Bring your car on a cruise!

A long travel in a car with small children poses a lot of challenges. If you’re going on a trip through Europe by car with children, it can be a long trip. Especially for the youngest ones. This was exactly the kind of trip we were on when we decided to “cheat” on the way back to Norway, and we therefore choose the Kiel-ferry with Color Line. Color Magic is the world’s biggest cruise ship with a car deck. Perfect!

The fact that Color Line doesn’t just offer a cruise, but that you can also bring your car along, gives an exciting combination for the whole family. Well aboard and lodged in the relatively small, but practical cabin, we were all ready to explore the boat. It became clear right away that the other travellers weren’t on a car trip, but guests who had probably wanted a short break from home. And there are plenty of offers for the travellers, regardless of what kind of trip you’re on.

The ships are filled with experiences for big and small. The ship is closely related to modern cruise ships, with a wide selection of restaurants, stores, entertainment offers such as Adventure planet, Aqualand, Teen’s Plaza and Kid’s Corner for the younger generation. The ship also has several bars, scene shows at night and casino, for the older ones.

We had a 4-star cabin with a large, round window, which was worth the upgrade from internal basis cabin below deck. The view towards the coast was amazing, and the kids thought it was particularly exciting to watch. We went up to deck several times, and were far from the only guests on deck to enjoy the view in the summer weather.

Like other cruise ships, both Color Magic and Color Fantasy have a good spa- and gym. Both ships offer a top modern gym, hot tub, sauna, massage chairs, hairdressers and spa treatments. Here you can choose between exercising or relaxing with a view over the ocean. Or maybe you prefer getting a haircut?

In the mornings, we looked forward to breakfast at the à la carte restaurant, which we’d heard a lot of good things about. And it didn’t disappoint! A fashionable arched staircase leads you down to a lovely restaurant. The first impression that met us were the big glass surface windows that stretched across the ship’s entire aft, from top to bottom. A nice staff kept refilling the food trays, and the selection and quality of the food was more than we’d expected.

A lot of passengers, like us, use the Kiel-ferry simply as a source of transportation from A to B, but just as many passengers use the ferry as a cruise ship. A roundtrip from Oslo to Kiel has two nights, and gives the experience of a mini-cruise. The Kiel-ferry is either way an exciting and fun way to get to Europe, and it can also be a nice alternative to what was originally meant to be just a car trip.

Have a good trip!