Hurtigruten
Nov 20, 2017 | 8:50 am
#2
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 35,579
Dec 10, 2017 | 12:49 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum; Amex Plat; Four Seasons; Fairmont; HH; etc.; "Retirees-In-Training"
Posts: 664
We've reserved for 2018; also try CruiseCritic
You might also try to look over the Hurtigruten section of CruiseCritic:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=821
or the Northern Europe "Ports of Call" section:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=192
As I assume you know, if you've cruised on any of the "main" cruise lines, Hurtigruten seems to be quite different. We are expecting a bit of a different experience, but we think we'll enjoy it thoroughly - especially if those Lights come out to play :-)
GC
Dec 26, 2017 | 2:03 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: UK, Peak District near MAN
Programs: BA- blue, BD,DL
Posts: 2,045
Its quite different because its a ferry service between the ports so they will be loading cars etc and there will be psssengers just travelling between the ports.
You will still have s great time.
You will still have s great time.
Dec 30, 2017 | 4:23 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,764
I did the 6 day Journey North trip at the end of October this year. I have never been on a cruise before but I loved this one!!
If you haven't booked yet, compare prices on their Norwegian website compared to your local one. Being a travel geek, I read the online T&Cs and saw prices in my local website were fixed as at Oct 16. I knew the GBP had strengthened a bit at the time and saved 900 on the price of our trip. This means you need to have any correspondence handled by the Norway team as opposed to your local team but I did so fine via email.
We travelled on the Nordnorge, one of several boats refurbished in 2016. We had a mini suite on the 5th deck and it was great. Lots of space to move and chill out in as we had effectively double the ordinary cabin size. The promenade deck was outside but we weren't bothered by people staring in at all. There are 2 Arctic Suite rooms at the front of the boat. They had long windows, but people would stand in front of them obviously as you are on the most forward part of the boat if you wanted to take pictures etc. Being on deck 5 also meant we were able to pop out quickly onto the deck when photo ops came by. I am glad we weren't on another deck. The room had a huge screen tv with always great reception. It was kept clean and tidy with daily servicing.
I'd read reviews on Tripadvisor of poor food or cold/warm food. Not true on my boat. Breakfast and lunch were buffets as well as a couple of dinners. The other dinners were 3 course set meals where you had allocated seating and sitting times. I'm not a great fish fan but it was served only about 4 times, twice each as a starter and main. I only declined one when it was a blue muscle soup. The others I tried and enjoyed. The buffets were my favourite as you could stuff yourself silly if you wanted to. The only problem with lunch was that on 2 occassions we had to have it at 10 or 11am as we'd booked the excursions which were on during the middle of the day.
If you buy one of the alcoholic drinks packages, be aware that you can only get your beer or wine during meal times, so on those 2 occasions mentioned above it wasn't appropriate (well, at least for us!) not to start drinking at that time. There is also a tea/coffee package that comes included for Select and Premium pax, along with premium free wifi.
The boat holds 600 passengers but I don't think it was full - if it was it never felt crowded. We never had to hunt for a space at the restaurant nor at the bar at night. Along with the main restaurant (included in the cost of your fare) there is a fine dining one (ie pricey!) a bistro (mainly used by day pax traveling between ports) and a cafe/ice cream bar that we used a couple of times. There are two outdoor spas, a gym (both being used) a sauna and a laundry room (no need to bring soap, it's automatically dispensed when you buy your tokens) that also has an iron. There were two "Theatre" rooms used for talks and discussions - not for shows.
In 6 nights it stops around 35 times. Some stops are only around 30 mins, some 15, one 5! At least once a day it will stop for 2 to 4 hours and that's when most of the excursions take place. There are a couple where you get off in one port and the bus takes you to the next!! We did 3 of the optional extra excursion tours. A bus ride in the Fjords(October only), a tour of Tromso and the trip to the North Cape. The latter I found overpriced for a 45 minute coach ride to a glorified cafe and statue. Apparently if you pre book it's cheaper but if you book onboard you get 10% discount if you buy 3 or more, so it balanced out. In Tromso the boat was very close to the centre so we just did it ourselves, even walking over the bridge to the modern cathedral. In Bodo we walked around ourselves but it was Sunday and very little was open.
