Hurtigruten

Gay & Lesbian Cruises

Senior Cruises

Fitness Cruises

Bergen

Europe - All

Baltic Sea

Norwegian Fjords

Norway

Europe - British Isles & Western

Arctic

Terrible

Very Good

Fram

Spitsbergen

Roald Amundsen

Polarlys

Maud

Otto Sverdrup

Nordlys

Richard With

Nordnorge

Trollfjord

Fridtjof Nansen

Nordkapp

Vesteralen

Nordstjernen

Kong Harald

Halifax

My first trip on the Vesteralen was great. Beautiful scenery, northern lights, cute villages and nice people in a quiet atmosphere.  The interior of the ship is simplel and dated (or vintage depending on your point of view). But cosey and there was enough place everywhere to sit (as we were in low season). The food was good to excellent, with a large variety of choice. Water was included in all meals. Coffee and tea is included only for breakfast and lunch, count on paying around 4-5 euro's for a cup. This seems much but I had some coffees in several towns and the prices there are the same. Norway is in that sense expensive. This is also true for any food and souvenirs (on or off the ship). 

The excursions to Nord kapp and the husky slee ride are really nice. The town trips can also easily be done on your own in all places, if you are able to walk well. Take into account that in winter it is quite slippery in most places. You can easily book on board. We cancelled a trip once and got all money reimbursed, no problem. Staff was very friendly. The experience of a working ship was nice too.

This trip is excellent for people that do not like big crowds, that like simplicity rather than luxury, and the feeling of being on a real ship (instead of a floating hotel). If you think the scenery and occational chat with other travelers is enough entertainment and you can manage dark or bad weather moments by reading or doing any other activity by yourself than you will love this for sure.

If you need lots of entertainment, Tv in your room and luxurous cabins, please reconsider.

Great Experience

This cruise was one of the worst experiences of my life.  I never felt so un-welcomed and isolated in my life. The cruise itself was great. The scenery was awesome. The relaxing atmosphere was wonderful. The other tourists on the boat were friendly.  The staff, however, were a nightmare. Particularly one of the receptionists and the cruise director.

I took the 7- day cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes this past July 2015. By the fourth night I was crying every night. I traveled alone and this was my first cruise. When I asked questions I left feeling terrible. Getting answers to questions like, “What are the check out procedures for tomorrow?” or “Do I need to show my receipt for the excursions I booked?” were a battle. The crew spoke perfect English, but getting answers…My words were often played with, twisted so that the answer I got didn’t answer my question. I was spoken to very condescendingly. No matter how much I would re-phrase my simple question, it ended up being a game of words. Exhausting. I also got answers given in a smart-aleck way. Also not answering my question directly, but I understood the answer. I tried to laugh the smart-aleck answers off, but after a couple days of this they began to feel insulting. It felt horrible.

Please make sure you are clear with the boarding and docking times. They WILL leave you, as they did me. I was a single woman left stranded in Alesund, a foreign country, with no money, id, or phone. Just my camera. My plan was just to walk off the boat and take pictures for a few minutes and get back on the boat. As this was my first docking experience, I did not want to get left. Didn’t want to take any chances. 

I think I was still jet lagged from my flight from the US because on that day I took a long nap in the mid afternoon. I woke up close to 7p.m. I noticed we were docked so I grabbed my camera. I went to reception to ask about getting on and off the boat. I made a light joke about the importance of being back on the boat on time. I saw the time of 19:00 posted at the exit. “Ok,” I thought. “We just docked so I definitely have time to take a few quick pictures.” I spent about 15 minutes off the boat. When I came back the boat was gone!  It was my misunderstanding about the timing. 19:00 was the time the boat was to leave, not arrive! But it would have been nice if the receptionist told me that, instead of watching me walk off the boat at 19:00. The person who scanned out my cruise card could have said something like, “Hey, where are you going? We are getting ready to leave.”

I paid about $350 for a cab and ferry ride to catch up to the boat at their next stop. I was mortified, but the staff didn’t make it any easier. I was determined to enjoy this cruise since I paid so much money for it. Everything was lovely except that the staff wore me down by the fourth day.  I paid for two excursions that I did not go on. One was the day after I got left on the boat. I was still so horrified about getting left, I was scared to get off the boat again! The other one was viewing the Russian border. Because of my flight arrangements, leaving at noon, I was not able to go on that excursion. No refunds…

Getting off that boat at Kirkenes  to go home was like getting out of jail. 

My Norwegian friend said that their behavior was probably due to racism or the fact that I'm American. Who really knows?

If you must go, don’t go alone. And if my friend is correct, especially is you are a person of color or an American.

Great cruise, horrible staff

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