You have to see this boat to believe it. It is not your typical car ferry, it is in fact a cruise ship calling itself a ferry. It had not one but two show lounges, a disco, a pub, a piano bar, a bar that was just a bar, a pizza joint, buffet dining, three "a la carte" options (Italian, Meat, Tres Expensive), casino, movie theatre and children's play area. I had booked the cheapest accommodation as possible so our room was an inside one with two single beds, a 26" flat screen TV, desk and small bathroom. This boat was spotless. I am a professional facility guy and I know clean, not Nonie clean but clean none the less. It has been on this run for at least a year and it looks pristine.
We arrived at the terminal to find it very, very busy. Check in was quick, all computerized. We were given a card which would open our room door and act as our identification on the boat/ship. The line to get on the ship was long and moving very slowly. It was Miller Time and we were anxious to board and find a bar with a view so we could watch the departure in style. We eventually made it to the head of the line to find that they were actually boarding two ships at the same time. One was headed to Helsinki which was only three hours across the Baltic and which most of the line was headed so we were able to proceed quickly onto our ship, find our room and head to the bar where a lovely window seat became our home for the next few hours. The drinks were not to overpriced and there was free wireless internet.
It was Nonie's birthday so the plan was to treat ourselves to a nice meal and a bottle of wine. Once again, too many choices. Nonie eventually settled on the meat place and as the sun set on the Baltic we eased in to our table with a great view of the Balitic and a little sticker shock from the wine list. We opted for water and a beer. After dinner we wandered to one of the show lounges to check out the action.
Karaoke was in full voice at our first stop. Not our usual cup of tea but we decided to stay and have one of those "foofoo" drinks with the little umbrellas. They were on special. We found ourselves a quiet corner of the room right beside the stage not planning to stay too long. Shortly after we settled in, a lovely couple of the non-heterosexual persuasion joined us in the corner. They were both giddy with the excitement at the thought of belting out a few tunes and perhaps having a few drinks. Over the next 20 minutes the gay population in our little corner of the world increased significantly with most pouring over the Karaoke menus looking for that one perfect song. Our plan to stay only a few minutes vanished as we became caught up in their infectious party atmosphere. We found out later that Stockholm was hosting a Gay Pride event the day we were to arrive. It was an interesting evening watching their interactions and it needs to be said that I was the only guy in the group who had a little umbrella in his drink. Oh and the ferries name was the Baltic Queen. It is all starting to dawn on me.
We will arrive in Stockholm at 10 AM tomorrow. One more border to cross.
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