few more questions.

[zoe 03]

posted a message in oct. thanks for those replys.

have been reading many reviews etc re hurtigruten ships and it seems to me it could be pretty expensive to stay hydrated while on board, i was surprised to find water is not freely available. my questions- is the tap water in cabins safe to drink, is it possible to take cup heater and make warm drinks in cabin. still a bit concerned re finding suitable food for my daughter who follows vegan diet, i think we may well need to take a few nourishing snacks.

We have booked excursion to North cape and dog sleddging in tromsoe, as we will spend two evenings in Tromsoe i thought we could book a tour to see northern lights while we are there can any one reccomend a company in tromsoe that does these tours.

many thanks zoe 03

[gaelsail]

posted a message in oct. thanks for those replys.

have been reading many reviews etc re hurtigruten ships and it seems to me it could be pretty expensive to stay hydrated while on board, i was surprised to find water is not freely available. my questions- is the tap water in cabins safe to drink, is it possible to take cup heater and make warm drinks in cabin. still a bit concerned re finding suitable food for my daughter who follows vegan diet, i think we may well need to take a few nourishing snacks.

We have booked excursion to North cape and dog sleddging in tromsoe, as we will spend two evenings in Tromsoe i thought we could book a tour to see northern lights while we are there can any one reccomend a company in tromsoe that does these tours.

many thanks zoe 03

Table water has been available at the table on all the ships I've sailed on. If you buy their coffee mug, you can then get free tea, coffee and hot water in the cafe.

 

I could have eaten well onboard if I had been Vegan, from the salads, vegetables & fruit available. I don't know about any other vegan products and would suggest asking the company if they can provide any.

 

Try the Tromsø tourist office website for a list of Northern Lights tours. I have found them very helpful.

[pgoestravelling]

The water in the cabin is perfectly safe to drink and one could get water at meals simply by asking the staff to refill ones glass - it was just a bit of a nuisance and one member did confirm that they were not allowed to leave a carafe unless we paid for it (she thought the rule was a bit odd). You could of course fill your own bottle in the cabin and take it to the table with you.

 

Re Vegans - there was a vegan on my trip and she did find her diet a little restrictive, more so that me (no meat no fish). Do take snacks with you (we took some with us from the UK) because they will be much cheaper than buying them in Norway.

 

Northern Lights - save your money and see them from the boat. They will wake you up to see them if you ask and it is very dark out at sea and the views are not going to be any better from the land.

[digitl]

Northern Lights - save your money and see them from the boat. They will wake you up to see them if you ask and it is very dark out at sea and the views are not going to be any better from the land.

 

Good advice but, the OP has two nights in Tromso and if the lights appear there it's possible light pollution from the town's lights may make them less of a spectacle. If that's the case, then a trip out to an area without any light pollution may well be worthwhile. Especially so if there hasn't been a show while out at sea.

[RSF Cruiser]

I'll be on the Midnatsol in a few days - is hot chocolate available if you purchase the mug?

[SarniaLo]

I'll be on the Midnatsol in a few days - is hot chocolate available if you purchase the mug?

As far as I remember, with the mug you can only get coffee (and the "regular" coffee, not special coffee such as expresso or cappuccino which you can buy from the bar/cafeteria) and tea/herbal tea. No hot chocolate that I recall.

[zoe 03]

thank you for replys to my questions, they are most helpful.i am looking into organising a tour whilst in tromsoe.

will also be taking pleanty of snacks. I enjoy reading the various posts on this site.

[pgoestravelling]

Unless you are a really serious addict, then the cost of their "all you can drink" coffee/tea is not really worth it. We took a small travel kettle and mugs with us plus tea / coffee / long lasting milk etc and brewed up in the cabin and then drank on deck / in lounge / in cabin whenever we wanted to. There were no disadvantages to this at all.

[SarniaLo]

There were no disadvantages to this at all.

Except you don't get to keep their mug! ;) I use it at work every day now.

I agree that the price is a bit high for a mug, but it's not that outrageous and bringing a kettle and coffee supply seems to me a waste of luggage space (which I always seem to lack). It's a matter of practicality vs price and well, to each his/her own priorities I guess! ;)

[zogrand]

We bought the mugs. It wasn't the cost that bothered me, it was the awful coffee. We're not coffee snobs but the coffee really didn't taste good. We did find one great use for the mugs - since the mugs are not transparent, we often filled them with wine from our cabin to enjoy with dinner.

