Cabin on Deck 7 - MS Fridtjof Nansen

[Wildcat85]

Hello. I was wondering if anyone has input about Deck 7. My current cabin is near the Wellness Center. It may be across from the elevator but I’m not sure from the deck plan. Would this be too noisy due to foot traffic to the gym and Wellness Center? Has anyone stayed there to offer an opinion? I picked it initially because it was mid-ship and hopefully more stable wave-wise in the Drake Passage. But I am concerned about congestion and noise. Thoughts? Thanks. 

[CDNPolar]

We were on deck 8, BUT, I never once saw anyone in the wellness centre.  Not once, and we did go past there regularly because we always took the stairs.

 

The other thing is the Hurtigruten deck plans are mis-leading.  Our cabin "looked" like it was part of the elevator lobby on the deck plan but in actuality it was so far away that it had no bearing on noise that could have come from the elevator or stairs lobby.

 

I would suggest that you name the ship and the cabin number so we know exactly where you are and hopefully someone else has stayed in that cabin or beside.  Also what Itinerary you are sailing?

 

We did Antarctica on Fidtjof Nansen and I think that we were either in the Drake Passage when no one was about, or we were gazing at the beauty of Antarctica and no one was exercising.

 

The other thing is the Hurtigruten forum is not high traffic... be patient for an answer.

 

 

[Wildcat85]

Thanks for your thorough reply, CDN Polar! My cabin is 722 and looks to be right across from the stairs and elevators. I leave Ushuaia on Nov 23 this Fall. 
Another question I have is whether the cabins are smaller on deck 7 than 8? It looks that way when I compare the plans online. 

[mrmoviezombie]

We cruise the sister ship Roald Amundsen, in ME-850

 

That front elevator virtually no one uses. It's also actually tucked into the stairwell; it doesn't open onto the corridor like it's shown on the deck plan. My memory is that the corridor is a dead end as well so there wasn't any real foot traffic either.

 

Remember it's actually a really small ship with only 500 or so passengers. There is very rarely any real traffic anywhere on the ship.

 

I think the size difference on the deck plans are just a picture scaling problem.

[CDNPolar]

11 hours ago, Wildcat85 said:

Thanks for your thorough reply, CDN Polar! My cabin is 722 and looks to be right across from the stairs and elevators. I leave Ushuaia on Nov 23 this Fall. 
Another question I have is whether the cabins are smaller on deck 7 than 8? It looks that way when I compare the plans online. 

 

Are you on the Fridtjof Nansen?

 

Are the cabins smaller on 7 than 8?  No, not really, you are in an XT cabin and the same cabin category on deck 8 is the same size.  Deck 8 also has ME category that is bigger.

 

We were in 829 which is an XTD category.  We chose this cabin because first it is as close to mid ship for the Drake Passage as you can get, and if you look at the configuration of the cabin it is wide rather than deep.  The balcony is 15 feet (or more) wide and you have the equivalent of 3+ sets of windows that the deep cabins only have one or two...  This balcony and window set was perfect for viewing as we just had more space.

 

If available to change, I would personally from our experience go with the XTD 721, 721, 728, or 730 - these are well back from the elevator lobby and we heard no noise from anything.  Also the wide nature of the cabin was in our opinion far superior to the deep cabin.

[CDNPolar]

I also don't think that I would be afraid of the cabin you have - 722.  As per the other response, that elevator is near the front of the ship and not heavily used as the main elevator bank is direct access to the restaurant and that is most heavily used.  We also noted that many people - including ourselves - just used the stairs more.

[Wildcat85]

Thanks, good info, MrMovieZombie!

[Wildcat85]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Are you on the Fridtjof Nansen?

 

Are the cabins smaller on 7 than 8?  No, not really, you are in an XT cabin and the same cabin category on deck 8 is the same size.  Deck 8 also has ME category that is bigger.

