More Hurtigruten questions

[Christie Malry]

After a lot of research and dithering I think I'm ready to book a trip on the Hurtigruten MS Nordnorge for next April, doing the round trip from Bergen to Kirkenes and back. The decision to go with Hurtigruten rather than Havila comes down to price and precise dates; as a solo traveler the price for an interior cabin is pretty much identical, but if I want a window Havila is substantially more expensive.

 

So here are some random questions I have:

 

1) I've come to the conclusion that trying catching a plane home at 17.40 on the day the ship arrives in Bergen at 14.45 is probably a bad plan, and I should stay an extra night in Bergen. Is that sensible or am I being overly cautious?

2) Obviously weather can vary a lot, but what might I expect in the first half of April? Will there still be snow and ice on the ground in the more northerly towns?

3) If I book for next year there's a possibility I will be away when the general election is held back home in the UK. If this did happen, is BBC News available on the cabin TVs, or is the wifi good enough for streaming? I know some people would like the idea of avoiding it, but I love elections!

4) Do you really only get a kettle in an arctic superior or above room? If so how much is my tea habit going to cost over two weeks?

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, Christie Malry said:

1) I've come to the conclusion that trying catching a plane home at 17.40 on the day the ship arrives in Bergen at 14.45 is probably a bad plan, and I should stay an extra night in Bergen. Is that sensible or am I being overly cautious?

Yes, it might be too optimistic - also fly into Bergen the night before your voyage to avoid problems - if a early direct flight from UK to Bergen it might be OK.

1 hour ago, Christie Malry said:

2) Obviously weather can vary a lot, but what might I expect in the first half of April? Will there still be snow and ice on the ground in the more northerly towns?

Yes, very likely - but solid shoes/boots will be fine.

1 hour ago, Christie Malry said:

3) If I book for next year there's a possibility I will be away when the general election is held back home in the UK. If this did happen, is BBC News available on the cabin TVs, or is the wifi good enough for streaming? I know some people would like the idea of avoiding it, but I love elections!

BBC not available - I have no experience with using the WiFi for steaming, Data roaming will not be reliable when far from the coast but possible when close to the coast.

1 hour ago, Christie Malry said:

4) Do you really only get a kettle in an arctic superior or above room? If so how much is my tea habit going to cost over two weeks?

 Coffee and tea is included in the ‘Select’ fare (also WiFi) 

[le chat]

We have booked Nordnorge Bergen to Bergen for the 4-16 March 2024 sailing & I just started a roll call for that trip.

 

Christie, we are coming from Australia, so have booked an apartment in Bryggen for a couple of days beforehand (just in case our luggage doesn’t arrive with us)…

 

Hallasm , I note you have done 3 Hurtigruten cruises. Will our weather be much colder in the beginning of March? We have waterproof, wind proof long North Face down coats from a winter in Europe - will we use them on the trip? Also, do people wear snow boots on excursions or just normal shoes?  I presume the ship is heated and it is just outside we will need super warm layers… 

Also, apparently if the ship stops for longer than 30 minutes, you can disembark? Did you do so and are there any tips? Does the ship sound the horn before sailing as a warning?

Thanks!! 
Dee

 

[hallasm]

5 hours ago, le chat said:

Will our weather be much colder in the beginning of March?

The weather will vary greatly from Bergen to Kirkenes - expect temperatures in the range of -5 to +10 C - possibility of rain and snow. Water and windproof clothing and layers - mittens and hat - waterproof shoes - no need for snowshoes.
One of the highlights of the trip is the northern lights - it is very cold and windy on the outer deck when you see the northern lights at night - but warm inside the ship.

It sounds like you have the right clothes.

Many people wear the same clothes all day - special clothes for evenings are just not necessary.

 

Many stops are 15 minutes - on longer stops of 30 minutes or more there is time to leave the ship but this only makes sense on the longer 3 to 4 hour stops. Be back for departure - no warning until the ship has sailed.

 

You might get some inspiration from my January voyage - a bit colder than March

https://northernlightscruise.blogspot.com

Edited October 5, 2023 by hallasm

[le chat]

2 hours ago, hallasm said:

 

You might get some inspiration from my January voyage - a bit colder than March

https://northernlightscruise.blogspot.com

 

Thanks so much, Hallasm - very helpful! Some interesting information about the sailaways there - looks like we should definitely watch them then. Did you sit in the Explorers lounge to see them? 
The boarding seemed a bit scrappy. Was that your experience with the other Hurtigruten sailings? If so, we will just have a large lunch that day… is food at the bakery onboard included in the price - the pastries & waffles etc? The NOK is so expensive with our AUD so by the looks of it a burger would cost about $35-40!!

[hallasm]

13 hours ago, le chat said:

The boarding seemed a bit scrappy. Was that your experience with the other Hurtigruten sailings? 