[Fizzydog]

We took small kettle, etc for use on board. We also used milk from drinks areas took back to our cabin, we had a choice we brought with us. After dinner there is free coffee on level 8 on the Trolljford, so you dont need to pay for a mug and we had a few cups fulls in the evening for free. So the choice is yours have a good trip, northern lights is pop luck so no point of staying off the ship. We have one night of full displays, two nights of minor displays.

[gerrmack]

I am on the Hurtigruten ship now at Bodon. We are here for 24 hours so it is a bit boring. Bring lots of reading material or better yet an e-reader.

I agree with many of the replies but they sure dont fill up the water glasses often, they seem to be more interested in selling wine. Also if you get up to get something else to eat, one person should stay at the table as otherwise, they take all your dishes. One poor fellow just bopught a glass of wine, went to get something and when he came back the wine was gone.

Lots of cheese, vegetable dishes and salmon but there is not a lot of labelling so sometimes you dont know what you are getting

[gerrmack]

I think this was a typo. You do get to keep the cup and altho we havent used it much, it is convenient

[gerrmack]

I'll be on the Midnatsol in a few days - is hot chocolate available if you purchase the mug?

 

No, hot chocolate is extra, the mug is only for tea and coffee

[ILoveScotland]

I hadn't looked at the Hurtigruten threads for a few weeks so just found this one. I'm now just 2 months and 3 days from my voyage and have bought all the clothes I need to supplement what I already have. As I've said in earlier posts, I now live in a pretty mild climate so have been frugal in my purchases, buying things I really will wear here or going for less expensive thermal underwear rather than silk, etc.

 

Now, as I've read this thread I want to make sure I understand a couple of things:

 

1. I can buy a mug and get "free" regular coffee and tea/herbal tea. Correct? How much is the mug?

 

2. I could take a little kettle onboard to make coffee in my cabin. Correct?

 

3. Not mentioned so far, but my understanding is I can take wine on board. Correct? Any limit?

 

4. Also, not mentioned, so I'll ask. Can I take liquor (gin, etc.) on board? If I can, is there a limit?

 

Thanks.

 

Beth

[SarniaLo]

Yes to 1. The mug as far as I remember is around 450NOK (right at the moment I'm having tea in the mug I brought back from the MS Lofoten! ;) ).

Not sure about 2 but I think yes.

In spite of mentions of the opposite in the Hurtigruten catalog (at least the one in French), I have brought wine and/or liquor on board for each of my three trips without problems, but you can only drink it in the cabin, not during meals or in other public places. I have read people that would put their wine in the ship's mug in order to bring it to the tables during meals.

[ILoveScotland]

Yes to 1. The mug as far as I remember is around 450NOK (right at the moment I'm having tea in the mug I brought back from the MS Lofoten! ;) ).

Not sure about 2 but I think yes.

In spite of mentions of the opposite in the Hurtigruten catalog (at least the one in French), I have brought wine and/or liquor on board for each of my three trips without problems, but you can only drink it in the cabin, not during meals or in other public places. I have read people that would put their wine in the ship's mug in order to bring it to the tables during meals.

 

Thanks. You always come through.

 

450 NOK? I just checked, and that's about $81 US. As much as I'd like a mug, I simply don't drink enough coffee and/or tea to justify that cost.

 

However, I will definitely find a place to buy some wine and gin before boarding. Gin looks like water, so I can always put it in a glass with no one the wiser.

 

Beth

[richws]

I hadn't looked at the Hurtigruten threads for a few weeks so just found this one. I'm now just 2 months and 3 days from my voyage and have bought all the clothes I need to supplement what I already have. As I've said in earlier posts, I now live in a pretty mild climate so have been frugal in my purchases, buying things I really will wear here or going for less expensive thermal underwear rather than silk, etc.

