Cruise | Chasing the Northern Lights in Norway

For as long as I have worked in travel, I have wanted to cruise Norway – and thankfully, working in travel, I know the best line to cruise with. Back in March (was it really that long ago?!), I was fortunate enough to go on a fam trip with Hurtigruten. This was their signature voyage to the North Cape, on board the flagship, MS Trolfjord. I did the half-voyage, southbound – from Tromsø to Bergen – and honestly, not only did it live up to my expectations, it surpassed them too!

I’m going to be posting a follow-up to this, in which I’ll talk about the destinations we called at the excursions/things I did at each port – so this post is purely about the ship. And the elusive Northern Lights… did we see them? You’ll just have to read on to find out!

Food & Drink

I have to start by talking about the food. As a foodie, I was in heaven on this cruise – the food was so good. The ship has three restaurants: Flora is the main restaurant, which is open for breakfast and lunch, buffet-style, and an à la carte dinner menu. The evening menu changes daily, but there’s plenty of choice on the buffet to try different things (although I always had the same breakfast of a granola bowl followed by eggs).

Arran is a brasserie-style restaurant, open for lunch and dinner. The menu here is always the same but you can easily have something different each day to work your way though the options, so it doesn’t feel repetitive.

Røst is the fine dining option, which is included for suite guests, however, cabin guest can upgrade – subject to availability. It’s a five-course tasting menu and you can even have a wine pairing to accompany it.

I was lucky enough to eat at all three during the voyage and the highlight was undoubtedly Røst – it was just so special. The night of our dinner, the menu was:

1) Cured duck, smoked mayonnaise, rye, pine shoots, onion

Dreissigacker Bechtheim Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany

2) Potato tagliatelle, chorizo, mushrooms

Vicchiomagio Madorle, Tuscany, Italy

3) European hake, gremolata, baked cabbage, white wine sauce

Havets bobbler, Rathfinny, Sussex, England

4) Lofast cheese, blackberry walnuts

Yohan Lardy le Vivier, Burgundy, France

5) Sea buckthorn ice cream, salted caramel, white chocolate

Bastor Lamontage Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

For drinks and to relax while taking in the view, there’s the 1893 bar. A great place for a mid-afternoon wine (or three) or after dinner cocktail (or coffee). The lounge-bar is on two storeys with plenty of seating. In the evenings, there was entertainment. In the daytime, there was just a really lovely, relaxed vibe – people chatting, reading, resting after being ashore.

Insider tip: ask for an Oslo Mule, the ship’s version of a Moscow Mule – it comes served with dehydrated orange slices, plus delicious freeze-dried and crystalised ginger shards.

Accommodation

There are several types of accommodation on board, ranging from inside and outside cabins to suites. I was staying in an Arctic Superior cabin on deck 4. It was just-off midship so a great position. The room was a good size with a double bed (but separate duvets and throws, which I loved). There was a kettle with tea and coffee facilities, which were always replenished when housekeeping came around, and a mini bar which was reasonably priced.

The en suite was a fairly standard size for a cruise ship, but the shower was nice and powerful! We were fortunate enough to look around some of the other room categories and there wasn’t too much difference between the outside rooms – the beds were just in different configurations. All the suites were occupied for this cruise, so we weren’t able to look around those.

Facilities on board

On board, there’s also a library, a silent lounge, a shop, gym and sauna. These facilities I didn’t use during the trip. There’s also an outdoor track, perfect for getting your steps in – especially if you don’t do much ashore. We ended up walking daily, for about 30 minutes without getting bored.

The coastal experience area is full of information and every day in port, you’d be able to pick up a map of the local area. These were great if you didn’t have an excursion booked, as the maps would tell you where the nearest shops, pharmacies, restaurants and cafes/bars are. There were also recommended walking routes – usually a loop – that you could embark on independently. The coastal experience team were so helpful and friendly – booking excursions and offering tips and advice. You could also listen to lectures on a variety of subjects.

And finally, the observation deck is the place to fully admire the scenery… and it’s where we saw the Northern Lights (on multiple occasions!). During the cruise, they were visible three times. I only saw them twice as I couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed one of the nights, but it was so magical – definitely bucket list experience!

Insider tip: turn the phone in your cabin on to hear announcements, as the team will alert you if a sighting is visible – and it could be in the middle of the night!

It really was a fantastic experience and an itinerary I would love to do again, as the northbound one is slightly different. You can also cruise it as a longer voyage in both directions.

Love, Lucy xx

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Cruise, Hurtigruten, Norway, Travel