I was recently lucky enough to be able to try out Hurtigruten’s elevated cruising experience, on one of their Signature Voyages. I spent 5 days onboard MS Trollfjord, experiencing the ‘Svalbard Line’ voyage. A Signature Voyage is very similar to their Original Voyages; however, it is more of a luxury experience with all-inclusive food and drinks, and a slower cruising style. Hurtigruten is focussed on being sustainable and eco-friendly in the world of cruising, with some ships already being Hybrid electric, and a zero-emission ship planned by 2030. They also have an incredible relationship with Norway since starting in 1893 and have been awarded an official Made in Norway certification from the Norwegian government. All of this made me very excited to experience it for myself!
Day 1 – My first impressions of the ship
When I went onboard MS Trollfjord, I was surprised at how luxurious it was inside. As Hurtigruten is more of a casual cruising experience (e.g. no formal wear needed for dining), so I was expecting something quite simple inside but this wasn’t the case at all. When you arrive onboard, you are greeted with the modern reception with gorgeous dark wood accents and tall glass lifts. It was immediately obvious the “Nordic” feeling of the ship, with the design being influenced by the places we were sailing through.
Onboard, we started with a safety briefing in the Lecture Hall on Deck 5. The Coastal Experience team went through all of the important information we might need whilst cruising to keep everyone safe on board and in the case of any emergencies. They also showed us how to put on the big orange suits & lifejackets – this was surprisingly very entertaining and we were all quickly laughing with Rebekkah, a member of the team, as she put her suit on.
After the safety briefing, we stayed in the Lecture Hall ready for the ‘Daily Gathering’. Every day onboard you have a gathering with the Coastal Experience team to talk through the plan for the following day. These are really helpful as they give you lots of useful information about the ports of call, including things to do, such as walks and points of interests. If you don’t have an excursion booked this is especially helpful. In the gathering they also show images of the previous day from the onboard photographer, as well as teaching you a Norwegian word of the day and showing some Norwegian art & music. Our word/phrase of the day was “Frisk som en fisk” which translates as “healthy as a fish!”.
The next stop was to unpack in our cabins. I stayed in an ‘Arctic Superior’ cabin and I was so impressed with the design of the room. It felt so cosy as soon as you walked in. The bed in the cabin was the comfiest I have ever slept in, and I was very tempted to smuggle the giant pillows home with me! In the bathroom, you are provided with Norwegian products made from local seaweed – a lovely touch – and the floor is heated so you can walk out to nice warm floor after a shower. My cabin had a minibar, a desk and chair and plenty of storage space with hangers in the wardrobe, and the bed was high enough that I could store my suitcase underneath.
After quickly unpacking, we headed to Brasserie Árran for our first meal on board, and what a meal to start with! Brasserie Árran is inspired by local Sami cuisine and is rustic and warm in design. I decided to try the Reindeer Souvas, a traditional Sámi dish of salted and smoked reindeer meat. This was served with lingonberry aioli, thin polarbread and fried Norwegian mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious, and I would encourage anyone that is nervous to try Reindeer to just go for it, tastes like steak! I finished my meal with Norwegian doughnut fingers with hazelnut, chocolate sauce and homemade Norwegian strawberry jam. I am a proper foodie at home, and this was an incredible meal to start with and really set the tone of the food onboard.
By the time we’d finished our meal, we were ready to stop in our first port of call, Senja, often called “Little Norway” - ranked among CNN’s top ten most beautiful islands in the world. I would highly recommend booking an excursion here, such as the Wildlife safari or the scenic bus tour, as it’s hard to see the stunning views on foot. The ship docks in Finnsnes, where you would then travel to see the gorgeous views in Senja. As we didn’t have anything booked, we went for a stroll around Finnsnes for an hour.
Pre-dinner, I went to the library onboard which is full of books, games and puzzles. I was able to relax with a puzzle and a drink whilst watching the scenery go by.
For our evening meal, we went to try the ships main restaurant, Flora, inspired by Norway’s edible herbs, berries, mushrooms, flowers, fruit and vegetables. Flora is open for self-service breakfast, lunch buffets, and à la carte dinners. As a buffet restaurant in the day, I was expecting quite simple food that was a lower standard than the brasserie…I was seriously wrong.
For breakfast and lunch, you are provided with a buffet of delicious choices of a very high standard. In the evening it is table service, with the very friendly waiters serving you your choice of a 3 course meal from a menu. And if you fancy a glass of wine with any of your meals, you have a great choice of 30 different wines included!
Day 2 – A day of walking followed by a fine-dining experience
I started day 2 with a trip to the gym onboard. For such a small space, it was really well equipped with most things you would need if you’re wanting to work out during your cruise. The gym has 2 treadmills (with gorgeous sea views!), a cross-trainer, a bike, plus free weights, a bench and a cable machine. The gym is open from 7am-11pm and has a sauna next door where you can watch the world go by!
After a yummy breakfast in the Flora restaurant, we docked in Harstad and did the recommended walk from the previous day’s Daily Gathering. We walked to the Sor-Troms Museum and historical centre, where they had a model traditional Norwegian village set up. There was an old hunting hut, a church and a blacksmith’s lodge, with goats and chickens roaming around. There was even a rack showing Stockfish hanging out to dry. It was fascinating!
