Hurtigruten Coastal Norway waters

[Homerody]

For those of you who have taken the cruise - whatever length and direction - any comments on the actual "sailing?"

 

That is - is it mostly in sheltered coves, open seas etc...  Is it mostly calm waters?  

 

I know things vary, but - generally -  for sailing conditions,  is the coastal cruise more like a trans-Atlantic cruise, a Mediterranean Sea cruise or a River Cruise?

 

Are certain months more subject to choppy waters and rougher sailing conditions?

 

Thanks so much

 

 

[GeezerCouple]

3 hours ago, Homerody said:

For those of you who have taken the cruise - whatever length and direction - any comments on the actual "sailing?"

 

That is - is it mostly in sheltered coves, open seas etc...  Is it mostly calm waters?  

 

I know things vary, but - generally -  for sailing conditions,  is the coastal cruise more like a trans-Atlantic cruise, a Mediterranean Sea cruise or a River Cruise?

 

Are certain months more subject to choppy waters and rougher sailing conditions?

 

Thanks so much

 

 

 

You can find a map of the actual path each ship takes on the Coastal RT, on the Hurtigruten website.  It will show that much of the path is between islands.  There is one section in the open sea, and on our return trip (the Southbound direction) the Captain announced that there would be a few hours of rough sailing in the evening, and he was sooo right.  We found it exciting, and I was pleased to find out that we've still never been seasick.

 

But other than that one brief section, it was very, very calm.

 

Needless to say, that might be weather dependent, and could vary a lot.

 

GC

[hallasm]

As described by GC parts at open sea which can be rough if strong wind. Her is a link with route and itineary at my blog. I'm currently sailing Hurtigruten northbound. I'm also posting at the blog from my journey.

[Homerody]

GC and Hallasm,

 

Thank you for your informative replies.  Very helpful.

 

A few hours of rough seas now and then is feasible.  Days of Drake Passage -like washing machine churn would not be my thing.

 

I am eagerly looking forward to reading Hsllasm's blog.  I am really intrigued by Hurtigruten.

 

Thanks again

 

 

[Elka]

I was on the Trollfjord in October. We had a few hours of rough seas on the second night and the last night. I did the round trip. My parents told me of their experience with the Drake, it wasn’t like that as far as I can tell!

[Homerody]

Thank you, Ekla.

 

A few hours of rough waters now and then is OK.  Drake-like, um.... not so much.

[Homerody]

GC,

 

"We found it exciting, and I was pleased to find out that we've still never been seasick." 

 

I envy you and wish I could say the same.☺️

[hallasm]

This morning the water was quite rough from  Måløy to Torvik. From Torvik to Ålesund we where sailing among islands and the sea pretty calm.

tonight dinner will start earlier - we have been moved from 7 pm to 5 pm due to rough sea when sailing towards Kristiansund tonight.

[Hunding]

On 1/9/2019 at 2:56 PM, Homerody said:

For those of you who have taken the cruise - whatever length and direction - any comments on the actual "sailing?"

 

That is - is it mostly in sheltered coves, open seas etc...  Is it mostly calm waters?  

 

I know things vary, but - generally -  for sailing conditions,  is the coastal cruise more like a trans-Atlantic cruise, a Mediterranean Sea cruise or a River Cruise?

 

Are certain months more subject to choppy waters and rougher sailing conditions?

 

Thanks so much

 

 

 

Homerody

 

I don't think anyone can accurately predict what weather you will encounter, but you are able, of course, to examine the record of past months/years/etc.  We were told November was the wettest month in Bergen; we were there two days (November 14th through the 16th), with light sprinkles and cold the first day, but gorgeous sunshine and that gorgeous late-Autumn light the second.  The first two days at sea were smooth sailing, and Trondheim was glorious, warm and sunny the entire day.  And...that was it!  Clouds, rain, cold, dark, and for two days in the Barents Sea, we were in and out of a Category 1 hurricane (called in Norway, as in Asia, a cyclone), with 85 mph winds and 15-18-foot waves.  We were tossed about quite a bit, and dinner the first night was sparsely attended, to say the least.  I was horizontal from 7 PM to 6 AM, and thereafter just fine.  The waves, as you probably know, were pitiful when compared to those in, for instance, Drake's Passage, I am told.  Though they were quite "high enough" for most of us!  Anyway, we had the adventure we sought - though, regrettably, no Northern Lights, and no 'anything' that required snow and/or ice.  And because of the weather, we were often late on the return trip, so several excursions were cancelled.  But...we knew all this going in, so....  Whatever you decide, hope you have a terrific voyage.

