The new Silja Serenade interiors, 27 November 2018

Earlier today, I had the chance to attend the press showing of the Silja Serenade, showcasing her most recent interior refit. So, let's get down to business

Silja Serenade

IMO 8715259
Built 1990, Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Tonnage 58 376 GT
Length 203,03 m
Width 31,93 m
Draught 7,12 m
Ice class 1A Super
2 852 passengers
3 001 berths
410 cars
1 600 lane metres
4 Wärtsilä-Vasa diesels, combined 32 580 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
1 stern thruster
Speed 21 knots

Once again, the new interiors of the various public space are the work of the Finnish interior design firm Aprocos, who have pretty much become Tallink's designers of choice. Interestingly enough, Aprocos' founder and CEO Heikki Mattila had already worked on the original interiors of these ships.

Starlight and the Seaview Lounge on Decks 7 and 8

The former Atlantis Palace show lounge and casino complex, forward on decks 7 and 8, which previously survived nearly in original condition, has been finally given a thorough refit, which included new staircases, replacing three old bars with two new ones, and an increased number of seats especially in the forward viewing area (now called the Seaview Lounge, whereas it was previously just the Bow Bar). Unfortunately, during the press visit the Starlight complex was not entirely complete, most notably lacking the various plants that are an integral part of the final design.

The Seaview Lounge now has much more seating, thanks to the bar originally the left being demolished. The little bit of purple in the background is the new bar, which serves both the Seaview Lounge and the main Starlight complex.

The tiered seating is where the space retains most of its original appearance, but gone are for example the seashell-shaped lamps.

On the right here was originally another bar counter, but that too has been demolished to make way for more seating. The new bars are also more up-to-date in their design, as the sheer number of drinks served has radically increased in the past two decades and the originals were simply not designed for the number of things served today.

Aft and partially below of the twin-level showlounge area is Starlight's casino, which already had the final greenery in place. I very much look forward to sailing on the ship again and seeing the Starlight complex as it is meant to be.

As a part of the programme, we also had the pleasure of seeing the ship's new The Great Gatsby -themed show. I must say in all honesty that I'm not usually a big fan of onboard shows, be they on my local cruise ferries or on proper cruise ships. But Silja's Great Gatsby really made an impression on me. I would say it easily topped, for example, Norwegian Cruise Line's much-advertised Havana, which I saw when I sailed on the Norwegian Bliss earlier this year. Then again, the show did have a lot of stuff I enjoy, such as an art deco aesthetic, an electro swing soundtrack and handsome dancers.

The Great Gatsby.

Bon Vivant on Deck 7

Further aft along the Promenade, the Bon Vivant fine dining restaurant, wine bar and the adjacent wine shop have also been redecorated (and it was about time too).

I'm afraid the lighting here didn't quite agree with my camera, and the vibrant dark blue of the chairs and carpets ended up looking grey instead.

Grill House on Deck 7

Further aft, the popular El Capitan grill restaurant has given way to the Grill House, a similarly themed restaurant already found onboard many other Silja Line and Tallink ships. Gone is the 1990s fax mexicana and in is a more refined grill restaurant (though I must say that my favourite Grill House remains that onboard the Silja Europa – also designed by Aprocos).

I wasn't a fan of El Capitan, but here I could eat just for the decor.

I really show have cleared that plate away.

Coffee & Co on Deck 7

This space wasn't actually added in the most recent refit, but in the 2015 one (I think). As it has not featured here before I thought I would put it in anyway. This space used to be the children's playroom back in the day, but that was moved to larger premises down on Deck 5 (my son loves the place), so a new cafeteria could be inserted here.

This place is, alas, where the Serenade loses to her younger sister Silja Symphony, as that ship has a sushi restaurant – one of the best I've eaten in outside Japan – instead.

Sea Pub on Deck 7

Previously, the pub aft on the promenade was named Old Port Pub and in my books, it was one of the gloomiest, least pleasant spaces onboard. The new Sea Pub is much lighter, airier and generally more pleasant (but it must be said it isn't quite as good as its cousin onboard the Silja Symphony in my books, as on that ship it's even nicer and less publike).

This is a pub I might consider visiting. The old incarnation wasn't.

