My woman and I had an excellent cruise in summer 2017 with MS Midnatsol to Norway's fjords, so we wanted to make another cruise to see the northern lights in Norway. It was sometimes adventurous and challenging, because the weather was more stormy than in many years before. So the agenda of some days had again to be scheduled. My compliments to our tourist guide and the hotel manager who cooperated very well and proved to be very skilful to convince us that an alteration was reasonable. Big storm force and heavy sea are undeniable arguments. Nevertheless we experienced a fine and unforgettable journey. To see the winter landscape around the Norwegian fjords is a monumental event. We also were well-informed when northern lights appeared. It's a good feeling to make such a cruise with an always reliable and polite staff. I have no criticism concerning the ship, our outside cabin, the dining and the service. The dining was opulent, and we enjoyed to have many choices. We had as much activities as we wanted, for we had the opportunity to listen to interesting presentations. We were fully pleased by the service of the staff, for example dirty bed clothes in the cabin were immediately changed. We like to read books and prefer them for our entertainment. So we often read in the panorama room. When we needed more books we found interesting fiction books in the Trollfjord library room. I only regret that some shore excursions and shore leaves were not possible. I think this is a fine cruise for adults, but not suitable for little children and not for people who want to have a cruise trip with much entertainment. Read Less

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. Read Less

I planned his travel with this old, but excellent Lady and her friendly and competent crew along Norway's coasts and the cities, to see the Northern Light an have fantastic meals an dinners, to meet new freinds on board. For deseased people this ship isn't a good idea: no lifts and many stairs! The whole crew incl. the captain and the officers are friendly an help to made all my wishes becomes true - and the weather was with us too! I planned my excursion by myself, but there are enough to book on board too. Maybe they could be less expensive sometimes for passengers with less money. The dining was excellent with a wide chooce meals and allways excellent and enough. There are many ports on the long coast of Norway we landed, but by all bigger cities we have a lot of time to explore the cities by ourselfes or with booked excursions. Thank you Hurtigruten! Read Less

We took this cruise because it offered the opportunity to see the Northern Lights which we did on several occasions. Without seeing the lights, my rating would have been lower. The ship through its announcement system (press the information button on your room phone when you want to hear the announcements) lets you know when the lights appear regardless of the time. Our cruise left a day late because of bad weather so the ship did not arrive in port until the day after we were scheduled to depart. As is only fair, the ship did put us up at a hotel and provide dinner and breakfast. Other than that, there was no additional compensation. Would have been classy to give each guest a small on board credit or even a free drink once on board. The ship is going in for a much needed refurbishment in January as while it has some amazing Art Deco details, the cabins and public areas are pretty tired. Hallway carpets are threadbare in places and the cabin carpets are very dirty. In the 10 nights we were on board the ship, our room was never vacuumed, The room itself was functional, we had an Arctic Superior cabin, but we definitely did not want to spend a great deal of time in it. There was a refrigerator and safe in the room which was handy. Glad we are not large people as we don’t know how someone of size would fit in the shower. We kept learning things that should have been explained when we first boarded like the card that is in the slot that turns on the cabin lights is also what you should insert in the door lock slot if you want your cabin serviced. We also learned that if you didn’t want the dinner meal that was being served a particular evening you could request a substitute (request by lunch that day.) The night’s menu is on the table during breakfast and lunch so you can decide if that one choice is what you want. Definitely suggest you substitute on the vegetarian night - the oat mushroom cake was like a hockey puck. We had read many positive comments about the food on the ship, but we found it more hit and miss, The roast salmon was wonderful as was the Arctic char. Fish was always super fresh and usually well prepared. The downside is that if you like your food served hot, you may want to lower your expectations, Regardless of which meal you were having, the food was always luke warm at best. Breakfast was the same every day with the exception that some days there were scrambled eggs in addition to the cold fried egg. Lunch was by far our favorite meal as there was frequently mussels on the buffet as well as different types of fish and fresh salad. If you are doing this journey in the winter definitely bring along add on cleats for your shoes. We learned that every trip someone breaks something slipping on the ice. It was true on our journey as well when someone broke an ankle. My advice would be to take a starboard cabin as the ship always docks (34 times during an 11 night journey) and people, goods and cars join the ship from the port side. While regardless of the side, you frequently feel the ship docking, the noise is much less on the starboard side. As others have said there is no entertainment on board, but we knew that going in. There were several lectures that were good as well as the daily review at 5pm many nights. Read Less

