FAQ

Ahoy, all info you need to be a pirate!

On this page, we'll try to answer all your questions. If your question is not listed here, you can contact us on the link below!

Tickets & How to join

Where can I buy the tickets and how much do they cost?
Tickets are sold through our partnering travel agency, Timetravels. You can find the correct ticket link through our sales pages. The cheapest tickets cost €389 for a 4 person cabin (ESNcard price in Finland). For more detailed prices, please check the Timetravels website.

I have an ESNcard, how is this taken into account when buying tickets?
Tickets sold on the Timetravels website have a built-in booking fee for all participants, along with the cabin price. With an ESNcard, your booking fee included in the price is only 10€ per person, and without it is 20€. After selecting how many people you are buying tickets for, the website will calculate the right price for you depending on how many of you in the cabin have an ESNcard. If you are 4 people for a cabin, and all of you have the card, the booking fee is only 40 €, if none of you have it, it is 80 € altogether. Booking fee price may vary every 10 € in between, based on the number of ESNcards in the same cabin. In case you are buying a cabin for less people than the full capacity, the booking fee is included only as many times as many of you are in the cabin. Price per person will again be either 10 € or 20 €, based on the number of ESN cards. Individual tickets will be calculated the same way.

What is included in the price?

When purchasing a ticket, you can also purchase the following optional extras:

Can I buy a ticket if I am not an Erasmus/exchange student, or not a student anymore at all?  What if I do not have an ESN section?
Yes, you are welcome to purchase a ticket through the sales of your institution, even if you are not a ESN member or an exchange student. You can also purchase tickets from other sales, if your city in Finland does not have an ESN section, or if you would like to participate from another country that doesn't have their own sales.

When do the sales end?

Check all sale times here.

Is the transportation to Helsinki included in the price?
Not in case of Finland, since there the transportation is handled by local ESN sections. However, if you are coming from the Baltic region, transportation to Helsinki is included. For tickets sold in Poland, Denmark and Norway, no transportation is included either.

I want to sell my ticket to someone else, how can I do it?
Yes! You can do a name change! This means that your ticket can be bought by another person, and they will take your spot on the trip. See further information in the Name Changes & Cancellations tab below. 


Before the Cruise

Harbour information

Address: Olympiaranta 1, 00140 Helsinki, Finland

Address: Sadama 25, 10111 Tallinn, Estonia

Address: Uus-Sadama 24, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia

Address: Hamnpirsvägen 10, 115 41 Stockholm, Sweden

When is the boarding?
Our boarding time is between 12:30 and 15:30. Your exact boarding time depends on the ticket sale type (specific ESN section, other sales or last minute sales). You will receive a mail regarding what time should you be at the harbour, or regarding the place and time of your bus departure. We are a huge group, please board on time and follow the instructions of our volunteers.

During the Cruise

What can I know about the ship?

During the event, we’re using Tallink Silja’s Silja Serenade cruise ship, which is a great entertainment hub on the sea with two nightclubs, shops, bars, restaurants, casino and all the PoBS activities aboard. There is also a large tax free shop, where passengers can buy buy affordable souvenirs, snacks and drinks. Silja Serenade can host over 2800 passengers on board, and is 203m long with 13 decks, making it a true floating city for you to explore! You can check more information HERE. 

For other information about the ferry please refer to the service provider (Tallink Silja Line).

Is tap water drinkable onboard?
Yes, it is.

Can I drink in the hallway? Can I drink tax-free alcohol onboard?
You can only drink non-alcoholic beverages bought on board in the public areas of the ferry. The bars are open until 4:00 and the prices are student-friendly. Alcohol purchased from the bars should not be drunk in the cabin hallways.

Can I smoke inside?
No. Smoking is allowed only on the outer deck in designated smoking areas.

I have a special diet or food allergies – can I still join the buffet?
The buffet has several dishes available, also vegetarian and vegan ones. Lactose and gluten free options are clearly indicated on the descriptions next to each dish. If you have other food restrictions and you’re unsure of what you can eat or not, don’t hesitate to ask the restaurant staff for help!

Can I pay with a bank card on board?
Yes, you can pay with card everywhere! It is also possible to pay with cash in Euros on Silja Serenade, although with partial restrictions: In Sea Pub, Promenade bar, the clubs and in the sauna one can pay only by card, no cash. In case this is not suitable, there is another solution! You may buy so called "ship money" with cash from the info desk of Silja Serenade. It looks similar to the boarding card, and has a QR code on it. Ship money can be used in all bars and other areas as well, including the tax free shop.

What can I expect from the cabin?

