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Confession: Hurtigruten baffles me.


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I have been intrigued by Hurtigruten for several years. But the series of 15-30 minute stops at every small post office/village along the coast seemed a bit too intense. Then a year or two ago I read here (?) or in a Hurtigruten brochure (?) or on their site (?) something that gave me the impression that they had some newer ships that were more geared to a more relaxed cruise along the coast. I have been searching and reading and only can find the traditional costal ferries or "expedition" ships competing with Lindblad etc in the Arctic and Antarctica. Can anyone point me to information about Hurtigruten cruises (as opposed to ferries and expedition ships)? Or is there no there there? I really would like to travel up the coast from Bergen and back, 14-15 days would be ideal including 4-5 port days along the way, each direction. Am I just dreaming?

 

Stan

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I have been intrigued by Hurtigruten for several years. But the series of 15-30 minute stops at every small post office/village along the coast seemed a bit too intense. Then a year or two ago I read here (?) or in a Hurtigruten brochure (?) or on their site (?) something that gave me the impression that they had some newer ships that were more geared to a more relaxed cruise along the coast. I have been searching and reading and only can find the traditional costal ferries or "expedition" ships competing with Lindblad etc in the Arctic and Antarctica. Can anyone point me to information about Hurtigruten cruises (as opposed to ferries and expedition ships)? Or is there no there there? I really would like to travel up the coast from Bergen and back, 14-15 days would be ideal including 4-5 port days along the way, each direction. Am I just dreaming?

 

Stan

 

On the regular Coastal RT, there are no full day port stops, but there are a few ports where the ship stays for a few hours.

 

But there *are* longer excursions. The way they tend to work is that the participants get off at one short (or longer) stop, and then re-join the ship later that day at another regular stop.

They have quite a variety of excursions, which vary on time of year (from things like sled dogs to kayaking), or things that are all year round, like a trip to the Russian border.

 

We weren't sure what we'd find, but we LOVED the entire trip. We went in March, so we'd have some darkness in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights, and also enough daylight to see the gorgeous landscape.

 

We did see wonderful Northern Lights, and the landscape... exquisite!

 

GC

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Can be difficult to find relevant information . Here is a link to Hurtigruten Excursions - please note that some are northbound from Bergen to Kirkenes (6 nights) or southbound (5 nights)

https://global.hurtigruten.com/excursions/#sort=recommended&asc=true

 

Also som quotes from previous thread

I also got the link to 'Travel guide for the Norwegian Coast' and 'Hand book arrival and departure'.

The two hand books at the links are in Norwegian language

... but I found the following in English Language

Arrival and Departure Information

Handbook for voyages before 31 March 2018

Handbook for voyages after 31 March 2018

 

This is a link to the current ORDER FORM EXCURSIONS - but it might a good idea to wait with booking until you know the weather conditions once onboard -and also get some advise.

In the form you can see where the excursion will take place and also if it does end en another port like "H-STU4G Highlights of Lofoten (Stamsund- Svolvær)" starting in Stamsund and then meeting the ship again in Svolvær.

The short stops in ports is the reason why it a bit difficult to arrange your own excursions while Hurtigruten can arrange longe excursions where the ship is met in a later port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I have taken one of their explorer cruises to Antarctica on a newer ship (15 years old, actually - MS Midnatsol) and was very impressed. But don't count on them to provide a lot of activities onboard; that's not their shtick.

 

Just last week, I received a huge new brochure (120 pages) from them ("Connect With Your Inner Explorer"). Request a copy, and it should answer many of your questions. It is all about their non-coastal cruises. Otherwise, try this: https://www.hurtigruten.com/

 

And yes, they are very different than the big cruise lines. You need to be able to entertain yourself on a Hurtigruten cruise. Their shore excursions are world-class, but onboard fun is your responsibility. The spectacular scenery is their entertainment. I came home from my last cruise with almost 2,000 photographs!

Edited by Montreal Marc
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As you have worked out, Hurtigruten don't do 'cruises' along the Norwegian coast of the kind you are looking for. Probably the nearest you would get would be to book a number of legs on different ships with over-nights (or longer) in ports that interest you. A ship arrives and departs in every port every day so it is eminently doable though you might need to research which particular ships you would travel on as they do vary in size and other respects.

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The Hurtigruten ships are working ships that carry passengers. The ships serve as a ferry with vehicles in the hold. They transport various goods to the small villages along the coast. I think they still carry the mail but may be wrong about that. There are day passengers or overnight passengers who sleep in one of the lounges. Meals are good with no choices except there are vegetarian options. Most of the food is local seafood, meats and vegetables. Breakfast is a buffet.

 

There is no dress code, formal nights, etc. There may be a pianist in one of the bars, but mostly the entertainment is the scenery outside the large lounges with huge windows. Cabins are small but adequate. Large luggage is taken to the hold for the duration of the cruise.

 

So, yes, lots of stops with some being in the middle of the night, but I never woke up during those stops. Other stops are a few hours. This always seemed enough since the areas visited are small. I did do one of the excursions mentioned above when I got off at one port, has a drive through the countryside and joined the ship again at another port.

 

It's been a few years since I went on the cruise, but I loved every minute because it was such an adventure.

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  • 3 weeks later...

In the new licence period (from 2021), Hurtigruten is shared by two companies, Hurtigruten AS and Havila. In practise, this means that Hurtigruten AS will have four ships that is not restricted to the Hurtigruten coastal schedule; meaning they are free to cruise the coast as they like. Time will show.

http://maritimt.com/nb/maritimt-magasin/todelt-hurtigrute-konsesjon

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