Ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki

Do you have Rick Steves Scandinavia? In it, he has lots of details about this ferry, meal options, entertainment, etc.

For entertainment, the Silja boat I was on had a Vegas style magic show. Early evening the show was family friendly, late night the same show was more risqué with the female assistants topless. Between the shows the theater was used as a disco with live band. There was also a cinema.
But the best entertainment was the scenery of the seemingly unending archepeligo.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/cruising-in-scandinavia

Duty free shopping.

I took the Silja line from Helsinki to Stockholm a few summers ago. There was a show of some sort, I don't remember what it was. You can probably check the line's website for a better idea. There was also an Irish-style pub with live music. As for meals, I got a ticket to the buffet. The food was fine, but the whole thing was a bit of a mob scene. I'm planning on going from Tallinn to Stockholm later this summer, and think I'll try one of the restaurants, just for a change for scene.

But I agree that the Stockholm archipelago is the star of the show.

Caroline

I did the Silja line and had the buffet. It was good, certainly plenty of selection. I reserved in advance. There are also other restaurant options. I'd recommend the first seating so you can enjoy the archipelago in the evening. I didn't do any entertainment, but it's basically a small cruise ship with lots of things to do.

We took the Viking line ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki last summer and didn't make any advance dining arrangements. In the end, we were enjoying relaxing on deck while sailing through the Stockholm archipelago, so we didn't go in and eat until pretty late. If you know you want to do the buffet smorgasbord which has fixed seating times, then it probably makes sense to book in advance, otherwise there's no need. You'll be able to get food without a reservation.

Great, thanks.

I prefer the restaurants to the buffet. If you make a reservation, you are more likely to get a seat by a window, On my last trip in 2014, we didn’t bother to make a reservation and had a great meal at the Food Garden restaurant (Viking Line); however, we were not seated near the window.