This company has some housekeeping to take care of. I booked a 12 day cruise and have really mixed feelings. First of all travel in this part of the world is very expensive and I was hoping for better service. Parts of the crew like the expedition team, and most of the serving staff in the dining room were fantastic. But the reception team and housekeeping were not always pleasant. Heading north the reception team was excellent, but on the way back towards Bergen, not so much. They have an intern Sammy, who yelled at me for a solid five minutes because I was late boarding even after I apologized. I don't like spotlighting people, but I contacted the company with a complaint and so far no response. In the words of a crew member's toast,"Hurigruten is not a cruise, but a connection for the Norwegian people" I must agree. It is better to think of this boat line as a ferry and not so much a cruise expedition. They do not stop at ports for long so another reason why it's more like a ferry because you don't have much time to explore the different stops. Once I almost missed the ferry because it docked 15 minutes late which I didn't factor into the departure. time. Use it to get from point a to point B with a possible one or two night stay in the cabins, or if you want to be thrifty, just sleep in one of the lounges, but you have to expect there might be noise. Also, they need to do a better job cleaning the bathrooms in between trips because there was some mold at the base. read more

Hurtigruten - Ferries Near Me - Bergen, 12

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Reservations people are surly. No one inquired if they could help with flights, hotels or transfers when I initially booked. When I called back to sign up for transfers, they were grumpy that I hadn't booked hotel through them, but "allowed me" to book transfers. Two days before departure they called to cancel my first transfer because they didn't have my flight arrival info (which they should have gathered when I booked the transfer). I told her Hurtigruten's travel info says both flights into Kirkenes are met by the transfer bus, so why was I being cancelled? She didn't have an answer and I was issued a refund. Ironically the bus did meet my flight, I boarded and was the sole passenger and rode for free. Onboard I had to request a hair dryer and was told my fare didn't include an in-room kettle, something this tea drinker would have enjoyed. There are no water refill stations, so rely on your bathroom tap to stay hydrated or purchase bottles of water from them, which isn't very eco-friendly. Food/dining was quite good and the dining staff were very friendly and helped make up for the above shortcomings. Coffee cups are very small for the mediocre coffee offered. Excursion staff and guides were very good, although one of my pre-paid excursions was cancelled. The highlight was a midnight concert featuring flute, soprano and keyboard. The Coastal Express is a quite scenic journey, but Hurtigruten could do better pre-departure, live up to the sustainability they preach by providing water stations, and stop nickel and diming for expensive onboard wine, souvenir mugs, lanyard for cabin card etc. It is not truly all-inclusive as advertised. read more

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We took the entire west coast of Norway trip over seven days on the Hurtigruten MS Nordlys. It was wonderful. We had booked a small cabin that was just too small for two people to be moving in at the same time. I went to the front desk to ask about an upgrade and that worked. Yes, I had to pay for the upgrade but we ended up opting for a mini-suite. This had a king size bed and a TV that was two scenes, one facing the bed and the other facing the couch. Also a nice bar area, but standard ship sized bathroom. Very comfy and worth the price paid. Meals were centralized, buffet and were excellent as to variety & quality. Our group had arranged for a beverage for each person at every lunch and dinner, so wine, beer or soft drink were included. This is a working ferry that stops many times day and night to take on or drop off pass angers, mail and/or equipment. After the first night, we never heard the docking and departure noises. The coast of Norway is vast with many settlements along it. Some are too small for anything large to dock and others just large enough. The in and out of port work is amazing to watch. Very efficient. The ship has outdoor seating areas and indoor cafes, ice cream shop, bars and gift shops. There is an optional restaurant where you seat in a separate area, order from their menu an are served away from the mass feeding in the main dining room. Crew is exceptionally nice, courteous and accommodating. There was at least one port of call where we could leave the ship for a few hours to see sights and history. We would do it again, maybe traveling from north to south on another Norway trip. Highly recommended. read more

Scandinavians sure love their cruise ships, and Hurtigruten is one of Norway's largest lines. On a previous vacation, our trip organizer had Jamie W. and me boarding cruise ships to get from Stockholm to Helsinki to Tallinn and back to Stockholm. So we shouldn't have been surprised that the same company booked us on the MS Polarlys, a 400-foot-long cruise liner, to get from Alesund to Bergen. What did surprise us was the departure time of 1:20AM. Yes, I said AM, and trust me, we ain't night people. The other unexpected revelation was the duration of the journey which turned out to be a mind-numbing thirteen hours. That meant we were on the boat to Bergen until about 2:30PM. My guess is that the timing has to do with when passengers can reasonably check into their hotels in Bergen. It would've been more forgivable if it was more of a pleasure boat with social activities, but it was more like being on the Carpathia after the Titanic sank. OK, it wasn't quite that spartan.. or wet, but there just weren't many distractions for the long voyage. On the upside, our cabin was of decent size, and based on the late night check-in, we thought there was just a handful of us onboard. Boy, were we wrong. When we made our was way to the breakfast buffet the following morning, it was a complete zoo. Where did everyone come from? Certainly not our stop. When we finished, our only activity was walking in circles on the one available deck and enjoying the somewhat redundant sight of islands and villages on our route. It was challenging to find a couple of chairs just to relax. We started to realize that space was at a premium because the ship appeared to be doubling as a cargo freighter. We were so relieved when we came upon Bergen and so was everyone else as were all congregating around the exit passage for disembarkation. Forget social distancing, it was every suitcase for itself. No Julie. No Doc. No Gopher. No one to wave goodbye to us. How do you say, "Don't let the gangplank hit you on the way out!" in Norwegian? RELATED - Exploring Norway? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3PEL4Fe read more

