The 50 shades of fog tour. Weather isn't their responsibility, but this seemed poorly handled by the "Expedition Team". Long faces and short tempers won't work when you operate God's floating waiting room. The guests were senior and were BOUND to need assistance. Doreen and the teaml got shirty and hostile with folk who struggled with Hurtigruten processes, or when they themselves made mistakes. The only member of the team that remained professional was Pietr. I think the other ladies are underpaid or overworked. Annette explained to us that an email would be sent to us by Hurtigruten seeking feedback, but that if we had negative views we should delete the email... hence this independent review here.

This trip is EXPENSIVE, especially as Hurtigruten excursions cost 3 or 4 times more than the same trip available online with a local provider. The e- bike tours are great and the walks are great (if its not raining as it did most days). I believe competitors are on the horizon and I think this may be the wake up call Hurtigruten need.

Booked a Fjord cruise from Bergen to Tromso which departed in July 2026. The Polarlys in our view is no better than a ferry boat. We will not use Hurtigruten for a cruise again. If you do not take any of the meal packages then our advice is to avoid this company at all costs. The itinerary is primarily designed to make sure you are not able to take off-boat meals or do shopping at the many short stops. The 3 course meal restaurant was fully booked and we could not get a seat when we tried twice. There are many stops but many are for 15 minutes or less as this a mail boat. We found the front panorama lounge was always busy with window chairs often unofficially reserved, a bit like towels on a sun lounger but with books or knitting. On the cruise we went on, at peak times there were more passengers than seats or tables as they took on passengers regularly. Our advice is to take knitting or sewing or cards or board games to while away the many hours while not looking at the superb scenery. Our cabin was just the same as a ferry.

As a local resident in Northern Norway, I rely on the coastal ferry as essential infrastructure due to the lack of other transport options. However, the way Hurtigruten exploits and treats port-to-port travelers is a complete disgrace.
My journey lasted 23 hours and 15 minutes. Because the trip exceeds 23 hours, a cabin is mandatory. The online price was over £267, but I managed to save £153 by waiting to buy it on board.
That is where any positive experience ended.Here are the reality-check facts from this trip: Gross overpricing: £29.40 for a basic breakfast and coffee. Dinner costs nearly double that i assume (£35-40) with no other available offer.
They shamelessly exploit the fact that passengers are trapped on board.Invasion of privacy: While docked in Honningsvåg, I went to take a shower. Someone knocked, and I yelled clearly, "NOT ready, wait!". They ignored this, unlocked my door, and barged right in to tell me to get out. Zero respect for basic privacy or manners.
Hidden luxury fees: The ship operates under standard hotel checkout rules. You must vacate the cabin by 12:00 PM, even if your paid journey lasts over 23 hours! Make note, i am forced to buy a cabin if trip last over 23 hours anyways.
To keep my cabin until my actual arrival at 10:00 PM, reception demanded an extra £7.60 per hour. That adds £76.40 in pure extortion for a cabin I already paid for to cover my journey (Hurtigruten forces cabin).
This is not hospitality; it is the financial exploitation of captive local commuters who have no other choice. Charging hourly rates for a cabin on a moving transit ship, price-gouging on basic food, and staff barging in while you are undressed is utterly unacceptable.
Avoid them at all costs if you wish to meet locals who loves this journey, it has become a necessary evil for locals now, i urge you seek any alternative.
Enjoy the worlds most beautiful sea voyage, but look out for angry locals.

From booking to completion of voyage we had no problems. Lots of information about the cruise and what to expect. It is not a normal cruise the ship is a coastal ferry and I think negative reviewers forget this. It is very informal. The food was excellent and the guides on board very helpful. the accommodation is just what you get on a ferry. We had a superior polar cabin which meant we have a big window which was great for scenery watching. It cold in Norway even in summer so few opportunities to sit on deck. All staff very professional and helpful. Most of passengers where Scandinavian and German very few from UK.
Announcements in Norwegian English German and Finish.
Read all the small print carefully take plenty of warm clothes and sit back and enjoy the ride. We did not do any of the excursions as they were far too expensive and not very good. Most only a few hours long. Enough time to get off and explore two ports a day with one long and one short stop. Maps provided by the ship and a "gathering" each day to explain about the history, scenery and ports. I have not given five stars because of cost of excursions and also the Explorer lounge was quite unpleasant with passengers hoggin seats.. not deckchairs!!
A once in a lifetime trip 12 days was plenty to see everything. We had rough weather one day and night so be prepared for this it is usual.

Next time I do a harbour-to-harbour route it will be with their competitor Havila.

Why? Hurtigruten make you sign up to their mailing list if you want wifi, but then it's impossible to unsubscribe years later ... every time you click on Meld deg av her it says you're unsubscribed but the emails come back a month later...

Attempts to contact them on their privacy email (dpo or privacy at hurtigruten.com) bounce.