In general I think there is long queue at 4pm in Bergen - for the other sailings didn’t board in Bergen - the option might to board a bit later.

 

13 hours ago, le chat said:

is food at the bakery onboard included in the price - the pastries & waffles etc?

 Coffee and tea included if you have Select fare but not items in the cafe.

 

13 hours ago, le chat said:

The NOK is so expensive with our AUD so by the looks of it a burger would cost about $35-40!!

yes, Norway is very expensive.

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by hallasm

[WisRiver]

We did the 13 day coastal express, Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen last year.  While most port stops are 15-30 minutes long, it seemed like everyday there was an extended 3-4 stop in cities like Tromso, Trondheim and Kirkenes,  In addition there are several excursion booked through Hurtigruten where you leave from one port and rebound in another port.  For example, the excursions to the North Cape and in the Loften Islands were the hop-on, hop-off type.  

[grayjay]

All the cities where there are extended stops, for example Trondheim, Tromso, Alesund, Kirkenes etc. are extremely walkable and there's a perfect public bus system we quite often used to get around or sometimes a taxi. The offered excursions are good but extremely expensive. The only thing to watch out for is the time - the ship won't wait....

[Hezu]

On 9/27/2023 at 6:56 PM, Christie Malry said:

So here are some random questions I have:

 

1) I've come to the conclusion that trying catching a plane home at 17.40 on the day the ship arrives in Bergen at 14.45 is probably a bad plan, and I should stay an extra night in Bergen. Is that sensible or am I being overly cautious?

That 17:40 flight is to Oslo? Based on your third question I presume you are heading to UK and in that case I would look also at non-stop flights from Bergen to UK, eg. Norwegian has evening flights to London Gatwick and on some days there is Norwegian and SAS flights to Manchester in the evening. I am not sure about timetables in next April, but I would check also those options for the dates you are traveling.

[Christie Malry]

On 10/9/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hezu said:

That 17:40 flight is to Oslo? Based on your third question I presume you are heading to UK and in that case I would look also at non-stop flights from Bergen to UK, eg. Norwegian has evening flights to London Gatwick and on some days there is Norwegian and SAS flights to Manchester in the evening. I am not sure about timetables in next April, but I would check also those options for the dates you are traveling.

Thanks, I've booked flights now. I'm in the north of England with Manchester as my nearest big airport. On the way out I'm on a direct flight from Manchester to Bergen, on the way home I will stay and extra night and then fly back via Oslo. I decided not to risk the flight on the same day as getting back to Bergen.

Now busy researching the different stops and trying to learn some Norwegian on Duolingo!

[le chat]

Hello everyone! Thanks for all the very informative posts! Is anyone on the Nordnorge full round voyage Bergen/Kirkeness/Bergen leaving 26 March (next Tuesday!!!)? 
Friends were on the Nordlys with their journey finished 2 weeks ago and they had clear skies and icey pavements with heaps of snow. Already there is no snow on the mountains at Bergen… Hoping for heaps of snow for that dog sled adventure in Tromso!! 
Does anyone know if the Vesteralen excursion uses the Atlantic highway that featured in the Bond movie?
We are travelling from Perth Australia, so will have an approx 20C temperature difference arriving there (not to mention the super long flights)…

Lastly, for any Danes - we will have a bit of a wait in Copenhagen airport. What is the name of the bakery in the airport that bakes its own cinnamon buns on-site? Is there a great coffee shop where we can relax for a couple of hours in peace (ie not crowded)? 
Beyond excited to see Bergen again and do this Hurtigruten trip! Plus see Copenhagen afterwards!

[Christie Malry]

Have a great time - I'm on the next voyage of the Nordnorge leaving on 6th April.

[hallasm]

14 hours ago, le chat said:

What is the name of the bakery in the airport that bakes its own cinnamon buns on-site?

I am not aware of bakeries that bake cinnamon buns on-site in CPH, but in my opinion Lagkagehuset has the best cinnamon buns - another option is Coffee Lab.
CPH is undergoing a lot of remodeling right now, so fewer/smaller outlets.

[le chat]

Hej! Hallasm - I thought there was a member from Denmark! 
My husband says it was Oslo airport I remembered…

Is the lounge for SASplus Pro ticket holders at Copenhagen international airport still open? I have read various reports about sections being closed… We have 7 hours there, so will need some peace and quiet to recover from our nearly 19 hours of flying beforehand😱

[hallasm]

10 hours ago, le chat said:

Is the lounge for SASplus Pro ticket holders at Copenhagen international airport still open?

If you have a SAS Plus ticket for your following flight out of CPH the SAS lounge (opposite finger C) is available. 
Many outlets in CPH and you might also have time for cinnamon buns at Lagkagehuset (several locations).