Review Time
I recently traveled on the MS Nordkapp from Bergen to Kirkenes, from 30/12/2025 to 05/01/2026. At 74, I'm still quite young! The purpose of the trip was to celebrate New Year in a unique setting, but I wouldn't recommend this for that reason, as they don’t celebrate New Year like we do. The drinks on board are quite pricey, with a glass of wine costing £12.75! I won’t delve too deeply into specifics, but here are my general thoughts on the experience. Crew: The crew was exceptional—respectful, patient, knowledgeable, and very helpful. The cabin cleaning staff were thorough, always smiling, and efficient. Accommodation: Our cabin, 512, on deck 5, was cozy, though a bit tight around the luxurious double bed. The shower had great water pressure and was easy to use. While it felt small, anyone familiar with motorhomes or large campers would appreciate the clever bathroom design. There was ample cupboard and shelf space, especially since the bed is elevated, allowing large suitcases to fit underneath. However, those used to hotel stays might find the cabins a bit cramped. Even after upgrading to the Atlantic cabin package, the space was still limited, with minimal sitting area, although a chair was provided for lounging on the bed. The large window offered stunning sea views, but keep in mind that deck 5 is a promenade deck, so passersby can see into your cabin. I’m unsure why the window isn’t tinted, and nets wouldn’t likely help. In truth, we spent little time in our cabin, mostly sleeping and waking up, while enjoying a relaxing time in the viewing lounge and bar on deck 7, which had comfortable reclining leather seats and a fantastic view. Children: It may not be clear from the information provided, but children of all ages are allowed on board, as long as they are supervised. On our trip, there was a young couple with a newborn and a toddler. While I don’t mind children, I believe designated nursery areas with childcare and play facilities should be available. I can’t imagine how much the parents enjoyed the trip, as they seemed to be constantly occupied with childcare. As a father myself, I tried to connect with them but received only blank stares. Babies cry, and older kids want to run and play, which can be disruptive, especially during quiet moments. Food: My partner, who is an amazing vegetarian, booked this trip. Unfortunately, in a region known for its fish and reindeer, vegetarian options were quite limited. The buffet breakfast primarily catered to standard tastes, with fried eggs often served with bacon and no alternative options for just eggs. There were some excellent scrambled eggs, but they occasionally had bits of bacon mixed in! Vegetarian sausages or similar breakfast alternatives were absent, although there were standard fruits, cereals, toast, cheese, cold cuts, mini croissants, and pain au chocolat available. If you enjoy toast, be prepared to reinsert your bread multiple times on the conveyor to achieve even slight toasting; I gave up after four tries! The hot lunch buffet also offered few vegetarian choices, with the closest being a tray of mixed vegetables and potatoes. It seemed there was a lack of understanding that vegetarians need protein, too, in non-animal forms, and many alternatives were simply not provided. The Head Chef, Paul, was genuinely interested in our feedback and acknowledged the need to address the vegetarian menu with the responsible chef. He was friendly and pleasant to talk to. If you're vegetarian, just be aware of these limitations. Accommodation concerns: Make sure to check the layout of the ship you’re traveling on! Each ship on this coastal route serves as both a post and supply vessel, and it also embarks or disembarks passengers (and their vehicles) since there’s a car deck—it's essentially a ferry, not a cruise ship. Think of it as a slightly more upscale ferry with additional amenities. It sometimes docks multiple times during the night, leading to engine noise from the directional thrusters and the sounds of opening and closing gangways and vehicle access doors. CHECK the location of your cabin; you don’t want to be situated above these noisy areas!
