Hey, from Finland.
Today I'm going to take this huge ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm.
It is supposed to be a pretty vibrant party trip. Some people call it, disrespectfully,
a booze cruise because buying alcohol on the ship is cheaper than on the mainland.
Many seem to appreciate that. Let's check it out.
The journey from Finland to Sweden by ferry takes 18 hours.
I'm allowed to be one of the first on board. 2,300 passengers have booked.
The Ferry is so huge.
I'm already a little lost.
I don't know where my cabin is.
I think my cabin is on the 10th floor.
That's my room.
Wow.
Such a cabin with sea view costs about 160 euros.
Those who book early pay less. But it can also be more expensive.
On the bridge, I meet Captain Ola Bengtsson. He proudly shows me an old steering wheel.
This is actually from a British steamship 1845 and has been the SS Gracy.
And has actually been in operation on a vessel.
Nowadays it's just a museum.
Okay, so if I touch it here and nothing's going to happen?
Nothing is going to happen. And actually that wheel there, the modern correspondence to that
is right over here and it's this little dot here.
OK, that's...hmm, not that exciting.
So you steer the whole ship with this little stick?
That's right. The whole ship is steard with this little stick.
Alright. That's all you do. You move this?
Yeah. Yeah. - That's your job?
Yes, that's my job, simple.
Okay, great. Thanks for having me.
Thank you very much.
It's time. All passengers are on board.
5 p.m., we cast off.
Bye bye Helsinki.
Time to explore the ship. It looks less like a ferry. More like a small cruise ship.
This is incredible. I have never seen something like that. There is a gift shop. A restaurant.
Back there is fashion.
It's like a huge shopping mall, but on a ship. I'm so excited.
This is something like Finland's mascot, Moomin.
For many passengers, shopping is more important than the trip itself.
Because in Finland, the tax on alcohol and tobacco products
is particularly high by European standards. On international waters, the tax does not apply.
This seems to be a pretty good offer.
Gin, Whiskey, Jägermeister – the selection is large.
What about the alcohol? Is it cheaper here than on the mainland?
Yeah, normally it's 25 percent, 50 percent cheaper.
Like for example, one liter of Jägermeister here costs like 17 euros,
whereas in Finland it costs like 35 euros because of the alcohol tax in Finland.
So it's usually way cheaper to buy it from these ferries.
Is it a common thing for people from Finland to party on the ferry?
Yes.
Okay, then enjoy your time! - Yeah, you too.
It's crazy what's bought here. Tobacco and alcohol in great quantities!
The duty-free shop is probably the most popular store in the ferry's shopping paradise.
But it's not so crowded everywhere.
There are also places to relax.
My encounter with the Baltic Sea: quite windy.
It's time for the buffet, and I'm not the only one.
You have to pay extra for dinner: 45 euros per person.
Seafood is mandatory on this trip, but not for me.
Even vegetarians like me get their money's worth.
All you can eat.
Now I'm prepared for the nightlife on the ferry.
There are 2 bars plus a dance and show palace on board.
First stop, the New York bar. It's not only drinking here – but also singing: Karaoke!
He's pretty good.
Actually, I also wanted to go on stage, but the list of contestants was already full.
Karaoke is obviously very popular here.
Well, it's a cultural thing for Finns, going to Sweden, staying the night at a ferry,
coming back and the karaoke as we can see, fully booked, very cultural thing.
And it's a very common thing for Finns to do.
Why don't you do that in Helsinki? Why do you have to hop on a ferry?
I think there's just something very like communal. Everything is in the same boat.
There's a community thing right here, you know, every Finn, every Swede. Here at the same place,
singing karaoke, having fun at the same time.
The cheap alcohol certainly plays a role, too.
And the need for community may come from the fact that both Finland and Sweden are quite
sparsely populated. The nearest neighbor is sometimes pretty far away.
No matter where they are from – on the ferry everyone loosens up.
You can hear some, like, really good starter voices and some really powerful voices here.
So there's some diamonds in the rough.
It's nice that people don't judge you when you sing.
You can sing horribly, but people just cheer you on.
And say nothing bad about it.
The last song of this evening. What else could it be?
An evergreen from Sweden. Dancing Queen by Abba.
This is by no means the end of the party! Dancing and drinking goes on – at the
other end of the ship. There are drinks, live music and the ship is swaying just
like some of the guests. Everyone seems to be having a great time.
It's almost midnight. But it's not dark yet.
The sun sets veeeery late here in the summer.
The next morning around 9 o'clock we pass through the Stockholm Archipelago and
approach the capital of Sweden. I'm not feeling quite as fit today. Now I know why this ship is
also called the party ferry. However, I find the term booze cruise a bit exaggerated.
Yes, there is a lot of drinking, but the focus is on celebrating together.
It's probably not for everyone, but for me, a trip like this is just the right thing. The sea, nice
people, music, fun. I have to be honest, I didn't sleep that much, but I had an idea beforehand what
I was getting myself into, so I'm not complaining. And now I'm going to check out Stockholm.