Hurtigruten

Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes - Havila Voyages & Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten refers to the traditional passenger service along the coast of Norway between Bergen and Kirkenes. The companies Havila Voyages and Hurtigruten are operating ships on this itinerary. The company Hurtigruten was the result of merging Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap (TFDS) and Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab (OVDS) and claimed the traditional term 'Hurtigruten' (referring to the itinerary) as trademark when there was no other company serving this route. Havila Voyages therefore avoids using the previously generic term 'Hurtigruten'. However, since this page at shipvideos.net pre-dates these developments, the title and URL 'Hurtigruten' is maintained.

Below are the links to all 'Hurtigruten' related video clips available at shipvideos.net. Useful links and personal remarks on Hurtigruten by Ernst Galutschek are posted below the links to the videos.

along the route

Havila Capella Class

Videos on a trip aboard ships of Havila Voyages in September 2024 are in preparation. Visit Ship Video Clips @ Facebook, the facebook presence of this webpage, for updates on the publication of these videos.

Havila Pollux - IMO: 9946922 @ MarineTraffic

Havila Capella - IMO: 9865570 @ MarineTraffic

Havila Polaris - IMO: 9946910 @ MarineTraffic

MS Lofoten (former Hurtigruten ship)

MS Trollfjord

Richard With

Nordstjernen (former Hurtigruten ship)

Kong Harald

Nordnorge

Nordkapp

Polarlys

Vesterålen

A plethora of information on Hurtigruten is found online - here some links:

Operators:

Havila Voyages
Hurtigruten

'Day for Night in Norway' - article by Reif Larsen for the New York Times
Hurtigruten - Minutt for minutt - 134 h live TV coverage of Bergen - Kirkenes trip
Hurtigruten Ships @ "Ships In Bergen" Blog
hurtigwiki.de - German webpage on Hurtigruten
Pictures of a trip aboard Polarlys (2002) by Pam Massey
Pictures of Finnmarken at the Hurtigrutenmuseum @ Ship Video Clips - Facebook

Personal remarks on 'Hurtigruten' by Ernst Galutschek

Since I am often asked about Hurtigruten I decided to make an exception and share a few personal remarks here on my webpage. A Hurtigruten trip is indeed a special experience. While I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys travelling by ship I encourage you to do some research before booking to avoid ending up aboard a Hurtigruten ship for the wrong reasons.

it IS a cruise (...well, it can be like a cruise...)

Hurtigruten is of course not what most consider to be a typical cruise experience found aboard large, contemporary, mainstream cruise ships. However, if avoiding a cruise experience is your motivation to book Hurtigruten, be aware that the itinerary is inherently superficial - more so than many cruise lines' itineraries since Hurtigruten ships only spend a very short time in ports. Beside that, Hurtigruten do mimic a cruise experience in that they offer activities and shore excursions similar to those offered by cruise lines - in a way this is working against the essence of a Hurtigruten trip. Fortunately it is possible to avoid these activities, however, that of course applies to cruise ships too.

how does it compare to a (proper) cruise?

The Hurtigruten and Havila ships make multiple short port calls each day and generally stick to the fastest, most direct route along the coast. For ship enthusiasts, the frequent maneuvers in and out of tiny harbors are a delight, and when passenger numbers are low, it’s sometimes possible to hop ashore even during the briefest stops. In contrast, cruise ships visit fewer ports but allow far more time in each destination, even larger cruise ships can sail far into the fjords Hurtigruten or Havila only glance into. Overall, the pace of a good cruise feels less rushed. Small ‘expedition’ cruise ship are less crowded and better equipped (for example with inflatable boats for excursions or landings), and usually more comfortable in the cabins and public areas (than Havila or Hurtigruten ships). These ships are not tied to a strict timetable, so they can slow down or stop entirely when something interesting appears, the itinerary can be adjusted to suit the weather and the wishes of the passengers. There are usually more enrichment lectures and properly trained guides aboard. Service aboard Havila and Hurtigruten is friendly, very helpful but simple and less consistent than aboard a good cruise ship. Havila and Hurtigruten have different food concepts which are discussed in detail elsewhere; it’s good but very basic compared to a good cruise ship.

it is NOT a trip to the fjords

Hurtigruten is a coastal voyage - it is beyond my understanding why it is frequently described as a 'Trip to the Fjords'. Yes, the itinerary does include fjords and e.g. Geiranger Fjord was added to the summer schedule some years ago to accommodate this expectation. However, if you want to see 'The Fjords' most people have in mind when referring to ‘Norwegian Fjords’ you will have to do another trip. Mind you, this is not a disadvantage - but a 'Trip to the Fjords' is just not what it is.

book a segment

As said above, Hurtigruten ships only spend a short time in ports - that and the fact that the ships call at many ports per day is one of the reasons why a Hurtigruten trip is so special. However, some shore excursions offered by Hurtigruten require one to disembark in one port and embark in another - a more rushed approach than that offered by most conventional cruise ships! If such excursions are what you wish to do, do not work against the forte of Hurtigruten: Do not plan it like a cruise vacation, but try to take advantage of being able to book segments rather than doing the whole round trip at once - e.g. spend a couple of days in one port, then catch another ship or plan several short trips during different seasons instead of just one longer trip.

choose your ship wisely

Hurtigruten and Havila's ships are not all the same, so investigate properly which ships suits your needs and your taste.

