I know this isn't Slow Travel unless you count staying on the same small ship for 12 days "slow". However I'd like to know if anyone else has done a Hurtigruten trip up the coast. We've put down our deposit and chosen our cabin and are looking at hotels for before and after the trip. If anyone knows of the location of the the terminus in Bergin it would help in choosing hotels. Thanks, Jeanne
Posts: 492 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 07 March 2003
Oh boy! Am I ever interested in the replies that you might get on this! Unfortunately, I can offer nothing to help, as we haven't done this yet.
But I spent a lot of time checking into a Hurtigruten experience for Sept. Then decided we'd rather go in May, so its been pushed back to May 2011, so my research has no urgency. I will enjoy following this thread and hope that you will follow your journey with a trip report. Our desire was to take one of the smaller ships, probably round trip, and to include a stay in a hotel in some magical spot in the fjord areas.
Linda
Posts: 934 | Location: Outlying area of Chicago | Registered: 15 September 2004
We did this round trip in 1978 in September. We stayed in an apartment for a couple of nights arranged on the spot at the Tourist Information, but of course things may have changed a wee bit. At that time the ferry docked near the base of the overhead tram right in the center of town. I hope someone has more recent experience for you.
We took the cheapest cabin in those days. Close quarters but efficient. Food was simple and tasty. On the last night we did hit some rough seas and I was among those slightly under the weather although I don't think I skipped a meal or anything.
Our voyage was during the season for fall colors, but the coastal foliage was mostly evergreen with accents of color. All the ports were in easy walking distance of where we docked. At that time it was very low key, happily lacking the rush that can greet ship passengers. I don't remember guided walking tours, I think we just stretched our legs and walked around.
Some of the most fun was the stopping at these tiny places along the way to watch cargo and passengers coming and going, sometimes at night.
Before the voyage we did take the rail trip to Oslo and back. I would recommend that, but with more than the one hotel night we allowed ourselves. We were definitely in a low budget mode at that point and took the overnight train back to Bergen to save a hotel night as I recall.
We made good friends from England on the trip. The staff seated us together in the dining room as we may have been the only ones with English as our first language. Lots of Germans then.
cubbies
Posts: 415 | Location: California | Registered: 29 December 2005
Thanks for the input. We're going in September. I'm having a travel agent who has been to Norway help with the hotels and there are plenty near the docks. We're flying in and out of Oslo so will do the rail journey also. Here's a cool set of web cams centered in the Bergen area but also with cams on some of the ships. The page that comes up is on the ship that we're taking, but all the links are there for the other cams. BTW the MS Fram appears to be in Antartica.
You say 'small ship'. Am I correct in assuming this will be Lofoten? If so you have made a brilliant choice. The small boats are much more fun than the newer, enormous cruise liners. They are very informal and friendly - much more so than the larger vessels. There are only about 100 passengers so you will quickly get to know everyone and make many friends.
Lofoten still has a crane on the front and all cargo is lifted on and off by crane. (Newer vessels load cargo through the sides.) You go on and off on a proper gang plank rather than a ramp.
We spent all our time outside on the deck wings at the front of the ship beside the bridge. If you are planning to spend much time outside, take plenty of warm clothes and waterproof/windproof top. The wind chill can make you very cold - even on a sunny day at the end of May. Thick woolly socks are also a good idea to keep feet warm.
A range of excursions are offered each day. These are expensive. Stops apart from Trondheim, Tromso and Honningsvåg tend to be short. Be warned the boat ALWAYS leaves on time (or even a couple of minutes early). It will not wait for you if you are late!
Apart from Trondheim where the town is 20minute walk, the ship docks close to the town centres. We've not booked on any of the town tours as we enjoy exploring by ourselves. Similarly several of the longer trips mean you are travelling between points by coach. We would rather be on the boat - after all that's what we've paid to go on.
Bergen is a compact town and the quay is close to the centre. Any hotel in the centre of Bergen would be fine. At the end of the trip you can book a seat on a coach which drops passengers off at the different hotels.
Eleanor, I just love how you've indexed all of your information about your trips to Norway, and your photos are awesome. Thanks for sharing this with us - someday I hope to visit this region.
