Woot! Maerose here, writing about “that trip” that got me into a romantic relationship (we talked the talk) with a sweet and handsome Swedish guy. If you are following my blog, you might have read how our first date went, and the succeeding experiences and thoughts with him and about him. We met right after New Year, and one month later, we found ourselves waiting in line to get on to this big Stena Line cruise ship.
Stena Line offers 24-hour, 36-hour, and thematic cruises from Norway to Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Poland and/or the Baltics. One of the biggest ferry services in Europe, they have 38 ships up to date taking 22 ferry routes in Northern Europe. We didn’t have lots of time, so we could only afford to spend a weekend on the boat. To be honest, I wasn’t really a big fan of cruises, so I had a pretty clean slate ready to get filled with scribbles on how the ride would go.
Cruises like the one we took are very popular for young Scandinavians. While most people take the ferry as a means of cheap public transportation from one Scandinavian country to another, a huge number go on board just to buy tax-free alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, and to party the night away!
I’m not a huge fan of drinking alcohol in a crowd, nor wild-dancing, which the cruise is usually famous for. Nevertheless, my travel buddy and I still had fun sharing great conversations while on board and enjoying “gambling” at the arcade section. 😀
Other activities one can enjoy on-board are: free movie! (They showed The Revenant, but we already saw the movie, so we skipped it.), disco, children’s playroom, and spa. We also had great dinners for both Friday and Saturday at the Metropolitan restaurant which serves high-end dishes. I was pampered to nth level! ❤
The boat left at 7:30 on Friday evening, and by 7am the following day, we were at Frederikshavn in Denmark for the ship’s 2-hour dock. Yep, just two hours. So, we just stayed on the boat, had a nice little breakfast at the buffet section, and went for a little shopping at the tax-free store. Interestingly, one can buy and bring more alcoholic beverages to Sweden and Denmark than one can to Norway. 😛
I definitely enjoyed the de-stressing trip with my travel companion. I loved the beautiful scenery while on board, and we got to know each other better! This is one trip I recommend for budding lovers, to be honest. 🙂 As they say, you’ll never know your partner well until you travel together. ❤
Ha! I remember writing about this cute little Tiger stuffed toy who’s supposed to be my travel buddy. I bought her in the Philippines last December, almost completely convinced that I’d be a solo traveler for several years more. Fate has its own way to surprise us, I guess. 😉
Happy cruising! Cheers to more travels!
To book a ticket or get information about Stena Line and the cruises they offer: http://www.stenaline.no/stenacruise
PinayOdyssey 
Reading this article made me realise how much fun you had on that cruise. I once had a fear for boats but now I really want to go on a cruise ship. 🙂
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Good for you! I was also afraid of big bodies of water. But yeah! It’s worth it. 😉
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This sounds like you had plenty of fun with your cruise trip. Its a shame they only gave you 2 hours though.
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Thanks Carla! Well, we really opted for the 2 hour docking time because we had to get back to Norway before the weekend ends. 😉
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I love reading romantic stories. That cruise ship looks nice and maybe someday, my husband and I, if God will bless us, we’ll be able to try that someday.
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Going to a cruise was a long time wish!:) I guess I need to save a lot to be able to make my dreams come true haha!😃By the way that Ice cream really looks delicious
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Thanks, Joy! The little cruise is not really that very expensive, in the Scandinavian point of view. Hope you’ll hop on a cruise soon! I’m sure you’ll have fun. 😉
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Omg you are so lucky to go and travel your heart away! 🙂 Love this!
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Thanks, rjdancel! Hope I’d manage to do this more often.
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Awww… I’m really dying to travel abroad. Mediterranean Cruise in on our bucket list as couple but due to financial constraints, it’s still on our list. Hehe. Hope to ticked that off soon. 🙂 I’m scared to travel by ship before but when I tried to rode one from one province to another, it wasn’t that scary as I thought it was. Cheers to more travels with your Scandinavian guy ♥♥♥
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Thank you! I’m sure you will enjoy a luxurious Mediterranean Cruise! Or wherever that may be, it’s always nice to spend time with your hubby. Just the two of you. 😉
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Not a fan of cruises too. I will only try if someone can treat me. Haha. My flat in Denmark has a view of where the cruises stop so maybe I will be contented to watch them as of the moment. Haha
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Thanks, Jessica! It’s worth trying out. 😉
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I love reading travel stories and LOVE stories of how people met. Looks like your cute little tiger has met her dad 🙂 I haven’t experience cruising yet. If the budget permits I’ll probably afford an Asian cruise someday. For now, I’m glad to read and see beautiful photos about your travel.
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Thanks for the comment! I do understand cruises in Asia are a bit pricey. Cruising companies are doing it wrong.. 😉
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me and my husband travel too! its an awesome feeling when you travel together. i cant wait to try cruising (and the buffets!)
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wow, you got a very interesting or should I say very romantic story! This is the reason why I always said to myself not to be on a hurry because God’s timing is always perfect and you just have to wait until he has given you the best love story in your life and it may come in your most unexpected time and place.
This is indeed a very romantic place and it is very relaxing too especially that sunset view.. so amazing
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Thank you for the kind words, Milton! I just realized that being in a relationship is not always flowers and butterflies, so I decided I’d just treasure and appreciate the good times such as the time we were on the cruise. 😉
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I feel sooo giggly inside because of your new romantic status haha. I’ve been on a cruise before, and I can perfectly tell ya it’s a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s amazing you got to meet someone who loves traveling as well. Cheers to more experiences with him (and let’s not leave out your Tiger buddy, haha).
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Thanks Veeyah! Everything is new to me, so I’m actually struggling. 😉 hahahha
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Wow! Nice adventure! I’d love to try a cruise but the problem is I have a sick motion. I guess I will be needing a box of Bonamine to survive. Hehe My hubby’s a captain and sometimes he asks me to come with him especially when he has some “ship checking” thing. Lol (I don’t know the term Haha)
Cheers to your future adventures!
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Thanks for the kind words, Cess! I don’t really like big bodies of water, despite the fact that I grew up near the beach in the country side in PH. But it’s definitely worth going out of my comfort zone from time too time. 😉 I’m sure you’ll enjoy the time spent on board with your hubby.
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My officemate went on a cruise last year with his family and I almost had a heart attack when I learned how much they spent haha… But I’d love to try a cruise someday, maybe like you I would have fun too.
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Aww, your story is cute! To many more adventures with your amour, I guess? 😉 Oh, I definitely agree that travel only binds you and your partner closer together 🙂
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