The Color Magic ferry to Oslo: a review

Running between Kiel on Germany’s Baltic coast and Oslo, the Color Magic is a ship operated by Color Line and the largest ferry in the world (by tonnage). It’s often likened to a mini cruise, with a wide range of onboard facilities (including several restaurants, shops, a spa, and even a theater), and takes 20 hours total. 

Claims that this sailing is much more like a cruise than a ferry aren’t misplaced. As I look out to sea from a glass-front sauna in the ship’s spa area, I wonder if this might be the sailing that helps me find my sea legs. 

Boarding the Color Line

After getting off the train from Oslo’s central train station, signs to the ferry terminal are clearly marked, and we head right out of the station. There’s not a shred of ambiguity about where to go: the enormous boat is docked in the port right in front of the station exit.

With a comfortable layover, we enjoy a quick coffee on the water before boarding, and then head to the departure lounge. The ticket-scanning process is remarkably easy and takes less than five minutes, with a helpful English-speaking attendant who waves us through into the large departure lounge. There’s not much to do here, so I’m thankful for a book to keep me entertained before boarding. 

The boarding experience for foot passengers is great, and I’m surprised by the number of people without cars. We file in through the ferry doors, which feels more like walking into a large shopping mall than a boat, greeted by staff dressed in nautical attire. It’s a far cry from the functional ferries to northern France that I’m used to.

Boarding leads us straight to the dazzling ship promenade, cruise-esque with polished marble floors, a glassy ceiling glowing with bright colored lights, and cabin facades designed to look like real houses above store, restaurant, and cafe fronts, already bustling with passengers lining up for their celebratory boarding drink. A map of the boat helps us get our bearings, and we wonder if even a 20-hour crossing will let us scratch the surface of all the amenities on board, including a gym, spa, and movie theater. 

But before getting lured into all the entertainment, we head up to the top deck in time to watch the ferry leave Kiel, staying until the mainland disappears before checking into our cabins.

What are the cabin types on the Color Line?

The Color Magic offers three tiers of cabins: standard (with options for restricted view, promenade view, or ocean view), Color Class (offering a queen-size bed, breakfast and minibar included, plus Wi-Fi, which isn't included as standard), Color Suite (much larger rooms with a small living area, plus breakfast, Wi-Fi, and spa access included), and the Owner’s Suite: a luxurious 35m cabin with a separate bedroom right at the front of the ship (with breakfast, Wi-Fi, and spa access). 

We check into our two adjoining standard cabins, both with an ocean view. Despite being one of the cheaper options, it feels spacious enough, with an en suite shower and an ocean view that's well worth the extra cost. 

Onboard entertainment on the Color Line

The Color Line offers one of the most impressive selections of onboard amenities and entertainment of any ferry crossing. Amenities include:

• Duty-free shopping

• Color Spa

• Fitness center

• Show lounge with live theater

• Onboard nightclub

• Casino

• Golf simulator

• Manhattan bar with live piano

• Bar

• Three restaurants

After checking out our cabin, we decide to stretch our legs and explore the ship. We make a mental note to check out the bar in the evening, test out the duty-free fragrance samples, and end up drawn into the spa. Before we know it, we’ve changed into fluffy bathrobes and slippers and are padding down the hallway to the ocean-view sauna. There’s a range of treatments on offer, but we stick to the basics and flit between the sauna, jacuzzi, and kicking back on a chaise with an herbal tea. It feels like the ultimate spa treat, and at 275 NOK (around £20), it's a luxury that feels well worth the unique experience.

With a pre-booked dinner at the Oceanic à la Carte, we coax ourselves out of the bubbles and into our (only) dressy outfits. There’s a piano playing live music, and we head down with enough time to sip a pre-dinner drink before taking our seats looking out over the vanishing horizon. 

Dining options onboard the Color Line

There’s a range of dining options onboard, including the ship’s Scandinavian buffet bar, a retro American-style diner, and the Oceanic à la Carte, with opulent interiors and prime positioning at the back of the ship. 

For a set menu of 479 NOK (around £40), the Oceanic à la Carte is the ship’s most spectacular feature and well worth reserving a table for in advance. Considering the hype, the food is remarkably good and definitely not a case of style over substance; there’s a great selection of vegetarian and gluten-free options for our dietary-specific family, and we enjoy locally caught salmon, seasonal vegetables, and a wine suggested by the friendly server. There’s no rush to the service, and with such a great view, it’s a lovely spot to watch the sky and water darken before heading back to the cabin. 

Is the Color Line sailing from Kiel to Oslo rough?

Under normal conditions, the sailing is usually pretty smooth given that most of the trip is across the sheltered Kiel Fjord and Oslofjord. The sheer size of the boat also means you feel significantly less movement than on smaller vessels. Spring through early fall is the calmest, with winter sailings more susceptible to rough conditions.

I’d been pleasantly surprised by how steady the crossing had felt, and as we settled into our cabin, we all enjoyed a remarkably comfortable night's sleep, waking up only briefly during the stretch of the sailing that leaves the shelter of the fjord, exposed to the North Sea swell. 

Disembarking the Color Line

In the morning, I wake up to fjords drifting past the cabin porthole, studded with red fishing huts as we float through the Oslofjord. We pack our bags and head down to the breakfast buffet, where we enjoy hot coffee and pastries, and for the more adventurous, our first taste of Norwegian kneippbrød and brown cheese with pickled herring.

Disembarking is quick, and we join the line of people on the ship’s promenade and file out the same door we came through the day before. We step off the boat with none of the hassle of bag security or passport control and breeze onto the dock for our first day in Oslo. I take one last look at the ship, studded with hundreds of tiny portholes, and feel a genuine pang of sadness that the sailing is over. I might’ve finally found my sea legs, after all.