I was journaling away on the overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo, an aperol spritz sweating on my table, and the Danish coast gliding by outside the window. But the ladies sitting by the stage were getting rowdy. And the person who seemed to be having the most fun of all was the hostess, summoning people to come play “Bingo, bango, bongo!”
Actually, the game the nice blonde lady led was just regular bingo. But she was excited about it. She was doing her best to give everyone on this huge craft the feeling that they were not on a mere ferry but a “mini cruise.”
And I have to admit, despite the tiny price I’d paid to board this huge boat, I was feeling the cruise vibes!
All about the overnight ferry Copenhagen to Oslo
When I took my parents and son on a two-week European trip, we tried to keep the flying to a minimum. We started with a daylong train journey from Paris to Copenhagen. Now, it was time to hop from Copenhagen to Oslo, via water.
(If you’re heading to Oslo too, check out my 24-hour Oslo itinerary!)
Now, the flight from Copenhagen to Oslo is not so much of an ordeal to avoid. It only takes 1 hour, 10 minutes, and costs around $63. But still, if you have a fear of flying and/or want to avoid the stress of the airport, the overnight ferry is a great alternative for getting from Denmark to Norway.
It is possible to drive from Copenhagen to Oslo in about 7 hours, thanks to a couple of bridges connecting Denmark to Sweden. Or you could spend 7 to 8 hours on a combination of trains and buses. But I’m sure none of those modes of transportation are as pleasant as our 18-hour sail with the company DFDS.
Booking the ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo
The DFDS web site makes booking easy. I was able to see how many people could sleep in each cabin, and even a photo of the cabin and a list of what was in it (bedding and towels, a mirror, etc.). I booked two months in advance, but that doesn’t appear to be necessary. In fact, you may even be able to save money by booking at the last minute.
I was shocked the overnight ferry’s affordable price. We booked adjoining interior cabins, each with two beds and a private bathroom, for 189 Euros. That’s about $55 per person! Not only was this less than the price of a plane ticket each, sleeping on the ship meant one less night of accommodation we had to pay for.
Of course, not all cabins are that cheap. Browsing sailings for October, I see that you can pay as much as 441 Euros for two people in a premium sea view cabin. But sometimes, cabins are even cheaper! I’ve seen four-bed interior cabins listed as low as 91 Euros.
By the way, when we traveled in summer 2025, DFDS was in the process of selling this ferry line. Apparently, the route — with the same boats — will now be known as Go Nordic Cruiseline, and you will be able to book it there. But for now, when you visit the Go Nordic site, it just redirects you to the DFDS site.
Getting to the Copenhagen-Oslo ferry
We took an Uber from our hotel near the main train station to the dock — officially called DFDS Terminalen — arriving before 3 p.m. for our 4:30 p.m. departure. It took about 20 minutes.
You could also take public transit from the train station to the dock, of course. The M4 subway line would get you there in 10 minutes, but you have to walk another 12 minutes from the station. Or you could take a bus for less walking.
If you’re coming from the airport, you can get to the dock in 35 minutes or so via public transit, but you will have to change trains or buses. An Uber from the airport takes about the same amount of time.
Boarding the ferry to Oslo
Getting on board the Nordic Pearl was a relaxed affair. Boarding starts 75 minutes before departure “at the latest.” You can board up to 15 minutes before departure. We arrived more than 90 minutes before departure, which gave us time to check in before lining up to get on the ship.
We walked into the building and soon saw self-service machines, where we could enter our reservation number and scan our passports to check in. Then we walked over and joined the long line of people waiting to board. Before long, we were allowed to walk on.
You enter the Nordic Pearl on deck 5. Lucky for us, our cabins were on deck 5! The first thing we saw when we entered the ship was a line of people with their luggage waiting for the elevators. We were happy to skip it and walk right to our cabins! If your cabin is on another deck, I would advise carrying your bags up or downstairs if you are able, so you don’t have to wait for an elevator.
What an inside cabin on the Nordic Pearl is like
I had actually been a little confused by the low price when booking our tickets, and worried that we had only booked one room. So I’d called DFDS customer service to confirm that we really did have two cabins, with two beds each. Somehow, what with the web site and talking on the phone to staff, I’d missed one crucial fact about our cabins: The beds were bunk beds, stacked one on top of the other.
Bunk beds weren’t going to be a problem for my 15-year-old son and I. But I turned to my parents apologetically, and offered to take the top bunk of their room and let one of them have my bottom bunk. To my surprise, my 75-year-old mom declared that she would have no problem climbing a ladder to sleep on the top bunk! She is in great shape.
The beds turned out to be perfectly comfortable. The private bathroom was tiny but fine as well. We didn’t mind not having a porthole to look out of for such a short “cruise.”
The only thing I didn’t like about our cabin was the temperature. It had air conditioning, but it just wasn’t strong enough. Sleeping on the bottom bunk, what cool air there was could barely reach me. The bathroom felt cool inside, though — and partway through the night I figured out that the whole room would be cooler if we kept the bathroom door open.
Exploring the Nordic Pearl
I was surprised to learn that our ferry had 11 decks! All that space is for not only cabins and a large vehicle garage, but also restaurants, a club, multiple bars, a large duty-free store and indoor and outdoor pools.