We never found the stops annoying or disturbing, even during the night. I actually found this better than some transatlantic crossings that I've heard where you are at sea for days. We got to witness some emotional moments of locals arriving back to distance ports being greeted by their family. We were never out of sight of land - and the scenery was beautiful. From Bergen we had a show of Autumn colours. When we got up after crossing the Arctic Circle it had started to snow so we had fantastic imagery on the mountains and farm houses.
The crew were fantastic - even more so knowing they aren't working for tips. The wait staff would double as the cabin cleaners during non meal times, but always served with a smile. The main bar lady was such a professional knowing many languages and of course many cocktails too. The "expedition" staff were like a very chilled comedy duo keeping us entertained with stories and jokes while explaining the trips they were trying to sell, or just imparting some local knowledge. Even at the end of our leg in Kirkenes several crew also left the boat and came to the airport to go home and they were still very chatty to the pax. If I'd been working for a number of days non-stop I'd tell the pax to leave me alone!!!
We did manage to see the Northern Lights. Just. On our welcome briefing we were told that the crew don't look out for them particularly as their aim is to pilot the boat understanbly so if any of the passengers saw it we should tell the crew who would announce it on the tannoy. We had completely clear skies on our first and last night only. At the start we were too low down for them, but on the last night, a lady that was a dinner table companion with us came into the bar area saying she thought the lights were out. We rushed out on the back deck to see a small and faint squidge for about 90 mins that changed shape and spread out. It looked better on our pictures than in real life! This meant anyone doing the 12 night trip couldn't invoke the Northern Lights Guarantee of a free 6 night trip if you fail to see the lights. There was another lady we met who has using her guarantee when the boat she was on had problems and got stuck in port. She came back for a 3rd attempt and they flew her to Svalbard.
We chose this trip over going to Iceland to see the lights. I didn't fancy being bussed out to the middle of nowhere to some place outside of town for a couple of hours while hoping the lights come out. This was obviously more expensive, but far more comfortable. It may be a glorified ferry service, without some of the bells and whistles of the bigger cruise lines but I came off so relaxed and happy that I wanted to stay on for the return trip!! I only booked the north bound leg as I had never done a cruise before and didn't know what to expect. I was worried about being sea sick and on the 2 occasions it was choppy I took tablets and was fine.
As long as you set your expectations right, ie the scenery is your entertainment and it's in no way a formal cruise, you should come off the trip loving it as much as we did. We've got friends going again next month and we're looking at an opportunity we can do so too.
If you haven't booked yet, compare prices on their Norwegian website compared to your local one. Being a travel geek, I read the online T&Cs and saw prices in my local website were fixed as at Oct 16. I knew the GBP had strengthened a bit at the time and saved 900 on the price of our trip. This means you need to have any correspondence handled by the Norway team as opposed to your local team but I did so fine via email.
We travelled on the Nordnorge, one of several boats refurbished in 2016. We had a mini suite on the 5th deck and it was great. Lots of space to move and chill out in as we had effectively double the ordinary cabin size. The promenade deck was outside but we weren't bothered by people staring in at all. There are 2 Arctic Suite rooms at the front of the boat. They had long windows, but people would stand in front of them obviously as you are on the most forward part of the boat if you wanted to take pictures etc. Being on deck 5 also meant we were able to pop out quickly onto the deck when photo ops came by. I am glad we weren't on another deck. The room had a huge screen tv with always great reception. It was kept clean and tidy with daily servicing.
I'd read reviews on Tripadvisor of poor food or cold/warm food. Not true on my boat. Breakfast and lunch were buffets as well as a couple of dinners. The other dinners were 3 course set meals where you had allocated seating and sitting times. I'm not a great fish fan but it was served only about 4 times, twice each as a starter and main. I only declined one when it was a blue muscle soup. The others I tried and enjoyed. The buffets were my favourite as you could stuff yourself silly if you wanted to. The only problem with lunch was that on 2 occassions we had to have it at 10 or 11am as we'd booked the excursions which were on during the middle of the day.
