Hurtigruten Latest Topics

Booking on hurtigruten.no

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 07:43:12 +0000

Hello experienced travelers,

DH and I are going to book for one of the new expedition cruises, the “Magic of the Arctic Winter” on the Otto Sverdrup. My plan is to use the .no site due to the drastic price difference. I’ve compared the inclusions, etc. And they appear to be the exact same verbiage on both the US and the NO sites.

My question is this: once we submit our deposit and initial booking, do they communicate with us in English?

On a sidenote, we have decided on the QR category, from what I read we can select one of the three cabins on the sixth deck that are not blocked by the lifeboats and still have a view. These cabins are slightly less expensive than the P2 category but seem to be close to twice as big. And I on the right track here?

I have tried to read all of the prior posts so that I know what I’m getting myself into with this and have done as much due diligence as I can but still have these questions. Thank you in advance for your help.

Sincerely,

Linnie

Included flights from London to Antarctica

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 09:43:44 +0000

Hi everyone! We are interested in an Antarctica cruise in November 2022. I’ve noticed that Hurtigruten currently include flights from London in the price. Can anyone whose done this cruise with included flights give any information about them? Which carrier do they use, are the flight times good, is there the opportunity to upgrade to more than the basic leg room ( and how much might this cost)? Thanks in advance for any help.

Hurtigruten, Antarctica, and the Polar Code

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 04:19:17 +0000

I am looking at Antarctica cruises in February and March 2022. Three Hurtigruten ships ( the Fram, the Roald Amundsen, and the Fridtjof Nansen) are currently scheduled to sail to Antarctica during these two months. Recently, it came to my attention that, beginning on January 1, 2022, ships that do not meet the “Polar Code” will not be allowed to sail south of 60 degrees latitude, which means they can't sail in Antarctica waters. I also understand that none of these three Hurtigruten ships (Fram, Roald Amundsen, and Fridtjof Nansen) meet the requirements of the Polar Code.

What am I missing, or misunderstanding, here? I don’t want to book these cruises if there is a possibility they will be cancelled.

Thanks!

What is the current status of Coastal Voyage holidays?

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 17:15:33 +0000

i had the holiday I had booked at the end of March last year moved to this year. When I looked at the website it says the tours from the Uk with flights are cancelled until April, however when I contacted Hurtigruten directly asi booked though a third party they said these holidays are still happening. I am a bit confused ?

thanks

Landing on Antarctica

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 09:56:53 +0000

So, this morning an email dropped into my inbox with an advert for Antarctica and the Falkland Islands in March 2023, I was going to delete it but 'for a laugh' read out the details, including the price, to DH who, much to my absolute amazement, took interest. The dates don't fit so unfortunately we couldn't do it even if we tried but I do have one question which I'm sure someone will be able to answer.

How do you get from the ship to the land? Is it in those what look like small inflatable boats, zodiacs? Much as I love cruising I'm frightened of water and can't swim and I really don't know if I could cope in one of these boats. Plus, I read somewhere that they can be very bouncy and as I have a bad back and DH has suffered so badly with sciatic pain that he has had to have an implant in his back, so I would be concerned that this could be detrimental especially for him.

Would value any advice and maybe, just maybe, we could find a date that fits. I've looked at the 'sail-by' cruises, but to actually set foot on land would be amazing.

MS Maud questions

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:11:01 +0000

We are planning a sailing on the MS Maud and have a couple of questions. When did the ship undergo refurbishment and what was changed since the changeover from Midnatsol? Are the cabins on Deck 6, which is the Promenade deck, much affected by people walking past the windows?

Also, any comments about the cuisine onboard would be appreciated.

Is anybody there at Hurtigruten?

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 15:40:53 +0000

Are all the employees furloughed? I do continue to get automated offers for future cruises, but their website is totally unresponsive. As are the people who should be reading email. Specifically, for many months now, when I put my reservation number into the web form to "check your reservation", I get a "sorry we are not working now" message. When I look at the website to see my March 2022 cruise, zilch, nada, nothing. Our ship doesn't show up at all, but maybe it is there a week or 10 days earlier and maybe it shows up again the following month. But no indication of our March 2022 Expedition cruise from Bergen. So I sent an email last week asking if our cruise was still scheduled, and what were our options if that cruise was no longer in their plans. No response. None. Total silence. I would just go ahead and cancel and give up on them but I am afraid that I can't even cancel now because they are just going to ignore me...

