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been on hurtigruten?

seabourndt

By seabourndt,
in Hurtigruten

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engineer38

engineer38

Posted
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Have been on her sister ship Midnatsol, and enjoyed the experience, see other posts in this section. Also went on board Trollfjord last week for 15mins in Honningsvåg and can confirm that the two ships are identical with the exception of the colour of the interior decor.

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gwenmarie

gwenmarie

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We were on Nordnorge, way back in July 2000, and enjoyed the ship and Norwegian fjords very much.

 

We are planning on this 12 day round trip leaving Bergen on April 11,2011. Please let me know what cabin type you had? We are booked in a minisuite for this trip. Did you arrive in Oslo and take the train to Bergen? If you have written a review of this trip, please let me know.

Thanks

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Druke I

Druke I

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We were in 646 on Nordnorge. It was an outside, two lowers. No review written.

 

We were on a Grand Circle Travel package - flew into Kirkenes, spent night there, then boarded ship, sailed South to Bergen, hotel there, then train to Oslo, and flew home (with a detour to Paris to see ex-pat daughter, who was living there at the time.

 

It is now over ten years since we did the trip!

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janetcbl

janetcbl

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We are planning on this 12 day round trip leaving Bergen on April 11,2011. Please let me know what cabin type you had? We are booked in a minisuite for this trip. Did you arrive in Oslo and take the train to Bergen? If you have written a review of this trip, please let me know.

Thanks

We were on the Trollfjord last summer (12 day voyage) and had the only small suite (782) with a balcony on the ship and it was terrific! We loved watching the scenery, especially at night or early morning from the balcony. Before dinner we could enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony with the view for pre dinner entertainment! We plan to take the same trip in 2012 in the same cabin it was so special. Enjoy!

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uppitycats

uppitycats

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We have been on the FRAM -- took the 10 day Fjord trip, from Dover to Bergen, then around to Oslo. It was a fabulous trip. There is a review on the Hurtigruten section of reviews here.

 

We're going on the Nordnorge this April and really looking forward to that trip as well.

 

The Hurtigruten experience is unlike that of the big cruise ships, but very lovely, great Norwegian food, very attentive crew and staff. We love the line.

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Scotswoman

Scotswoman

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Hi!

We were on Trollfjord for a "Northern Lights" cruise this year in February. We had a wonderful cruise and enjoyed the Trollfjord immensely! She is a "real" sea-going, hard-working vessel, but has enough mod cons to make the cruise experience a comfortable one (unless you are extremely pampered!). We experienced some truly wonderful scenery, and we had a captain who took us in to the Trollfjord in snowy winter and even performed a pirouette at the end - making us gasp at his expertise in manoeuvering the ship close enough to the cliff walls to almost touch! Magic!! Go for it! I´m sure it´s magnificent in summer, but I can also encourage anyone planning to do the trip in winter. Seeing the Northern Lights and marvelling at the exquisite winter landscapes and light is a wonderful experience! We went north from Bergen to Kirkenes (and the North Cape) and back south as far as Trondheim. I can thoroughly recommend the Trollfjord.

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polarbear12

polarbear12

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We have cruised the Norwegian coast from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Bergen (12 days) in midsummer, with glorious midnight sun, where we never wanted to go to bed. Absolutely magnificent scenery, fascinating package of shore excursions, wonderful Scandinavian food (for one I was able to eat all the salmon and pickled herring varieties I wanted---I was raised by Scandinavian parents). This trip was on the oldes of the Hurtigruten, the Lofoten, with lots of polished wood and brass and quite small. Our outside cabin was tiny with bunk beds, but had all amenities needed. The roundtrip passengers were largely Scandinavian, German, and French, with eight from the U.S.--a great mix. We resolved then to return during the time of the 24-hour darkness above the Arctic Circle and this Christmas season we will do just that, this time on the Trollfjord, the biggest ship in the Hurtigruten line (800 passengers) in a larger, more comfortable, but still not fancy, outside cabin. Will we want to sleep much of the time? Who knows, but life is all about experiences. We'll spend Christmas Eve above the Arctic Circle, our first "Christmas in the dark." The ships have special holiday decorations and foods and festivities over the Christmas season...and this year offered very good price deals. Also an extra day is added at no charge, as the ship lies over in port on Christmas Eve. I'm glad to read postings from people who have done this cruise in winter and enjoyed the magic Arctic Twilight and the Northern Lights. We are eager and excited!

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LeBarryboat

LeBarryboat

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Just cruised aboard the Nordlys and the Trollfjord with a three-night stay in Reine Lofoten. Hurtigruten has a wonderful product! I made a three video series documenting our voyage and experience.

is aboard the Nordlys and the first leg of our trip. I hope you enjoy this video!

 

Barry

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uppitycats

uppitycats

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We are doing the Northern Lights this January.

 

Is it all right to take wine on the ship with you and have it at dinner?

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Kind regards

 

Tony

 

We were informed that, while we could bring liquor, beer or wine on board, it was to be consumed only in our stateroom, not anywhere else on the ship. They do have liquor and soft drinks that you can order for your stateroom, too.

