My Experience of Cruising through Europe (Guest post by 16 y.o. Zubin Panday)

​Check out this guest post by Zubin Panday of Going Locations. He’s a 16-year old Virginia native who has traveled to many parts of the world--

Our journey starts in Helsinki Finland, where the Silja Serenade cruise ship picks me up. This is not my first time cruising as I have been through the Caribbean twice before with Royal Caribbean. I have been on the once world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas. The 18-story ship is capable of holding over 6,000 passengers and costs over one billion dollars to build. With expectations and excitement at an all-time high, I boarded my 11-floor ship that I will call home for one night. My journey takes me to Stockholm, Sweden, where I will tour further.
 
As we departed Helsinki and headed closer to the Baltic Sea, I decided to check my room. It was a good enough sized bedroom with an attached bathroom. Nothing over the top, it was exactly what I needed for one night. As I toured the ship, I realized that my one night will not be a boring one. I took my trip in June so the outside areas were great, and the water was almost mesmerizing. Getting around the ship is easy as signs direct you to most places. There are also multiple elevators and stairs to choose from, making the switch between floors easy. I headed to the game room to fill my time and played some ping pong until it was time for dinner. Dinner was situated in the lovely dining hall, with a buffet style being served. After a filling dinner, you could either go to the outside decks or relax inside. The coolest thing about Scandinavian summers is that the sun never sets, giving you a 24-7 daytime feeling.

​​It’s the next morning and our ship is inching close to Stockholm. Islands like the one shown above are common sites, as Sweden is the country with the most islands. I enjoyed my breakfast with a fantastic view of these islands knowing that I had a full day in Sweden ahead of me.
 
For my next cruise, we have to go to Oslo, Norway. I’m preparing to take a cruise similar to this one from the same brand. With expectations high again, we get ready to board for another night of cruising. This journey takes us from the capital city of Oslo to the capital city of Copenhagen, Denmark. I checked out my room which turns out to be more or less the same, but this time there was no window. It wasn’t a problem as I was spending most of my time outside my room. We quickly departed Oslo with Holmenkollbakken seen in the distance. This is a ski jumping hill that was part of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

Just like last time, dinner was buffet style with so much to choose from. Somehow the food just tastes better when you have an amazing view like my ship had. After dining, I chose to stay at the main promenade which was buzzing with activity. Even though the sun didn’t really set, I called it a day earlier and got a good night of rest. The next morning turned out quite similar, with a buffet-style breakfast as we pulled into the Danish city. I made sure to try a few Danish pastries before packing my bags and departing my ship.


Overall, my experience on these two ships was amazing and I couldn’t recommend them more. Not only did these cruises connect me to new cities but these cruises also provided me with a comfortable and luxurious way to get there. Keep in mind that I went in summer, meaning that the weather was absolutely perfect. The cruise I was on runs year-round but the outside decks wouldn’t be as pleasant to be on in winter. No need to worry as the inside has plenty to do, boredom is something you won’t need to worry about on these ships. Food is another thing that you won’t need to worry about as there is enough selection to satisfy anyone.


The two cruises that I went on were both in the sea but there are also several river cruises. Viking is the most popular with over 50 ships and so many destinations. These cruises are good because you can see various countries in a short time. Your accommodation, food, and transportation are all taken care of so that you can have a phenomenal experience. These types of cruises are popular in Europe but there are various forms of them around the world. For whichever cruise ship you choose, I wish you a great trip!