O.K. so if you opt for a cruise to Northern Norway at the end of November you've got to expect that the weather might be problematic and it was! This was not a great cruise experience and unfortunately this was not entirely due to the various storms and gales that we sailed through. To warn future searchers for the Northern Lights you should research the itinerary carefully. Technically we were in Narvik and Tromso for 2 days each but we left in the very early hours of the 2nd day in each place so less than 20hrs in each case would be the truth.Also luck was not with us. On safety grounds the captain took us to Narvik first ( we were scheduled to visit Tromso).  Narvik was cold,windy and very snowy and there were problems with Shuttle buses into town. It was walkable, in the right gear, but a 15 minute wait to get back on board in pretty poor conditions with no shelter I could have done without. The weather in Tromso, when we did arrive, meant that there was very little chance of seeing the Northern Lights. We had a chat with some local guides and they told us that all trips that evening had been cancelled as there was no chance of a sighting but to add insult to injury they said that on the day that we had originally been scheduled to be there, there had been a fine display. Boo! Also they were busy refunding the ship's passengers who had booked private tours. P&O clearly had better local knowledge, or worse ethics, than the locals as their Northern lights tours at nearly £100 a go, went ahead. I understand that they were unsuccessful. Due to the bad weather going back (as opposed to the bad weather going!) we missed Stavanger entirely, which resulted in 4 sea days before Southampton. We were o.k. as regards sea sickness and coped well with the movement of the ship. Also it didn't seem to affect our appetites but the decks and indoor swimming pool were all closed for most of the time and I must confess to a touch of 'cabin fever'. The ship creaked and groaned, various buckets appeared to catch the drips and there was a spectacular eruption in the floor of the Belvedere restaurant. The ship did show considerable signs of wear and tear. Our first cabin's balcony partition had to be wedged closed with a wooden peg and the emergency exit in the Meridian flew open spontaneously several times at Dinner. Coffee machines malfunctioned and various toilets were out of order. The ship was noisy as you would expect in stormy weather and some nights sleep was very difficult.So all this is pretty negative, but there are some positives. We were very impressed by most of the crew. Our cabin steward was superb, most of the waiters at dinner were friendly, efficient and helpful and the staff at reception were cheerful and effective. It was deemed necessary for us to move cabins and the move was well organised by various members of the crew. A problem in the dining room was dealt with in a most sensitive and professional manner. The captain kept us well informed as regards the weather and the itinerary changes but there were times when I felt that I was listening to Eeyore as regards his less than optimistic utterances. "We are all in this together' springs to mind.The food varied from the good to the excellent,the entertainment in the evenings was interesting, in a good way, although one Headliners show fell victim to the weather at the last minute. The lectures by John Maclean were most interesting.So there were some pluses.  However, back in Southampton the failure of the Airbridge caused disembarkation chaos.Sometimes you can't catch a break!  Read Less