Stairwells, corridors and lobbies

All over the ship, the stairwells, lobbies and corridors have been given a new look, including new carpets, a new colour scheme and new artworks. And it was about time, as these were areas where the original look of the ship survived. And while it feels silly to put money on these things, as they don't really generate money, they are also some of the first places the passenger sees when coming onboard and will effect how they judge the entire ship.

This is just so much better than the old one. I kind of feel bad about the originals artworks in the staircases... but then again, they weren't particularly impressive, so I won't really miss them.

Special thanks to Heikki Mattila and Miko Mattila of Aprocos. Kships, as always, will return.

The new Baltic Princess interiors, 8 March 2018

My original intention was to give you a full interior tour of the Baltic Princess today, combining my photos from today's press tour and the previous crossing with her to Gdansk. However, as the wonderful people at Tallink Silja offered me an impromptu cruise on the ship, we will instead look only at the parts of the ship that were changed during the refit, and the full tour will have to wait for another time.

Baltic Princess

IMO 9354284
Built 2008, Aker Yards Saint Nazaire, France / Aker Yards Helsinki, Finland
Tonnage 48 915 GT
Length 212,10 m
Width 29,00 m
Draugth 6,42 m
Ice class 1A Super
2 800 passengers
2 484 berths
600 cars
1 130 lanemetres
4 Wärtsilä diesels, combined 32 000 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 24,5 knots

The Baltic Princess' new public rooms were designed by the Finnish interior architects Aprocos, working in close collaboration with the crews and based on extensive passenger feedback. (Aprocos of course also worked on the ship's original interior decor back in the day). Heikki Mattila's firm is quickly becoming one of my personal favourite ship interior designers, as their work has a strong tendency to be both stylish and functional. And there is a Nordic modernist trend running through their recent work, which as a style is right up my street.

Grande Buffet on Deck 7

The old Buffet Silja Line on Deck 7 has been transformed into a Grande Buffet, with all-new decor, re-designed servery areas and new equipment.

The chairs are the originals, but they have been reupholstered in the Grande Buffet colours. The new upholstery is also designed to be easy to clean, so that they will look good even after prolonged use.

Several partitions were removed to open up the space and make it more airy.

The jewel of the restaurant is the new dessert buffet, which is also the workstation of the dessert cook, who can then also make portions on order and special portions for people with allergies or other special dietary needs.

Midships stair lobbies

The midships stair lobbies on all decks have been given new, more vibrant carpets (the old ones were not that nice, at least in my opinion). A small but attractive change.

I really like the new carpets here. A shame they didn't change the forward stair lobbies at the same time, as the carpets there are of a particularly dismal colour in my opinion.

Fashion Street on Deck 7

The pre-existing Fashion Street shop on Deck 7 was enlarged into the space of the old Siljaland children's playroom (which moved down to deck 5, of which more below). The expansion includes the world's first Tommy Hilfiger Shop in Ship, or a shop in shop onboard a ship. According to the Tommy Hilfiger representative here, the Baltic Princess has been a big seller or TH clothing to start with, so a Shop in Ship was a logical next step.

The Tommy Hilfiger Shop in Ship of course has TH brand displays - but adapted for shipboard use, rather than the movable versions used on dry land.

Fast Lane cafeteria on Deck 6

The old Cafeteria on Deck 6 has been transformed into a new-style Fast Lane cafeteria, with "action stations" making portions on order replacing the old buffet-style system. In terms of decor the space is a fusion of elements of the Fast Lanes onboard the Silja Europa and the Megastar, using similar extensive plant decor as on the Megastar but with the rest of the decor more subdued (and more in keeping with the Fast Lane concept) as on the Silja Europa. Personally I'm really highly impressed with the decor here.

The old Cafeteria was not really today... but the new Fast Lane certainly is!

The lime green that is the Fast Lane colour is much more subdued here than, for instance, on the Silja Europa - and of course, the plants provide a nicely Fast Lane -esque palette in themselves.

Very pretty.

The new servery areas are more station-based, so that if you want a coffee, you can just get a coffee and not queue though everything. I like the use of hexagonal floor tiling here, reflecting the hexagonal carpet pattern that is the Fast Lane "thing".

Siljaland on Deck 5

The old luggage room on Deck 5 has been transformed into the new, much larger Siljaland for children. The space includes a small stage for children's shows, a cafeteria for parents, and it is located adjacent to the conference suite, which can be converted into a part of the playroom during the holiday seasons. This is of course routinely done on just about every Baltic ferry, but putting the regular playroom next to the conference room of course gives adjacency benifits missing from other ships.

