We were actually on the Maud on 21 December 2023 when the wave hit. The captain had just changed course to turn us into waves and had suggested everyone stayed sitting down or laid on their bed. The first sign that something was not right, as we did not feel the wave break, was a long continuous fog horn - we realised it was us and when I was just googling 'what does a long continuous fog horn mean' the seven short blasts and one long one went off. Your mouth goes completely dry and you think 'this must be a mistake' but when you get to your life boat station and they are handing out survival suits and life jackets you realise it is not a mistake.
All I can say is pay very careful attention to the safety drill, how to put on the survival suit and where you need to go and be confident that the Captain, officers and crew are simply outstanding. Once the Captain had got control of the ship after about 5 hours (at one stage the rocking was so bad that all of the furniture went from one side of the room to the other, with us under it unless you found something secure to hold on to) - the Captain came to every life boat station to explain in person what would happen. This told us he was in charge and that he cared. We were allowed back to our cabin on the basis we took our survival suits and life jackets with us.
The survival suits do what it says on the tin and were very hot - especially as I had two coats on! After 5 hours the crew came round with cookies and fruit, then sandwiches, breakfast was brought to our room the next morning and by lunchtime the crew had managed to prepare a buffet - despite the whole ship being trashed.
Hurtigruten arranged flights for us back to the UK and almost all of us got back for Christmas - and within a week they offered a free cruise to the value of the last one, which they did not have to do as it was simply an act of God! We have already booked ours - but to West Africa where it will hopefully be warmer!
There were some inexperienced travellers on the ship who have never sailed before who were asking 'why were we there' but the answer is, it was December and the North Sea, we knew there was a storm coming and some passengers even got off at our last stop to avoid crossing the North Sea. The Maud is an expedition ship which sails in Antarctica and so it is built for these conditions. We were just unlucky a 30m wave hit us, but very lucky to have such amazing leadership and crew to ensure we were safe.