The Colour Magic ferry to Oslo: a review

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

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

Boarding the Colour Line

After disembarking the train from Oslo’s central train station, signposting to the ferry terminal is clearly marked, and we head right out of the station, and there’s not a shred of ambiguity about where to head: the enormous boat is docked in the port in the water 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 ticket attendant who waves us through into the large departure lounge. There’s little to do here, so I’m thankful for a book to keep me entertained before boarding. 

The boarding experience for foot passengers is excellent, and I’m surprised by the number of people without cars. We file in through the ferry doors, which feels more like entering a large shopping mall than a boat, greeted by staff dressed in nautical attire. It’s a far cry from the functional ferries to the north of 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 coloured lights, and facades of cabins designed to look like real houses above shop, restaurant and cafe fronts, already bustling with passengers queuing for their celebratory boarding drink. A map of the boat helps us orient ourselves, and we wonder if even a 20-hour crossing will allow us to scratch the surface of all the facilities on board, including a gym, spa, and cinema. 

But before being lured into the myriad of entertainment, we head to the top deck in time to watch the ferry leave Kiel, and stay until the mainland has disappeared, before checking into our cabins.

What are the cabin types on the Colour Line?

The Colour Magic offers three tiers of cabins: standard (with options for restricted view, promenade view or ocean view), Colour class (offering a queen-sized bed, breakfast and minibar included, as well as Wifi, not included as standard), Colour suite (much larger rooms featuring a small lounge, with breakfast, Wifi and spa entry included), and the Owner’s suite: a luxurious 35m cabin with a separate bedroom right at the front of the ship (with breakfast, wifi and spa entry). 

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

Onboard entertainment on the Colour Line

The Colour Line offers one of the most impressive selections of on-board facilities and entertainment of any ferry crossing. Facilities include:

• Tax-free shopping

• Colour Spa

• Fitness centre

• Show lounge with live theatre

• On-board nightclub

• Casino

• Golf simulator

• Manhattan bar with live piano

• Pub

• 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 dressing gowns and slippers and are padding down the corridor to the sea-view sauna. There’s a range of treatments on offer, but we stick to the basics and flit between sauna, jacuzzi and kicking back on a chaise with a herbal infusion. 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 evening meal in the Oceanic à la Carte, we coax ourselves out of the bubbles and into our (only) smart 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 on board the Colour Line

There’s a range of dining options on board 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 worth securing a table for in advance. Considering the hype, the food is remarkably good and certainly 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 waiter. There’s no rush to the service, and with such a good view, it’s a lovely spot to watch the sky and water darken before retiring to the cabin. 

Is the Colour Line sailing from Kiel to Oslo rough?

Under normal conditions, the sailing is usually fairly smooth given that the majority of the sailing is across the sheltered Kiel Fjord and Oslofjord. The sheer size of the boat also means that movements feel significantly less than smaller vessels. Spring through to early autumn are the calmest, with winter sailings more susceptible to rough conditions.

I’d been pleasantly surprised about how steady the crossing had felt, and as we bedded down in our cabin, we all enjoyed a remarkably comfortable night's sleep, awakening only briefly in the exposed section of the sailing that comes out of the shelter of the Fjord, exposed to the North Sea swell. 

Disembarking the Colour Line

In the morning, I awake to Fjords drifting past the cabin porthole, studded with red fishing huts as we floated through the Oslofjord. We pack our bags and make our way 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 a swift affair, and we join the queue of people on the ship’s promenade and file out of the same door as we arrived the day before. We alight the boat with no faff of bag security or passport control and breeze onto the dock for our first day in Oslo. I have 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 finally have found my sea legs, after all.