We chose this cruise because we wanted to travel up the coast of Norway to the Arctic Circle and experience the natural beauty of such a voyage. We knew that Hurtigruten wasn't a typical "luxury" cruise company, despite the high, price, but were willing to make that trade-off for the hiking and other "adventures" available along the way. The headline is: We are glad we did this and would do it again, but would probably choose the 7-day excursion, not the 12-day version. The natural beauty is beyond words.

Prior to embarkation we spent two days in Bergen. Despite the summer crowds, we enjoyed this small city with its many fine restaurants, beautiful parks and its colorful Hanseatic wooden housing restoration, among other things.

Embarkation was smooth and seamless. However, when we arrived at the port, we noticed that we were among the younger passengers. We are in our early 60s! Again, we chose this cruise specifically for the hiking and other adventures. When I first arrived, I found I was the only one onboard to have purchased the hiking pass! Obviously, this is not Hurtigruten's "fault," but I'm just suggesting that you need to be prepared to be surrounded by many older people. If you think of the population along a bell curve, the peak of the curve is probably around 70, with many in their late 70s and 80s, many in their late 50s and 60s, a few under 50 and a few over 90. Read more