[Homerody]

6 hours ago, hallasm said:

This morning the water was quite rough from  Måløy to Torvik. From Torvik to Ålesund we where sailing among islands and the sea pretty calm.

tonight dinner will start earlier - we have been moved from 7 pm to 5 pm due to rough sea when sailing towards Kristiansund tonight.

 

Hallasm,

 

Thank you for the timely update.  Looking at the schedule (if - a big IF- I did not mess up) it looks like it is a 3 hour trip.

 

I can handle choppy waters for that long.

 

Really appreciate your feedback.

 

 

[Homerody]

10 minutes ago, Hunding said:

 

Homerody

 

I don't think anyone can accurately predict what weather you will encounter, but you are able, of course, to examine the record of past months/years/etc.  We were told November was the wettest month in Bergen; we were there two days (November 14th through the 16th), with light sprinkles and cold the first day, but gorgeous sunshine and that gorgeous late-Autumn light the second.  The first two days at sea were smooth sailing, and Trondheim was glorious, warm and sunny the entire day.  And...that was it!  Clouds, rain, cold, dark, and for two days in the Barents Sea, we were in and out of a Category 1 hurricane (called in Norway, as in Asia, a cyclone), with 85 mph winds and 15-18-foot waves.  We were tossed about quite a bit, and dinner the first night was sparsely attended, to say the least.  I was horizontal from 7 PM to 6 AM, and thereafter just fine.  The waves, as you probably know, were pitiful when compared to those in, for instance, Drake's Passage, I am told.  Though they were quite "high enough" for most of us!  Anyway, we had the adventure we sought - though, regrettably, no Northern Lights, and no 'anything' that required snow and/or ice.  And because of the weather, we were often late on the return trip, so several excursions were cancelled.  But...we knew all this going in, so....  Whatever you decide, hope you have a terrific voyage.

Hunding,

 

Thanks for the input and sharing your experience.

 

I was not looking for any weather predictions.   After all - past performance in not indicative of future results,

 

I wanted to get feedback specific to experiences and a general sense if there are months worse than others say like cruising the Caribbean during hurricane season...etc...

 

I happened to be on the northern fringe of an Atlantic hurricane - on a trans-Atlantic voyage. I was ready to forswear vacations forever just to get off the vessel!!!!  But I did neither ...

 

 

[GeezerCouple]

12 minutes ago, Homerody said:

Hunding,

 

Thanks for the input and sharing your experience.

 

I was not looking for any weather predictions.   After all - past performance in not indicative of future results,

 

I wanted to get feedback specific to experiences and a general sense if there are months worse than others say like cruising the Caribbean during hurricane season...etc...

 

I happened to be on the northern fringe of an Atlantic hurricane - on a trans-Atlantic voyage. I was ready to forswear vacations forever just to get off the vessel!!!!  But I did neither ...

 

 

 

Just curious... did you get sick, or scared?

 

We seem, thus far, not to get any sort of motion-sickness.

But I have always worried about getting scared... as in, "terrified" if there are really bad seas.

 

But that one evening on the Trollfjord... maybe that's a good indication?  On the otherhand, we weren't in the middle of nowhere, not that we were close enough to just pull up to a dock somewhere, obviously.

 

But we could not even stand up.  We were at the very back of the ship, on the next to top deck, with a wonderful aft view and balcony, so it probably wasn't as bad mid-ship.  I don't have any idea of "how different" it might be:  just a bit?  a lot?  (or what those words "bit" or "lot" even would mean between different people!).

 

We didn't dare try to hold on to furniture to get to the bedroom, as much of that wasn't steady, either.

We did manage to sort of lean against the wall, in a semi-crouched position, as we eased our way to the bed.

We decided that we'd just "stay in bed until it's safe to get up" again.