Travelled on the MS Nordkapp from Bergen to Kirkenes, 30/12/2025 - 05/01/2026. I’m a young 74! Reason for trip - to spend New Year somewhere different - Don’t do this trip for same reason as they don’t celebrate New Year as we do. Drinks very expensive onboard , £12.75 for glass of wine! I’m not going to go into very deep detail, just give my general impression of the trip. Crew: Firstly, the crew were just fantastic, respectful, patient, informative and helpful. The cabin cleaning staff were amazingly thorough , smiling and efficient. Accommodation: Our cabin, 512, on deck 5, was comfortable, albeit a little small to get around the sumptuous double bed, but the shower was powerful and easy to control. It was a little tiny, but anyone who has ever owned a motorhome or large camper van will appreciate how well designed the bathrooms are, given the space available. Plenty of cupboard and shelf storage , especially as the bed is set high, and large suitcases fit easily underneath. Seasoned hotel dwellers, however, may find the cabins cramped. Despite upgrading to the Atlantic cabin package, it was still a little cramped, with not much sitting room, although a chair is provided, except for lounging on the bed. There is a large picture sized window giving amazing sea views, BUT, bear in mind that deck 5 is the promenade deck, so people walking around the deck can see into your bedroom. Why there is no tint on the window, I don’t know, and I’m not sure that nets would help either. In reality , we didn’t spend much time in our cabin, except to go to sleep and wake up. We mostly spent a very relaxing time on deck 7 viewing lounge and bar, on the very comfy reclining leather seats , affording a wonderful view of the trip. Children: ! It may not be apparent from the literature, but children of seemingly any age are permitted onboard, ‘under parental control’. On our trip there was a young couple with a recently born baby, and a toddler. I don’t mind children, but there should be specific nursery areas provided with childcare and play facilities. I don’t know how much actual appreciation of the trip the parents got, but they were full on childminding most of the time. Being a father, myself, and giving a knowing smile to the parents just met a blank stare back, so I’m trying hard to be realistic, here. Babies scream, older children want to run and play, noisily. It’s what they do, but if you’ve just had lunch, and relaxing with a book, crossword, or whatever, it gets irritating after a while. Food: My partner booked the trip, she’s amazing, and is also a Vegetarian. Sadly, it appears that in a land of fish and reindeer, vegetarian needs were somewhat lacking. The buffet cooked breakfast catered mostly for standard tastes. All the fried eggs were adorned with a piece of bacon a piece, no alternative tray of just fried eggs. Excellent scrambled egg was also on offer, although I think there were tiny pieces of bacon on that, too, occasionally ! No vegetarian sausages or lookalike breakfast meat alternatives, like veggie burgers or veggie bacon. There were, of course, the usual fruit, cereal , toast , cheese and cold meats continental dishes also available, together with mini croissants and mini pain chocolate , too. If you like toast, you’ll be amazed at how many times you need to re insert your toast onto the moving conveyor in order to get the bread even slightly toasted. I got to four times and gave up! The buffet hot lunch similarly catered little for the vegetarian. The nearest you got was a tray of cooked mixed vegetables with a tray of potatoes, everything else hot was not suitable for vegetarians. The problem appeared to be that there was no appreciation for the fact that vegetarians need protein, too, just not in animal form, and there are loads of alternatives, which simply were not available. The Head Chef, Paul, was very interested in what we had to say, and appreciated that this was something he needed to raise with the chef who looked after the vegetarian menu. He was a great guy, very friendly and a good man to chat too. If you’re vegetarian, just beware. Accommodation concerns: Check out the layout of the ship you’re travelling on! Each ship on this coastal express route North and South , is not only a post and supplies ship for all the places it has to pull into. It additionally embarks or disembarks passengers ( and their cars) as there’s a car deck too, ITS A FERRY! Not a cruise ship. Think a slightly posher ferry boat with many additional facilities. It sometimes docks several times during the night, with the resultant engine noise when it uses its directional engine thrusters. Then there’s the opening and closing of the passenger gangway and vehicle access doors, etc. CHECK where your cabin is located, you don’t really want to be above these noisy areas!
Thank you for making my first cruise experience the last. Especially with you all. Even the garbage hotels have complimentary coffee. As much as we spent on the less than 100 sq ft room, you’d think we could have just gotten a simple cup of coffee. They will nickel and dime you to death. Nothing is open to get a snack or drink from midnight to 7 AM. So if you’re an early riser, you’re just screwed. Sarcastically, Thank you so much for the 5 minute warning to vacate the room even though the cruise last for over 2 more hours. It’s sad because the workers are great. The management is just pathetic. Food was great and so were the workers. Otherwise, it would have been a 1 star trip.
We were very happy with our recent North Cape cruise on Hurtigruten. We enjoyed the ship size and the roughly 325 passengers; we don’t need to be in a throng of 3,000. The facilities were very good and well kept. The ports of call were interesting, and we were thrilled to see the Northern Lights on 3 nights. The staff was professional, efficient , very helpful, and honestly friendly. We enjoyed the daily interaction and greatly appreciated their hard work. We would gladly recommend to anyone who asked