Stan

Antarctica Cruise January, 2022

Tue, 26 May 2020 09:49:44 +0000

Just wondering whether any folks here are doing the 18 day Antarctica, Chilean Fjords and Falkland Islands in January, 2022 on board the Roald Amundsen.

Rick

Questions - No Costal cruise - time needed to exit the ship when returning to Bergen and distance to airport from pier

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 19:22:58 +0000

Hi,

We are booked on a September 2021 Norway Coastal cruise. This will be our first experience with Hurtigruten and hope someone will be able to assist with our questions. The day we return to the port of Bergen, which I believe is a 2:30 PM arrival time, how long does it usually take for passengers to be able to leave the ship, collect luggage, etc? We only have experience with the mainstream cruise lines, where you do need to add in at least an hour+ after arrival to plan arrival at your next destination.

Also, we will be flying from Bergen to Oslo on the day we return to Bergen .. how far is the airport from the cruise pier what type of transportation is available? Should we make an advance reservation with someone, and if so, any suggestions for a vendor. We are a party of 3.

We are from the Boston and Seattle area and we sincerely hope we will be able travel in September and enjoy this cruise.

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Final Payment

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 17:53:22 +0000

Received an email requesting final payment for an April 2021 sailing. I understood due to the uncertainty due to Covid problems throughout the travel industry, that final payments could be deferred until one month before the departure date. Another expedition company that we deal with has been doing that now for several months. Since there have been so many cancellations and since our main destination is the British Isles currently undergoing a total lockdown, we feel uncomfortable about paying so far in advance when it is questionable that this sailing will actually take place. Does anyone have any info about whether their final payment policy has changed due to Covid? Will obviously call them, but meanwhile any input is appreciated.

Discovery Plus TV documentary on Roald Amundsen cruise to Antarctica

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 15:13:16 +0000

Quest TV in the UK last night broadcast a documentary in the Mighty Cruise Ship series on the Roald Amundsen antarctic cruise, presumably filmed about a year ago. This shows the trip from Punta Arenas to Antarctica and the Falklands.

Available on the Discovery Plus web site free of charge

Website down

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 04:57:01 +0000

I've been trying to look up website since yesterday. It's consistently down.

Any known reason why or expected return?

Norwegian Coastal Route restarting 2021

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 21:28:08 +0000

The Norwegian Govmt has agreed with Hurtigruten & Havila that the full Coastal Route will restart from 1st Jan 2021 with 5 Hurtigruten Ships in service until end of March. Havila had previously requested not to start it's contracted 4 slots out of 11 as their ships are not complete as well as COVID situation. So 5 Hurtigruten ships (presumably every other day) will be sailing between Bergen & Honningsvåg. This information not yet reflected on websites. Sailing Plan and ships tbc

Fair Winds & Weather

Waiting for a response from Hurtigruten No.

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:58:00 +0000

A few days ago, we tried to get some info in the hope of making a booking for April 2021 and are wondering how long it takes for someone at Hurtigruten No. to respond? We received the boilerplate response about how due to Covid it takes longer to hear back from them. Would a phone call be more advisable?

Anyone else tried dealing with Tromso since Covid?

MS Lofoten to become training ship

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 16:12:40 +0000

After nearly six decades servicing the Norwegian coast, MS Lofoten is slated to leave the Hurtigruten fleet January 2021. More about the story.

Antarctica Cruise - Beverage Package? Beverage Menu

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 11:16:26 +0000

We are in the process of booking our first experience on Hurtigruten and it is an Antarctica cruise.

Does anyone recommend the optional liquor package?

Does anyone have pictures of the beverage menu and prices if we opt not to take the liquor package?

Thank you.

Antarctica Cruise - Port or Starboard Cabin

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 17:25:54 +0000

We are in the process of booking a cruise to Antarctica with Hurtigruten.

Any advice on booking a Port or Starboard side cabin?

Roald Amundsen Cruise Reviews

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 07:59:06 +0000

We are booked on the Roald Amundsen Alaska trip out of Nome AK for next summer. Ignoring the strong chance that the cruise may be cancelled, I just got through reading the reviews of the ship, cruises and cruise organization on CC and I have never seen so many bad reviews for a ship and cruise on CC. This will be one of the more expensive cruises that we have taken but we picked it because the ports that we are supposed to visit sounded great.