 

We were in 829 which is an XTD category.  We chose this cabin because first it is as close to mid ship for the Drake Passage as you can get, and if you look at the configuration of the cabin it is wide rather than deep.  The balcony is 15 feet (or more) wide and you have the equivalent of 3+ sets of windows that the deep cabins only have one or two...  This balcony and window set was perfect for viewing as we just had more space.

 

If available to change, I would personally from our experience go with the XTD 721, 721, 728, or 730 - these are well back from the elevator lobby and we heard no noise from anything.  Also the wide nature of the cabin was in our opinion far superior to the deep cabin.

Polar 

Did your XTD cabin have the metal balcony “red line”? Was that a problem? There seem to be few of the glass type for XT cabins. 

[CDNPolar]

Yes, we did have a solid balcony from the railing down which was the RED LINE from outside the ship.

 

To be honest, we never really noticed that we did not have glass all the way down.

 

We spent more time on the top deck when viewing and cruising than ever in our cabin which is the norm for us. 

 

If we were not on the top deck outside - where we can get 360 view - we were in the lounge sitting on one of the sides looking out....

 

But this may be a deal breaker for you.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by CDNPolar

[Wildcat85]

I do want a glass balcony because I tend to stay in my cabin a lot but I have never been on an expedition cruise, so maybe it will be different. So much to consider. I appreciate all the input from you and "Zombie"!

[mrmoviezombie]

We certainly spent the time to select our cabin with the glass balcony because we do tend to spend a lot of time on the balcony. Ours was the north-west passage so there is a lot more close to land scenic cruising than I assume is in the Antarctic cruise.

 

We nearly lost it at checkin because they had switched our cabin without informing us. Fortunately, it still had the glass, one cabin away from the red swoosh.
 

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

If available to change, I would personally from our experience go with the XTD 721, 721, 728, or 730 - these are well back from the elevator lobby and we heard no noise from anything.  Also the wide nature of the cabin was in our opinion far superior to the deep cabin.

Yeah... we were booked on the 2020 NW in one of these cabins, but got covid cancelled. And had to upgrade on the rebook to get a cabin we liked.

BTW one huge benefit of the upgrade was free laundry which we used ALOT, completely changed the packing :).

[CDNPolar]

37 minutes ago, mrmoviezombie said:

We certainly spent the time to select our cabin with the glass balcony because we do tend to spend a lot of time on the balcony. Ours was the north-west passage so there is a lot more close to land scenic cruising than I assume is in the Antarctic cruise.

 

We nearly lost it at checkin because they had switched our cabin without informing us. Fortunately, it still had the glass, one cabin away from the red swoosh.
 

Yeah... we were booked on the 2020 NW in one of these cabins, but got covid cancelled. And had to upgrade on the rebook to get a cabin we liked.

BTW one huge benefit of the upgrade was free laundry which we used ALOT, completely changed the packing :).

 

On an antarctic cruise you don't need to overpack.  There is no formal.  Everyone arrives for dinner in sweats and shorts and t-shirts.  You see people at breakfast wearing the same gear at dinner.

[grayjay]

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.

[Wildcat85]

Grayjay and others,

Do you know if Hurtigruten offers upgrades shortly before departure if they undersell? Do the suites have the red metal balconies? I suppose it depends on the deck level. 
 

P.S. there are a couple of good videos (taken by tourists) on YouTube of some random cabins on this ship if you search by its name. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Wildcat85

[CDNPolar]

10 hours ago, Wildcat85 said:

Grayjay and others,

Do you know if Hurtigruten offers upgrades shortly before departure if they undersell? Do the suites have the red metal balconies? I suppose it depends on the deck level. 
 

P.S. there are a couple of good videos (taken by tourists) on YouTube of some random cabins on this ship if you search by its name. 

 

There was a poster on CC before our Antarctic cruise that indicated that Hurtigruten changed their cabin - to an upgrade - when they arrived at the ship.

 

We did NOT like this.  I am not in this for a free upgrade or a paid upgrade - as we spend time and effort booking our preferred cabin by number and location on the ship.  (I know some folks on here will think this silly).  We wanted the cabin we booked.