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STUR

STUR

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We were on the Trollfjord last summer (12 day voyage) and had the only small suite (782) with a balcony on the ship and it was terrific! We loved watching the scenery, especially at night or early morning from the balcony. Before dinner we could enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony with the view for pre dinner entertainment! We plan to take the same trip in 2012 in the same cabin it was so special. Enjoy!

janetcbl

 

We are booked on the Ttoliford July 30,2011 from Kirkeness to Bergen Our cabin Suite is the same as yours 782 (glad to hear you liked your cabin) in the center of the rear of the ship with a balcony

 

We cant wait to see the coast of Norway

 

We fly from Dayton ,Ohio to Kirkeness where we spend two nights b/4 bording the ship

after we arrive in Bergen we spend one night and then take the train to Oslo and spend one night , then fly to Copenhagen to Board the Emerald Princess to cruise the Baltics and then fly home

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO

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monas queen

monas queen

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We have done the full round trip over Christmas on both of the old ships - the 1956 built Nordstjernen, and the 1964 built Lofoten. If you like the feel of a real ship, these are well recommended - you get more of the atmosphere of a working ship, and less of the glitz of a cruise liner, and they are great fun to be on, even down to the expectation that all round trip passengers will partake in the "Crossing the Arctic Circle Ceremony"! Do not expect fancy cabins or balconies on these, though! They are much more basic than the big ships.

 

Christmas is a wonderful time to be on board. The crew often have some of their own family members on board, and there are festivities on Christmas Eve, when dinner is an exceptional buffet.

 

You are normally put at a dinner table with other people from your own country. Breakfast and lunch are normally open seating. The food is much the same on all of the ships, regardless of size, and there is now a booklet that describes what you will get at which part of the journey. Reindeer features quite heavily, as well as fish and seafood.

 

You are not allowed to consume your own drinks in the public areas, but there is no problem with you bringing your own beer and/or wine for the cabin. (Beware of Norwegian drinks tax - alcohol bought on board is very expensive - and budget for this before you go).

 

If you are doing the full round trip and like to have an occasional tea or coffee during the day, there is a drinks package where you buy a thermal mug and can refill this as often as you like.

 

The ships are very friendly, and you will find yourself drawn into conversations with other travellers, whether they be Norwegian, German, or whatever, and most people speak excellent English.

 

The views are splendid, and you will see something different whatever time of year you go. In winter, you will miss some of the scenery, but you gain from the atmosphere of the twilight days, the glorious sunrises and sunsets, and the occasional Northern Lights when the sky is really clear (you can arrange to be woken up to see these - on our last trip, they appeared at 2.15 am!).

 

We somehow manage to keep going back on the Hurtigruten - once you have tried it, you will be hooked.

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SarniaLo

SarniaLo

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I have cruised with Hurtigruten three times, twice for the Norwegian Coastal Voyage (and once in Antarctica with M/S Fram).

 

The first time in Norway was at the end of April 2006, on board the M/S Lofoten (one of the oldest ship). We had glorious weather and breath-taking scenery. It was already spring in Bergen, and almost still winter in Kirkenes, so it was almost a journey through time. We went from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Svolvaer in the Lofoten Island, where we stopped for 3 days. I completely agree with monas queen about the unique atmosphere aboard these older ships - although they are quite comfortable and cozy (at least to my standards, but I am absolutely not familiar with other types of cruise ships). No midnight sun at this time of year, but already very long days (and short nights) so you can enjoy most of the landscape, and it's less crowded than in the summer (we took the North Cape excursion and there was only 25 of us on the site at the same time, which was really a treat).

 

The second time was a full trip (Bergen/Bergen) during this past Christmas holidays, on board the M/S Polarlys, an more recent (build in 1996) and bigger ship. Although it was probably more confortable and more suited to the winter weather than the M/S Lofoten, I personnally enjoyed the ship less since you didn't get so much the feeling of being on a working ship. The real plus for me in this ship is the great indoor panorama lounge with floor to ceiling windows, where the lights are dimmed to enjoy fully the landscape. The trip itself was absolutely fantastic, a totally different experience than previously. We were expecting 24 hours of night and instead were treated with a few hours of incredible lights, even in the Artic region where the sun stayed below the horizon. And of course the Northern Lights at soon as the night came. We were lucky enough to see them 5 nights in a row above the Artic Circle. The Christmas atmosphere was very nice, with special activities (decorating the Christmas tree, complimentary gløgg - mulled wine - and cake, dancing and singing...). The ship docked for an extra 24 hours on Christmas Eve/day in Trondheim and we were able to attend Christmas service in the Nidaros Cathedral, which was a very moving experience, even for the non-religious persons. We also stayed a few extra hours in Svolvaer for the New Year's Eve celebration (special buffet and a friendly party) and enjoyed the most incredible fireworks I have ever seen. We were worried that we might find the long nights too long, and I had brought three books to read. In the end, I only had time to get about 10 pages into the first one... We didn't get bored for one minute.

 

After these two trips, I know I will go back, and probably in winter (Feb/March) to see the Northern Lights again.

 

One of my fellow travelers had previously done the same trip on board the M/S Trollfjord and was enthusiastic about the ship. It's newer, more comfortable and with more amenities than the other ships on the line. I am not familiar with the cabins, and would mostly advise to avoid a cabin on a deck that has an outside walking area, since you will get all the time people passing in front of your window, at best blocking the view, and at worst peeking in your cabin. These decks can ben easily spotted on the deck plans you find on the Hurtigruten website. For the M/S Polarlys it was deck 5, for the M/S Trollfjord it seems to be deck 6.

 

Hurtigruten ships are not entertainment ships, they are comfortable working ships. The entertainment is mostly outside, in the landscape you cruise through, so you need to have a bit of a contemplative mind to fully enjoy the journey, but if you do you will have an incredible time. If you need to get out of the ship, there is a wide range of excursions available. I have done only the North Cape excursion, but the people I met who have done the other excursions were usually very happy with them.

 

(this is my first post on Cruise Critic so I hope I'm doing things right! ;) ).

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