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Would we be bored?


Wendy The Wanderer
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I have always wanted to do the Hurtigruten--my mom did in the late 70's and just loved it, but she loved being onboard ships--did a freighter cruise around the world.

 

I love the outdoors, my husband doesn't particularly. We both do love dramatic scenery, loved our Alaskan cruise. We also enjoy watching the port activities from shipboard--loading/unloading.

 

But we did a transatlantic cruise last year, and he particularly got cabin fever. If we did this, it would be in May or June, so hopefully the weather would be decent at least some of the time, but...I'm worried that he'll be bored. I don't want him to spend all his time indoors, reading.

Edited by Wendy The Wanderer
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If you love scenery and watching port activities, I don't think you will be bored since there is scenery to watch all along the way 24/7, unless the ship is in port and then you can watch the loading/unloading of the cargo and take a walk around. In May/June you will get short nights in the south and no nights in the north so you can enjoy the landscape at all time. I have never done a TA cruise but I imagine that for several days you don't have that much to see outside and the scenery is not always exciting. This is not the case with Hurtigruten, you are at all time in the middle of islands and mountains and there is always something to look at.

I have been on 4 trips with them, the first one in the spring (late April) and 3 in winter, and even for the winter trips I have never been bored. I actually have the opposite problem : when to go to sleep so that you won't miss anything?

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You have just defined the Hurtigruten coastal trip...

That's what I thought also! ;)

As for sleeping when it doesn't get dark, the inside blinds in the cabins were efficient enough for me (but I didn't travel during the real midnight sun), but there is also the option of taking an inside cabin (very good budget-wise as well). I found that I don't spend time in the cabin except to sleep. If you want to relax indoors during the day here are plenty of lounges all around the ships.

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There's also the problem of getting sleep when it doesn't get dark!

 

We have spent time in Longyearbyen in August with the midnight sun well above the horizon. Blinds on the hotel room window, plus plenty of exercise during the day, meant we had little trouble in falling asleep at a reasonable hour. It was odd, though, how we just didn't realise how late it was with no cues from the sky outside.

 

Also odd was the option to take my camera down to the beach to video wildlife at midnight without the need for any artificial lighting!

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I would worry about an inside cabin, I'm a bit claustrophic. I was thinking of splurging on a mini-suite, since we're used to fairly large cabins on cruise ships (we're about to go off to the South Pacific and will be in a cabin that's about the same size as the mini-suites on Midnatsol or Trollfjord).

 

Glad to hear about the window blinds.

 

I've discussed it with my husband, and I'm sending him information by email so he can mull it.

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Then there's the issue of Round Trip versus North or South. I want the full experience, but perhaps a one-way would be better to start? Is North or South preferred?

 

We preferred northbound for the ports in which we stopped for longer. Both directions have their positives and you will miss something on 'the other' whichever you do.

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If you are really interested in booking a suite, those with a balcony need to be booked over a year in advance; there are some suites that do not have balconies, but have a small extension over the side of the ship(Trollfjord and Midnatsol). I believe there is one other ship with balconies. We have always done the round trip; I think the north trip is more interesting, but the trip south is usually less crowded.

Edited by janetcbl
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If you are really interested in booking a suite, those with a balcony need to be booked over a year in advance; there are some suites that do not have balconies, but have a small extension over the side of the ship(Trollfjord and Midnatsol). I believe there is one other ship with balconies. We have always done the round trip; I think the north trip is more interesting, but the trip south is usually less crowded.

 

Thanks for the advice--not interested in a balcony particularly, just a little ore room. The smallest cruiseship stateroom we've had is 200 sqft so the cabins on these ships seem dauntingly small to us, although I'd love to save the money and see if we could cope.

 

Is the lounge space indoors adequate, for times when you just want to relax and read? And both these more modern ships have indoor observation lounges, right? That would be important to us.

 

You mentioned crowding, Janet--how crowded does the ship feel going north? Does it depend on the type of ship?

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I am going next May (the 16th) on the Trollfjord round trip from Bergen. I booked an inside cabin as that was the cheapest fare, and don't plan on doing much other than sleeping and bathing in my cabin. I won't miss bingo or other "entertainment" available on other cruise ships when I can have the beautiful scenery available to me nearly 24/7.

 

You can see pictures of the ship's public spaces and sample cabins on the Hurtigruten website. You are correct that the more recently built ships are the only ones with the large viewing lounge forward.

Edited by Splinter
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We travelled on Polarlys round trip Bergen return and it was great. Yes the cabins are small but one bed can be used as a sofa and the time you spend in yr cabin is minimal. The Polarlys, Nordyls, and other ships in this class also have wonderful forward looking lounges, great outdoor seating and viewing areas as well as the more modern ships mentioned. I wouldn't book a suite, spend your money on the excursions instead. Skiddoing and dog sledding were highlights for us. Whatever ship you choose you won't be disappointed, this is a trip to remember and one we will do again as many others have. Just booked Fram to Antarctica so we are Hurtigruten fans. Loved the food, the crew were fantastic and all the stops were good, whether you get off or just view the goings on from on deck.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Thanks for the advice--not interested in a balcony particularly, just a little ore room. The smallest cruiseship stateroom we've had is 200 sqft so the cabins on these ships seem dauntingly small to us, although I'd love to save the money and see if we could cope.

 

Is the lounge space indoors adequate, for times when you just want to relax and read? And both these more modern ships have indoor observation lounges, right? That would be important to us.

 

You mentioned crowding, Janet--how crowded does the ship feel going north? Does it depend on the type of ship?

 

The ships never seemed crowded. The forward lounges on the Midnatsol and Trollfjord are 2 story and there is plenty of room and great views. The outside deck was always adequate. The only time I really noticed the difference in the number of people was in the dining area; fewer tables were used at dinner, and the buffet lines (which were never really long) were shorter on the Southbound trip.

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If I had the money this is a cruise I'd take every year. There are frequent port stops. Some are for several hours and allow nice excursions. But even with shorter stops get off the ship and walk around the town. I love that a good part of the cruise is above the Arctic Circle. In my opinion, it is better than the Alaskan cruise.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My daughter and I loved this cruise, which was one of the most interesting cruises I've been on, with scenery and port activity, all the way. We did the northern route, which is the better route, if you are only doing one way. We did the last trip shoulder season in May and had superb weather.

 

This cruise is the opposite of a TA, which has a lot of sea days, where you see little.

 

Don't waste your money on a suite, as we spent all our time in the panoramic lounge, as you want to be able to see both sides of the ship at once and be able to race outside to see wildlife.

 

You certainly won't be bored.

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