grayjay

The food on Hurtigruten's ( or Havila's) coastal trips is excellent, but it being a cruise along the the Norwegian coast, seafood of any kind will be heavy on the menu, of course. You should definitely find enough on the buffets during breakfast and lunch, for dinners you should contact the ship you have chosen to tell them of your allergies so that they can adapt, as in the evenings there is a set dinner menu. As I don't like crustaceans and simply hate cheese I wrote to the ship before our last coastal journey and it was no difficulty.They always found an alternative. As Havila doesn't offer buffets, it would be more difficult to avoid seafood, in my opinion.

I can agree to that - let yourself be known way before you board. We did that once and as breakfasts and lunches were buffets and though no problem because ingredients of the dishes were shown, for dinner I had a special sign on our table and got a different dish for example for the main course.Worked very well but I had to take what was given - no more choices.

I definitely wouldn't change to one of the cabins on deck 8, because these cabins definitely have that red stripe across the balconies so that you have to stand looking out whereas the ones on deck 7 have glass balconies. The only cabin type to change to in my opinion would be the suites on deck 9 which are lovely but of course cost more even if they have extra amenities , for example free washing of clothes, a filled mini-bar ( first filling) special restaurant for breakfasts etc.

I can fully agree to marco2111's post. We were on "Spitsbergen" on a similar expedition in April 2023 but fortunately in a roomy suite, because the cabins mostly are cramped and small and the public areas a bit outdated. Food was buffets every day, of exceptional quality, as was the quality of the expedition team who had to work so hard every day and was both extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The included trips were good but sometimes a bit short or could not happen because of weather conditions. The ones you had to pay for were ok but rather expensive - as usual with Hurtigruten, I must say. I wouldn't recommend the trip - even if everybody tried his/her very best to be helpful - for someone with mobility issues, as each and every landing had to be done by the zodiacs and climbing in and out especially if the sea was a bit rough was not at all easy. Quite a lot of the landings included quite a bit of walking to the sights, sometimes even some miles and transport for people with disabilities was not always available - some of the islands are so small that on one of them the only taxi was owned by the shop's owner who had to keep his shop open... And on some of the days, for example at St. Kilda , no landing was possible because of inclement weather conditions. But still - for people loving nature and hiking - it's a wonderful trip to take. I'd only recommend one of the later trips in May, because most of the birds, for example had not arrived at our date in April.

I have found information about taking dogs on the coastal express by HAVILA - I can imagine Hurtigruten's conditions are similar but could not find anything myself - you'll have to ask Hurtigruten. Havila's conditions are severe and I'd never take a dog except for a few hours: Service dogs ( with proof!!) are allowed. Other dogs may use the ship but only on a journey of less than 24 hours and they'll have to be kept in a cage inside the car on the auto deck.Any visits there have to be coordinated by the reception desk.They are NOT allowed on deck at all or in a cabin. No dogs are allowed on expedition cruises.

I have just read the ship is out of drydock (don't know, though, what has been done) and ready to start on the new route (Svalbard Express).

I have never heard of free upgrades - but as far as I know (it has been offered for coastal voyages, for example) you can ask for a paid upgrade when boarding. If there are cabins available if the ship is not fully booked they sometimes announce it to ask on board. I have heard of several people that they able to switch to a higher grade, for example from inside to outside at a small cost. I don't know about expedition cruises, though, especially if they are already rather fully booked. Anyway I'd surely ask on board, if there was something available at a decent price , even if personally we tend to choose our cabin and cabin category in advance. It's the reason we also book cabins and not just the category as a guarantee cat. as you never know what you will be assigned.

The balconies on deck 7 - in contrast to deck 8 which has that red stripe across the balconies- offer a good view and are cheaper that the suite categories. We also chose a cabin category XTD for our cruise in 2024. They aren't bigger than the XTs but have an extra window. If booking a suite, I'd go for deck 9. There are higher prices to consider for suites but some really nice extras are offered. a free first filling of the mini-bar, a bottle of quite decent prosecco and some snacks and sweets when boarding, eating at the speciality restaurant and free laundry. Besides the money one wants to spend it's the route and whether you want to spend more time in your cabin or prefer to be outside.

We also had several refunds when CoVid struck and Hurtigruten either had to cancel a journey or was not allowed to land ( for example in Svalbard one year). Hurtigruten was very accomodating and helpful. What one shouldn't forget is the reason that the ship's company (i.e. Hurtigruten) is not responsible for the personal problems passengers might have in not reaching the ship. If your flight is cancelled you can only try to quickly follow the ship that has left Bergen, for example, by rail. The same if you should oversleep in your hotel. If the Norwegian government due to CoVid restrictions doesn't give permission to enter the country , it isn't Hurtigruten's concern because the ship sailed , even if perhaps only with Norwegian or Scandinavian passengers. I agree they should have offered you something to keep you happy but they were not obliged to. It's the reason we always bother to have insurance to cover a problem like that.

