Hurtigruten Polarlys Cruise Reviews for Senior Cruises to Arctic

I thought the classic round trip would give me the best opportunity to see the Northern lights. Overall the trip exceeded my expectations. The ship was very good and run in an efficient way. The staff were very hardworking, particularly the restaurant waiter service. Their language skills & friendly service were excellent. I cannot fault the choice and standard of food. Yes the excursions ...

We chose this cruise because we wanted to see the northern lights. We saw the northern lights but so much more. The scenery was spectacular, the weather was kind to us. The crew could not have been more helpful. they were efficient, polite and friendly. They seemed to genuinely enjoy their work. In general the service was excellent. There was a good choice of activities on board but plenty of time ...

Wanted to see Northern Lights - Hurtigruten recommended by friends, and YES we did see the lights for several nights. But, be aware, the lights do not look bright green. Often they are no more than white cloud. Only when you photograph the sky do you capture the green colour. It is very exciting when you get your first green images! Polarlys is an expedition boat so has an expedition team ...

Norwegian airways flew us to Oslo from Gatwick, comparable to other European low cost airlines. Over night in the Radisson Blu good and the hotel is practically on the airport apron, a five minute walk, as well as the railway station to get to Oslo. We arrived early afternoon so opted to take to 125 mph train into Oslo, well worth the extra cost, even though you only save 5 minutes on the standard ...

As a group of friends who had always wanted to see the northern lights this cruise sounded perfect (free cruise if they don't appear and so on). None of us had ever cruised on any ship before. We heard feed back from fellow travellers and via reviews on this site about small cabins, lack of entertainment etc. But without a benchmark we didn't have any expectations. The cabins are snug it's true ...

If you are an 'occasional' cruiser and prefer the smaller ships and more personal service, this may be for you. Hurtigruten ships fit into the small ship category and we were lucky enough to benefit from the recent new fit-out of The Polarlys, our home for the round trip of 12 days. One mustn't forget this is a 'working' ship with multiple stops to deliver and take on people, cars, food, ...