I recently did the voyage north on this Hurtigruten ship. It was my 7th cruise with Hurtigruten. Whilst the Norwegian coastline scenery was beautiful I found the ship to be very crowded with a number of special interest tour groups. It appears that Hurtigruten are now focusing on this sector of the market and unfortunately, at least on this cruise it came at the expense of individual travellers. The culmination of this was the request for individual passengers to vacate the upper panorama lounge so a private function could be held for a knitting tour group. The panorama lounge is one of the key selling points of the ship and indeed Hurtigruten charge more to passengers to travel on this ship because of the amenities it offers including in particular the split level panorama lounge at the front of the boat. When questioned about being evicted from the lounge the hotel manager offered no apology but simply claimed the reserving of such public places on their ships by special interest groups is Hurtigruten policy.
Compared to my earlier voyages with this cruise line I felt it was understaffed for the number of guests. During meal times plates were not cleared and it was difficult on occasions to even ask for water. Staff seemed to be working very hard but appeared overworked and quite harried. Drink prices on board are now astronomical even for Norway- virtullay no-one ordered wine with their dinner. A number of the city tour excursions appear very overpriced . It is quite possible to do quite a lot of these independently at far less cost. They key is to do your research in advance. This used to be a great and relaxing cruise along the Norwegian Coast. Sadly I think the focus now appears to be profit at all cost.
Small but comfortable with a window and plenty of storage
Great visit to the North Cape. A beautiful drive and the scenery is stunning. Very cold but thankfully clear for visibility
Excellent and fun tour but quite expensive. Got to meet the dogs and also had time with the puppies