 

Now, as I've read this thread I want to make sure I understand a couple of things:

 

1. I can buy a mug and get "free" regular coffee and tea/herbal tea. Correct? How much is the mug?

 

2. I could take a little kettle onboard to make coffee in my cabin. Correct?

 

3. Not mentioned so far, but my understanding is I can take wine on board. Correct? Any limit?

 

4. Also, not mentioned, so I'll ask. Can I take liquor (gin, etc.) on board? If I can, is there a limit?

 

Thanks.

 

Beth

Hi Beth (& Happy New Year),

 

On 1) (sorry to contradict SarniaLo) I believe cost of "Coffee Deal" ie mug & unlimited coffee/tea is NOK215 (with single coffee costing NOK25, tea NOK20). I know deal excludes expresso & hot chocolate, not sure on specialist teas.

 

2) Never seen any Hurtigruten statement on this I & many other people have done this and I've never heard about any issues. (there are usually minimum of 2 mains sockets in cabins - you'll need adaptor to 2 pin euro socket & may be worth thinking of long lead/extension).

 

3/4) There used to be Hurtigruten statements explicitly allowing alcoholic drinks for consumption in cabins only & I haven't seen or heard anything since which states it's not allowed (although I believe it's different on Fram/non-Norwegian Coastal voyages). Again I & many others have done this many times with no issues I've heard of. Duty free limits may be the "real" limit here: 1 litre spirits plus 1 litre wine etc up to 22%/0.5 litre spirits plus 1.5 litre wine/2 litres wine. In addition to any of these 2 litres beer

[SarniaLo]

On 1) (sorry to contradict SarniaLo) I believe cost of "Coffee Deal" ie mug & unlimited coffee/tea is NOK215 (with single coffee costing NOK25, tea NOK20).

Contradict me all you want, particularly when you are right! ;) Indeed I think the price I gave was wrong, it's not that much.

[ILoveScotland]

Two more questions as I continue my plans.

 

How do people dress for dinner on the ships? I know everything is casual, but do I need to take clothes that are half-way dressy? I'm thinking slacks (not jeans) and a nice sweater and that sort of thing.

 

I'm assuming it's warm inside the ship so can wear a light weight top for dinner or sitting in the bar/lounge. Is that true?

 

Two months from right now I will have boarded the Polarlys and be on my way north!

 

Beth

[SarniaLo]

How do people dress for dinner on the ships? I know everything is casual, but do I need to take clothes that are half-way dressy? I'm thinking slacks (not jeans) and a nice sweater and that sort of thing.

You can dress however you want. You don't have to dress up for dinner, you can if you want. No one will mind (as long as you are decent).

The only time I have seen people dress up at dinner was for the Christmas dinner on board MS Polarlys in 2010. People come on board just for this dinner, as they would go to a restaurant (crew's family, and other guests) and I've seen suits and long dresses, but at the same dinner passengers woud come in jeans and hiking shoes and it was fine. I wear the same clothes for lunch/dinner as I wear outside (I just take off one or two layers! ;)). So take dinner clothes if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to increase your luggage.

 

It is warm inside the ship. However, as I never know when I will want to go outside to look at a beautiful landscape or take a picture of a beautiful light, I always have my outside jacket with me. But if you know that you will stay inside for a while, a light top is OK.

[ILoveScotland]

You can dress however you want. You don't have to dress up for dinner, you can if you want. No one will mind (as long as you are decent).

The only time I have seen people dress up at dinner was for the Christmas dinner on board MS Polarlys in 2010. People come on board just for this dinner, as they would go to a restaurant (crew's family, and other guests) and I've seen suits and long dresses, but at the same dinner passengers woud come in jeans and hiking shoes and it was fine. I wear the same clothes for lunch/dinner as I wear outside (I just take off one or two layers! ;)). So take dinner clothes if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to increase your luggage.

 

It is warm inside the ship. However, as I never know when I will want to go outside to look at a beautiful landscape or take a picture of a beautiful light, I always have my outside jacket with me. But if you know that you will stay inside for a while, a light top is OK.

 

Thanks. That's what I thought would be the answer. I certainly don't plan to take anything remotely resembling formal clothes or even "smart casual" as some ships call it. I'm just thinking I might take a pair of flats to wear with my pants and sweater instead of my boots. Definitely I'll have a coat with me just in case I want to go outside.

 

Beth