HeadNorth

Thank you for the very helpful report. Delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful experience and were very impressed by the ship overall. We're heading north rather than south but have been keen to hear views on the ship. We have a while to wait for our trip but are looking forward to it!

That's all really interesting, thank you! We won't be in a suite, and won't be sending our merino clothing to the laundry! That's a cost too far. We'll probably treat ourselves to the Lindstrøm a couple of times, but I'm sure the Aune will do us fine, with casual meals in the Fredheim when we're too tired for anything more fancy. It's interesting how varied the reports on the quality of the food are on the Amundsen and Nansen across the forums. I'm fairly sure we won't starve, however. I may get a chance to improve my very rusty German over the month too. Thanks for taking the time to share everything you have - most useful!

Hi again mrmoviezombie I should have asked, based on a question you asked before you sailed yourself, what was the connectivity like? I appreciate things may change in the next 2 years but were you out of internet contact for basically the bulk of the cruise? It's not an important issue for us, but just interesting to know. Thanks again!

Hi mrmoviezombie Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience and pass on so much information. I didn't really take it as negative at all. Yes, Hurtigruten could do better on a number of points, but overall you were very pleased you went. I've read a couple of threads on this years Le Ponant NW passage and *they* are what I'd call negative! It's really helpful to get such a full picture of your experience. We will be on the Nansen, heading in the opposite direction to your cruise, but the two ships are, I believe, essentially the same. It was interesting you watched the briefings in your cabin - I've noted from other posts about other cruises that the lecture space in both the Nansen and the Amundsen are nowhere hear big enough to accommodate all passengers, so it's a positive step that viewing from the cabin is an option. I've seen Hurtigruten jackets before and had reckoned they weren't going to provide much warmth - unlike the anoraks other lines provide. We already have a store of merino layers and know they will be our main form of clothing - especially when there's no public laundry on a month long cruise!! Thank you for all the tips and hints - really useful to know and to have. We were at a lecture recently by a polar scientist with specialist knowledge of the Arctic and NW passage area and he is totally against these cruises - primarily on safety grounds for the reason you mention that if there's a problem you are going to be waiting quite a while for help. We didn't let on our plans to any other attendees at the lecture... Was there quite a mix of nationalities on board? I'm presuming mostly a mix of Europeans and North Americans. Thanks again for your time and sharing. You've not said anything that puts us off, and plenty that makes us more prepared!

Thanks for the posts so far - going on a future cruise on the Nansen and it's really interesting to be able to read your experiences.

Hi, Is anyone who has been on a NW passage trip this year with Hurtigruten happy to share even a brief report of their trip? Currently planning for a couple of years time and it would be great to get a feel of a recent transit. Info on the types of inclusive expeditions versus additional cost expeditions would also be much appreciated, plus around what cost those non-inclusive expeditions were. Hope all went well and would love to hear a little about it! Thanks in advance.

Thank you Gogo65 for such a comprehensive and helpful report, and for the beautiful pictures. You kept an amazingly upbeat attitude given all the issues with Ponant. We are heading on a NW passage trip with Hurtigruten in 2024. I know it's a bigger ship, which has some disadvantages, but hopefully we'll have the same positive wildlife experiences as you and a few less of the negative cruise company experiences. Am I being silly in missing the N-10 thread? Is there a separate link to that you could post? Many thanks again!