Cruise Norway 26/11/19 What can I say, been on a good few P&O cruises and enjoyed them all even in bad weather and heavy seas but this one to Norway on Arcadia was bad. The cruise was advertised by Iglu as a 12 nighter with 4 stops two of those being overnight, good selling point, to us overnight means overnight so less time at sea but Iglu's overnight meant leaving port at 1 or 2 am so more time at sea not less. Itinerary clearly stated six sea days but with bad weather and not docking at Stavenger because of that weather, we spent 9 days at sea, no joke and not pleasant. Another selling point of this cruise was sailing down Romsdalsfjord where we hoped to take photographs, what they didn't say was we would be going through the fjord in pitch dark at night, (pointless). The weather was bad most of the trip, can't be helped no fault of P&O's, and most of the trip the Arcadia moaned, groaned and creaked day and night the noises she made were very unnerving and scary at times as I said above we've cruised in bad weather before but never had feeling of dread as on this ship the captains broadcasts were no help and never inspired confidence, prophet of doom, you know things are bad when people tell you they are afraidfor their lives indeed so afraid some abandoned Arcadia at Tromso to fly home at their own expense and many first time cruisers on board said they would never cruise again, we held our nerve and stuck it out. On a lesser note but very concerning the food was almost as rough as the weather and restaurant layout illogical. First day there I could find no individual yogurt pots instead P&O have gone down the money saving route and are now using large open tubs of different flavoured yogurt which you scoop from yourself, fine, until I saw a woman dipping her fingerin each tub of yogurt and tasting each in turn, disgusting, needless to say no yogurt for us on that trip no wonder you read of norovirus problems on Arcadia. I enjoy a sachet of brown sauce with breakfast, no more sachets, just bottles of HPwith crusty brown tops, lots of curry on board but if you prefer french fry's instead of rice with it you must queue again on the other side of restaurant while your main course go's cold, no real butter or cream served to go with a scone the list go,s on. As said, I have enjoyed P&O on past cruises and hope to do so in future but I doubt we'll go on this ship again the way the itinerary differed from that advertised I would class Arcadia a tramp steamer not a passenger liner, infactI would have to be press-ganged to board her again. Read Less

We chose this cruise to see the northern lights and to experience the winter darkness and both of these expectations were fully met. The views were wonderful, particularly when we sailed into the Trollfiord. The atmosphere was relaxed and food good, although we struggled with the buffet lunch and breakfast - not easy to find a table and food not hot. There was plenty of seating in the lounge areas and many talks to go to. Although it would have been nice to have someone playing the piano occasionally. The cabin was as expected although we struggled with hanging space, especially for coats. The beds were comfortable and the pull down bed surprisingly easy to use. We were near the back of the ship on deck 5 (cabin 587) and suffered considerable from engine noise and vibration. This caused disturbed nights as the whole cabin shook whenever we were entering and leaving the ports - which can be 4 or 5 times a night. The excursions were well organised although we were very confused beforehand as to which trips were available for our sailing date. I think we will have to go back in the summer though to see some of the views as with only an hour or even less of daylight I think we missed quite a bit. Drinks were very expensive - as we expected - but it would have been nice to have complimentary tea and coffee available in the lounge areas other than after dinner. Overall a very interesting cruise which was quite different from our previous cruise experiences. Read Less

The Ship is wonderful. The cabins are small but enough. The dining was extremely good. I can't say something about the excursions, because i was on tour with a broken arm and it was to dangerous for me to make excursions. So I was only on the ship. The excursions were to expensive for my opinion because they are short. The service was really good. I think I will do this tour again next year. The crew was very friendly and helpful. The cleaning was very good. The tour manager gave very interesting informations. The daily information about the tour is excellent. The landscape is wonderful, the weather was extremely good for November and the sea was not raff. I enyoued the tour very much and would do it again. I bought a very good book on bord about the tour. It was expensive but this is ok. So I can read all about the history of Norway and the tour. Sorry, my englisch is not so good. I hope you know what I mean. Read Less