As soon as we got to our rooms, I set out to find the reception desk to see if I could stow my father’s walker. The rooms had enough space for our luggage, but the Rollator would have made things crowded. I found the reception desk on the 6th deck, and the very helpful staff directed me to the luggage room where I stored the walker.
After several days of hot weather, it had been a rainy, cool day in Copenhagen, and even in the harbor, walking on the upper outdoor decks felt bracing. Nonetheless, my mom and I went outside to watch the Pearl retreat from Copenhagen. The dock area has an industrial vibe, but you can see a few of the taller buildings of downtown Copenhagen off in the distance.
From the upper deck, we could look down on the outdoor pool and hot tub. The pool was really small, but it was free to use. The indoor pool was inside the Bubble Zone, a paid recreation area that includes a small kids club.
Mom and I had fun stopping by all the various bars and reading their different drink menus. Then we spent a few hours sitting in the Columbus Club, looking out the window and nursing a cocktail. Soon the coastline was out of sight, but the ocean was endlessly fascinating: Looking now like a million gray sharkfins peaking in the wind, then like a rumpled blanket.
Food on the overnight ferry
You could bring your own food on board. I doubt that the bars would mind if you took over one of their tables to eat; there are also plenty of picnic tables outdoors if you can stand the wind. Our interior cabin didn’t have a refrigerator, but that wouldn’t be a big deal if you were planning to eat whatever you brought right away.
We decided to book the “Skagerak Buffet” at the 7 Seas Restaurant, in advance. This was pricey at 47.40 Euros per adult ($55) and 45 Euros ($52) for the teen. When I booked the buffet, it gave me the option to prepay for one drink for an extra 7 Euros. I did this, but I wish I hadn’t. When we arrived at the buffet, the waitress explained the drink system and it seemed confusing. Like, you could use your included drink for this but not that. My mom ended up using hers for a large carafe of sparkling water which didn’t seem like a good value. If I were to go again, I’d just order my drinks at the restaurant.
The dinner buffet offered a huge variety of food, and we stuffed our faces to get our money’s worth. There was salmon, shrimp and other seafood, ribs, all kinds of salads and vegetables, breads and of course tons of yummy desserts. My dad ate a little pasta and about five desserts. (Traveling with him is kind of like traveling with a first grader sometimes!)
The quality of the food at the buffet was good but not overwhelmingly gourmet. I would rank it as a good and satisfying buffet.
The breakfast buffet is 20.80 Euros ($24.25), but we didn’t get it. Instead, we went to Coffee Crew, a cute little cafe that served espresso drinks and Danish pastries.
What to do on the Copenhagen-Oslo ferry
For me, looking at the scenery and relaxing took up most of my time. But there was also entertainment, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Several bands played in the various venues, and there was bingo and other games.
I also took some time to shop in the duty free shop. Since Europe has better sunscreens than the ones available in the United States, I had barely packed any sunscreen, so I bought some now. I also had to replace my purse! I found a pretty cute and functional purse that I used for the rest of the trip and after I got home.
If you buy alcohol in the duty free shop, they’ll keep it until it’s time to disembark, because you’re not allowed to drink your own alcohol on board. (That said, there’s nothing to stop you from sneaking your own booze in your suitcase and sipping it in your room or even while walking around. It’s not allowed, but unlike a regular cruise, they don’t search your bags.)
Disembarking from the Nordic Pearl in Oslo
As the ship approached Oslo’s harbor, many people crowded the open area of Deck 5 where we would exit. Although my family was in a bit of a hurry to catch a train after disembarking, we opted to wait in our cabins until people had started disembarking. Then we were able to stroll off without waiting.
The staff had warned me that we might have to go through immigration on arrival in Norway. This obviously would have added time to the disembarkation process. We were thrilled when we got off to find no immigration officials waiting. There were a few taxis lined up, and it was very easy to walk up to one. We were able to select a larger station wagon taxi with enough space for the four of us, our luggage and my dad’s walker.
The ship was scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m., and we were easily on our way to the train station by 11 a.m. or earlier. It was only about a 12 minute ride to Oslo’s main train station. There’s also an express bus (#60) that could get you there quicker. (Use the Ruter app to check schedules and pay for buses and trains in Norway.) Or if you don’t have too much baggage, it’s a 20-minute walk.
The overall Copenhagen-Oslo ferry experience
I really enjoyed this overnight ferry ride/cruise. The scenery is nothing near as impressive as the cruise/ferry we took up the coast of Norway, but we still saw some sights, especially in the morning when nearing Oslo. Oslo is at the end of a long fjord, and as you enter it, you pass lots of little islands with adorable cottages on them. A Norwegian later told me that many of these islands were traditionally vacation getaways, but now some peole live there full time.
In the evening, we got pretty far from shore as we navigated “the Skagerrak,” a branch of the North Sea. The wind quickly became too intense to spend much time out on deck. It rained on and off. In my bunk that night, I felt the boat navigating some large swells. A few times, deep booms woke me. I think I was hearing large waves hitting the ship’s hull.
I would definitely take the ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo again instead of flying, driving or taking the train! It was fun and relaxing — and cheap!