Last December we went with Hurtigruten on a Norwegian cruise to see the Northern Lights. We had recently been to Norway with Saga, so it was interesting to make comparisons.

We booked directly with Hurtigruten in the UK, whereas other passengers booked through a travel agent for the same price. As we were to experience, Hurtigruten certainly know how to operate ships, but we found their UK travel agency skills to be poor. One example of this was their excursion booking. The Norwegian excursion brochure was sent to us several weeks later than promised and it included pages referring to excursions in Holland! We booked a couple of quite expensive excursions to ensure we weren't disappointed, which we had to pay for immediately. Shortly before the cruise, I phoned Hurtigruten to ask about the dress code for one of the excursions, to be told that it had been cancelled several weeks earlier, but no one had bothered to tell us. It was getting late for us to find an alternative. Others, who waited until they got to Norway, had great difficulty in organising an alternative.

While Hurtigruten arranged our Jet2 flight from Gatwick to Tromso, which was convenient, their 737 must have been the most basic in the Boeing catalogue and you have to pay for any meals and drinks! At Gatwick the Hurtigruten welcoming staff hardly seemed to notice us, but once in Norway, everything was well-coordinated with punctual and efficient transfers. Read more