Before the cruise we stayed in a Scandic hotel near the terminal of Hurtigruten. The embarkation went very smoothly and relaxed, no stress at all. You will receive good information before going on board. The ship was in Art Deco style and looks lovely. We had a cabin with a window and enough space for 2 people, 2 beds which could we turned into a cough. Enough space for clothes and your personnel stuff. Breakfast and lunch are buffet, enough to choose from, dinner sometimes buffet or 3 course menu. Good food, I do not like fish so much but tried it and it was good. We also had dinner in the a la carte restaurant and that was very good. On the ship the only entertainment is of the crew and the exploration team. Everyday there was a briefing with the highlights of the day and the highlights and temperature of the next day. The crew did the arctic passage and all funny things on deck with drinks to highlight the occasion. Ports are good, you could not from the ship in every harbor or you had to live there but were we went out it was good. Service on board is wonderful, very nice, kind people working on the ship. We did 8 excursions and they were excellent. There were people in the harbor to point out were you have to go, or in the reception when it was a small group. Sometime the exploration team did also the same tour to see if the tour was good and if alterations are needed. I traveled with my father and he liked also very much. After the cruise we stayed 2 more nights in lovely Bergen in the Scandic city Bergen hotel, also very nice people. Read Less

We haven't done a cruise before but have always wanted to do a "Small Ship" cruise as the thought of a 1,000+ ship fills us with horror! My father did this cruise 3 years ago & he is so fussy , so when he recommended it we knew it was a safe choice. The whole experience from booking to finish was professional & smooth. We stayed in Bergen for a couple of days before embarking, this was also organised for us by Hurtigruten, I would say to anyone considering this cruise to do the same. It added value to the whole holiday. Our cabin was an "Arctic Superior" & was exactly the right size, with a large comfortable bed, porthole ( a must) & ingenious storage. It was cleaned daily by a lovely lady called Gina. The restaurant with it's friendly staff & excellent choice of food daily was a delight to visit. Be warned... you may put on weight ! The staff were a constant delight & we were very sad to leave them. Christine, Gustav, Mathais, Pernilla & Tom were extra special going the added mile to make sure our dining was great. We went Dog Sledding & did a night trip on a Snowmobile over the mountains, both were expensive, but a once in a lifetime experience. Probably the only downside was the price of alcohol, but Norway is dear so we did expect this. However... our livers thanked us ! Read Less

We chose this cruise for the Itinerary. We have done 38 cruises with many different cruise lines but this was our first with P&O. From reading boards before hand I was lead to believe this was a slightly up market cruise, better than celebrity and Princess but more traditional like Cunard. Having been on many of these lines I thought I knew what to expect. Embarkation was good very smooth arrived an hour before our scheduled time and was on the ship within 15 mins. Cabin was a huge disappointment, we had chosen an inside on this cruise as due to the destination we knew we would get little use from a balcony and the cold through the window could be a problem. The cabin was very small we could not get around the side of the bed on one side as the desk was in the way and on the other side of the bed the wall came in about 6 inches. Storage was good but it was tired and outdated looking. The tea and coffee tray was never cleaned properly and the sheets were clean but stained. This has to be the worst cabin we have ever had. Food - Dining room food was good as was the service but the menus were for the most part foods I cook at home nothing very special. What we had was ok but not great. Buffet - The buffet was boring, same type of foods each day with perhaps one or two variations. There was very limited ethnic foods perhaps one curry etc. On the last night there were Tacos on the menu which consisted of taco shell, guacamole, cottage cheese, corn, tomato and cucumber but no sour cream, salsa, meat or cheese.....very odd. The biggest complaint of the buffet was that food was not removed when it became dry or curling so if you are going to use the buffet go early during the service or you will have dried out food. Bars - The crows nest coffee machine did not work at all, some the cocktails they did not have the ingredients for and did not go get them even though other bars had the ingredients. On the first day I thought it was because they had not restocked but as the days wore on when I asked for a cocktail from the menu I was met with "sorry we don't have the ingredients". Some of the draft beers were not available and no attempt was made to rectify the problem. Entertainment - This was very poor. Daytime we struggled to find something. However if you like quizzes there were lots of these. The guitar player was very good, the comedian was ok. The casino consisted of a few outdated machines, 2 roulette tables and two card tables. Overall this cruise line ranks at the bottom for us . We may try P&O again with a newer ship to a hotter destination but would not go on this ship again. The destination to see the Northern Lights in Norway was great and we saw what we went for but otherwise the cruise was disappointing. Read Less

