Ferry report: Silja Line vs. Viking Line

Silja Line and Viking Line are two competing ferry companies that operate cruise ships between Finland and Sweden. Boring people traditionally consider Silja Line the more upmarket one, but is there really a difference? We put two ferries, Viking Line’s MS Mariella and Silja Line’s Silja Symphony head-to-head.

Graphic signage

Everyone knows that the deck is going to be slippery if you want to have a walk outside. However, Viking Line seems to compare this to dancing on uncooked spaghetti. Hey presto!

Silja Line on the other hand believes the only right solution is to picture a sturdy black man jumping on a bed, which is clearly the right way. Point Silja Line.

Random shopping trolleys on board

Both ferries have a sizeable tax-free shop where you can buy essential items like cigarettes and alcohol. Passengers on board Silja Symphony often wheel up their little shopping trolley on deck nine before abandoning it.

Viking Line passengers however are much more industrious, and have been known to haul their trolley down several flights of stairs before properly discarding of it in a dead-end on deck two. Point Viking Line.

Amusement

MS Silja Symphony prides itself in featuring a disgusting sandbox for dogs. At the time of writing a dog owner however claimed that someone had smashed a bottle in said sandbox, rendering it useless. But it’s still a sandbox for dogs.

MS Mariella on the other hand features a propane powered grill on the sundeck. Sure, it appears to be a privat grill of the crew members, but it’s still a propane powered grill. No points awarded for amusements to either ferry.

So who won the test, Silja Line or Viking Line?

Wait, were we actually on two different ferries?

08/29/12