For me, spending time outside on deck is extremely important, when indoors, I strongly prefer spaces with views. While I won’t discuss other features - this is done elsewhere - I’ll focus on how these aspects to differentiate the ships: Given these priorities, the four Havila ships and MS Finnmarken are clearly superior to the rest of the current Hurtigruten fleet (MS Finnmarken is presently not serving the traditional itinerary).

The Havila ships foremost excel in outside deck space. They offer a wide variety of deck areas, ranging from fully exposed to well-sheltered spots. There are two separate promenade decks. Though neither is a full wrap-around, it is still possible to ‘walk around the ship’ on the uppermost deck. Passengers have access to the forecastle (the open forward deck right at the bow), which is only closed in severe weather: This means that there are two open deck spaces with a view to the front as opposed to one forward facing deck area on the ships of Hurtigruten. The forward observation lounge is pleasant and bright, though its view is occasionally obstructed by passengers standing just outside on the deck – one of the very few drawbacks of this otherwise excellent design. The standout feature of the interiors are the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, especially in the aft restaurant, which I consider one of the most spectacular dining rooms at sea (not because of the food though).

Among the Hurtigruten fleet, MS Finnmarken (2002) remains my favorite, even though she no longer sails the traditional Bergen–Kirkenes route. Like the Havila ships, she offers passenger access to the forecastle, which connects directly to a true wrap-around promenade deck. However, this is the only forward facing outside deck space. Her most distinctive feature is the heated outdoor pool not found in any other Hurtigruten or Havila ship.

MS Vesterålen (1983) stands apart, having been built with a stronger emphasis on cargo. Her strength is her smaller size: One could argue that all the other Hurtigruten and Havila ships are actually too large for this service. Successive refits increased passenger capacity and an observation lounge (no view to the front) has been added. All that gave her a quirky but endearing character. However, her outdoor deck space feels limited and not well arranged, she also lacks a proper forward-facing observation lounge. In general, I would describe her as ‘old but not antique’.

The other Hurtigruten ships fall into three groups:

• Kong Harald, Richard With and Nordlys, built at Volkswerft Stralsund.
• Nordkapp, Nordnorge and the slightly different Polarlys, built at Ulsteinvik. They are very, very similar to the ships built at Straslund.
• Trollfjord and Maud (ex Midnatsol, not serving on the traditional route), built at Rissa.

All of these ships have a full wrap-around promenade deck, but the forward section can become very crowded during scenic sailing. The ships underwent refits which resulted in slightly different configurations (discussed in detail elsewhere). Given how important the observation lounge is on a scenic voyage like Hurtigruten/Kystruten — I spend most of my indoor time there — the differences between these lounges could easily sway my choice between otherwise very similar ships: The three Stralsund-built ships have thick vertical struts between the panoramic windows that can significantly obstruct the view. Nordkapp and Nordnorge have forward-raked windows, which are excellent in darkness (no reflections), but less ideal when you want to look upwards at mountains or the sky. Polarlys has rear-raked windows, which is the opposite: perfect in daylight, but prone to reflections at night, and the lounge itself feels a little smaller.

Trollfjord and Maud are slightly larger, later developments of the same basic design, but with pretensions to being more cruise-like (e.g. a central atrium). They feature a two-level forward observation lounge, which sounds more impressive than it is. Their biggest weakness, however, is outdoor space: the traditional promenade deck is largely covered, and almost all open deck area is concentrated in one large but rather characterless deck on the top of the ship. For anyone who values outside deck areas, Trollfjord (and Maud) are by far the least appealing ships serving on the Hurtigruten/Kystruten.

My preference is therefore…

• Havila Capella Class (& Finnmarken)
• …followed by Nordkapp, Nordnorge, Polarlys.
• I try to avoid Kong Harald, Richard With, Nordlys, Trollfjord, Maud and Vesterålen, if possible (but would still go if e.g. my schedule requires it).

‘Out of competition’ are the classic Hurtigruten ships that have now left the coastal service, whereof my personal favorite is MS Nordstjernen. She is an absolute gem for anyone who loves authentic, old-style vessels. The original interiors, wooden decks, and intimate size give her a uniquely cosy and nostalgic atmosphere that no modern ship can match. That said, she is very much a product of her era:

• Cabins are extremely basic, some are very noisy.
• Public rooms are charming but offer less views to the outside.
• The only proper forward-facing outdoor area is the forecastle, which has been opened to passengers in recent years but it can be inaccessible during bad weather.

I am not commenting on the ships of HX Expeditions since this a page on the traditional service along the Norwegian coast and ships that served on this route.