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Booking a trip on Spitsbergen. Questions.


LinnieRed
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We are planning the 12 night round trip aboard the Spitsbergen March 2019. The Norwegian fjords are my mom’s dream trip, so no time like the present! Hurtigruten is running an anniversary special for $2850 p/p ( $3950 for a single) including airfare from Chicago and a night in Bergen before and after. This includes a basic outside room. Have you seen these rooms? Are they manageable for 12 nights?

 

Also, thoughts on my 84 year old mother? She is in good health and reasonably physically fit, although hiking probably out of the question.

 

Re: excursions. They seem REALLY expensive. Granted, the price of the adventure is low, but doing an excursion each day is probably price prohibitive. If one does not do an excursion is it advisable to get off the ship and wander?

 

Thank you for your expertise on these and any other details we should be aware of.

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You need to consider if Hurtigruten is the right choice. The ship is small - 335 passengers, and basic cabins are also relatively small and not that comfortable. However some nice lounges, but do not plan to spend time in the cabin.

Here is a link to details on MS Spitsbergen - scroll down to the cabin section - basic cabin is Polar Outside - but get you specific cabin category - cabins are very different.

The ship is not a cruise ship - more like a working expedition ship. Round 70 ports during the 12 day cruise - most stops are only 15 minutes. Also during night. Only 8 stops of 3 hours where you can get off the ship. Excursions are expensive but the scenery you can watch from the ship is impressive.

Also be aware that March can be very cold and snow in Norway.

You might also consider a Norwegian fjord cruise from Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Southampton in May or June.

I'll do my best to answer your questions.

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Edited by hallasm
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Thanks. It’s hard to find something that totally suits us. We all went on a winter river cruise on the Rhône River 2 years ago and yes, it’s cold, but we live in Detroit!! We are prepared for cold weather but could also easily go in later months.

 

As far as the cruises from Copenhagen go, what lines go there? We are trying to avoid a “megaship”. The other consideration is the single supplement for mom. Most of the big cruise lines seem to charge double and we’d like to avoid that if possible.

 

I’ve done a lot of reading on the Hurtigruten line and although it may not tick off all of our boxes, at least it comes closer to what we are looking for. Ideally we’d find something a little less basic.

 

Thanks,

 

Linnie

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I’ve been looking at Norwegian cruises and have been reading about Hurtigruten. People seem to like them, but I’m wondering if most of the stops are only 15-20 minutes, what is the draw? I like the idea of a small, casual boat, but 15 minutes is pretty fast.

 

 

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Norway might even be warmer than Detroit due to the Golf Stream. RCCL, MSC, HAL and others are sailing Norwegian Fjords from Copenhagen - ships in the range of 2000 to 3000 passengers - and probably all charge double for a single.

As long as you know what to expect a Hurtigruten Norwegian coast is a nice cruise - restaurant is fine, however set menu - not the 'normal cruise line choices' - but food is great.

Get some inspiration form my review - we only did 4 days northbound from Bodø - did two excursions.

We have booked Hurtigruten again for January 2019 - the 6 days North bonds from Bergen to Kirkenes.

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Read some of the reviews of Hurtigruten trips to get an idea of the journey. Some stops give you time to explore a bit of the city, but do consider some of the excursions...not necessarily every day, but many are worth the expense. My only concern for your Mother would be icy sidewalks. I have spent time in the north of Norway during February/March, and ice was a challenge. Be sure to take some sort of spiked foot ware to use, if necessary.

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Read some of the reviews of Hurtigruten trips to get an idea of the journey. Some stops give you time to explore a bit of the city, but do consider some of the excursions...not necessarily every day, but many are worth the expense. My only concern for your Mother would be icy sidewalks. I have spent time in the north of Norway during February/March, and ice was a challenge. Be sure to take some sort of spiked foot ware to use, if necessary.

Excellent advise.

 

I’ve been looking at Norwegian cruises and have been reading about Hurtigruten. People seem to like them, but I’m wondering if most of the stops are only 15-20 minutes, what is the draw? I like the idea of a small, casual boat, but 15 minutes is pretty fast.

Essentially Hurtigruten is a car and cargo ferry serving remote cities and islands along the coast of Norway - only longer stops (3 hours) at few major cities - a short video showing a 15 minutes stop at Skjervøy

 

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We were on he Spitsbergen in September for the round trip and loved it. Spitsbergen was refitted in 2015/16 so the interior is fairly new. We were in an arctic superior but had a look at the polar outside on deck 4 and tbh they looked fine. If you are not sure about sizes you can use chat or email Hurtigruten . They were very helpful when we were booking. There are no cars on Spitsbergen, and I think only about 260 passengers. My only advice would be not to have the cabin near the gangway(411?). Our table mates were initially there and said it was very noisy, they moved. The beds were very comfortable. Food was great.

 

As far as excursions go mostly we just had a wander around. We did breakfast at North Cape which we prebooked. Was expensive but wonderful. Most of the excursions could be booked on the ship so you could see how you all feel at the time. We booked kayaking in Trondheim on the spur of the moment.

Spitsbergen is mall so easy to get around. If you mother is reasonably fit she should be fine. The staff were wonderful. Hope that helps.

Edited by peppajay
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  • 2 weeks later...
I’ve been looking at Norwegian cruises and have been reading about Hurtigruten. People seem to like them, but I’m wondering if most of the stops are only 15-20 minutes, what is the draw? I like the idea of a small, casual boat, but 15 minutes is pretty fast.

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A Hurtigruten coastal cruise is all about the beautiful scenery between ports; ports are a minor addition. The same goes for excursions. I would have been perfectly happy never leaving the ship. The 15 minute stops are often most entertaining watching the single worker manage lines, fork lift freight on/off, direct cars on/off, and take a bow to the passengers watching from on deck. If you need a casino, bingo, art sales, production shows, etc. to be entertained, then Hurtigruten is not for you.

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  • 2 months later...
We are planning the 12 night round trip aboard the Spitsbergen March 2019. The Norwegian fjords are my mom’s dream trip, so no time like the present! Hurtigruten is running an anniversary special for $2850 p/p ( $3950 for a single) including airfare from Chicago and a night in Bergen before and after. This includes a basic outside room. Have you seen these rooms? Are they manageable for 12 nights?

 

Also, thoughts on my 84 year old mother? She is in good health and reasonably physically fit, although hiking probably out of the question.

 

Re: excursions. They seem REALLY expensive. Granted, the price of the adventure is low, but doing an excursion each day is probably price prohibitive. If one does not do an excursion is it advisable to get off the ship and wander?

 

Thank you for your expertise on these and any other details we should be aware of.

 

We were on the first (much delayed) sailing of the Spitzbergen, and perhaps things have changed since then. But I recall that the lounge areas had very uncomfortable seating. There were a few (very few) armchairs that were comfortable, but most of the chairs were Norwegian modern design and very low to the ground. It made it very difficult, for even younger passengers, to get up. A fellow passenger noted that it looked like Ikea!

 

This was a negative for us, and as a result, we canceled another sailing on the Spitzbergen and have happily become regulars on the Fram.

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