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Just be basics on Hurtigruten.


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I am finding it very difficult to find out exactly what is included in the standard fare on a Hurtigruten Cruise. The smallest ship I have ever been on was over 900 pax. I have no idea how these smaller ships work.

 

Are meals included in the fare? I assume so but I don’t know for sure. Dining is assigned seating or sit wherever?

 

If I want to have a glass of generic Chardonnay wine at the bar before dinner am I going to pay $6 or $25?

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The answer might depend on the ship as well as itinerary - my answer in general for a Norwegian Coastal Journey.

Food is included - the food at Hurtigruten is excellent - primarily Norwegian food - a glass of wine is in the order of 10 to 15 US$. Waters included for dinner.

For Basic fare you'll get assigned a table and fixed dining time for dinner.

Hurtigruten is smaller ships and not comparable with 'ordinary' cruise ship - an expedition ship and along the Norwegian Coast a working cargo and car ferry with many stops along the coast - most stops ar 15 minutes - few stops are two to three hours.

Gratuity is included in the fare - no extra tips.

Just ask all your questions - important to be well prepared - also regarding clothing

All ships are different - here is a short video from M/S Kong Harald

[YOUTUBE]iKHi5ELgO3U[/YOUTUBE]

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Just to expand upon the information above. There are 3 meals included. Breakfast and lunch are buffet and open seating. Dinner is assigned table, with a set 3 course meal (no ordering from a menu such as on a regular cruise ship). I found the food excellent for the entire cruise. Much of the dinner menu is farm-to-table (or boat-to-table) with locally purchased seafood and produce. No dress up or formal nights. Even at dinner, dress is casual or smart casual.

 

Water is now included with your meals. Breakfast coffee/tea and juices are included. There is no Lido type cafeteria or free coffee tea between meals, but there is a snack bar where you can purchase additional fast-food between meals. Never ate there myself because I was never hungry between meals.

 

No refrigerator in your cabin, but you can buy and bring aboard from shore sodas, etc. to drink in your cabin. I never had a problem getting a free glass of ice at any of the on-board bars.

 

Occasional included food events on deck...taste the cod tongue sashimi (also fried at lunch) which was yummy, as well as fresh caught shrimp.

 

No shows, bingo, feature films, climbing wall, etc. Most ships have a hot tub and sauna which is available with no extra charge. Entertainment is watching the beautiful scenery and the skills of the pier-side crewman who handles lines, loads/unloads freight, directs car ferry load/unloads, and gets a round of applause from the passengers at the frequent 15 minute port stops.

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Thank you for the good explanation of 'Basics' on Hurtigruten.

 

Entertainment is watching the beautiful scenery and the skills of the pier-side crewman who handles lines, loads/unloads freight, directs car ferry load/unloads, and gets a round of applause from the passengers at the frequent 15 minute port stops.

 

Here is a 'taste of Hurtigruten Entertainment'

pxRQArtkKfE

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  • 2 weeks later...
The answer might depend on the ship as well as itinerary - my answer in general for a Norwegian Coastal Journey.

Food is included - the food at Hurtigruten is excellent - primarily Norwegian food - a glass of wine is in the order of 10 to 15 US$. Waters included for dinner.

For Basic fare you'll get assigned a table and fixed dining time for dinner.

Hurtigruten is smaller ships and not comparable with 'ordinary' cruise ship - an expedition ship and along the Norwegian Coast a working cargo and car ferry with many stops along the coast - most stops ar 15 minutes - few stops are two to three hours.

Gratuity is included in the fare - no extra tips.

Just ask all your questions - important to be well prepared - also regarding clothing

All ships are different - here is a short video from M/S Kong Harald

iKHi5ELgO3U

hallasm

 

I am so grateful for the info I have gleaned from your notes and responses here. We are off (after two days in Bergen) for the Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen round-trip on November 16th, followed by four days in Oslo, flying back to the US on December 1st. Like everyone, we would like to travel as lightly as possible, but understand the climate demands certain "accommodations." And so we are asking for your advice - what clothing and footwear, specifically, will serve us best on our cruise? I also have a dim memory of reading that crampons are advisable for the Winter sailings. Any words of wisdom/experience will be most appreciated. Thanks.

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hallasm

 

I am so grateful for the info I have gleaned from your notes and responses here. We are off (after two days in Bergen) for the Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen round-trip on November 16th, followed by four days in Oslo, flying back to the US on December 1st. Like everyone, we would like to travel as lightly as possible, but understand the climate demands certain "accommodations." And so we are asking for your advice - what clothing and footwear, specifically, will serve us best on our cruise? I also have a dim memory of reading that crampons are advisable for the Winter sailings. Any words of wisdom/experience will be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

We never needed any crampons. This was in early March, and there was plenty of snow further north (not in Bergen, which had mild weather).

