chartered to H&N lines. Next summer I highly recommend taking Tallink, to explore the Baltics and the nordic countries. Tallink has currently a fleet of 15 ships, 6 of them chartered due to Covid (including Romantika), and 1 under construction. They operate on the Stockholm-Helsinki, Stockholm-Turku, (Stockholm-Riga used to be a route, but Tallink has no interest at the moment, and all of the ships operated from Riga are currently chartered), Tallinn-Helsinki, Tallinn-Stockholm, Paldiski-Kapellskar (Only for trucks and cars, no foot passengers allowed). Most of their ships are built after the 2000s, and they have the same design as MS Romantika, maybe even more modern. What can I say about the prices, well, prices are lower than Holland Norway Lines, obviously depending on the date, route and cabin you're taking. They have a big choice of cabins, starting from the cheap underwater cabins up to suites. Also I highly recommend not taking a car, you could save up to around 350 euros. 2 way cruise without a car would cost you around 300 euros, maybe a bit more. Although, buffets and a cabin on both ways are included, and you will have a whole day to explore your destination before going back. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. Greetings from Estonia!
Wow thank you for all this great information. I am sure other viewers will be interested in it 👍. Maybe our travels will take us that way one day ❤️
Forgotten to mention that M/S Romantika was signed on this current route for 3 years as instead parking at Riga harbor to wait for the day of launch on Riga - Stockholm route again.
Also new ship M/S MyStar what was under construction got ready and it started to operate on Tallinn Helsinki route yesterday as taking M/S Star out of route however ship will be back on route next year with new departure time from Tallinn.
I live in Søgne just outside Kristiansand and wanted to take the ferry to Nederland some day, thank you for making a great video about it, hope your trip in norway was nice :)
We had a lovely time in Norway and can recommend the ferry 🙂🇳🇴
Thanks a lot for this video! I hope they will establish a new route soon enough, there are talks about it.
Best regards from Norway
It was a shame they discontinued that route 😕
@@LifeistooshortCK yes, I've wanted to visit the Netherlands for years now, and I love taking cruise ferries (I have family in Finland so we usually took the Stockholm-Helsinki line once or twice a year)!
I watched "Undercover" on Netflix, it's a Belgian/Vlanders crime series and I couldn't believe how similar Dutch and Norwegian was. So hopefully I get to go there to visit both the Netherlands and Belgium, and to go there by ship from Norway perhaps next year
I sailed from eemshaven while working at a German offshore windfarm.
Access to the port was OK 👍
Perfectly done guy's
Great info for anyone considering a similar trip...
For many people the unknown journey can be quite daunting. Your lovely informative films make decisions much easier...
Thank you 😊
Glad to be of help Gary. Thanks for watching 🙂
Another good one, I really appreciate the effort you both put into your videos, thank you. I am so pleased that you detail the costs and prices so clearly - it's very helpful.
Cheers Dave you are welcome 👍
It’s our intention to drive up to Norway one day, so thank you for the info you’ve provided. Sometimes all one wants is the basics such as costs, routes, ideas etc and this video provided that. We as a couple always prefer easygoing and not too planned trips, and although next year will be “our” time to explore, in the back of our minds we probably have around 10 years left for touring in our/a van …. Love your videos by the way! ❤️
We plan the minimum which is why we paid over the top for a one way crossing. It gave us the freedom to come back another way if we had the energy left to do that 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK yes that’s a good point! ... And sometimes I think to myself “well if I hadn’t spent so much doing that, I could have done something else” … but as you quite rightly say “Life is too short” so just do it 😊
🙂👍...MS Romantika is a great ship.
Thanks for making this video. I am doing this trip on my motorcycle next summer and feel better for having an insight into the ship.
You are welcome. Enjoy your trip Norwegian roads are amazing for bikes 👍
Great to find this video - the Norwegian ferry routes are absolutely fantastic. Also, the facilities on this ferry look excellent - VERY well equipped as a ferry!
Best ferry we have used so far 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK Yeah - really impressive!
I am Norwegian and I take this ferry to The Netherlands and I think it was very nice trip to Groningen and so return to Norway. I think it is much easier for norwegians to take a trip to the Netherlands if they are from the Southern Part of Norway. I have never been in the Netherlands before this ferry connection. I think Norway and The Netherlands have come much more near each other with this ferry connenction. And the Grand Buffet food was very good.
@@drdal that’s good to hear. We hope the ferry continues beyond its two year lease 🙂
@@LifeistooshortCK Yes, and the landscape in Netherlands are so different from montainius Norway. Such a flat landscape from Eemshaven to Groningen, but it was very cool with the farms, canals and the windmills.
Thanks. Very nice video and a comfortable crossing for sure.
Ahhhh, great video. I took the ferry, too, two weeks ago. I liked the trip even that my cabin was not so clean.