It wasn't bad enough that we were getting tossed out of bed, obviously; the ship is steadier than that.  But we really could *not* stand or walk, and we almost crawled to the bedside, rather than risk getting tossed off our feet.

 

And the good news was that I was *not* scared, although we were very glad we were just horizontal on a nice soft surface.

(Well, I was afraid of getting hurt IF we let ourselves fall, or get tossed against some sharp corner of something.  But I wasn't in a "OMG this ship will sink!!" kind of panic.  And I had feared I might be seriously terrified, having never experienced anything like that, but having seen perhaps too much video of "rough sailing".)

I suspect in a smaller vessel, like a regular sailboat, I would have been mighty terrified, of course.

 

This is all relevant to our future planning, as we are still waffling about whether to take an Antarctica trip.

Regardless of whether we do it "excursion style" (Hurtigruten, or other cruise line) or "drive-by/sail-by" type (e.g., HAL), we'd need to go back and forth across the Drake Lake/Shake.  

 

We can't quite decide.  And how to schedule all of the higher priority trips is still an issue.

So many trips on the list, so little time... !

OTOH, the scenery down there is just beyond spectacular!!

 

GC

 

[Homerody]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Just curious... did you get sick, or scared?

 

 

 

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Seasick!  But you can say I am scared of getting seasick.... 

 

On the hurricane brushed Atlantic crossing - never gave safety a thought. 

 

Fairly sure I will not get anywhere near Drake, though - as much as I would love to experience Antarctica.  

[franski]

5 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

  We were at the very back of the ship, on the next to top deck, with a wonderful aft view and balcony, so it probably wasn't as bad mid-ship.  I don't have any idea of "how different" it might be:  just a bit?  a lot?  (or what those words "bit" or "lot" even would mean between different people!).

GC

 

 I actually think mid-ship - especially on a lower deck - might be better than aft or forward.    At least, that is what I am telling myself... (and is the recommendation from our TA who books quite a few cruises....).  Here's hoping I don't need to find out in person!! 

 

Will be taking lots of OTC meds with me for seasickness - just in case.

 

Fran

[GeezerCouple]

15 minutes ago, franski said:

 I actually think mid-ship - especially on a lower deck - might be better than aft or forward.    At least, that is what I am telling myself... (and is the recommendation from our TA who books quite a few cruises....).  Here's hoping I don't need to find out in person!! 

 

Will be taking lots of OTC meds with me for seasickness - just in case.

 

Fran

 

I think it's generally understood that mid-ship is better in terms of lesser motion than forward or aft.

That's why I wrote that the dramatic motion we experienced aft "... probably wasn't as bad mid-ship  ..."  But we weren't inclined to try to *get* to "mid-ship" to find out, when we could barely get to the bed safely 😰

And for the same reason, the motion isn't as bad on lower decks.

We had close to the "worst" (or "best", for an "interesting experience"  ), being as far back as possible, and also almost as high as possible.

 

I think I've heard that motion can be worse, on average, forward vs. aft, but we have no direct experience with that.  We've had suites that were high and totally forward on several occasions (our absolute favorite - the same view as the Captain!), but those were, thus far, in relatively gentle seas.

 

So yes, your TA gave you good advice.  If you think of a children's see-saw, where the fulcrum is, right in the center... that's where there is the least motion, with the most motion on each end of the seesaw plank.

 

GC

 

[Homerody]

GC,

 

Love the see-saw comparison!  

[franski]

16 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

I think it's generally understood that mid-ship is better in terms of lesser motion than forward or aft.

That's why I wrote that the dramatic motion we experienced aft "... probably wasn't as bad mid-ship  ..."  But we weren't inclined to try to *get* to "mid-ship" to find out, when we could barely get to the bed safely 😰

And for the same reason, the motion isn't as bad on lower decks.

We had close to the "worst" (or "best", for an "interesting experience"  ), being as far back as possible, and also almost as high as possible.

GC

 

Serves me right for reading quickly...  read it as "probably wasn't as bad as mid-ship" (putting extra words in your post!).  I understand the "best" interesting experience...  my concern is the motion causing some seasickness - had some significant issues coming into the inside passage just north of Vancouver, and so decided not to get back onto a "big" boat again.  But, took courage in hand - and booked this as I want to cross the Arctic circle.  Figure I would move outside my comfort zone - and just embrace whatever the cruise brings!!