Because there was a 2 4 1 that was not mentioned and cricketing legends. BOOKING I used a travel agent no sure i will again, would not post tickets unless i paid £10 and nothing from them after cruise or about any delay! Embarkation. I had no info about ant delay and just ;looked at where ship was and facebook and see there's a delay! I left later as it was a sunday no ferry running so had to walk from tilbury town. Arrived in time to see her arrive. Then a free coffee and found a seat she arrived 6pm got on around 7.30pm no gangway photos. Found my own way to my upgraded cabin. Dinner. HAD BUFFET DINNER LIFEBOAT DRILL After dinner had our lifeboat drill around 2230hrs,it said theatre so i did not bother with a jacket. Imagine my shock it was outside on the deck(i was very cold!) glad it did not take too long. Departure. WE left at 0030Hrs Restaurants. Buffet was too small and always crowded so had breakfast in restaurant quite good but no swiss muesli so had to have corn flakes,pretty good food. Dinner was pretty good with 6-7 on our table, pretty good food.got a bottle of wine free which i took to the restaurant and it lasted the whole cruise. Excursions. Only booked 2 excursions at kristiansand and oslo. WAR RELICS and the CANNON at K SANDand SHIP MUSEUMS IN OSLO both very good Cocktail party. Pretty good with snacks and drink. Captain was a bit hard to understand sometimes aas he was greek but pretty good. Disembarkation. Did walk off and then waited ages for the gravesend ferry to come. Read Less

We had a brilliant experience and were impressed with the overall quality of both the ship and its very helpful and friendly crew. The organisation of the cruise was very good with plenty of information available. The public rooms were comfortable and our cabin, an outside polar, was snug, but very warm and comfortable. The food was varied and of a very good standard , with our dietary requirements noted and catered for. Of course, the highlight of the cruise was the continuously passing stunning scenery. The many opportunities to go ashore and explore towns and small fishing communities was very much appreciated. To top it all off the wonderful northern lights came out to play on more than one night. The idea of a 'cruise' never really appealed to us but this more informal but still high quality experience met and surpassed our expectations. We would very highly recommend. Read Less

I chose the cruise as I wanted to see the Northern Lights and the Norwegian landscape during winter. I found the Hurtigruten cruise from an internet search. I appreciate that the Hurtigruten website provides detailed and accurate description of the cruise itinerary and cabin condition. The booking process was also a breeze. The cruise, as it turned out, was significantly above my expectation. Everything from the itinerary and excursions, to the expedition team & activities (including lectures-on-board), cabin condition, food-on-board and the crew made my holiday so memorable. I saw the Northern Lights on 4 nights (!); the Norwegian landscape with the sky lines / lights were like heaven-on-earth. I also appreciate the sustainability efforts of the Norwegian people and Hurtigruten itself. I am from Malaysia and this had been my 2nd trip to Norway. I look forward to travelling on a Hurtigruten ship on my next trip to the Antartica ! Read Less

I chose this cruise to time the Arctic Circle crossing with my birthday and I wanted to see the Northern Lights. I chose Hurtigruten after online research and would definitely travel with Hurtigruten again. The ship was incredibly comfortable and clean, the staff were very friendly and helpful and all spoke excellent English. The Expedition team were knowledgeable and very experienced in their roles, making the trip all the more enjoyable ams informative. The excursions were great, a wide variety of things to do, from hikes to bus trips to special events such as dogsledding and Viking feasts. As the ships are working ferries as well, it meant we all had little times to explore in many towns and ports on the route. The Northern Lights made an appearance on several nights and we even managed to get a sight of the mysterious Trollfjord. I do need to go back to see all the things I missed on this trip. Read Less

