Hurtigruten or road trip/segment in northern Norway?

[Laurino]

We're considering a long road trip this July through Sweden-Finland-Norway and back to Sweden. We would drive into Norway from Inari in Finland, would like to visit primarily the North Cape and Lofoten, and then return into Sweden to Abisko and Kiruna. I've always been curious about Hurtigruten and now there seems to be a chance to try it out. However it seems to be prohibitively expensive.

 

After visiting the North Cape we could bring our car and embark from Hammerfest (Honningsvåg is more expensive) and disembark in either Tromsø (approx 12hours, no cabin, 370$), Sortland (approx 24hours, inside cabin, 770$), or Svolvær (approx 30hours, inside cabin, 1120$) - or simply drive the whole way and overnight in hotels, at least once in Tromsø.

 

Hurtigruten seems to cost at least 2-3 times more than a regular cruise, which seems a lot for basically a scenic ferry ride? Is it worth it? Also nothing but breakfast included when booking only a segment. Is this a nice segment of the Hurtigruten route? Would driving or cruising be more scenic? The cruise from Tromsø to Lofoten would be nighttime (however midnight sun) and perhaps a waste because of a cost exceeding that of a hotel. However going to Svolvær would include a sail through Trollfjord, which seems to be spectacular.

 

I'm really torn. If Hurtigruten is worth it, we'll do it, but the expense will also shorten the trip overall, which could be longer if driving and staying in hotels. Besides being scenic, a cruise could also be a break in a very long road trip. This could also be the only suitable time for us to try Hurtigruten, since if we would visit the Norwegian west coast fjords, we would probably do it via a regular cruise ship or by car.

 

Long question.... but advice would be appreciated!