Roald Amundsen Review
Very Disappointed - Will Never Sail on Roald Amundsen Again
Rating by category
Additional details
We have sailed on Hurtigruten’s ms Fram twice. Of the many cruises we have been on, when asked, we always say that our Antarctica trip on Hurtigruten’s Fram was the best by far. What a disappointment then to sail on the Roald Amundsen. This was a totally unsatisfactory expedition. There are too many passengers for it to operate as an expedition ship. We were told by Tudor Morgan, Expedition Leader, that these new 500 passenger ships were designed to provide “soft” expeditions – less active, slower paced. But there is nothing in the literature, brochures or website that indicates that there is a difference in expeditions. We expected the Roald Amundsen to operate as the Fram does with the possibility of multiple landings in a day and lots of lectures and movies.
The Roald Amundsen is a beautiful ship. It is state-of-the-art but it was not ready for cruising. This was stated by Tudor and by the Captain of the ship. Consequently, many things were not working yet or not working correctly. The hand rails look very stylish. However, you cannot actually hold on to them because the rounded wood part sits atop a metal piece that is sharp when you grab ahold of it.
Our departure from Iceland (we booked back-to-back cruises starting in Iceland and ending in Nome, Alaska) was delayed a day and a port cancelled due to an U.S. Coast Guard inspection that had been scheduled prior to the ship being ready but had to take place prior to sailing into Canada and the U.S.
Cabin Review
Cabins: We were very satisfied with the size of our cabin. We had two very comfortable chairs, a desk and chair and lots of storage. However, the ceiling vent fans affecting the A/C cannot keep up with the demand. If your room is on the sunny side and the lights are on for a while, the room becomes VERY hot and it takes two days for it to cool down. This was our experience the day we boarded the ship. We asked Engineering to come make sure the fan was working. Engineering told us that the cabins were installed with very small fans and they know that this is a problem. Because the fans are so small there is no airflow and the rooms become very stuffy.
There was no clock in the room – the time on the TV and phone was incorrect.
The cabins have boot dryers in one of the closets. But we didn’t know what they were until we asked our room steward. He did not know how they worked.