COVER STORY
ADVENTURE CRUISING
The Norwegian
Way
Norway’s
Hurtigruten
has been
called ‘The
most beautiful
cruise in the
World.’ After
trying it out,
Steve Newman
thinks it comes
pretty close
18
WORLD OF CRUISING I Autumn 2010
T
he Hurtigruten experience starts at 2,000
feet. As you approach your chosen airport,
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2"$4'2$.$&3'+$"6$25'$9.*0)-./';$D5'$)53/)$+'.&'$ !
Autumn 2010 I WORLD OF CRUISING
19
ADVENTURE CRUISING
COVER STORY
A DINING DELIGHT
The cuisine on board was extremely good. Breakfast is open sitting
and consisted of a vast selection of
traditional Scandinavian cheeses,
sliced hams, cereals and yoghurts,
with cooked local dishes such as
mushroom and bacon served on a
fried egg.
Lunch again is open sitting, with a
buffet table of a variety of hot and
cold dishes Scandinavian style. Dinner
is a three-course set meal (no choice
of menu) served at an allocated
table. The meal changes every day
and it was of the highest standard.
Kystein Valle has been a chef on
the Hurtigruten for 38 years and has
a love of Norwegian cooking.
He explained: “We try to source all
our food locally. Menu items such as
reindeer, cod roe, king crab, salmon
and traditional Scandinavian breads
and cloudberries are good examples of this.”
The dining room is large and
spacious with full, double-length
windows along three sides that not
only allow the evening light to flow
in but also give you exemplary
views of the snow-capped
mountains as you sail along.
You are allocated set places for
the evening meal but, as the trip
continued, many people switched
tables on various nights to be with
people they had met.
The Maitre D’ was highly obliging
and, as a long as notice was given
before the start of the meal, there
was no trouble whatsoever.
Alternative dining is limited to a
small café, however, and drinks
can be a bit pricey.
54
WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2010
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Hurtigruten are one
of the most
dedicated operators when it comes
to preserving the
environment.
Everywhere you
go on the ship there
are four brightlycoloured recycling
containers, one
each for plastic,
metal, paper and
glass.
These are kept in
a hold and stored
until being properly
disposed of at the
end of the voyage.
All black and
grey water is also
stored on board
and fresh water is
brought on from
ports of call.
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Autumn 2010 I WORLD OF CRUISING
21
ADVENTURE CRUISING
COVER STORY
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22
WORLD OF CRUISING I Autumn 2010
FACT FILE
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten’s six ‘New’ ships are surprisingly stylish but the older two are rather
more basic. The three Millenium-class vessels all boast some lovely rooms. The
Nordlys – one of the New class – has a range of eight cabin styles, from 2-room
suites to twin berths where one berth converts into a sofa. There are three cabins
for disabled travellers. The company also has specialist ships that offer cruises to
Spitsbergen, Greenland and the Antarctic. European cruises looking at the
maritime and cultural heritage are available.
MV Nordlwys
Passengers:
691
Built:
1994
Berths:
475
Tonnage:
11,204
Car Capacity:
45
Length:
403ft
Decks:
6
Beam:
64ft
Speed:
15 knots
More info: The typical seven-day Voyage North, visiting 34 ports, starts from
around £634 per person. In the UK, call 0844 448 7654 or visit www.hurtigruten.
co.uk. In the US, call 1800 323 7436 or visit www.hurtigruten.us.
With your travel documents you also get a superb 200-page A5 booklet that tells
you all about the cruise and what you can expect to see in wonderful detail.
Autumn 2010 I WORLD OF CRUISING
23