Eleanor, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reply. Your photos are brilliant and I will be going through them all and perhaps asking more questions later. We did reserve on the Lofoten which appealed to us for its smaller size.
Jeanne
Posts: 492 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 07 March 2003
This is great information. The Lofoten is the boat we were going to book. We decided to go in late May or perhaps June, 2011. The original plan was to go mid September but I thought that a May/June trip would have more daylight hours. Any input on that choice? Linda
Posts: 934 | Location: Outlying area of Chicago | Registered: 15 September 2004
Husband is responsible for the photos and did the web site. I can't take any credit. He says I should warn you that some of the links may now be out of date and not work as it is a while since he checked them.
May/June will give much more daylight than September and there will still be some snow on the tops then. The scenery can look almost boring without the snow although leaves may be beginning to change colour in September.
In the far north you will have 24hrs sun and chance to see the midnight sun. The downside here is that you won't want to go to sleep in case you miss the scenery. We got round this by trying to catch up on sleep in Tromso and Honningsvåg where the ship docks for several hours. We've never done the trip to North Cape as it sounds to be a 'tourist experience' and a bit tacky for us. I now wait for the loud howls of protest from those who have been and loved every minute. By the way it isn't the furthest northern part of mainland Europe as it is on an island...
May 17th is Norwegian National day and you may like to consider being in Norway that day. The Norwegians are very proud of their country and this is a special celebration day. People wear national costume and there are parades in the towns and special activities. Have a look at the article on Wiki for some information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N...ian_Constitution_Day
There may also be on board activities to celebrate depending on the ship and captain.
Hurtigruten is still very much a life line to communities in the far north of Norway (it is still very much a working voyage carrying cargo, cars and locals) and we found the whole community would come down to the quay to welcome the ship. In Havøysund the school band were there to welcome us. Several times we joined in the local procession.
The north and south bound boats always cross at Rorvik. You have about 30min and it is possible to go aboard the other vessel. Do take chance of doing this. We have found that small boat passengers are scathing about the big ships and their passengers afterwards. It is also very interesting watching the reactions of big boat passengers to Lofoten. Some are horrified that anyone would be so foolish to go in such a small baat, others very envious especially as US tour agents seem to push people onto the big boats.
Boats also cross at Trondheim and you can go aboard the other vessel here although this is unofficial.
I don't know whether Nordstjernen will be in service then (it may be on the Spitzbergan run then.) This is a generation older than Lofoten and an even smaller boat. It is well worth visiting if you have chance. There is a definite affinity between Lofoten and Nordstjernen passengers.
After our first trip we both agreed it was such a magical experience we couldn't do it again, as it wouldn't be as good second time... Two months later we had booked up for the following year. Be warned it is addictive! We met an old lady who was on her 20th trip. She went every other year.I'm getting all nostalgic - it's time we did another trip!
Come back if you want more information. You can email us at wasleys@btinternet.com and we'll try and answer questions.
Enjoy every minute of it - you will have a marvellous time.
Eleanor, I had more time this morning to look at your site. Your cabin on the Lofoten was our first choice but all the A cabins on that deck were booked as were the two most forward cabins on B deck. I was surpirsed that it is booking up so quickly, but I'm sure we'll be OK on B. I so appreciate your photos of the inside of the ship. I have seen a few videos on U-tube but they can't compare to your photos.
Do you remember much about the scenery from Geiranger to Molde on day two of the warmer weather trips? There is a 7 1/2 hr "panaroma" coach and ferry excursion offered for that leg. What is most important to me is to see the fjord. Do you know if you see just as much from the ship?
Many thanks, Jeanne
Posts: 492 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 07 March 2003
What a great thread. Brings back so many good memories. I've travelled on the Lofoten. I would just chip in that sometimes ships appear (especially on the booking masks used by some agents, and particularly outside Europe) fuller than they really are. Booking directly on the Norwegian Hurtigruten website sometimes reveals greater availability that an agent might suggest. Never forget that these are not just cruise ships but also working boats. Many locals decide at very short notice to travel. I was in Harstad, saw the Lofoten was due in next morning, so went to the harbour at 8am and hopped aboard for the journey south.
