Word of mouth from friends and positive reviews led to us taking this cruise. Knew it was not going to be a 'luxury' cruise and a working ship. The Hurtigruten booking staff were excellent to deal with online and will do other bookings e.g. rail and transfers etc. Embarkation and disembarkation done well. The scenery is stunning and seeing Northern Lights on 4 separate occasions makes it a fine 'bucket list' experience. However, from our perspective, the on board meals were very bland and the dining experience, especially on a full ship is not great and it can get crowded in the dining area at breakfast and buffet times. Norway is so expensive hence the ship prices are very dear to our standards which detracts from the experience but this was not a surprise. The mini-suite we had was fine and again what we expected. We did the return journey but,to be honest, the return leg was a bit boring as the same ports are revisited but it was relaxing if that's what you want. My average score would have been higher if the meals had been better and the prices on board not so prohibitive but my advice is to do it - as it is a good experience but not one for those who enjoy fine dining or a luxury cruise.