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!