If anyone is interested in doing this……………..
Just returned from a 12 day 'cruise' with Hurtigruten in North Norway to see the Northern Lights sailing from Bergen to Kirkenes and back.
It should be remembered that this is not a cruise in the Cunard sense, but a large ferry that takes about 400 people + freight + cars. There is therefore no dressing up/entertainment etc - which in my eyes is good news !
The boat stops off at half a dozen ports over each 24hr period and cruises up and down the fjords & coastal islands - some of the stops are for a couple of hours, some for 15 mins.
On the longer stops it is possible to get off and go on pre-arranged excursions or do your own thing. The organised trips include dog sledding, snowmobiles, snow hotel or cultural/architectural walks. The further north you go, the more was destroyed during the war and has been rebuilt in the style of Milton Keynes !
The boat is very comfortable and the food was excellent. The cabins are functionally spartan but we have no delusions of grandeur so we were quite happy.
The weather was meant to be extreme brass monkeys, but during our trip the temps were largely above freezing, the sea was flat calm and there was not vast amounts of snow as there was a drought !
The cruise is marketed as "hunting the light" - hunting probably being the clue - we only saw the lights for about 30mins on one evening in 12 days. It was very spectacular, although photographic images show it to be much greener than it is in real life.
Probably a triumph of marketing over substance, but the daily scenery was very spectacular. To see the lights you need clear skies/moonlight/plenty of cosmic activity/luck ! There is a forecast for the lights between 1-10 - we never had more than 3.
Tips
1) Prices of everything in Norway are so laughably high it is pretty pointless taking any spending money.
2) £40 for the cheapest bottle of wine - splutter - stock up at duty free at Gatwick and have a cabin party !
3) Be careful when booking - we booked direct with Hurtigruten but shortly after the Daily Maelstrom was advertising 2 for the price of 1 albeit on different dates to ours and it was not what they quoted - check which agents are also selling their holidays to get the best deal.
4) Free wi-fi (P&O 30p/minute) - but it slows dramatically the further north you go.
5) Use the hot drink option £30 for tea/coffee over the whole trip - they give you a special thermoplastic sealable mug.
6) You can do shorter options i.e. 3 nights in just the far north (where you are more likely to see the lights).
7) Get a cabin as high up as possible - we were on floor 3 and found sleep difficult as the boat is docking through the night and our cabin seemed to be on top of the stern thrusters which were extremely noisy.
Hope this helps