Cruised Norwegian fjords for my wife's 60th birthday. Everything was most enjoyable except for the cabin quality. We booked together with another couple for a cabin, with porthole/outside view, but may be restricted.We all paid the same price. Hurtigruten would not provide cabin location/quality until we boarded. Our cabin must have been the worst possible cabin, whilst our friends had a far superior cabin - but all for the same price. Hurtigruten need to be much more transparent with the level of cabin you may be allocated. Ours was at the the very most forward at the bow. The ship docked 3 times per night, on average, and we were awoken every time by the machinery for ropes etc. used when docking and disembarking. The engine noise was also much louder in our room than our friends, who never heard any noise during night when docking or embarking. Our porthole view was like looking out of a torpedo chute, our friends had a window with slight restriction of view due to the lifeboat. Our room was on deck 3, theirs deck 5. I would also say a lot, not all, of the excursions are somewhat overpriced and maybe with a lowering of costs they may attract a few more people. The hikes were fantastic and reasonable value for money but for some you had to be reasonable fit and able. The food was excellent quality with plenty of choice and copious amounts Alcohol expensive, but that is everywhere in Norway Staff were outstanding, nothing too much trouble. Apart from the above the rest of the cruise was most enjoyable but I would have trouble recommending it to others due to the above failings Read Less

This cruise and everything about our time in Norway was above and beyond all our expectations We had early unseasonal cold weather with snow which was wonderful for us as we come from a hot & sunny climate & never see snow and it turned everything into a fairyland. We chose Hurtigruten as we wanted to see as much of Norwegian life as possible and being on a "Ferry' stopping a little ports certainly did not disappoint us The excursions gave us a taste of the country and the lifestyle The crew were amazing. Friendly & efficient and because we were on board for the 11 night return trip they got to know our likes & dislikes which we appreciated The ship had about 390 passengers on board & apart from the odd meal time we honestly never felt like it was over crowded We spent 3 Nights in Bergen on our return which we also enjoyed Read Less

My husband and I took the 12 days Norwegian Coastal Voyage hoping to see the Northern Lights. I love the ship—it is just the right size, small but still comfortable. Our cabin 621, even with an obstructed view, was wonderful. You could actually see a little land, sea and sky. The bed was firm with a wonderful down comforter. A lot of storage space, including under the bed. The bathroom was more than adequate with a HEATED floor! The breakfast and lunch buffet had a lot of food—I just got tired of it after 12 days. Dinner was 3 courses with no choice unless you had a dietary concern. Some dinners were OK, others not so much. Wait and cabin staff were great. The daily talks about Norway (Sami, whale hunting, etc.) were very mechanical. We only took two excursions (no others appealed to us)—the fjord one had breathtaking scenery; the Icelandic pony ride was in the dark. I’m an experienced horsewoman and felt a little weird—take it only in daylight. You can usually get off the ship at least once a day for a little while and walk or take a “Hurtigruten” bus into town if you don’t take an excursion. However, on our bus ride into Kirkenes, the bus driver failed to pick us up and we started to run to the ship since we only had 15 minutes until departure. I flagged down a public bus driver who kindly drove us to the ship with only 3 minutes to spare. We were not happy. When we reported this, the excursion manager made light of it and defended the bus driver! We took the roundtrip cruise which gave us more time in the Arctic Circle; however, we would recommend that you take the northern bound one way as it did get a little boring. We only saw a meager show of Northern Lights since the weather was mostly overcast but Hurtigruten can’t control this. And they can’t control other overly pushy passengers—my only real complaint. Read Less

We arrived 2 days before the departure at Bergen to visit ourself the city from Paris (2 days are too long for visiting Bergen). The cruise was very confortable : Polar interior cabin was small but very cosy. Every meal was so good. We ate many local product : fishes, berrys, brown cheese, ... And sometimes we ate french pasteries on breakfast. All cruise's team was at our service for evething. They did everything to make sure a good cruise. During the cruise, many activities were organized on board : meetings on vikings's history or presentation of Sami people that I didn't know. We made only two excursion because they were expensive for us, but It was very interessting and well organisased. Guides speak english and german and we understood them well. At every long stops we visited cities by ourself and it was easy because ports was in the center of each cities. Read Less

