I chose this cruise because of the Northern Lights Astronomy Voyage theme. I am very satisfied with the lectures and viewings organized by Dr John Mason and Inger Carter and I would highly recommend their program.

However, Hurtigruten really fell through on there responsibility to provide services during the voyage. The cruise ship was obviously under-staffed as confirmed by personnel that I questioned - word was that the ship was fully booked with passengers, but only 1/3 of necessary staff were hired - shame on Hurtigruten.

The dining room was a mess. Many times there were no empty tables and I had to sit at tables with other people's dirty dishes. Many times I was not even acknowledged by waiters or offered water/drinks. Breakfast was boring and redundant by the 3rd day - the eggs were terrible and minimal bacon. The lines at the one coffee machine and the one cook-your-own pancakes/waffles grill were outrageous. Read more