If you buy one of the alcoholic drinks packages, be aware that you can only get your beer or wine during meal times, so on those 2 occasions mentioned above it wasn't appropriate (well, at least for us!) not to start drinking at that time. There is also a tea/coffee package that comes included for Select and Premium pax, along with premium free wifi.
The boat holds 600 passengers but I don't think it was full - if it was it never felt crowded. We never had to hunt for a space at the restaurant nor at the bar at night. Along with the main restaurant (included in the cost of your fare) there is a fine dining one (ie pricey!) a bistro (mainly used by day pax traveling between ports) and a cafe/ice cream bar that we used a couple of times. There are two outdoor spas, a gym (both being used) a sauna and a laundry room (no need to bring soap, it's automatically dispensed when you buy your tokens) that also has an iron. There were two "Theatre" rooms used for talks and discussions - not for shows.
In 6 nights it stops around 35 times. Some stops are only around 30 mins, some 15, one 5! At least once a day it will stop for 2 to 4 hours and that's when most of the excursions take place. There are a couple where you get off in one port and the bus takes you to the next!! We did 3 of the optional extra excursion tours. A bus ride in the Fjords(October only), a tour of Tromso and the trip to the North Cape. The latter I found overpriced for a 45 minute coach ride to a glorified cafe and statue. Apparently if you pre book it's cheaper but if you book onboard you get 10% discount if you buy 3 or more, so it balanced out. In Tromso the boat was very close to the centre so we just did it ourselves, even walking over the bridge to the modern cathedral. In Bodo we walked around ourselves but it was Sunday and very little was open.
We never found the stops annoying or disturbing, even during the night. I actually found this better than some transatlantic crossings that I've heard where you are at sea for days. We got to witness some emotional moments of locals arriving back to distance ports being greeted by their family. We were never out of sight of land - and the scenery was beautiful. From Bergen we had a show of Autumn colours. When we got up after crossing the Arctic Circle it had started to snow so we had fantastic imagery on the mountains and farm houses.
The crew were fantastic - even more so knowing they aren't working for tips. The wait staff would double as the cabin cleaners during non meal times, but always served with a smile. The main bar lady was such a professional knowing many languages and of course many cocktails too. The "expedition" staff were like a very chilled comedy duo keeping us entertained with stories and jokes while explaining the trips they were trying to sell, or just imparting some local knowledge. Even at the end of our leg in Kirkenes several crew also left the boat and came to the airport to go home and they were still very chatty to the pax. If I'd been working for a number of days non-stop I'd tell the pax to leave me alone!!!
We did manage to see the Northern Lights. Just. On our welcome briefing we were told that the crew don't look out for them particularly as their aim is to pilot the boat understanbly so if any of the passengers saw it we should tell the crew who would announce it on the tannoy. We had completely clear skies on our first and last night only. At the start we were too low down for them, but on the last night, a lady that was a dinner table companion with us came into the bar area saying she thought the lights were out. We rushed out on the back deck to see a small and faint squidge for about 90 mins that changed shape and spread out. It looked better on our pictures than in real life! This meant anyone doing the 12 night trip couldn't invoke the Northern Lights Guarantee of a free 6 night trip if you fail to see the lights. There was another lady we met who has using her guarantee when the boat she was on had problems and got stuck in port. She came back for a 3rd attempt and they flew her to Svalbard.
We chose this trip over going to Iceland to see the lights. I didn't fancy being bussed out to the middle of nowhere to some place outside of town for a couple of hours while hoping the lights come out. This was obviously more expensive, but far more comfortable. It may be a glorified ferry service, without some of the bells and whistles of the bigger cruise lines but I came off so relaxed and happy that I wanted to stay on for the return trip!! I only booked the north bound leg as I had never done a cruise before and didn't know what to expect. I was worried about being sea sick and on the 2 occasions it was choppy I took tablets and was fine.