A TV screen will be added to the blank space behind the stage, so it can also be used for kid's karaoke.

A small cafeteria for parents, with grown-up sized seating on the left (mostly off-frame, unfortunately).

Designers chairs in child size. In addition to PS4's and to-be-installed iWalls, kids can also play board games and draw - or just frolic around.

Cabin areas on Deck 5

The passenger cabins on Deck 5 have been redecorated, but unfortunately we did not have a chance to visit any of them. The cabin corridors have also been recarpeted in similar colours as the midships stair lobbies. Again, a major improvement with a small change.

While I do like the new carpets, I have to say the juxtaposition of a blue carpet and red cabin doors is a bit jarring. Maybe paint the cabin doors to match in the next refit? Oh yes, also notice the signage in the new Silja Line style.

Kships will return.

Viking XPRS interiors, 11 February 2017

Yesterday saw the completion of the most recent set of rebuilding onboard Viking Line's sole Helsinki-Tallinn ferry Viking XPRS with the opening of the new, larger Club X night club aft, replacing the older and smaller Dance Pavillion. Since the newest onboard pictures from the ship are from 2009, when the Dance Pavillion was brand new, I think it's high time we had a second tour of the ship. It might be of interest to the reader to compare the images in this set to the 2009 set, as well as the entry showing the aft decks in the original 2008 configuration.

Viking XPRS

IMO 9375654
Built 2008, Aker Yards Helsinki, Finland
Tonnage 35 778 GT
Length 186,71 m
Width 27,70 m
Draugth 6,75 m
Ice class 1A Super
2 500 passengers
732 berths
230 cars
1 000 lanemeters
4 Wärtsilä diesels, combined 40 000 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
1 stern thruster
Speed 25 knots

The Viking XPRS' original interiors were by Tillberg Design, working together with the Finnish architect Lasse Heikkinen. The most recent changes were, in turn, by Viking Line's in-house architect Johan Nordberg. All photos in this entry were taken on 11 Fabruary 2017, whuke the ship was moored in Tallinn.

Deck 10 has a large, sheltered sundeck area (which, to be honest, I've been expecting them to convert to a skybar for more indoors seating for years).

Deck 9 has the bridge forward, with the rest of the indoor spaces devoted to crew areas, and open decks for passengers.

Deck 8 is the upper of the two decks dedicated to public rooms. Forward, there is the Red Rose cafeteria (which I did not get to photograph this time around, as it was booked for a group during the time in port and packed during the times at sea), followed by the Blue Deli cafeteria starboard and the galley port. Aft of these is the Robert's Coffee café starboard, followed by the Wine & Dine restaurant, and the Bistro Bella buffet restaurant port.

Blue Deli seating areas. Originally, there was a couch behind the window, but this was replaced by more eating-friendly seating later on.

The staircases are attractively decorated with photos of old Viking Line vessels from the 1970s.

What was originally the Xpresso Street café has been rebranded as a part of the popular Finnish coffee house chair Robert's Coffee. The decor, however, remains largely unaltered.

More Robert's Coffee.

In the most recent refit, the servery counter was completely rebuilt (you can see the outline of the original in the ceiling details); at the same time, café servery counter and buffet bookings counter were separated (having originally been combined in a less than successful arrangement).

The Wine & Dine à la carte restaurant was added in 2015, replacing an earlier area originally envisioned as a cabinet for groups but more often used for regular seating or as an overspill area for the buffet. Apart from the furniture (which in my opinion is somewhat inferior to the original in terms of style), the decor is original.

The servery areas of the Bistro Bella buffet are located in a semi-separate room forward of the main restaurant area in an arrangement that is perhaps not as practical as envisioned. The servery counters were rebuilt in the most recent refit to create space for additional courses.

For the most part, Bistro Bella's seating areas retain the original 2008 appearance...

...except for four tables aft, which for some reason have completely differerent chairs, which don't match the rest of the decor at all.

Aft of the restaurants, there is an enlarged sundeck area (thanks to the addition of Club X below). For the summer season, additional sofas and chairs will be brought to the elevated area. Due to the indoors areas on Deck 8 terminating in resturants, the outer area can be accessed only by going down to Dekck 7 or up to Deck 9.