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Find a real cruise: Where to start... One pillow, a small comforter, no sheets? No extra blanket? No tv channels in anything but Norwegian or dubbed Norwegian even if it's labeled in French, English, or German? Random holes and screws in walls all over the Polarys in rooms and common areas like bathrooms and dining areas. If you have a drink package and someone else doesn't the other person can't get your coffee or tea for you or else you will be visited by a crew member. If you get a package, they want everyone in the cabin to buy it. What do you do if one person is sober and the other isn't? Not a lot of hot food options that aren't high-priced. Great if you like cold sandwiches or traditional and overpriced Norwegian dishes (minimum $51 for lunch). Skip food on the boat and grab groceries and meals in town where you can because they are 1000% better. The rooms are EXTREMELY noisy. When they dock around 2 am, you will now be awake because the whole room will shake for about 20 minutes. If you are hard of hearing, sleep like the dead, enjoy the challenge of finding the newest hole in the wall, fancy the allure of 1980s pink toilets and tile, have money to burn on subpar food, and like being mean-mugged by 80% of staff, this is place is for you. read more

Hurtigruten - MS Polarys - Ferries Near Me - Bergen, 12

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If you are taking Hurtigruten be advised that this company does not communicate. You think you have received messages but when you open them they are generic Wikipedia-type information and not specific about your trip and where to go, where to meet your group etc. Most of the trips leave from Bergen but if you leave from another port, the generic Bergen info is useless. There is an app but you have to already be on the ship before you can get the app. Very poor communication, very anxiety-producing. Yes, I check my junk mail regularly and nothing was received. Nothing. Nothing. read more

Hurtigruten MS Finnmarken The ship was very clean and healthy. The cabins are small but sufficient, because you will spend most of your time on deck of the cruiser. On Deck 5 there is a way outside around the ship where you can sit down on all sites. On back of ship you can go upstairs outside until the sun deck on deck 7. There is a small swimming pool with salty water and two whirlpools with normal water. The food in the restaurant is very delicious and fresh, there is a big buffet in the morning and at lunch, in the evening menu will be served. The shop on Deck 4 has all you need for a trip and of course many souvenirs. The crew was very friendly. read more

Hurtigruten - Blick von oben auf das Hurtigrutenschiff MS Finnmarken im Geirangerfjord, Juni 2013 - Ferries Near Me - Bergen, 12

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We took the MS Polarlys from Torndheim to Bergen. For such a large ship on fairly calm seas, there sure was alot of noise and vibration. Even on the 7th floor, the tables were vibrating and we were rocking back and forth with the seas. While sleeping, every time it pulled into a port the entire ship shook violently and it was so loud it was impossible to sleep. I've been on a number of cruises before, many of them on wilder seas, and this was the roughest cruise I have been on. Also, there was a real lack of things to do other than to stare our the window and see the fjords. They were beautiful, but I like there to be other options to keep myself entertained while at sea. That being said, the staff was helpful, the food was decently priced for the portions, and the scenery was gorgeous. I just wouldn't take this cruise again. read more

Classic ship on iconic route - what could be better? A lot, as it turns out: The route does not offer much fjord experience, mostly you trundle coast-wise behind the outlying islands. Most places the time in port is too short for sightseeing. Once in open seas, this little ships rocks. And rolls. Keep your seasickness pills handy. The company has a museum at its place of origin. Don't expect to get in there for free as a passenger. Or to have time for a visit if you bought the ticket onboard and the schedule changes. Or get a refund. Revenue matters. A Lot. The Hurtigruten company is now owned by a US-based investment fund, and it shows. Sign up for Ambassador programme to get a 5% discount and other perks? Sorry, that will take some time, and not apply to your booking unless you do it well in advance. Shore excursions rhyme with extortion. Hint from passengers who did buy some: Don't go on those. Or expect to get hints to attractions if they don't sell them, such as the magnificent Vardoe memorial. Or the tram service from airport, involving a 10min walk. Because their own bus service is sold at eight times the fare, at par with the price for a taxi. Maybe that's the reason for them not arranging a taxi for you in Bergen? Economy abounded also in the restaurant: There was free water to be had with the meals - if you were patient and insistent, you even got a second glass. Everything else costs - a lot. This would have been OK if the quality was the same. Which it wasn't: 11 days of the same buffet food of mediocre quality, despite some high-quality ingredients. Little fresh fruit or salad, bakery items running out half way through breakfast service. Single menu "choice" for dinners, prepared to minimise any sensory impact or desire for more-which there wasn't any available of, anyway. Attitudes towards passengers varied between indifference, hostility or occasional friendliness, especially if you spend up large. Hygiene is taken seriously when it comes to making you to disinfect your hands. But changing bed sheets in between the 11 nights? - not happening. As for the vintage vessel: Ear plugs are a must. If you're lucky, the engine noise is droning out the talking and snoring from adjoining cabins, slamming doors or worse. Qeueing for the single shower per gender and 2 toilets, shared between 20 or so cabins. Standing room only: The narrow bunk taking up 50% of the entire cabin, sink and a bare rack for clothing being the other features. No room to hide: Lounge spaces too confined to accommodate all passengers when the weather is too cold or wet outside. In this instance, "classic" associates with uncomfortable and stinginess, not with class. read more

Hurtigruten - Full size photo of cabin - Ferries Near Me - Bergen, 12

We took the trip on the Polaris from Bergen to Kirkenes. The trip was six days and the scenery was beautiful, the food was good and plentiful, but everything was very expensive. Bottled water was $4 dollars. When I asked for tap water I was told they had none. The wait people would not open up the water dispenser that was available for breakfast nor would they get tap water from the kitchen. I have never been in a restaurant in my 76 years tad did not serve tap water at lunch and dinner. It seems the company wants to sell bottled water for extra profit. This put a damper on my enthusiasm for the trip. read more