The staff were very friendly and helpful. Oddgard at the reception desk was especially helpful. Every time we had a question, he found an answer. We wanted to rent bikes in a town, but he suggested we rent the ship bikes. Having only a limited time ashore, renting aboard allowed us to maximize our time. He helped us extend our trip aboard the ship. When it was time for us to disembark, he had excellent suggestions about the transporation, car rental and grocery shopping once we reached Tromso. We were so grateful for all his help. The overall ship and common places were very clean and staff were always attentive to clearing tables of the garbage and dirty dishes left behind by guests. I do wish the cafe offered their special of the day and soup options beyond 6pm. 6 pm is way too early to quit service of these food options, which by the way are some of the best value food options at the cafe. Read Less

I have been on 10 previous cruises with Princess, Royal, P&O, and found this a grade above. P&O are equitable to Princess, and RCCL are just too big, with too many options. You have a 10 minute walk to get anywhere. This is the advantage of a smaller but well resourced ship. Columbus at 1440 passengers is the largest in the CMV fleet, but still medium sized. It is not missing anything. Still bars, restaurants, pools, decks, entertainment etc... but all within a small distance. It still has 9 lifts on a smaller boat, so you never wait long for one to arrive. The restaurant is well laid out with private booths, like a modern family restaurant. Staff remember your name and after 2 nights, know your needs and preferences. They work hard at this. Without being too in your face, all staff are friendly, positive and extra mile people. Well recruited, and well trained. The Fjords were beautiful, visiting Eidfjord, Flam, and Bergen. The funicular railways, whilst not cheap, are excellent value for money and show you views you could not see otherwise, from powerful waterfalls to snow capped mountains, mountain villages, and deep valleys. Beautiful. Ship food was good, rooms (inner, with 4 guests) are fine, and on this occasion, entertainment was the best we have experienced in any ship (this was our 11th cruise) DJ King was utterly believable as Elvis, Roy G Hemmings was a great singer (if somewhat Narcissistic), and one of the earliest of the Drifters, with great girl backing singers one night, and male backing singers the second time, with the girls joining at the end - a truly memorable evening. And the 3 degrees? Magnificent, iconic,unforgettable. These ladies are genuine soul legends. The ‘soul legends theme’ cruise was an inspired idea, and we (myself, wife, sister, daughter) would definitely do it again. ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE!,, Read Less

My wife and I chose this cruise because we wanted to visit Amsterdam, Norway and Iceland. We were primed to go to Amsterdam, Norway and Iceland (the latter two for the first time). We are in our late 70's and this was perhaps our last chance to do this. We understand the elimination of the relevant ports doe safety reasons due to a hurricane. We do not understand why the port of La Havre was substituted in spite of the good weather in Amsterdam and why a La Havre was then bypassed in spite of good weather there. A Chinese tour group of 200 were given a refund. (Because of clout?). The Corporation's offer of a 25% discount on a future cruise, subject to our signing up with 2 years, was an insult, especially since very few of the 2200 passengers would probably have the means to take advantage and because the best way to compensate us would be to provide the discount on the this voyage. It shows bad faith and a primary interest to maintain profits. Why not simply give us the discount allowing for the company's break-even lever. We spent almost 6 days at sea on a very crowded ship + one port in Norway in which the entire town was shut down because it was off-season! We suffered greatly. Norwegian Cruise Line should not be making a profit off of us, period. Service by lower level employees--excellent. Attitude of management--very poor (a judgment made independent of the problems. Dining--good. Cabins--good. Ports and shores excursions--terrible. Activities were poor and slanted toward money grabbing (such as expensive bingo games with the ship getting a great portion of the prize money) and activities were generally poor. If your ad says “Save up to 80%,” why do you want to give us only 25% on the next cruise we sign up for? There was almost a riot on the ship. Google the New York Times article regarding the Iceland trip in September 2019 for a pretty good rundown, although there was so much more to the chaos. Read Less