Deck 7 is the lower public room deck, with conference rooms and a fashion shop forward, followed by the main Shopping World, followed by the Viking's Inn pub and, right aft, the new Club X night club.

The conference lobby. The placement of the conference rooms forward, with the best views, is somewhat odd as slideshows and such are generally dependant on not too much light entering the room for them to be properly visible.

The forward staircase is red, in order to differentiate from the blue midships one.

The Shopping World was given an entirely new decor in the most recent refits, in style similar to contemporary airport tax free shops (and, it must be said, very similar to the most recent main shops onboard Tallink's ships).

From the 1980s until the 2000s, a Baltic Sea ferry simply had to have a stereotypical British-style pub onboard. Viking's Inn is the last representative of this trend; since then the style has finally (and fortunately) gone out of fashion.

Viking's Inn has a somewhat unusual H-shaped floor plan, with the bar counter in the middle.

Aft of Viking's Inn, we come to the new Club X night club. The back wall, with the impressive fenestration (sadly giving a view of the outer deck, rather than the ship's wake) was moved back in the most recent refit, giving space for additional seating for 150.

While the earlier furniture of the Dance Pavillion has been retained here, the - in my opinion very attractive - original fuchsia and teal upholstery has given way to more sombre hues of black, grey and copper.

Club X's bar counter has also been enlarged from it's previous incarnation.

Deck 6 is dedicated to cabins, most of them for passengers but also crew cabins right aft.

Apart from the floor material, this B4R allergy cabin is representative of the standard cabins onboard.

Deck 5 is, in turn, entirely dedicated to passenger cars, accessible both via internal ramps and doors on the sides of the ship.

Decks 3 and 4 host a twin-height deck for cargo.

Decks 1 & 2 are inaccessible to passengers housing engineering spaces, galleys and the like.

Kships will return.

Megastar interiors, 27 January 2017

Tallink's new Helsinki-Tallinn fast ropax Megastar will enter service tomorrow, but she was shown to the press yesterday in Tallinn. I was there as a representative of Cruise Business Review and my article on the ship will be featured in the next issue of the magazine. Whilst waiting for that, here is a photographic tour of the ship.

Updated 29.1.2017 with a photo of the garage in normal use and some previously neglected information.

Megastar

IMO 9773064
Built 2017, Meyer Turku, Finland
Tonnage 49 200 GT
Length 212,20 metres
Width 30,60 metres
Draught 7,10 metres
2 824 passengers
186 cabin berths
800 cars (if no freight units carried) or
320 cars and 110 freight units
3 653 lane metres
5 Wärtsilä LNG/diesel hybrid engines, combined 45 600 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
2 stern thrusters
Service speed 27 knots
Ice class 1A

The interior design of the Megastar has been the responsibility of two Finnish interior designers: dSign Vertti Kivi & Co and Aprocos. While dSign is the more widely publicised of the two - having designed the majority of the public spaces - in terms of floor area, the two practices were essentially equal, thanks to Aprocos doing some of the largest areas onboard, most notably the twin-level Traveller Superstore, as well as all the cabins. But, without further ado, let's dig in!

Deck 11 is inaccessible to the public, housing crew areas.

Deck 10 has the command bridge forward, followed by more crew areas, passenger cabins, the diver's lounge and, right aft, the open sun deck for passengers. Being smart, I neglected to visit this deck completely during my tour.

Deck 9 is one of the two principal passenger decks, hosting the buffet and à la carte restaurants forward, followed by the children's play room, a cafeteria and a fast food eatery, with a sitting lounge and two bars right aft.

The Delight Buffet covers most of the forward quarter of the deck. Right at the front, there is a neat bay window, continuing the shape of the command bridge above. A very neat little detail.

In contrast with dSign's earlier shipboard work, the Megastar features plants as decor in various spaces.

The Delight Buffet is designed as a series of cabinet-like spaces, which can be cordoned off on less busy departures.

The servery areas of Delight Buffet are in the middle, in the now-popular island arrangement.

Adjacent to the buffet entrance is the ship's à la carte dining room, Chef's Kitchen. The placement was strategic on the part of dSign, as it is hoped to encourage passengers en-route to the buffet to "upgrade" their dining experience.

Aft of Chef's Kitchen is the children's playroom.

