Having talked about taking a Hurtigruten cruise through the Norwegian fjords for some years my wife and I have just returned after completing the six-day voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes on board the Kong Harald. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is not a classic cruise ship but more an up-market ferry. My first impression of the ship was that she was highly functional, well maintained and smart in appearance. We called into over 30 ports on the voyage north; the majority for under one hour, although there tended to be one stop each day for around three hours. Ship handling was well practised and impressive.

Let me start by saying that we were fortunate enough to have good weather and the scenery we passed throughout the entire voyage was utterly spectacular. Most of the voyage is through the archipelago of islands that makes up the Norwegian coast, which ensures a smooth passage. On some days, for a few hours, the ship is in open sea and subject to the weather conditions. This voyage is particularly weather dependant. Had it been raining, cold and overcast, we would not have been able to spend so much time on deck. There are insufficient chairs for all passengers to enjoy the passing scenery from within the ship and when at full capacity, as we were, we would have been forced to retire to our cabin, which would not have been either satisfactory or my idea of a holiday.

The flights and transfer arrangements booked for us by Hurtigruten were efficient and faultless. Equally efficient were the embarkation and disembarkation procedures. Read more