Thanks for this. I am from Kristiansand. Will definitely take a trip now ☺️
Very informative and entertaining. Thanks!
This is a very good review of the ship & everything that goes with it..that idea of showing you what was on offer food wise was good so that you could see what it's like before you purchase. Think Carole has a sweet tooth 😋 good innit Carole 😋 😜 nothing better than a lovely dessert 🍨. ..keep the videos coming 👌
So nice. It's like a cruise ship, but you can take your car. :)
Jon in rural BC, Canada
Was on this ship when I was way younger. Such a beauty. I reccomend Tallink if you want to go on a nice little cruise on the baltic sea aswell.
Also it's nice to see how they kept the original Tallink deck plans. You can tell by the font and colour scheme.
Would love to do a Baltic cruise one day 😀
Eyyy my hometown!
Good to rewatch what you’d had on the other video. Looks like it was a smooth trip over and Ken got his tummy satisfied with delicious food. 😂Mary
That’s dedication. This video was just intended for those who just want quick facts about the crossing 😁👍
Good stuff .thank you . Inspiring 🙂
Very civilized arrival times! (I'm not a morning person). Still about 3-4 hours drive tho from Hoek van Holland but amazing news there is now a more direct ferry route.
That sunset was stunning ☀️
It needed to be for the cost of the ferry 😁👍
Great info on this one guys …. Useful if ever we take that route
We took the same ferry in june 2022, ate at the buffet as well going and coming back. The food was good and while the price isn't cheap it is including the drinks so it isn't all that bad. We had a wonderfull time on the ship as well with our car + caravan and can't wait to go again!
We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and wouldn’t hesitate to use the service again too 🙂
Thank you for this video! I really enjoyed watching it, and it was very informative. Living in the netherlands, I hope to take this ferry one day.
Thanks for watching. Glad you found it helpful 🙂
Good video thanks for sharing.......
Great video guys, the wife and I will be heading back across the pond after 25 years living in the USA and we fully intend to build a van and follow some of your routes and obviously visit some of your eateries along the way, my belly also rules me head!!!!
Well we can recommend having a van. Just wish we had got it years ago now. After 25 years in the US it will be a bit of a shock to the system 😁👍
This ship is on charter from the Estonian cruise ferry company Tallink. Her normal line is between Stockholm & Riga where many of the passengers will be on a 2 night cruise back and forth.
Didn’t know this thanks 👍. I wonder if it will continue.
@@LifeistooshortCK it just might. They have also chartered their ships out for accommodation at COP in Glasgow & currently for refugee accommodation in the Netherlands.
It seems that Russia & Ukraine has really affected Baltic Sea passenger traffic. Many routes that historically had 2 ships plying each direction daily now only have 1 ship with a service every other day.
Hope you can do a review on the Silja Line twins between Helsinki and Stockholm.
Its crazy how much they increesed the prices I moved back to Norway from Netherlands in early May this year and round trip was like 1500NOK with a car and a cabin with window both ways
I imagine it’s all linked with the fuel crisis. Much higher and it will become a ghost ship. 👍
Thanks for a good video. A little pricy for food and drink onboard, I would have stocked up at a lidl or aldi and prepped some sandwich rolls and a large flask of coffee and ate in the cabin, I could not justify paying 38 euros for a meal.
good vid thanks lee
OOOHHH BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL. Ace trip and i lovevmy food aswell. thank you guys for this. i would never have known you could get from Netherlands to Norway like that. from memory, i always thought norway n sweden "hung" jus parralell with the top half of britain, gees. if that makes sense.
It does 👍
Hello Carol & Ken, unfortunately the first part of this wonderful video will soon become a kind of historic document as the Romantika will leave Eemshaven as a port of call by mid April 2023. Between April 18th and the end of May it will sail between Cuxhaven at the mouth of the river Elbe in Germany and from early June it will sail between Emden / Germany and Kristiansand / Norway. As Emden is located right opposite of Eemshaven on the german bank of the Ems estuary, it will be just a small detour. Holland Norway Line told me that they had to change ports as they had to share the berth in Eemshaven with construction vessels for future windfarms off the duch coast and this disrupted their operations too much. This is really sad as their terminal looked quite lovely in your video. I love your videos and look forward to every new adventure of the little red campervan
Wow didn’t know this. Thanks for the information. I will pin the comment so later viewers are aware 👍
We did this trip with the family last summer and it was great. Saved me loads of time driving trough Germany (which I hate, because it's boring). Traveling without doing anything, it doesn't get any better. Would like to do it again soon. Great entertainment as well by the way. Been to Norway many times, but this is the way to go, from the Netherlands anyway.
Yes we are not fans of long distance driving either so we really enjoyed the ship 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK We had our share of driving in Norway though, but that's a completely different experience. Had so many aaahs and ooohs from the backseats, lol.