 

We purchased some things such as light-weight crampons from REI, who have a very liberal return policy.

So we took those with us in the original packaging, and just took care not to mess it up so it would be presentable to return.

But we never even came close to using them.

 

On the other hand, I got super insulated/waterproof calf-high boots.

I found the tread on them helpful on some snow, but anything like Vibram soles would have worked similarly, and that's what DH used.

And I did wear them on all excursions, for warmth.

(We get heavy snow in winter where we live, so there will probably be occasions to wear them, although it's a bit of overkill given we don't go out "for walks" during blizzards at home!)

 

The only time the cold was REALLY a problem was on the top deck while the ship was moving, given we did want to see the Northern Lights if possible. That wind, from the ship moving, was brutal.

Wind/Rain pants would make a big difference.

We already had some from our Alaska cruise, where we expected rain (not blizzards), but had sunny weather the entire time.

But the early "Scout" experiences taught us to "Be Prepared". :)

And we both had "serious parkas" that were wind/rain-proof. I wouldn't want to stand in a hurricane in them, but for travel purposes, they work. Again, we can use these at home in the winter, so we didn't consider the parkas a "trip" expense. But we did get new ones.

 

We wore our parkas while traveling (over our arm at the airport, etc.!), so we didn't have to pack those. We could have worn the heavy boots, but we just don't seem to be able to pack "light".

 

IF you are taking the train from Oslo to Bergen (there was some amazing scenery, so try to maximize whatever daylight you have), you can have luggage portered from your Bergen hotel to your Oslo hotel for a reasonable sum. We each had a large case sent ahead, and had just a wheeled carry-on size, which was quite manageable.

 

As I mentioned, we weren't quite sure what to expect, and we had one of our best trips ever. If that was in part because of somewhat reduced expectations, that's fine too.

The SCENERY from the ship was spectacular. We are considering doing it again in the summer, for a different "look".

 

Which ship will you be on?

 

Enjoy!

 

GC

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Thank you GeezerCouple - question well covered.

The ship November 16th should be Trollfjord - I'm sailing Trollfjord in January 2019.

The harbour areas can be ice covered - so I'll recommend to bring crampons.

Warm/wind/rainproof closing, warm scarf to cover your face, worm gloves, and hat and insulated/waterproof boots is a must - Oslo and Bergen might not be that bad but can be very wet. Heading north of Tromsø it can be windy and very cold. At deck during the polar night to watch the northern light will be extremely cold as well

 

Enjoy your trip - looking forward to your review.

My witfe mid june - warm hat, gloves, windproof raincoat and boots at Loppehavet 1 am ....

IMG_9615.JPG

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hallasm

 

I am so grateful for the info I have gleaned from your notes and responses here. We are off (after two days in Bergen) for the Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen round-trip on November 16th, followed by four days in Oslo, flying back to the US on December 1st. Like everyone, we would like to travel as lightly as possible, but understand the climate demands certain "accommodations." And so we are asking for your advice - what clothing and footwear, specifically, will serve us best on our cruise? I also have a dim memory of reading that crampons are advisable for the Winter sailings. Any words of wisdom/experience will be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

I agree. Hallasm has been so helpful in answering questions about Hurtigruten. I leave in 3 weeks for my trip and am looking forward to my Astronomy Cruise in October. I know that I was constantly asking about luggage, at first I thought I would need an extra suitcase,I will only have one. My travel agent has made sure that I will be met and taken where I need to be. Also a thanks to Geezercouple, you also have given me tips that I hope to tryout! You said that the drinking chocolate was really good, can’t wait to try it. I will be on the Trollfjord.

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I agree. Hallasm has been so helpful in answering questions about Hurtigruten. I leave in 3 weeks for my trip and am looking forward to my Astronomy Cruise in October. I know that I was constantly asking about luggage, at first I thought I would need an extra suitcase,I will only have one. My travel agent has made sure that I will be met and taken where I need to be. Also a thanks to Geezercouple, you also have given me tips that I hope to tryout! You said that the drinking chocolate was really good, can’t wait to try it. I will be on the Trollfjord.

 

Yes, the hot chocolate from the *bar* (on Trollfjord, just next to the main forward observation area with the wonderful double deck windows). This was wonderfully rich. Yum.

 

 

(But don't bother with the hot chocolate from the little cafe near the main restaurant. That's just the packaged powder, mixed with water, I think. But really nothing special, not good at all.)

 

Which Astronomer will be on your cruise?

We found the lectures very special indeed.

 

GC

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Yes, the hot chocolate from the *bar* (on Trollfjord, just next to the main forward observation area with the wonderful double deck windows). This was wonderfully rich. Yum.