In each cabin, there is an internal phone, air conditioning, toilet and a shower. Shower gel/shampoo as well as towels and sheets are also included. You can check out the cabin options here. The Premium and Promenade cabins further include a TV, and good location with window.

Is bedding/towels included?
Yes, bedding and towels are included and can be found in your cabin.

Can I choose who do I share my cabin with?
If you buy a cabin ticket, you will always share it with those you purchase the cabin together with. If you purchase an individual ticket, you will be placed in random cabins with others from the same gender, who have also bought individual tickets. Note that you can also buy a 3 or a 4 person cabin even if not all the beds are taken by someone. In such case, you simply pay for the empty spot as well. (E.g. you only travel as two friends, you can still buy a 3 person cabin, and together cover the price of the 3rd spot. In such case, nobody unknown would be placed in your cabin as extra person.)

Can I bring alcohol and food on board?
You cannot bring any alcohol, food or snacks to the ship. Concerning non-alcoholic drinks, it may be maximum one drink per person, it has to be unopened, and no more than 330 ml. However, since we have a wide variety of drinks, food and snacks for sale on board, we highly advise you to take advantage of those options instead. Please note that there will be a security check at the terminal for all participants, and any alcohol found will be confiscated and left in the harbour.

Stockholm

Can we leave our luggage on the ferry when we go to Stockholm?
During your day in Stockholm, you keep your cabin and you can leave the luggage there. It is as safe as a hotel room. Please note that neither Silja Line nor ESN Finland takes responsibility for any valuables left in the cabins. Regarding more information about lost items, please scroll down to the Lost and Found tab below.

Can I decide to discover Stockholm by myself? Do you have any suggestions what to see there?

You are welcome to look around Stockholm by yourself, in case you decide not to take extra activities. We’ve got you covered with some ideas! Stockholm’s beautiful old town might be worth taking a look, with all it’s colorful buildings, busy main square and rich selection of bars, cafés and restaurants.

Optionally, a walk around the Royal Palace might also be a good option for you, which is located in the old town (Gamla Stan), and is still the Swedish royal family’s official residence up until this day.

If you fancy some walking, you could visit the Royal National City Park not too far from the city center. In the same area, you will also find the Skansen open-air museum with beautiful old houses, the Aquarium & Baltic Sea Science Center, as well as Stockholm’s amusement park, Gröna Lund.

However, if you are rather a museum-person, Stockholm has plenty of exciting places to offer: you could visit the famous Vasa Museum, hosting the only preserved 17th century ship in the world, which sank in the Stockholm harbour on its’ first voyage, or you can choose to go to the ABBA Museum instead, which is telling the story of Sweden’s most successful musical group. Other excellent options could be Fotografiska, the Nordic Museum, Toy Museum, Nobel Prize Museum or the Viking Museum, but there are smaller, more specialized places as well, such as the Snus and Match Museum or the Avicii Experience. Want to make it as budget-friendly as possible? The City Museum, Medieval Museum, National Sports Museum, Swedish Holocaust Museum and the Living History Forum doesn't have any entrance fees.


Rules of order

To make your journey pleasant and safe, we ask you to follow the rules and regulations below. Please remember that Tallink Silja and ESN Finland have the right to refuse carriage to violators of any of these terms, and that the cost of tickets will not be refunded.

Please find all Tallink Silja regulations here.

Please find Timetravels' terms and conditions here.

Please find the ESN Finland Code of Conduct here.

Lost and found

Pirates of the Baltic Sea crew and ESN Finland are not responsible for lost items. All lost and found items from Tallink Silja vessels operating on the Helsinki-Stockholm route are delivered to:

Suomen Löytötavarapalvelu

Porttikaari 7, 01200 Vantaa

loytotavara.net

For more information, please refer to the service provider Silja Line.

Stockholm City Police phone number: +46 77 114 14 00

Name Changes & Cancellations

In case you purchase your ticket for the event, but are unable to join after all, you have two options to solve this situation: you can choose to cancel your ticket, or to ask for a name change, so someone else can go instead of you. Cancellations are always handled by Timetravels, Name Changes are always handled by our own PoBS Support.

How do cancellations & refunds work?

When purchasing your ticket, you can choose to buy it with the standard fee, or with a flexible fee for extra safety features. A flexible ticket allows you to receive a larger return from your original ticket price, if you decide to cancel your trip later.

Cancellation fees:

How do name & other order changes work?

You can sell/give your tickets to someone else by doing a name change, so they can attend the event instead of you. This means that your ticket can be bought by another person, and they will take your spot on the trip. To start the name change procedure, please contact us in email, and we will provide you with further help.

Name change fees:

Other order change fees: 

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