As long as you set your expectations right, ie the scenery is your entertainment and it's in no way a formal cruise, you should come off the trip loving it as much as we did. We've got friends going again next month and we're looking at an opportunity we can do so too.
Dec 30, 2017 | 8:15 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,516
Thanks for this report! Norway is something my husband has always wanted to see and Hurtigruten has been on our radar a few years - we had some dinner companions on a river cruise who'd done it just prior to our cruise and regaled us with the wonderful time they'd had.
Dec 30, 2017 | 8:41 am
#8
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 35,579
dddc, that's a fantastic description of your trip. Thank you for taking the time to write it. We are taking an overnight cruise between two ports this coming summer. Now you have me considering more at a future time.
Dec 30, 2017 | 9:16 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum; Amex Plat; Four Seasons; Fairmont; HH; etc.; "Retirees-In-Training"
Posts: 664
Thanks so much for such a detailed report.
We'll be arriving in Norway in just about 2 months, spending a bit of time before we head to Bergen for the cruise.
We chose the RT.
DH was having second thoughts about whether we should do one way, but I reminded him that in recent years, with "real" vacations, there has not been a single time that he was pleased as it ended. We'll even joke about... "d'ya suppose there's space available on the next cruise?" ;-)
Sounds like this happened to you!
After all, it sometimes takes a few days just to unwind.
But of course, Hurtigruten isn't like the other cruise lines.
We know there aren't the same services, and we almost never bother with ship "entertainment", so watching the scenery and generally relaxing sounds just about right... while hoping for some Northern Lights.
We did add the "Astronomy" package, but as of yet, we have almost no idea what that really includes, other than a trip to a Planetarium (where perhaps "non-package" pax will also go?).
Your report about the cheerful staff on board is really encouraging. That can make a world of difference.
We have a nice suite, and realize there is nothing resembling a "butler", so we've agreed we'll take turns
(Mostly, it's having breakfast served that makes the real difference to us; we hate when they try to "escort" us to a regular meal in a dining room or such. That's just too much. Ah, this reminds me of another current topic, about whether "status" means anything anymore. This type of "benefit" is annoying, but there are other times when it can really make a difference, when there are snafus...)
Did you have much of a chance to meet local day passengers at all?
Any "handy hints" about things someone might overlook on board until it's almost time to disembark, or maybe never notice at all?
Can one visit the Bridge?
GC
We'll be arriving in Norway in just about 2 months, spending a bit of time before we head to Bergen for the cruise.
We chose the RT.
DH was having second thoughts about whether we should do one way, but I reminded him that in recent years, with "real" vacations, there has not been a single time that he was pleased as it ended. We'll even joke about... "d'ya suppose there's space available on the next cruise?" ;-)
Sounds like this happened to you!
After all, it sometimes takes a few days just to unwind.
But of course, Hurtigruten isn't like the other cruise lines.
We know there aren't the same services, and we almost never bother with ship "entertainment", so watching the scenery and generally relaxing sounds just about right... while hoping for some Northern Lights.
We did add the "Astronomy" package, but as of yet, we have almost no idea what that really includes, other than a trip to a Planetarium (where perhaps "non-package" pax will also go?).
Your report about the cheerful staff on board is really encouraging. That can make a world of difference.
We have a nice suite, and realize there is nothing resembling a "butler", so we've agreed we'll take turns
(Mostly, it's having breakfast served that makes the real difference to us; we hate when they try to "escort" us to a regular meal in a dining room or such. That's just too much. Ah, this reminds me of another current topic, about whether "status" means anything anymore. This type of "benefit" is annoying, but there are other times when it can really make a difference, when there are snafus...)
Did you have much of a chance to meet local day passengers at all?
Any "handy hints" about things someone might overlook on board until it's almost time to disembark, or maybe never notice at all?
Can one visit the Bridge?