 

 

(But don't bother with the hot chocolate from the little cafe near the main restaurant. That's just the packaged powder, mixed with water, I think. But really nothing special, not good at all.)

 

Which Astronomer will be on your cruise?

We found the lectures very special indeed.

 

GC

 

The astronomer that you highly recommended, John Mason. I looked after your trip report to see who was on my cruise. My Hurtigruten Cruise is almost a month away. I will come back and write about my experience.

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The astronomer that you highly recommended, John Mason. I looked after your trip report to see who was on my cruise. My Hurtigruten Cruise is almost a month away. I will come back and write about my experience.

 

Oh, good!

He was amazing. His enthusiasm on that "stage" (front of ship's small auditorium) was really special.

And we found the Trollfjord to be wonderful. That two-level observation lounge at the front was a wonderful way to see the landscape all around.

Try not to miss the sail by the entrance to the actual Trollfjord. Your trip might be too late to sail into the Trollfjord (we couldn't), but they do sail right up to the *narrow* entrance and shine floodlights. It seems totally impossible that the ship would be able to sail right in there!

 

Ok... you can see that we loved that cruise...!! A lot of the memories are flooding back as I'm typing.

SarniaLo, another CC member, seems to have taken LOTS of Hurtigruten cruises, and we can understand why :)

 

(Note: Surprisingly, we did not find him "approachable" if we encountered him elsewhere. Our guess is that he is quite busy [and possibly sleepy!] as he's taking new photos throughout the night and organizing old ones, both for show and also for the memory stick he sells at the end. He may also be a 'performer' in the best of ways for someone teaching, and then when "off the stage", his enthusiasm/energy just runs down. It just caught me by surprise when I had a strictly astronomy-related question when we crossed paths. But that does NOT detract from his lectures at all.)

 

He also made a point of telling us when there was that unexpected strong solar flare heading straight to Earth, and he kept us posted about when the hoped-for resulting Northern Lights would "arrive". And one of those nights was in fact the best.

 

Don't forget... the "day glow" type colors in photos is NOT what "human eyes" usually see, even when the photos of the *same* Lights "glow".

However, being prepared for that meant that we appreciated what we did see, rather than being disappointed.

It wasn't until our return heading south that we had any good view at all.

 

Fortunately, the scenery was so spectacular, that we had already decided that even if we weren't able to see the Lights, we'd still have had a very special trip indeed, although we'd certainly be disappointed.

And then.... they kindly appeared :D

 

GC

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I went in mid March a few years ago on the RT out of Bergen. It was bitterly cold at times but worth it. I took thermal underwear and also crampons which I did use in port a few times due to ice on walkways. I took the excursion to North Cape which I 100% recommend and needed the crampons there as well.

 

I was part of a tour group of about 40 people so we had daily sessions with our tour guide which I liked a lot although the tour cost was higher than the regular fare.

 

Unless it's changed you can take your own alcohol on board and drink it in your cabin. However, since what I usually drink is gin and tonic I soon discovered that I could get a cup of ice and since the G&T is clear, it just looked like I was drinking water.

 

I seem to remember we had a piano player a few nights in the one bar on the ship - the Polarlys. However, as others have said the real entertainment was the scenery.

 

I haven't cruised as much as many people on CC have, but if I could only cruise one more time I'd do another Norway Coastal Cruise. I truly loved the informality, the food, the service but especially the beautiful Norwegian coast.

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Unless it's changed you can take your own alcohol on board and drink it in your cabin. However, since what I usually drink is gin and tonic I soon discovered that I could get a cup of ice and since the G&T is clear, it just looked like I was drinking water.

Do Not know if it has changed, however from ‘Hurtigruten, PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR PORT TO PORT PASSENGERS,

 

Alcohol Policy

Due to strict laws surrounding alcohol in Norway, and for the safety of our guests, alcohol that has not been purchased on board may not be consumed in any public area of the ship or in your cabin. Guests may bring up to two unopened bottles (maximum 1.5 liters each) per person onboard, but will be required to be checked in at the reception desk, and will be returned at the end of your voyage.

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Do Not know if it has changed, however from ‘Hurtigruten, PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR PORT TO PORT PASSENGERS,

 

Alcohol Policy

Due to strict laws surrounding alcohol in Norway, and for the safety of our guests, alcohol that has not been purchased on board may not be consumed in any public area of the ship or in your cabin. Guests may bring up to two unopened bottles (maximum 1.5 liters each) per person onboard, but will be required to be checked in at the reception desk, and will be returned at the end of your voyage.

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I’m not much of an alcoholic drinker. The only thing I can think of that might be required to be checked is that I am flying on KLM. They give a house with some alcohol in it when you travel in their Business Class. I am more interested in the drinking chocolate than any alcohol!

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