However, based on the bad reviews that I read, I am beginning to get cold feet. I have been on expedition trips before so I know that you should not expect the amenities that are on a big ship but that has always been counterbalanced by great places to visit and highly trained professional cruise staff. Many of the people who had been on other Hurtigruten cruise wrote very negative reviews about this ship and also the non-professionalism of both the ship and expedition staff

I have a few months before final payment is due but I don't want to spend so much money for a bad cruise.

Any thoughts from anyone who has cruised on the Roald Amundsen.

DON

Covid-19 Confirmed on Hurtigruten vessel

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 13:39:35 +0000

https://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/i/rABORw/smitteutbrudd-paa-hurtigruten

Covid 19 has been confirmed on Hurtigruten's Roald Amundsen today.

3 crew in hospital, hope they have a speedy recovery

Jan-April 2021 "Antarctic" Season cancelled

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 16:01:56 +0000

Hurtigruten have just announced on their websites that the Southern Hemisphere voyages have been cancelled for Jan-Apr 2021 - the cruises in Oct-Dec 2020 had previously been cancelled.

https://global.hurtigruten.com/practical-information/coronavirus-update/sailings-and-cancellations/antarctica/

Hurtigruten reduces traffic to Northern ports

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 09:32:52 +0000

The Norwegian government has asked Hurtigruten to reduce its current traffic to the ports between Bodø and Kirkenes (as it was during the spring). This way the two ships currently in service will call in port every three day, insuring the vital transport service that these communities need during winter. This is to be effective from Oct 24th and until further notice, but expected to last for some time, unless the other 13 affected ports in the South protest.

I can currently only find info in Norwegian : https://www.nrk.no/nordland/hurtigruten-skal-kun-seile-bodo-kirkenes-pa-kystruten-bergen-kirkenes-1.15197856 which can be Google translated but I'm sure it will be picked up by English-speaking medias soon.

This is not very good omen for the future of the coastal service... And definitely bad news for everyone booked with Hurtigruten until the end of the year. But good news for local Northern communities I think.

Hurtigruten reorganizes - separates Scheduled traffic and Expedition cruises

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 16:43:30 +0000

According to a press release from CEO Daniel Skjeldam of Hurtigruten Group, he states that Hurtigruten will separate scheduled traffic and expedition cruises. The two new divisions will be named Hurtigruten Norge (Norway), and Hurtigruten Expeditions. The new organization will mark the course for further growth and development for both scheduled traffic along the Norwegian coast and expedition cruises. This ensures even sharper focus and an even clearer distinction between two completely unique products and concepts, says Skjeldam.

Asta Lassesen will be the CEO of Hurtigruten Expeditions, with a fleet of at last eight small, specially built expedition ships. Hurtigruten Norge will focus on the Norwegian coast, and from 2021 the Company will operate seven specially built low-emission ships in scheduled traffic between Bergen and Kirkenes. The CEO of the Company, has not yet been appointed.

https://www.dn.no/samferdsel/hurtigruten-norge/hurtigruten-group/daniel-skjeldam/hurtigruten-omorganiserer-skiller-rutetrafikk-og-ekspedisjonscruise/2-1-894493

China Purchase of Hurtigruten article

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 10:33:21 +0000

Wild speculation or?

http://icepeople.net/2020/10/05/china-buying-hurtigruten-legit-possibility-or-not-a-columnist-set-off-a-media-firestorm-by-declaring-it-a-realistic-scenario-but-is-it-just-idle-clickbait-speculation/

Hurtigruten price drops and cancellations

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 17:20:42 +0000

I booked an expedition cruise with Hurtigruten in early July, just a couple of weeks prior to the COVID-19 outbreak onboard the Roald Amundsen.

Needless to say I have a few reservations about this cruise, which departs in early May 2021. I haven't traveled with H in the past, so I am unsure how flexible they are with regard to options. I have several questions, if anyone has any experience to answer:

I see that they are now offering a Cruise with Confidence booking allowing for cancellation; however, this wasn't in effect when I booked. Will I lose 20%?
If I cannot cancel without losing 20%, will they allow a move-over to a later cruise?
If the alternatives are not attractive and I decide to wait and see, the cruise I booked has dropped in price significantly. Does H honor such price drops?

Thanks for any answers/thoughts.

cabin upgrades

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 17:18:32 +0000

hi, scheduled to do a 12 day coastal voyage on the Richard With. Wondering about cabin upgrades? does H bump up cabin cat where avail? or offer upgrades at pier on embarkation? sailing at less than full cap they should have empties. I know the majors do it, I've even had free upgrades on several lines.

thanks