We'll board this cruise in about two weeks - can tell you more in May! We have wanted to do this special cruise to view the small Scottish islands for quite a while, but CoVid kept us from doing it once and another time it was sold out for the cabin category we wanted. So have a bit more patience for a while - I'll be back. If there are any questions about the ship ("Spitsbergen") - I'll try to find out and/or answer them.

I'm also one who'd always suggest to take the whole roundtrip if you either have the time or the money to spend or both. There are differences between the places visited on the northbound route to those southbound. The cabin chosen is not the most important feature even if, as old age is creeping up, we tend to booking cabins with a view or even a balcony. But there's enough room on all the ships inside and outside to gaze at the stunning views. If you can afford it and it's your first visit, I'd choose the summer months April to September, even though the winter months are much cheaper. Waves can be high, weather can be rough and hours of darkness long in the winter months and you may but also may not have the famous northern lights to enjoy. Our first trips , either on a regular cruise ship or on one of the Hurtigruten ships was in summer even if on one of them we didn't have a speck of the famous midnight sun because the clouds were rolling across the skies every single day. Winter is lovely if you like snow - but you can also have icy roads and you'll need spikes on your shoes to walk or there can be heavy rains due to climate change even in January. And there's less daylight, of course. In winter, you won't pass through Geirangerfjord, Trollfjord and you might miss more ports because of weather conditions even if friends of ours had a great trip lately with blue skies and the sun shining and northern lights every night ( I was envious, of course.) Take the time to have at least a day both in Oslo and Bergen, more if possible and affordable, and perhaps book either the program "Norway in a nutshell" or do at least the train journey from Oslo to Bergen and/or the train from Trondheim to Oslo.

I have just seen an interesting item on Havila's homepage: an offer for solo travelers: 50% off on selected departure dates 100 days before chosen departures. Sounds interesting. valid for inside and outside cabins. And strangely enough 😉 -big wink- Hurtigruten offers a similar one if you should decide to book in the next 9 days.

I'd also suggest to look both at Hurtigruten's and Havila's website, as quite often they have offers with no single supplement and have the same coastal route. If you choose a fare with guarantee cabins that often is quite a significant difference contrasted to fares where you can choose a specific one. So, if you are not picky and content with just having a bed and a shower anywhere on the ship - go ahead!

For those planning to travel with Havila in winter: I just read about an excursion Havila offers to those interested to see the Geiranger fjord in winter times - they sail the fjord on a smaller boat ( I think it's out of Alesund) during a day trip with snacks/meal on board. We haven't done it ourselves, yet, but I have heard it's quite costly ( about 330 Euros) but well worth the price if the weather is right.

Time is often short on the coastal route because sometimes the ships are late or even don't dock in some of the ports because of weather issues. So we tend to take each day as it comes, use information about the ports I have read about ( or already have visited and know about). Taxis are often a good choice - for example we took a taxi to the aviation museum in Bodo , easy-peasy to do and lots to see. In Honningsvag there's also a local bus to use to the North Cape, it runs at the same time and is a bit cheaper. In winter, though, the road to the North Cape are often closed due to snow and storms. So we tend to not booking anything beforehand with an outside operator.

You're very welcome!

We're booked on a Havila coastal journey in the fall of 2023 because of the reasons stated by Hallasm: newer ships, much better cabins, lower prices: we got a junior suite with balcony for the same price as Hurtigruten asked for a much smaller outside view cabin. We decided on one of the ships already running, though ( Capella/Castor) because of the delays for the newer ships. We chose the route Bergen-Kirkenes-Trondheim which is one day less ( a bit cheaper, too) because it covers the most beautiful sights and we'll stay in Trondheim for another day ( beautiful city, but there' s never enough time during the coastal route journey) and travelling back to Oslo via Dovre train which is another top journey besides the train journey from Oslo to Bergen. Food on Hurtigruten vs. Havila seems to be very similar and exceptionally good. Lots of seafood but you can always find something different ( meat or vegetarian) or if you notify the ship before you sail ( by e-mail) they'll adjust the meals if necessary. I don't eat any kind of cheese, for example, so I always got something different, for example a different main course etc. Hurtigruten sometimes offers buffets for lunch or dinner, Havila always serves meals at the table, but you can order as much as you want regarding courses. If possible stay a day or two in Oslo and/ or Bergen to enjoy these beautiful cities before you board the ship. One word of warning, though: we love travelling the coastal route because it's near to the coast and there's a lot to see, but one drawback is the darkness in the winter months ( less to watch) and the fact, that most of the port stops are really short - look at the list of port stops on Hurtigruten's or Havila's site so that you can decide more easily. Cities like Alesund, Trondheim, Tromso, Honnigsvag etc. have longer stops, though. The longer hours of daylight are the reason why we now prefer the fall journeys, more daylight, still good chances for northern lights. During our winter journey in March, we already had longer hours of daylight, but the statistical perfect chances for northern lights fell through during that journey - not a spot... So it's always a gamble - having perfect days with snow, sunshine, northern lights at night or heavy rains, storms or gales, icy streets on which you have to use spikes for walking and clouds at night, too. Still - it's wonderful to cruise along the coast of Norway, so we're always coming back, and coming back , and coming back...