This review covers the September 22nd to October 3rd Coastal Express voyage of the MS Nordkapp. We were lucky with the weather and with 11 Northern Lights viewings, often two per night in the clearer northern regions – one between 8/9pm and the 2nd time ranging from after midnight to 4am. We were also lucky to see autumn colours and a variety of wildlife – none of which can be guaranteed.Daily information briefings cover the next day’s activities and ports but also wider topics like art, music, and mythology. They are a good introduction to each port, whilst landmarks and photo ops are announced and pointed out on approach. Crossing the Arctic Circle is celebrated going north and south. Given the route is a postal service, you can send postcards with a special Arctic Circle or North Cape stamp. Other onboard activities on our trip included detours into Trollfjord, food tastings, Norwegian music, sea shanties, learning knots and there’s plenty of books, games, and jigsaws for those who want them.Excursions are expensive but enable you to visit locations inland, not feasible on your own, and with timings guaranteed to have you back on board just before the ship sails. Like the information briefings, excursions are usually organised with 1 or 2 nationalities per coach, with translation in both languages. English speakers who spoke some German did comment that descriptions in German covered more topics on some excursions.Some excursions are weather dependant so may be cancelled and others were added in during our trip so it’s worth checking, whilst there is an opportunity to visit the bridge for a small donation to the Hurtigruten Foundation.There’s no pressure to take excursions. It’s entirely possible to do your own thing in the ports and onboard – chat, gym, sauna or 2 hot tubs – a robe or towel recommended for the latter. Several attractions like the Hurtigruten museum in Stokmarknes (fascinating!) and the Lofoten Krigsminnemuseumin and the Lofoten Magic Ice Bar (both in Svolvaer) are just metres from the ship. Most places also have a range of statuary and public art. Peoples’ experiences and photos differ depending on what you choose to do. Downloading the Hurtigruten and Camarella apps is recommended. The first is only usable on board but provides a helpful programme of events, details of your personal excursions and the dinner menu for that day and the next day. The other (a partnership with Camarella) offers access to the wider Camarella community but also a group for your boat where passengers can, and do, share photos. The voyage video package is also a nice souvenir. There is a mix of nationalities. There were more people on the north-bound voyage than the southern on our trip, but everyone was friendly and willing to talk. Food is plentiful and excellent. Hurtigruten work with a number of Norwegian growers and suppliers to provide fresh and interesting artisanal products, including various alcoholic beers and spirits. Similarly, with the toiletries in the cabins. Breakfast and lunch are buffets. Dinners alternate between buffets and three course set meals – with three options, including vegetarian. Allergies etc are catered for. In the UK, there is an option to dine at Kysten, the fine dining restaurant on board, for a small supplement. This was excellent and provides a quieter experience for anyone celebrating a birthday or anniversary. There is a coffee shop offering a selection of cakes, sandwiches, ice creams and beverages, whilst the bar provides alcoholic and hot drinks in the evenings. Hats off to the chefs, and all the onboard crew who are hard-working but friendly. The team handling UK sales was equally good, being very helpful with booking enquiries. Everyone seemed pleased with their cabin, whether they opted for a more stable position on a lower deck or one higher up with a window – being on the promenade deck raised the possibility of people walking past but this really wasn’t an issue. Hurtigruten’s 1893 Ambassador programme is useful for free hot drinks, wi-fi and excursion discounts. Creating a ship account tied to a credit card meant there was no need to carry cash on board. It was possible to settle up the final bill via cash, or a debit/credit card so was very flexible. On land, Norway is virtually cashless so a debit card with a good overseas rate is recommended. Cash was useful for crew tips which are discretionary.Something to do again? Absolutely, probably in a different season to maximise the contrast. This was a brilliant introduction to Norway and the coverage of Sami culture and Norwegians’ experiences in the 2nd World War was particularly interesting.
Shocking 'customer service'. Booked a Hurtigruten cruise only, through a third party agent. Hurtigruten charged £300 to change just the name of one of the passengers. Covid prevented the sailing twice, then Hurtigruten cancelled on me because they sent the ship I was due to sail on for a refit. Then they wouldn't allow me to reschedule for a second time, seemingly having forgotten that they were the cause of the first post Covid reschedule. I subsequently lost a very hefty deposit. I won't EVER contemplate booking with them again, I am deeply disappointed with them and profoundly shocked that they can treat customers the way they do.
I never even got to sail - dealing with the company beforehand was so bad, I decided to opt out. I had to email 4 times - it was clear from each reply that no one had actually read them - in the end I was just quoted things already online and referred to the website (oh and told not to email, as there was a long queue). I run a travel agency - so I know how much better things CAN be. Very disappointing, but thankfully there are other options out there.
First things first - a great cruise. I'd previously done an Antarctica one (with HX) which was totally faultless, and the best holiday I've ever had - including many transfers from various airports. Thus my surprise at the Hurtigruten cruise I recently went on - Norway to Svalbard, and yes, the cruise was excellent as well - so why the 3 star review? - well I believe I was mis-sold the flight and transfer package - despite specifically confirming that it would include a transfer - ie. someone would meet you at the airport and take you to the cruise terminal (only reasonable for a flight and transfer package methinks). Well, it turns out this wasn't the case - it included a voucher to catch the public bus. Be extremely careful as to what you get with these add-ons, and despite my complaint to Hurtigruten head office, they refused to accept any responsibility. So, what would have cost less than £100 for flight and bus - cost me £250 (for their little package). I simply can't stand it when someone lies to sell you a product, and after the event, I even pointed out that the information on the voucher, and website is misleading. I wanted them to re-check the phone calls, as I know what I asked for, but they informed me that they are only kept for a month! It leaves a bitter taste (therefore 2 stars are lost), which is a shame, as the staff and crew on board were also incredibly friendly.
Noisy Lower Small Cabin , over the top of Engines , No Kettle etc , In fact it was the worst time we have ever had , Hall they care about is PENGER [ CASH ] They do Not care about there Customers , Hurtigruten refuse to give us any moneys back , NEVER EVER WILL WE GO WITH HURTIGRUTEN EVER AGAIN . My advise to Hurtigruten Group , IS LOOK AFTER YOUR CUSTOMERS IF NOT YOU ARE HEADING FOR TROUBLE , Yours truly T M Broomhead .
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