We start loving those roads in our next episode 😁👍
Really enjoy watching your videos, thankyou for allowing us to take part in your travels, I hope to retire in 2 to 3 years time and hope to hire a campervan and travel the UK, thanks for your inspiration. By the way iam a subscriber cheers.
Thanks for the sub. We hope you get to travel when you retire 👍
Thankyou, I am also hoping for the opportunity, all the best to both of you,
Some eye watering prices for ferry and the food.
👍
As someone living in Kristiansand I've noticed alot more cars from the Netherlands than I'm used to. I do hope they visit our zoo
This new ferry line will be good for the tourist industry 🙂🙏
Thanks for that guys, very informative. 9 euros for 2 coffees. A sign of things to come. Heard it's expensive in Norway.
You said that the ship shop had everything you could possibly want... But... Did it have giant Toblerone! 😁🐕🚙
You couldn’t get a giant Toblerone in your camper and neither can we so stop fantasising 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK we wouldn't have store it for long!! 😁🐕🚙
Toblerones are always in duty frees lol
Good point 😁👍
Can't get over the price!! Great vlog though the food looked nice.
Yes it was a lot 👍
This is REALLY wetting our appetite for next year.
We best sell a kidney to pay for the ferry 😁
Yes it is expensive but it was nice not to drive all the way to Hirtshals in Denmark. There are rumours of a new service from Scotland at some point.
@@LifeistooshortCK i agree. This crossing will help us feel fresh enough to travel further north as we hit Norway.
We’ve looked into that, looks like they’re proposing a crossing from 2025 so we’ll maybe consider that for a future trip 😁
I travelled the overnight ferry to Harwich and back many times for a day of work in the city. This one looks lovely. Not sure whether I am interested in the onboard entertainment. A good night sleep, clean cabin and taking our dog with us. Curious about Norway. Stay near Kristiansand or travel to Bergen and further? not sure yet.
We did a big southern loop including Bergen 👍
Have been on this ferry when she was on Stockholm to Riga route then hers home harbour was Riga, still belong to Tallink-Silja line. Want her back for travel to Riga from Stockholm.
Is this a duplicate video? I started watching this and seems like I've already watched this?
See pinned comment. This is just an information video about the ferry. The next episode of our Norway series will be on Friday 🙂
yeah, I am so confused hahahah
Interesting - thanks. Is 8pm really that late for dinner or am I strange in thinking it's a perfectly decent time?
We were tired from the drive
The buffet is a higher quality than the buffet on Stenaline Harwich Hook of Holland. The breakfast was a bit expensive.
How clean were the cabins?
How stable was the ship compared to larger ferries?
We had flat calm on the crossing so can’t comment on how good it is when its rough. The whole ship was clean 👍
Great video. How long does the video take to put together. Any Discovery Channel ocfers yet?👍💥
Several hours but it’s getting faster as I learn more. No offers yet 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK great passion. Love binge watching them on a late shift. Have a great tour.
Fantastic series so far fair play to you both and I have one little question where you said its cheaper for a return but you was unsure which way you were coming back,could you have not booked a return whether you used it or not,or did you mean it would have been it would have been more for a return than the £566 apologies in advance if that sounds confusing lol.. looking forward to these travels as the aurora borealis is on my bucket list. take care each
It would have been more than £566 for a return but not double the single fare. We did not think we would be coming back that way as we wanted to explore some of Denmark on the drive home 🙂
and is there a way to geton the boat without a car? bus line leading here?
You would have to check on an App such as Moovit or Glimble. It depends where you are coming from.
Did you see any dogs on board?
We didn’t and I would have noticed as I love dogs 👍
when i went to Norway at the end of august there were a lot of dogs.
all you need to know now is that they discontinued the eemshaven > kristiansand line
Where is the ship operating now ?
@@LifeistooshortCK it is now going from a port on the german side of the eems
Hi guys.
Hello Larry. It’s getting blooming cold over here. 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK here too. The wind seems to be more than normal as well.
good stuff.
All you need to know is if your cruise ship has more than 750 passengers, that's way too many check out Azamara small boats, small crowds better experience
Now you have done it. Carol will be looking them up 😁👍
We're considering using the ferry crossing between Kristiansand and Eemshaven next summer. Eventually going all the way to Ireland. Seems like a small boat, but hope there is something for kids.
There is a children’s play area and a video games room.
Small? Its around 200 meters long.
Am I missing something this film is the same film you put out 5days ago 🤔
See the pinned comment. I did say I was doing 2 versions of the video
@@LifeistooshortCK such a tease 🤣
Can you get a ferry from there to Finland?
I don’t think so.
Sauna is not pronounced saw-na. It's like "sound with d replaced with a."
Thanks for letting us know 🙂👍
Unfortunately bankrupt 😔
Leider ist Holland Norwegen seit heute 30.8.2023 insolvent und alle Fahrten sind gestrichen
That is such a shame.
This crossing is now bankrupt
☹️
🌷🌸🍃🛳