 

Fran 

[hallasm]

A report from MS Trollfjord.

Sailed from Trondheim to Rørvik. Sea was calm today - however most of the itinerary was in Fjords or sheltered by islands anyway.

 - unfortunately still rain and clouded - last day with rain tomorrow (Sunday) - then it’s getting colder.

[grayjay]

Hi there,

I'm following your reports eagerly, as we're booked on the newly renovated "Richard With" in March for the 12-day-round-trip. We chose March for two reasons - more daylight to see the views (even if we have been to Norway numerous times it still fascinates us) plus the chance of the northern lights and it was decidedly cheaper than just a few days later in April or May.

About the Drake passage: We have been to Antarctica, Chile and the Falkland Isles three times now and once it was dead calm, once it was not much regarding seas and waves and once we had a force 12 gale where glasses fell out of cupboards and the ship was listing heavily. Still, we weren't afraid at all, because HAL's Zaandam is a good and safe ship to have in these waters. Another time we sailed on a Celebrity ship which was similar. Unfortunately we weren't able to afford an Antarctica cruise on a Hurtigruten ship, yet, but we saw the Fram working her way around the glaciers and fjords and it's quite a different experience to be so near compared to the non-expedition ships.

Thank you again, hallasm, for your reports - calm seas,. sunny skies and clear polar nights with lots of green in the skies!!!

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, grayjay said:

Thank you again, hallasm, for your reports - calm seas,. sunny skies and clear polar nights with lots of green in the skies!!!

Today calm seas however missing the sunny sky and the clear polar night. Passed the Arctic Circle this morning. In Bodø right now with heavy snow. Hope weather will improve for the rest of the journey so we will see the green in the sky. Soon heading towards Lofoten.

King Neptun

 

[Hunding]

9 hours ago, hallasm said:

Today calm seas however missing the sunny sky and the clear polar night. Passed the Arctic Circle this morning. In Bodø right now with heavy snow. Hope weather will improve for the rest of the journey so we will see the green in the sky. Soon heading towards Lofoten.

King Neptun

 

 

I do hope the snow continues for you - at least, you will be able to go on one of the sledge adventures!  Of course, with the snow, there's also the lack of aurora sightings, so....  Await your next postings.

[Homerody]

Hallasm,

 

I really appreciate the contemporaneous reports.  Really helpful. 

 

Much appreciated.

 

Enjoy your journey!

[ILoveScotland]

Homerody, when are you cruising?  My cruise was in mid March a few years ago. I don't remember any rough seas as such even during our time in open waters, but that may just be my memory not working properly.  

The bottom line is remember a Hurtigruten cruise is like none other.  If you want formal nights and many menu options at dinner or if you want a theater with entertainment each night, or if you want a casino or lots of options for having a drink in the evening, well you get my drift....if you want all of those things, you will not enjoy Hurtigruten.  However, if you love a cozy cabin, good Norwegian food, beautiful scenery for your entertainment and a laid back atmosphere, you have found the right cruise.  I found it magical and hope to return one year if at all possible.

 

Beth

[Homerody]

Beth,

 

Thank you for relating your experience.  Very helpful and reassuring!

 

Just started looking at a trip to Scandinavia; and including a coastal cruise.  So no real idea of timing, yet.

 

Most definitely, the Hurtigruten cruise is different than other cruises. That is fine for us.

 

We've immensely enjoyed other cruises with local cruise lines in other parts of the world, without having a zillion meal and drink options,  millions thread count cotton sheets, 7 dining venues and 3 swimming pool, and a movie theater and a partridge and a pear tree....    The experiences  focused on the destination with great service, very comfortable accommodations with food that was locally sourced, fresh and prepared well. 

 

I really appreciate you taking time to share your experience!

 

 

 

 

[hallasm]

3 hours ago, Homerody said:

Just started looking at a trip to Scandinavia; and including a coastal cruise.  So no real idea of timing, yet.

June or beginning of July will be good time if you plan to travel above the Arctic circle and experience the midnight sun. Great time for rest of Scandinavia as well.