GC
Dec 30, 2017 | 6:12 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,764
It'll just be a sample of what you could be doing! I'd be interested to hear what you think of it in Summer as I imagine it's going to be more crowded on board!
Dec 30, 2017 | 6:42 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,764
Thanks so much for such a detailed report.
We'll be arriving in Norway in just about 2 months, spending a bit of time before we head to Bergen for the cruise.
We chose the RT.
DH was having second thoughts about whether we should do one way, but I reminded him that in recent years, with "real" vacations, there has not been a single time that he was pleased as it ended. We'll even joke about... "d'ya suppose there's space available on the next cruise?" ;-)
Sounds like this happened to you!
After all, it sometimes takes a few days just to unwind.
But of course, Hurtigruten isn't like the other cruise lines.
We know there aren't the same services, and we almost never bother with ship "entertainment", so watching the scenery and generally relaxing sounds just about right... while hoping for some Northern Lights.
We did add the "Astronomy" package, but as of yet, we have almost no idea what that really includes, other than a trip to a Planetarium (where perhaps "non-package" pax will also go?).
Your report about the cheerful staff on board is really encouraging. That can make a world of difference.
We have a nice suite, and realize there is nothing resembling a "butler", so we've agreed we'll take turns
(Mostly, it's having breakfast served that makes the real difference to us; we hate when they try to "escort" us to a regular meal in a dining room or such. That's just too much. Ah, this reminds me of another current topic, about whether "status" means anything anymore. This type of "benefit" is annoying, but there are other times when it can really make a difference, when there are snafus...)
Did you have much of a chance to meet local day passengers at all?
Any "handy hints" about things someone might overlook on board until it's almost time to disembark, or maybe never notice at all?
Can one visit the Bridge?
GC
We'll be arriving in Norway in just about 2 months, spending a bit of time before we head to Bergen for the cruise.
We chose the RT.
DH was having second thoughts about whether we should do one way, but I reminded him that in recent years, with "real" vacations, there has not been a single time that he was pleased as it ended. We'll even joke about... "d'ya suppose there's space available on the next cruise?" ;-)
Sounds like this happened to you!
After all, it sometimes takes a few days just to unwind.
But of course, Hurtigruten isn't like the other cruise lines.
We know there aren't the same services, and we almost never bother with ship "entertainment", so watching the scenery and generally relaxing sounds just about right... while hoping for some Northern Lights.
We did add the "Astronomy" package, but as of yet, we have almost no idea what that really includes, other than a trip to a Planetarium (where perhaps "non-package" pax will also go?).
Your report about the cheerful staff on board is really encouraging. That can make a world of difference.
We have a nice suite, and realize there is nothing resembling a "butler", so we've agreed we'll take turns
(Mostly, it's having breakfast served that makes the real difference to us; we hate when they try to "escort" us to a regular meal in a dining room or such. That's just too much. Ah, this reminds me of another current topic, about whether "status" means anything anymore. This type of "benefit" is annoying, but there are other times when it can really make a difference, when there are snafus...)
Did you have much of a chance to meet local day passengers at all?
Any "handy hints" about things someone might overlook on board until it's almost time to disembark, or maybe never notice at all?
Can one visit the Bridge?
GC
If you have an ordinary suite, you probably wouldn't want to have food in your cabin!! There really isn't much room, you either have a fixed double bed or benches that come out of the wall at night. The mini suite and above at least had a separate coffee table area as well as a small desk. "select" and "premium" pax get a fruit basket in their rooms on boarding and on a couple of occasions they brought round some treats - but one was just 4 strawberries on a plate!! You also get a bottled water package as well, bit it's that awful BonAqua filtered water, CocaCola's way of bottling tap water and charging a premium for it. The tap water they bring you at meals in jugs had a far better taste!!We didn't get to meet any of the day passengers although you could tell them as they stuck round the bistro, cafe or bar areas between ports. Anyone travelling over night must have a cabin so no one is sleeping in the public areas. The locals also tended to be a bit more "rowdy" for want of a better word, if they were in groups. They'd often have board games with them to pass the time. Some of the day children would be playing their games without headphones on - just a personal gripe of mine!!
