Questions about Hurtigruten

[azevedan]

Hi, folks...never done a Hurtigruten cruise but considering one at some point in the future. A couple of questions:

1. I can't eat fish or seafood. Would I starve?

2. How long does the ship stay in a given port? Is there enough time to go off hiking and/or sightseeing?

Thanks for the help!

[FarmersWife2010]

1. No you wouldnt starve, but from all accounts you might get a bit bored, but when i come back I will tell you and will take especial notice.

2. No. Not unless you can do everything within about 3 hours maximum.

 

There is an itinerary. which I will try and find for you - but it is on the Hurtigruten site.

[azevedan]

1. No you wouldnt starve, but from all accounts you might get a bit bored, but when i come back I will tell you and will take especial notice.

2. No. Not unless you can do everything within about 3 hours maximum.

There is an itinerary. which I will try and find for you - but it is on the Hurtigruten site.

 

Thanks. I look forward to your answers. I've seen a basic itinerary, but nothing with times. I'll look harder.

[RSF Cruiser]

Stops are between 15 minutes and several hours throughout the day and night. Some of the short stops they do not let you off the boat, although you can usually walk around the port area for a few minutes during the short stops. In cities like Trondheim and Tromso, you stop for several hours and can explore several of the sights. We hiked in several of the ports - Honningsvag (in port for 3.5ish hours) we walked past the church and then up into the hills behind the city. It was a beautiful walk/hike. In Alesund (in port for 3 hours) there is a nice park only a few blocks from the harbor and on the north-bound trip you have time to hike to the top of the hill with a beautiful overlook of the harbor.

 

Definitely read the member reviews on Hurtigruten. These voyages are not for everyone, and the ships vary greatly from small antique floating museum (Lofoten) to modern almost cruise ships (Midnatsol/Troolfjord). The negative reviews are generally from people who were unaware of the type of voyage/ship they were going on. I thought it was a fascinating trip and would do it again in a heart beat.

 

As for the food, Hurtigruten is a Norwegian ship in Norway, so the food is Norwegian... that means lots of fish. You wouldn't starve, but you might be disappointed in the selection. Also, food is available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you are full board. If you want food at other times, you need to purchase it at the snack bar. If you are not full board, you can purchase a meal in the dining room for a rather high price. Like any place in Norway, the food is expensive.

[azevedan]

Definitely read the member reviews on Hurtigruten. These voyages are not for everyone...

 

We've done very small boat (12 pax) 'cruises' as well as larger, so we're up for different experiences. However, the short times in port, and the food situation are definitely on the 'not for us' side.

 

Thanks for the info and advice!

[SarniaLo]

Here is the schedule with arrival and departure time :

http://www.hurtigruten.com/repository/Traffic-info-service/Schedule-and-traffic-info/

Agree with everything RSF Cruiser said! ;)

[azevedan]

Here is the schedule with arrival and departure time

 

thanks; that is very helpful!

[Mr. B]

We are also in the 'no seafood' situation. Booked on a southbound voyage in October. I'll let you know how we survive. When my TA told them to add the no seafood to the dietary restrictions, the reservation agent chuckled, so not looking promising.

[SarniaLo]

There is a lot of seafood and fish in the menu, but there are always other choices as well, so you definitely won't starve. At lunch buffet there is at least one hot non-fish dish, cold meat and salads as entree, cheese, dessert. At dinner if the menu is not to your liking (it is posted in advance) you can ask for an alternative course. The choice of course will be more limited, but you will survive! ;)

Vegetarians I think may have a harder time.

[arcticGateway]

You just need to contact the restaurant manager at the first evening and tell him/her that you don't like seafood. Then you will get a meat alternative every day. It's also possible to get vegetarian alternatives.

[azevedan]

Thanks for the info!

[ILoveScotland]

Hurtigruten offers several excursions when the ships are in a port for a few hours. I did a dog sledding excursion, an excursion to North Cape and another one on the way south when we got off in one port and reboarded in another.

 

The ships stops 32 times going north and 32 going south. Many are at night, and I rarely woke up for those. As has been said you can usually get off and just walk around the port when the stops are short.