Happy hunting! I always love finding out about a new trip and the chance to explore the world. We have done a mini-suite on Hurtigruten's "Richard With" ( no balcony though) which we found spacious and quiet. Water, tea and coffee all around the ship was included and we had coffee and tea packets in our room as well. We chose a suite because the regular rooms on the Hurtigruten ships tend to be tiny - many are not disturbed by this , though! Food was excellent, even though some we met on the ship have complained about the portions. We felt fine, though and didn't miss anything. Sometimes they offer a splendid buffet at mealtimes, something which Havila doesn't do - everything is served at the table. But you can order as much as you want. Same on the Havila ships - those being new they offer more space in the cabins, even the cheaper categories. If you click through their homepage you can find quite a lot of pictures and descriptions and about their beverage packages as well. Unfortunately they don't offer as much as cruise lines do, you pay for every drink you order, even at a reduced rate, though. On Havila we chose a junior suite as well because you then have a balcony and some more extras to enjoy.

Most questions have already been answered but I can offer some extra ideas: Havila offers several beverage packages, non-alcoholic and alcoholic, coffee package. If you're in a suite or order the Havila Gold package, some drinks are included. Coffee and tea is included of you do the round trips, as far as I know. Anything alcoholic is very expensive as in all of Norway - that goes for both Hurtigruten and Havila. If you aim for longer port stops - be aware that on the coastal journey which is often very near to the beautiful scenery there are only a few longer stops, in many of the smaller ports it's only 15 minutes or half an hour. Or book excursions, but they are expensive. Which season are you aiming at? Summer of course has the longest and sometimes ( not always, can be very cool even in July!) warmest days. September to April you have the chance of seeing the Northern lights. September and part of October you'll have the fall colours. We always cover every eventuality by taking clothes in "onion style " including rain gear, waterproof shoes etc. Geiranger is not included in the winter months. In some port stops like Alesund, Tromso, Trondheim, you'll have a few hours to explore but always watch for the time, as the ship won't wait for you. All in all we love the coastal journeys. We'll try out Havila for the first time this fall as the ships are more modern and the cabins have more space.

Thank you for the address! Unfortunately I don't know if there are any reviews for Havila ships yet on English-speaking sites, and I don't use Facebook etc. either. There is a German cruise forum hurtigforum dot de that has quite a lot of very positive reviews on the new ships and the coastal journey, they also offer English as a language on the homepage but I haven't tried it , yet.

Would you mind sharing this porter service? I'm afraid of shlepping all that luggage ourselves - we have booked a hotel in Oslo before boarding the train to Bergen but won't stay in a hotel in Bergen before starting on our Havila experience in September. And - most important - best wishes for a grand experience with lots of fun, enjoyable meals and trips, northern lights every night.

And we'll all be waiting for a review.....😉 It would be great to read about your experiences. On a German forum I read quite often there were very favourable reviews of the new Havila ships regarding accommodation and food. So we decided to book the coastal journey for the fall months of 2023... Have a great trip, Flyinby!

I saw that, too. Hopefully we'll see more excursions listed in the following weeks. I also must confess that almost none of the ones already listed attract us, as they always seem to include visits and more visits to factories and markets with the obvious aim to sell, sell, sell. And there aren't many of them, either: if you look at (for example) 9 offered ones in one of the ports, there are only three plus 6 offers of hiring a private car or van at eye-popping prices . I also wondered at the prices asked - even if I do understand that the company wants to earn money the offered excursions are exceptionally expensive. So even if we usually book excursions by the cruise line in order to make it easy for us we'll also look elsewhere this time. I don't know if offering too few and overpriced excursions is HollandAmerica's new policy or the effect of this cruise being offered again after two years of not being able to cruise in Asia.

We have never risen to the upper echelons (Grills etc. 😏) yet, but I'd have thought that at least in suites the shower curtain would have been replaced by a door... The clingy curtain didn't keep us from booking Cunard but it's one of the things we're happy to have in a Celebrity cabin = a roomy shower with a door and rain shower to use plus a topper on the beds to make them more comfy for old bones. We tried to order a topper for our upcoming cruise on QV but were told there wouldn't be any on that ship. We have cruised Celebrity extensively and Cunard ships a few times but disregarding my own comments about the shower curtain: we love both products and enjoy the differences!

I can't believe a possible drydock is the reason, as there is an 11-night cruise right after drydock and before the Indonesian cruise and quite a lot are booked into both cruises. As there still is quite a long time to go before February I still hope that HollandAmerica will find enough excursions , drivers, guides to offer us - the ship seems to be well-booked ( sold out?) , quite a lot surely have onboard credit for excursions and what I heard from friends who toured Indonesia in September business is running almost as usual in Bali at least. The shore excursions you can see for the (similar) November Indonesian cruise sound lovely and really interesting. And I'm also quite sure HollandAmerica will love to rake in the money from all those of us who'd prefer to book ship's excursions to individual ones - somebody already wrote what are also my sentiments: Indonesia or the Philippines are quite a different sort of country compared to (for example) Northern Europe where we always do our own thing when docked in a city! So let's hope for the best!