Alesund to Geiranger takes about 2-2.5 hours. The first bit of the journey is through quite nice scenery but nothing really special. Geiranger fjord is about 15min of spectacular scenery. It is very narrow and after rain the sides are running with waterfalls. You can see the tiny farms high above on the mountainside. At Geiranger passengers doing the coach tour get onto a smaller boat which takes them to the quayside to pick up the coach. Lofoten turns round and returns to Alesund the same way. Scenery between Alesund and Molde is good. Bear in mind though that some of this you will miss as you will be having dinner.
We've not done the Geiranger-Molde trip but have done Geiranger to Alesund (Molde option wasn't runnng as Trollstigen pass was still closed.)
The coach climbs up the side of the fjord to a view point high above. You look down on Geiranger and Lofoten sailing off into the distance. You then run across the high plateau - this is good and you see completely different scenery. Trollstigen pass is described as one of the highlights of the trip. It drops down through 11 hairpin bends. If it is anything like the pass on the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip then you are in for a real treat. Try and sit as near the front of the bus as possible - scary but exhilarating.
This is the only trip we would seriously consider doing again as we find the 5 -6 hour detour to and from Geiranger frustrating - and you will already have seen the scenery one way. The only bit you will miss is Alesund to Molde.
Cabins on Lofoten are small and there isn't much storage space. Think about suitcases and what you will do with them. Will they stack inside each other? You can leave them in the general storage area by the reception area. We've always used the ferry from Newcastle and have taken a large rucksac each and a collapsing canvas bag. These have the advantage of being squashed under a bed.
Cabins on B deck will be fine. Being low down there will be less movement in rough seas. Cabins in the middle are best for that too. Most of the trip is in sheltered water but the 36 hours along the top of Norway can be bumpy as can Stadt on the last night!
Have you booked a cabin yet? If not have a look at the cabin plan here: http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/n...S-Lofoten/?tab=decks as it looks as if some cabins are slightly larger than others. There are ensuite cabins (shower and toilet) and others with shared facilities. Make sure you know what you have got.
Eleanor, thanks for this link to cabins. They don't even offer the cabins with shared facilities in the North America catalogue.The B deck diagram shows only the A and I cabins. We've reserved A205. I wanted to be as far away from engine noise as possible.
Your detailed information is so helpful. I used the UK website to compare prices and check cabin availability and found that we're paying $20 more for the voyage than a UK passenger with today's exchange rates. The A cabins on the upper deck are also unavailable on the UK site. Thanks Nicky for the suggestion to investigate availability.
Jeanne
Posts: 492 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 07 March 2003
Unless you are right at the back where there is a lot of engine noise, it isn't usually a problem on the smaller ships. You will be aware of a vibration through the bed and pillow when you go to sleep. We found after the first couple of nights having been outside watching the scenery all day we were too tired to notice this. We liked being rocked to sleep by the motion of the boat. After a few days we found we were rolling from side to side when we went ashore..
I have been on it twice: I did the whole northbound voyage when I was two years old, but of course I can't really remember! Then, two years ago, I did a short segment that I wrote about here. We were on the Finnmarken which is a large, new ship.
Eleanor, I am so impressed with your knowledge of this - and that you have done it so many times!! Wow.
Wow! Even more resources to explore. Thanks, Chiocciola for the link to your blog and David's trip report. Somehow I overlooked those. Planning for me is at least half the fun, and thanks to you all for providing me so much material to explore.
Jeanne
Posts: 492 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 07 March 2003
Jeanne, what a fabulous trip you have planned. I don't have any experience with the Cruise, but we loved the time we spent with friends in Bergen. We traveled around quite a bit, and the scenery was some of the most beautiful we have ever seen. I am looking forward to following your planning and,of course, your trip!
This is a trip I've long wanted to do! I'm eager for a report. Bergen is a charming city -- if I haven't mentioned it before, do go out to Troldhaugen, Edvard Greig's home for a tour if you can. Small museum, you can tour the house, and also go down to his "composing cottage" on the water. www.bergen-guide.com/65.htm and www.norway.com/directories/d_company.asp?id=2365
Your photos are brilliant and I will be going through them all and perhaps asking more questions later. We did reserve on the Lofoten which appealed to us for its smaller size. 