There were no public invitations to go to the bridge but I did over hear some people being invited up. Not sure what the criteria was for getting an invite though.
Did you choose your suite on the right hand side of the boat? The left side is where the gangway is so you're more likely to hear goings on. We were close to a lift but we didn't have much noise from that. Also we were in the centre of the boat which helped when it was pitching up in rough seas!
The big tip would be to try and research the tours and major ports you visit - and in particular what time you are there so you can choose what tours to do. They say how wonderful the Lofoten islands are but we got there in the dark! The blurb says you see wonderful scenery on the way to "viking meal recreation" (tourist trap!) but I challenged the tour seller and he did admit that you wouldn't see anything on the way as it would be all dark. I actually had listed out the ports we were going to day by day with arrival and departure time along side sunrise and sunset times. That made us realise what we could and couldn't see. Tromso we arrived late afternoon and it went dark while we were there so we got shots of the cathedral in light and dark.
There is a list of clothing they recommend to bring. I got a cheap pair of snow boots from Decathalon, regretted packing them as they took up so much room and the forecast was for mild weather but I used them on every stop after the arctic circle as it had snowed. I didn't use the gym, spa or sauna despite bringing the gear for that! If I did the 12 day trip I would probably have more time to do it.
In some ways I'd like to take the trip "slower" by breaking it up in some of the cities, but then you're packing and unpacking and there's no guarantee you'd get the same cabin type on the next boat - or worse still, you'd get the M.S. Lofoten which is their "historical" boat that have very basic facilities on board. I have to laugh at all those on Tripadvisor who booked to go on it without realising it was different to the other boats. We saw it in dock in Trondheim and it was only half the size of our boat - and I don't think it has stabilisers for rough seas on it!
Oh, and Bergen was lovely to walk around and see some of the sights. We'd like to go back for a weekend break some time or go to Oslo and take the scenic train to Bergen. I just wish everything wasn't so expensive there!! You are really quite sheltered on the boat and its a shock when you get to land and have to pay for meals again!
I hope that answers your questions, but feel free to ask anything else.
Jan 4, 2018 | 9:28 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: GRR
Programs: Delta Diamond & Million Miler
Posts: 1,424
I agree
Thanks for posting this .Very helpful And though we have done many traditional cruises, this sounds quite special
Jan 8, 2018 | 9:53 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,764
Love to hear your thoughts when you do it!
Mar 23, 2018 | 7:38 am
#15
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum; Amex Plat; Four Seasons; Fairmont; HH; etc.; "Retirees-In-Training"
Posts: 664
12 Day RT, March 2018 (Trollfjord) report on CruiseCritic
I'm in process of posting reports of our recent trip on the RT cruise, where we saw MAGICAL Northern Lights!
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/show....php?t=2614692
We were extremely and positively surprised with just about everything about this cruise. It truly "exceeded expectations" in just about every way.
True, it wasn't a "regular" cruise, but for starters, we don't care for casinos or night-life or waterslides (or whatever) anyway. (That would be - and is - different if traveling with younger generations, but it was just the two of us.)
I'll be continuing to post more on CruiseCritic, continuing that thread, but I'm also very happy to answer any specific questions here.
The cruise went much too quickly, as all do! Time for longer cruises, but I fear we'll just feel the same way no matter what...
GC
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/show....php?t=2614692
We were extremely and positively surprised with just about everything about this cruise. It truly "exceeded expectations" in just about every way.
True, it wasn't a "regular" cruise, but for starters, we don't care for casinos or night-life or waterslides (or whatever) anyway. (That would be - and is - different if traveling with younger generations, but it was just the two of us.)
I'll be continuing to post more on CruiseCritic, continuing that thread, but I'm also very happy to answer any specific questions here.
The cruise went much too quickly, as all do! Time for longer cruises, but I fear we'll just feel the same way no matter what...
GC