I hadn’t been to any of the destinations on this cruise but the destination I was really excited about was Eidfjord, and I wasn’t disappointed. We flew to Bergen and were met by Viking representatives at baggage reclaim. As soon as our luggage appeared we were escorted to the waiting transfer minibus. As we arrived late afternoon we went straight up to our cabin after a very smooth check in and welcome glass of champagne. Our cases arrived a few minutes later with our cabin steward, who introduced himself and was very helpful and friendly throughout the cruise, as were all the ships company, from cleaners and maintenance engineers to the officers and entertainment team. Our cabin was a deluxe veranda, and very spacious and well equipped. The wardrobe was very roomy with extra hangers available from the cabin steward. All cabins have a balcony, which is not only great for early evening drinks, but also early morning sailing into port. We got up at 6 on the morning as we sailed into Stockholm, to see all the tiny islands. Spectacular! And it was wonderful in Eidfjord to be able to sit and relax with a drink in such a beautiful setting. There were several very gifted classical musicians on board who rotated around the public areas- pianist, guitarist and string duo. They provided a very pleasant atmosphere to relax in. A resident singing group performed in concerts in the theatre accompanied by the resident band , all excellent value. There are several restaurants which all provide a very high standard of service and a wide range of choices, with special menus to reflect the port being visited. I am vegetarian and there was always plenty of choice. Hygiene is very important on a ship, and there were wash basins and sanitisers at the entrance to the World Cafe, which is a buffet. The toilets around the ship were spotless and were checked very regularly. Handrails were also often cleaned during the day and I felt that the standard of cleanliness at all times, throughout the ship, was extremely high. The public areas of the ship never felt overcrowded- never any need to reserve a lounger in the pool area! Although most of the passengers were of an age, there was plenty to appeal to the younger end of the range including the gym, a wonderful spa and range of entertainment. We were very lucky to have such good weather throughout our cruise. It was only raining on the last couple of days, and even then we managed to dodge the showers on our shore excursions. As local guides were employed by Viking, it was fascinating to hear their personal experiences as well as learning so much about our destinations. We had a wonderful holiday and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in experiencing interesting places in an inspiring setting , and not to those expecting entertainment 24/7. Read Less

Chose a junior suite for our trip around the Fjords. The weather and ports were faultless - For that reason we are glad we went. This ship and staff - appalling. Self service at best No service at worse OR indeed - glasses stomped down on bar Barmen swearing and indeed backchat in their own language And just so boring.. Missed the buzzers and bells of a big ship The officers never acknowledge you - walked by head down - In twenty years of cruising I have seldom met such a rude crew Cabin steward was first class - as always - the workforce are the best - but unfortunately are lead by a dreary Captain who is well past his Best Before Date. Music and entertainment ... think 1980s Hi-De-Hi level. Nice Gin Bar spoiled by being adjacent to an open doorway on to the smoking area, As a non smoker (and yes, reformed ex smoker) I found it such a shame as it was the one nice bar I enjoyed, and could get a decent drink Premium all inclusive was good for quality drinks (when you could find one) and canned drinks + water. Dining - forget it - worst ever - options very limited I would not repeat Marella and after twenty years of cruising it takes a lot to deter me from not giving something another try Final straw in debarkation - complete and absolute shambles - Alongside P&O .. (even worse dare I say it?) Booked Norwegian for 2020 - they value their guests and their ships are real ships - not dated old boats which were retired by decent lines long ago.. Like their ships.. Marella is history for me! Read Less

Just back from Fjords on the first day of our cruise my husband had his Jacket stolen from the top deck so we were down at reception every day to see if anyone had handed in a jacket the reception staff were anything but helpful just said come down later so every day we went down to reception they said the staff wouldn't take it someone did also my house key was in the secret pocket .so wasnt impressed with the help we got . Also the cabin was for four and the beds jutted out so not impressed I'm a first time cruiser the food was good in the market place it was busy in the morning but at night wasnt impressed the staff were nice and the cabin staff were lovely entertainment was ok we done three excursions expensive but good The Fjords were beautiful the weather was amazing don't know if I would do it again maybe choose another cabin . Didn't expect thieves on ship either . Read Less