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My husband, Scott, and I love cruising. We love the fact that you can unpack once, visit many different places and that we don’t have to think about anything the entire time you are on board. The service is always excellent and the crew always seems to be genuinely concerned about you personally. We didn’t want to do another “traditional” cruise. We both like mountains so this time we chose to cruise the western coast of Norway. No words can possibly do justice to define or describe the Norwegian coast, and no trip you may have taken before can prepare you for the spectacular beauty you will experience along the way. Physically, the Alaskan coastline comes close...but the architecture and cultural style of Norway is so different that comparisons between the two don't really stand. I do think that they are both marvelous, but I have to give Norway the edge, and this voyage is the only way to really see it. Every day of the year, one of the Norwegian Coastal Voyage ships departs Bergen for the north. Ona 6 day sailing to Kirkenes , Norway you will be one of the privileged few to sail about 1, 300 miles through some of the world's most scenic areas.
Since it is the only way to get to some of the more remote cities and towns of Norway , we stopped at 34 different ports. This sounds like a huge number, but most are beautiful, small towns and you are there for only 30 minutes. Some are during the wee hours when we were sleeping. There is usually one or two stops per day that are a few hours long. These are the larger cities, like Tr ö ndheim, which is the best place on the planet to buy sweaters. (I had to buy an extra suitcase for all of the sweaters we bought.) There are shore excursions available on board and we did go on a couple of these. The one that is a “don’t miss” is the North Cape . It is truly amazing and is impossible to do on your own because only authorized vehicles are allowed on some roads during the winter months (much of the year in the Artic Circle ). We enjoyed a champagne reception/ceremony upon entering the Artic Circle . The “ceremony” consisted of an ice cube down your back but even that seemed charming after several glasses of champagne. Norwegians are tall, blond, pretty people who love to talk, drink and have a good time. We were never bored even without the usual shipboard casino! The ship’s décor is like the rest of Norway ; pleasant, clean, very comfortable and inviting. The dining room is front and center, where the food is amazingly good. There are a couple of bars and the floor to ceiling windows everywhere insure that you are always surrounded by breath-taking views. Works by recognized artists have helped the new ships gain renown as floating art galleries. This is a perfect trip for seasoned, independent travelers. The most important advice I can give is to just sit back and enjoy an incredible panorama of constantly changing scenery from the comfort of a deck chair or a chair in the lounge. The ship travels at about 16 knots (about 17 mph), which means that you always have time to make new friends and to relax and take in the wonders of this magical voyage. This trip is all about the journey.
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Hurtigruten , meaning The Express Route, the Norwegian coastal voyage is one world's last remaining long-haul waterborne transportation system for both passengers and cargo. Nature and geology have provided Norway with fantastic beauty, but its craggy, rocky and often isolated nature never allowed for railroads or roads. So like most traditional steamship services, this route was born of need-not to provide joy rides for vacationers. It turned out to be great for both! 