Hurtigruten Nordnorge Fjord Cruise

We have spent four amazing days aboard the Hurtigruten Nordnorge.  The scenery is unbelievable but there isn’t much to say other than, again, the scenery is picture-book.

 We were finally able to board the vessel after midnight and we were quickly given a room key.  Oh my gosh, we were quickly brought to the reality that we were no longer booked in the owner’s suite as we were on the Star.  It was truly the smallest room I have ever seen.  When the bunks were unfolded, there was no room to stand and no room to put our luggage.  In the elevator, there was a very noticeable sign about opportunities to upgrade the rooms.  Well, that’s what we did.  For a hefty sum, we were given a larger room with a window. (The first room had a completely obstructed view).  I’ll post a picture of the upgrade.  It is probably the smallest room I’ve ever slept in but so much better in comparison that there were no complaints from us.  The Gedneys made the exact same decision.

For the following four days, we developed the routine of sitting in the observation rooms on Decks seven and four.  Each room had its own advantages but the front room on Deck seven gave the best view from the front of the ship and boasted the most comfortable chairs.  When not ‘observing’ we were in the Norwegian Coastal Kitchen trying a variety of great Norwegian food.  Seafood came in many varieties, and most were tasty. The food was plentiful and delicious.  I didn’t even complain too much about the buffet lines, that I usually avoid, because there was a great variety, and the crowd was small.  When we were not eating or observing the amazing fjords, we made use of the small hot tub on the back of the boat. It was a quiet place with a great view and often very private.  We had time to do lots of reading, writing, house-building planning (George), and card playing.

We crossed back over the Arctic Circle and officially left the Arctic Area.  While like no other cruise I’ve experienced, because of the small size and the lack of activities, I can think of no better way to experience this area of Norway.

Update: We remained on the ship two extra hours due to a storm that was ‘bigger and badder’ than we realized. We were unable to dock in Bergen so we floated in circles for two hours inside the small bay/port area. We moved to another port and then returned to the initial one. It is the closest we came to being seasick but still everyone remained calm and waited patiently. It finally took a large vessel to push us into the docking location. All is well that ends well.