We would not have chosen to cruise Norway in the winter but we were travelling with friends who had done this cruise before and were anxious to do it again. The experience was amazing. You would be disappointed if you were expecting the glitz and glamour of a cruise ship. This is very much a working vessel designed to take and pick up passengers and goods along the Norwegian coast. There is very little in the way of entertainment but lots of great lectures and information about ports of call along the way. We were blessed to have Giske, one of the expedition team, who had a beautiful voice and often played the piano and sang in the lounge after dinner. Our cabin was 350 which was very comfortable and being midships quite stable in the few days that we had rough seas. Meals were delicious. The buffet breakfast and lunch had plenty of choice. Dinner was a set menu most nights and apart from the one night when everyone got vegetarian seemed to be enjoyed by all. It was interesting reading about the dishes in the menu each day. Our cruise was over Christmas and Hurtigruten did Christmas beautifully. We enjoyed learning about Norwegian traditions and trying to sing the Norwegian carols. We didn't see the Northern Lights but that didn't worry us unduly.