We recently returned from an Antarctic cruise on Roald Amundsen and I wanted to pass on our impressions on the company, the ship and the cruise.

Most people have likely never heard of Hurtigruten unless they have taken a ferry in Norway. The company is best known for operating the ferries that travel up and down the coast of Norway but they also have several cruise ships and do cruises in North America, South America and Europe. Bookings can be made through travel agents, via the US internet site or via the Norway internet site. Prices for cruises through the different methods seemed to vary more than is normal for cruises we have taken on other lines so I would check a few to get the best price.

We chose the Roald Amundsen because it was a new ship with modern accommodations and did “Expedition” cruises to Antarctica. There are a wide variety of ships and itineraries you can choose from when going to the Antarctic and we wanted to find a good mix of cost, adventure and comfort. We did a lot of research on this and chose Roald Amundson. The ship turned out to be just what we wanted. The ship was new and spotless. The Antarctic weather can be unpredictable so we chose a cabin with the least amount of motion in bad weather. Our cabin was RR418 which was on the lowest deck and in the middle of the ship. While the weather was mostly very calm we did have three days with 40 knot winds and 15 foot waves and we had no issues in our cabin. Read more