We were very lucky to be able to try Røst for dinner this evening, the Arctic fine-dining restaurant onboard. We were offered a delicious 5 course meal with matching wine pairings. The courses included things such as chicken mousse with lingonberries, Jerusalem artichokes and a Norwegian turbot with smoked butter sauce.
Suite guests can choose to dine in Røst for all meals, including a daily, Norwegian-inspired afternoon tea. Cabin guests can also upgrade to dine at Røst for a small cost. The food was absolutely delicious and was the same quality you would expect from a Michelin star restaurant. The waiting staff were all very helpful and friendly, and they explained all of our courses and wine pairings to us. Røst has an open kitchen which means you can see the chef’s hard at work and the process of creating your meal. I would highly recommend cabin guests try this restaurant at least once, especially if you are celebrating a special occasion onboard.
Day 3 – Excursions and cabin tours
Today it was time for our excursion – “Legends of Torghatten and Brønnøysund”. This excursion involved a scenic bus drive to the bottom of Torghatten mountain, and on the way, our guide told us about the myth surrounding Torghatten. According to the legend of the Helgeland mountains, Torghatten was formed when the troll Hestmannen, disappointed in love, shot an arrow after the young girl Lekamøya who ran away from him. The Troll-King in Mount Sømnafjellet saw this and threw his hat between them; the arrow went straight through the hat and formed the hole. The sun rose, and everyone was turned into stone! It was a short, scenic walk to the view of Torghatten, where we had lefse, a traditional flatbread and a cup of tea or coffee. We had a lady with us that was in a wheelchair, so it’s worth noting that this excursion is also accessible! We also stopped off at a salmon farm on the way back to the ship.
When back on the ship we were able to have a cabins tour with the reception manager Amanda. She showed us around the other cabins onboard and it was great to see the different cabin types. I was surprised at how nice all of the cabins were. Each of them have Nordic inspiration in the design and have been either fully or partially refurbished recently. The cabins onboard MS Trollfjord are all different shapes as they are space built, so it’s definitely worth inquiring about different cabin numbers – the team at Miles Morgan Travel will be able to tell you what each room is like.
For disabled guests, there are 4 accessible cabins on board, located on deck 6 so they are the same deck as the lifeboats. They accommodate both electric and non-electric wheelchairs, and the beds in the room are height adjustable with railings. They are not fully adjustable hospital beds, so guests are required to either be able to manage by themselves or bring someone along with them to help out.
The inside cabins onboard are all partially refurbished and are all twin beds. The most impressive cabin type, the suites, were stunning. The 6 mini suites have bay windows or balconies, and there are 5 larger balcony suites onboard. If you are a suite guest, you also have all cocktails, the mini bar and more frequent daily turndown service included, as well as receiving a Hurtigruten clothing package when you arrive. (On top of Rost being included full time too, as mentioned earlier)
Day 4 – A day for fantastic mountain views
Today the first port we docked in was Ålesund, a city with a rich history. Ålesund has a unique style that you don’t tend to see in Norway, because in 1904 a city fire destroyed most the buildings which were then rebuilt in a more Art Nouveau style. In Ålesund I decided to do the suggested walk to the top of Mount Aksla, for a view of the whole city from the viewpoint at the top.
Though lots of steps (418!), this was definitely worth the walk as the view was stunning. You could see almost 360 degrees around the city and the fjords beyond, I would highly recommend!
We were then lucky enough to be invited for a bridge tour and to meet the captain. It was really interesting to see where all the cruise planning goes on. I personally loved the little touches of viking helmets and polar bear teddies around the room!
Our second port of call was Sæbo, which was the only place that we needed to get a tender to go to shore, as there is nowhere for the big ship to dock. Sæbo is a tiny village surrounded by mountains.
A perfect place to have an arctic dip and use the floating sauna if you’re brave enough! I decided to skip the dip and go for a mini hike instead, granting amazing views of the fjords and of the Trollfjord ship.
This truly was the day for experiencing the views of Norway, as when we returned to the ship we were blessed with even more views and a stunning blue sky!
This was one of my favourite parts of the trip, being able to sit on deck and appreciate the gorgeous fjords all around you.
Each day on board there is usually a ‘point of interest’ whilst you’re sailing. This consists of a member of the Coastal Experience team telling you about the area we are sailing through on the top deck. There is also usually a food tasting that compliments this too, a great way to taste different Norwegian flavours!
As it was the last evening on of the cruise, there was a ‘farewell dinner’ in the main restaurant where you have a 5 course meal with optional wine pairings. All of the staff are there to say goodbye to you and it was a really lovely evening talking about our favourite parts of the cruise.
Day 5 – Our last day!
Sadly, today was our last day in Norway and time for us to go home after a few excellent days onboard.
After securing our luggage in the port terminal, we decided to do some sightseeing around Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city. We visited Bryggen, a UNESCO heritage site in Bergen since 1979. It was lovely to walk around and see all of the old buildings, the poshest fish market I’ve ever seen, and do some souvenir shopping.
I was very sad to be leaving Norway and spent the transfer back to the airport searching when I can go again! The 5 days I spent in this gorgeous country made me fall in love with the culture, the scenery and the incredible food that it has to offer, and Hurtigruten manages to proudly show all of this off.
If you’re also interested in visiting Norway, then why not do it with the cruise line that has over 130 years of experience showing it off? I’m counting down the days until I can visit again. If you have any questions about Norway or Hurtigruten, please get in touch with your local Miles Morgan Travel shop.
