This cruise was my fourth Hurtigruten experience, the first two having been the traditional Hurtigruten round trip between Bergen and Kirkenes (near the Soviet border) and back. The third was a one-way coastal voyage to Kirkenes in the 1990s followed by a side visit to the Sami people in northern Finland. My wife and I had been attracted to another fjord-type holiday for some time and selected the small ship (less than 1000 passengers by our definition)12-night Alaska cruise. But sadly my wife passed away in March 2019 and the pandemic caused two postponements before the cruise began in May 2022, with me as a solo traveller.

My first impression of the MS Roald Amundsen was how well its interior design, decor and fitments had been thought through. the passenger accommodation decks were 4,5 and 7-10 and my deck 7 aft cabin was spacious, very well-appointed and included a balcony with a table and two stylish metal chairs to sit on and watch the fjords glide by.

The main restaurant was on Deck 6, the same deck that housed the Guest Reception, a well-stocked shop, and an area where the Expedition crew (as opposed to the normal crew) held their talks, conducted their microscope demonstrations and showed off their geological and marine life specimens. For those disinclined to become involved in these activities there were three jacuzzi pools on Deck 10 and areas on deck or in a lounge to just sit down with a favourite drink and watch this incredible world go by. Read more