Moving further aft, the starboard side of the ship is filled with the Fast Lane cafeteria. Here, again, the area is subdivided into indivisual segments with their own colour scheme. This spot is my personal favourite.

The Fast Lane servery areas.

More Fast Lane sitting areas. While the menu and branding are the same as on the Fast Lanes found onboard other ships of Tallink Grupp, the decor is unique.

The aftmost areas of Fast Lane have more neat plant detailings in the space dividers.

While Fast Lane covers the starbord side amidships, on the port there's first the galley and the a Burger King restaurant. Here, the decor is in accordance with the Burger King concept - so nothing to write home about.

The stairwells (seen here is the midships stairs on Deck 9) are all designed by Aprocos in a quite attractive styling. However, each of the three staircases has the same colour scheme; perhaps unique colours for each would have aided in passenger orientation.

Aft of Burger King is the Sitting Lounge, a much-desired if somewhat retro feature. Here, again, the design of the space is by Aprocos.

Apposite of the Sitting Lounge on the starboard side we find the Victory Bar with its centerpiece horse lamp.

Victory Bar was envisioned by dSign as a stylish, contemporary rendering of a classic sports pub.

Again, plants bring a nice organic counterpoint to dSign's angular detailing.

As in the other dSign-drawn spaces, there are some very neat lighting fixtures in the Victory Bar.

The final indorrs public space on Deck 9 is Sea Pub, another concept familiar from earlier Tallink and Silja Line ships, but with a new interior design from dSign.

Sea Pub is, without question, the most vibrant-coloured of all dSign-made public areas onboard.

dSign envisioned the Sea Pub as a more quiet space, in contrast with the Victory Bar. We'll see how the spaces will turn out in practice.

Aft on Deck 9, the outer decks have been built in as an enclosed, winter garden -like space.

Deck 8 is the second public room deck. Forward, there are the extra-cost Business and Comfort Class lounges, followed by the entrance lobby, the Coffee & Co coffee bar, the Lobby Shop and the Traveller Superstore, which covers the entire aft half of the deck.

The forward section on Deck 8 is split between the Business Class (seen here) and Comfort Class areas.

Food and drinks are included in the Business Class price, thus the space has its own buffet servery area.

dSign chose to decorazte the Business Class lounge in restive hues of grey and black, conductive for working.

The Comforst Class lounge, accopying the port side forward, features similarly restive decor as the Business Class.

Again, organic detailing brings the space to life.

The Comfort Class areas also feature three cabinets, which can be used either as private meeting rooms or incorporated into the main lounge on busier departures.

The two extra-cost areas are followed by the entrance lobby and corridors leading to the public rooms midships. On the port side, a video of the ship's naming ceremony, alongside a picture of the godmother (Finland's former president Tarja Halonen) and the lucky coins laid under the keel.

The corresponding space on the starboard side.

Amidships is the Coffee & Co coffee bar area. Here, the walking paths cross from one side of the ship to the other, an interesting new solution devised by dSign.

The Coffee & Co servery area, alongside the reception, is located in the triangular space formed by the crossroads forward.

Port side sitting areas for Coffee & Co. The starboard side has more hues of fuchsia.

The aft triangle from the corssroads has further seating and the Lobby Shop.

Located adjacent to the main supermarket, the Lobby Shop might seem like a strange concept, but many passengers probably welcome the chance for quick shopping in a much smaller space.

The Traveller Superstore, designed by Aprocos, is similar in styling to the Tax Free Superstore found onboard other Tallink and Silja vessels, but with the name altered to reflect the fact there are no tax-free sales on the Helsinki-Tallinn route.

The Traveller Superstore extends down to Deck 7, with an extremely impressive atrium-like staircase in the middle. Alas, the equipment I had with me couldn't quite capture the space in the way it deserved.

Very wish display!

Deck 7 features one of the Megastar's most innovative features: a garage that passengers can access during the voyage. This is meant for shoppers taking large amounts with them, as there is direct access from the garage to the Traveller Superstore.

During our visit, however, the garage was turned into a party space for a short celebratory cruise run from Tallinn later in the evening.

The garage photographed once the ship was in normal service on 29.1. Very similar to a shopping center on dry land.

The Decks below, 3-6, are further car decks, with technical spaces and galleys down on Decks 1 and 2.

As always, Kships will return.