 

So, we called our TA and she spoke with her Hurtigruten Rep and they INSISTED that Hurtigruten NEVER do this... so I can only suppose that the poster on CC lied?  No. 

 

I think that there may be a chance for you to get an upgrade just before sailing, but with our cruise, the ship was not full - and down at least 100 passengers from full capacity.  No upgrades were offered that we were aware of.

 

Yes, we spend a lot of time choosing our cabin, but regardless of the cruise we are on, we only spend time in the cabin to sleep, shower, dress and then we are on a deck where we can have 360 view not on our balcony.

 

The views on the deck while sailing around the Continent were spectacular from the top deck, and you only got a small view from the balcony.  You get a "snapshot" view from the balcony but you still have to dress like you were going to the top deck.

 

Here is our XTD cabin 829 on the FN

[Wildcat85]

Great photos, CDN Polar. These give a much better feel than the official shots on their website. The room looks more comfy than the elongated rooms, which seem narrower than other cruise lines I have experienced. The extra pane of glass is definitely a plus. I agree that I wouldn’t want an upgrade to a room that didn’t have my desired criteria. I would be willing to pay extra if I knew what I was getting with an “upgrade” and it didn’t have any dealbreaker elements. It seems my assigned room is pretty good overall so I wouldn’t want to be changed without specifically agreeing to it. Like you, I had specific things I was looking for and this was the best I could come up with on my budget. 

[Wildcat85]

Two YouTube videos for cabins on this ship:

 

for Cabin 732:

for Cabin 825:

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

There was a poster on CC before our Antarctic cruise that indicated that Hurtigruten changed their cabin - to an upgrade - when they arrived at the ship.

 

We did NOT like this.  I am not in this for a free upgrade or a paid upgrade - as we spend time and effort booking our preferred cabin by number and location on the ship.  (I know some folks on here will think this silly).  We wanted the cabin we booked.

 

So, we called our TA and she spoke with her Hurtigruten Rep and they INSISTED that Hurtigruten NEVER do this... so I can only suppose that the poster on CC lied?  No. 

Possibly that poster's original cabin had a problem that rendered it unsuitable for use.  That explanation would allow both the poster and the Hurtigruten Rep to be correct.  Even if you had carefully chosen that number, you wouldn't want an overflowing toilet or leaking A/C drain.  

[Wildcat85]

Jazzbeau,

yes certainly one wouldn’t want a defective cabin and I’m sure Hurtigruten would provide at least as good a replacement. 

[grayjay]

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.

[ocean sounds]

On 6/16/2023 at 11:27 AM, mrmoviezombie said:

And had to upgrade on the rebook to get a cabin we liked.

BTW one huge benefit of the upgrade was free laundry which we used ALOT, completely changed the packing :).

@mrmoviezombie, we’re you able to specify whether your clothes were to have hot or cold wash, and hot or low dryer?

[Stapes777]

Hi everyone. I am booked in Cabin XTD-723 but could change to XTD-836 or XTD-829. I read mix reviews about the differences. Should I change to 836? What is the "red tape" everyone is talking about? 

 

Thanks!!

[Wildcat85]

7 hours ago, Stapes777 said:

What is the "red tape" everyone is talking about? 

It is a red opaque stripe across the length of the ship that obscures visibility for many balcony rooms. These balcony railings/fences are not see through glass. Instead they are metal and you must look up or down for the view. This metal type balcony is common on many ships. Some people prefer the privacy of the metal to clear glass. 

[grayjay]

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.

[mrmoviezombie]

We had 850 on the Roald with a glass balcony. There are a couple at the rear like that.

 

BTW we booked 854, and they switch us to 850 without telling us.

Fortunately, it was an identical cabin still with the glass balcony.

 

I believe the next one forward was where the red strip hits on deck 8. We spent way too much time looking at pictures/videos and counting decks/windows to make sure we had the glass on the balcony.