zeusmom1

The vouchers for transfers through Hurtigruten are $32.00 per person. We had a problem with our vouchers and had to take a taxi instead. There was four of us plus luggage so we ordered a van. The total cost was 395 NOK or $48.34. It was cheaper and faster in the long run.

I should also add that many of our fellow passengers raved about the Midnight Concert and the Atlantic Road excursions.

Excursions:

Geiranger - Trollstigen - Molde = Bus tour of fjords to Trollstigen then meet back with the ship in Molde. Beautiful trip with many stops to take pictures. Includes two ferry crossings. Not for people with mobility issues. Be aware that you will need to get on and off the bus at multiple stops to really enjoy this excursion.

Vikingfest = Visit a replica of Viking chieftains house. Tour guide gave a great talk while touring. Dinner served was surprisingly good. Mutton and Mead, yum. The skit was a little silly but the site and building are interesting. The highlight for me was the ride through the Lofoton Islands to meet back up with the ship. Very beautiful and no rain.

Russian Border = Yes there is just a sign and a gate but there is a gift shop! The tour guide did a wonderful job of telling the history of the area and how it was impacted during WW2. She also gave us an idea of what it was like to live on the border. The highlight was a stop at an underground bunker where some of the people of Kirkenes were forced to live when the town was bombed repeatedly during the war. It was a very humbling experience for me.

Sami = Trip to a small Sami camp. A presentation about their culture and life. Yes, there were reindeer. I enjoyed it. Once again, a nice drive.

Salmon fishery = This a very high tech fishery. They are very proud of the salmon industry and providing salmon to the world.

Other stops = They have maps for most other stops and we walked the other ports including Trondheim. We had a book for Norway and Tripadvisor on our phones and were able to see most of what we wanted to see.

Enjoy

I just wanted to follow up after our trip. I can not say enough about our onboard experience. The ship was beautiful and the staff was exceptional. We enjoyed the food and tried many things we probably would not have picked on our own. We had great weather for most ports and when we had rain, it was light. We enjoyed the excursions and the presentations on the ship. Our cruise had Norwegian, German, French, and English speakers. Some of the excursions provided buses by language. One of our excursions had Norwegian and English speakers together. Announcements on the ship included these four languages. There were so many wonderful experiences on this cruise. My only negative is the shower. I just do not embrace the wet room concept!

We received our cruise documents and discovered that we had been moved from our carefully selected inside cabin. Our TA was very upset as we had not been notified of the change. Hurtigren told her that the deck plans had many revisions after we booked. She asked for us to be moved back to our previous deck near my parents. She has now received an email that we will be moved back to the same deck to an obstructed view outside cabin. Our TA said customer service was very professional. This makes me smile.

Darn! I have been to Alaska twice with Princess and never saw that excursion. Thanks for the laugh.

Thanks digitl. That is kind of what I expected. I think the novelty of going to the "Russian" border is what interested me. I probably will never get the chance to see it again.

I am just curious about how you were informed about excursions when some of the ports changed. Was there anything that you would consider a must see? Did you happen to take the excursion to the Russian border? Thank you for sharing you trip.

Thank you so much for your updates. I hope that all the travel misadventures are behind you and that you are now busy making wonderful memories.

I have been following this thread as we are on the August 4th sailing. I am also worried about the lack of information on the ships status. We have booked a superior inside cabin. I have inquired about pictures for these rooms on Facebook and by phone. The answers have not been correct. The ships that have already refurbished still show old pictures of some stateroom types. Strangely, the Hurtigruten UK site has a few more updated pictures than the U.S. site. I hope the ship is complete when you board. Please report back for your fellow frustrated cruisers.