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NORWEGIAN COASTAL
VOYAGE (HURTIGRUTEN) Cruise Report
Norway, Greenland, Antarctica, South America
Ships of the Norwegian Coastal Voyage -- Hurtigruten -- fleet have been serving the coast of
Norway for 100 years, carrying goods, cars, and people. Many of the ports
are not connected by road and these ships are the lifeline for the
necessities of life and transportation. They’ve made room for tourists, so you can sail with
them to visit towns and villages and see the magnificent scenery. Some voyages include Reykjavik,
Iceland, or Lofoten Islands. |
KONG HARALD;
LYNGEN; LOFOTEN; NORDSTJERNEN
POLARLYS; NORDKAPP; NORDLYS; RICHARD WITH
Passenger Capacity: 144-490
Built: 1993-1997 Length: 400 ft. Beam: 63 ft.
Draft: 16 ft. Elevator: 2 Officers: Norwegian
Staff and Crew: 25, Norwegian Wheelchair Access
- Itinerary: All
of the ships follow the same itinerary close along Norway’s fjord-filled
west coast. for 1,250 miles. They go either north from Bergen to above the
Arctic Circle to Kirkenes in a seven-day cruise or south from Kirkenes to
Bergen in a six-day cruise. There are many different stops on
each leg so the two cruises can be combined into a 12-day cruise
that goes to 34 ports. In some places the ship stops only long
enough to pick up or unload cars and fish and people, and at other
ports the ship stops long enough for passengers to
have several hours for
sightseeing and shopping. At every port, the local villagers are there
to watch the loading and unloading, greet visitors,
and wave bon voyage to friends. In Bergen you can explore the harbor and visit Edvard
Grieg’s home and studio and hear a concert in the hall there, where you can
listen to his music being played at the same time you gaze on the studio where
it was composed. There is also good scenery to be seen taking the train between
Bergen and Oslo with a side trip to Flam to see fjords and waterfalls. From November to
February there is a wildlife expedition cruise between Ushuaia, Argentina
and Puerto Montt, Chile, via Cape Horn and the Drake Passage to Antarctica.
- Cabins: 203-
218. The double cabins have two lower berths that fold up during the day to
create a small sitting room. Most outside cabins have a window allowing you
to view the scenery, but cabins on decks 2 and 3 only have a porthole. Cabins
have individual air-conditioning and heat control. Some cabins have a third
berth. Junior suites, located on decks 5 and 6 have a queen bed.
Suites have TV, telephone and a queen bed. Most cabins have a
private bath with shower, but some have washbasin only. A
large cabin for wheelchair passengers is on the same deck
as reception.
- Dining: During high
season there are two sittings for dinner, at regular
designated tables. Lunches are buffet. Many of the
dishes are Norwegian specialties. Light meals,
snacks, sandwiches and pizza are available in a cafeteria. Special diets
accommodated .
- Dress: Casual
and comfortable, smart in the evening, but nothing dressy. Bring clothes that
can be layered so that you can bundle
up with extra layers when the wind blows. Bring something
waterproof for when it’s drizzly.
- Facilities and Activities:
The ships have space for cars and freight. There are lounges
with panoramic windows, a library and a bar. The
newest ships have a playroom for children, conference center, small fitness
center, washing machines and saunas. Lounges are also used by day travelers
going from one local port to another. There are smoking and non-smoking
lounges. The ships are decorated with art work from regional artists. There is no
entertainment. Shipboard announcements are made in Norwegian
and English. Passengers are mostly European. Ships do not have the usual toiletry amenities, so bring your own. You can walk
around the villages while the ship is loading and unloading cargo, or you
can take optional shore excursions. For many excursions, you leave
the ship by motorcoach and catch up with it at the next port. One excursion
goes to the Lofoten Islands. Another is
a bus to the North Cape Plateau to see thousands of reindeer. On a shore excursion to the top
of the mountain overlooking Tromso you can usually
see the midnight sun.
- Recent Fares
Reported to Us: Outside cabins $844 to $1,621 per person double occupancy
for seven-day northbound voyage, $715 to
$1,372 for the six-day southbound voyage, and $1,295 to $2,491 for the 12-day
round trip. Suites a higher price, inside cabins lower. There are discounts
on some voyages for passengers age 67 and older and for groups
of 15 or more. A
Christmas voyage features church services ashore on Christmas Eve and a
traditional Norwegian holiday feast. The Aurora
Borealis (Northern Lights) is most often seen during winter months. A Midnight
Sun air/sea package is available from April through October. 15-day Antarctica
cruise $5,115 to $8,840 including roundtrip air from New York and hotels.
MIDNATSOL; NARVIK; VESTERALEN;
FINNMARKEN, TROLLFJORD Passenger Capacity: 308-675 Length: 356-365 ft.
Beam: 54 ft. Elevator: 1 Officers: Norwegian
Staff and Crew: 40; Norwegian Wheelchair Access
- Itinerary: The
ships go along the west coast of Norway between Bergen and Kirkenes, leaving
either for the southern or northern journey every day.
- Cabins: 150.
These ships are smaller and built earlier. Cabins are outside and inside, some with windows, some with portholes,
some with queen bed, some with two lower berths, some with bunks. There is
one cabin for wheelchair passengers.
- Facilities and Activities:
The ships have dining room, cafeteria, panoramic lounge, ans
space for 40 cars.
- Recent Fares
Reported to Us: $539 to $4,133 depending on time of year and length
of voyage. A typical 11-day program including airfare from New York, hotels
in Oslo and Bergen, train between Oslo and Bergen, and the cruise: from
$1,990 to $3,245 depending on cabin category and time of year. A
15-day program featuring a roundtrip voyage: $2,500 to $3,945.
Senior reductions available on a few voyages.
FRAM
Passenger
capacity: 318
Built: 2007
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Itinerary:
There are 8, 12, 15 and
19-day voyages of Disko Bay and Thule in Greenland from May to September.
In September goes transatlantic, along the Atlantic seaboard, ending in
South America and Antarctica. In winter 13-day voyages in Antarctica through
February.
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Cabins: 159. Each cabin
has en suite facilities and bath.
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Facilities & Activities:
The ship is named after the ship used by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen
on a 3-year expedition around Greenland in the 1800s. The ship reflects
Greenland culture and Scandinavian interior design There are meeting
facilities, a wellness center with sauna, glass-screened outdoor whirlpools.
For current fares and schedules of Norwegian Coastal cruises,
click on this
direct link
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