This is illegal in Norway and the EU. If regulators would like to prosecute, please contact me via Trustpilot as I'd be very happy to be a witness in your court action.

We travelled from Bergen to Svolvær aboard MS Nordlys on 2 May 2026, and unfortunately the experience was disappointing due to poor communication and avoidable additional costs.

When booking through the Melbourne office, we were led to believe we would retain access to our cabins until 21:00 on arrival day in Svolvær. At no stage were we informed that cabins had to be vacated at 12:00 — nine hours earlier than expected. We were then asked to pay an additional NOK 1,100 per person to keep cabin access, which felt unreasonable given the lack of prior notice.

Our original cabins (361 and 363, aft) were also extremely problematic. Throughout the night, loud banging and severe shuddering noises occurred at every port stop, making sleep almost impossible. What was particularly frustrating was that staff later acknowledged these cabins are well known for noise complaints. Despite this, no warning or alternative was offered at booking or check-in, even though quieter cabins were apparently available. We ultimately had to pay extra simply to get a decent night’s sleep.

Overall, the lack of transparency and poor communication significantly affected our trip. We felt misled, inconvenienced, and burdened with unnecessary extra expenses for issues that could easily have been addressed in advance.

Based on this experience, we would not recommend Hurtigruten due to the poor communication and lack of consideration shown to passengers.

Sadly, this very expensive trip (it would be misleading to call it a cruise) did not live up to the expectations gained from their site.
We were on the Polarlys, a very old ferry boat. We aware, there is a world of difference in the construction of a cruise ship and the older, as this one was, ferries. The vibration was terrible, and I seemed to be aware of it from deck 6, middle of ship and on deck 7 in the lounge. This vibration was much worse when the ship had to navigate in and out of the 30+ ports it serviced, day and night. If you value your sleep, in any vessel, make sure it’s a fairly new design model.
The check in process was terrible. Queued to get luggage accepted, then went to welcome lounge, only to be summoned again to queue for over an hour to see the same people to get our room key. Most of the passengers were well on in years, like me, who after a very long journey to get to this stage, found this waiting around very gruelling. (There were a small number of seats, but you would have lost your place if you used them). Problem could so easily be resolved/reduced by issuing coloured tickets, eg red, blue, yellow, in manageable quantities on initial check in, in manageable numbers for check in staff to cope with. Call blue, deal with that batch, then red, etc. No lengthy, painful standing around.
I was expecting some information about the history and things not to be missed on the many placed we visited. However the expedition leaders were really there to promote their extremely expensive tours. Most of the places we visited allowed only an extremely short time ashore, so opportunities to really benefit from visiting places like Trondheim, were limited.
I had been on a Fred Olsen cruise that went up to Alta, which has left me with excellent memories of that holiday.
This is a long review, but I feel I should warn prospective customers as to what they are getting. Yes, the scenery is wonderful, but most ports are modern newly built 1960+ creations. The food was good, especially the fish. The à la carte meal we treated ourselves to was excellent, best meal we have ever had.
If you go, choose Bergen to Kirkenes, one way, that is the best of the trip.

Booked with Hurtigruten (they have people you can talk to to choose cabins etc)direct not through an agent got great service and loads of useful info for the trip unlike several passengers who used travel agents. All travel,the ship, the food and the staff all superb. 1 excursion cancelled due to an early spring + no snow for the husky dog sled refunded automatically. Amazing trip

We disembarked from MS Trollfjord in Oslo on Friday 10th April 2026, having thoroughly enjoyed the 2 week North Cape Signature Voyage.

Booking and pre-trip administrative team and customer care:
From start to finish, everyone was helpful, polite, friendly and knowledgeable. They were patient with all our questions and when we misunderstood aspects of or bookings, they were patient and kind in their handling of our queries.

Home-from-Home:
Every Hurtigruten employee that we met was kind, friendly and clearly wanted to put us at our ease. They did all that they reasonably could to make our stay relaxed, whilst at the same time making the entire experience phenomenal.

Activities and communication:
When we embarked on the journey, the timely delivery of information and communication was excellent. It would have been easy to overwhelm us with all we needed to know. However, the information that was provided was appropriate and enough at every point of delivery. In addition, we felt no pressure at all and felt free to make decisions with regard to engaging with excursions, lectures, fun events and daily gatherings. This helped us feel well cared for and to have a sense that our experience was truly tailored to our own preferences and needs.

Food and beverages
This aspect of our stay was simply incredible. The consistent kindness and attention to detail whilst maintaining a relaxed atmosphere was exceptional and the food was outstanding. We also dined in Brasserie Árran and in Flora and we were truly impressed by the quality of food and service we experienced there too.

We could go on at length, but we won't. Nothing is absolutely perfect, but this trip was perfect for us.

Hurtigruten not only changed our outside cabin to an inside cabin, but changed our ship to one with a lot less facilities than the one we booked. They neglected to inform us of this change until we went to check in on the day of departure!
We then had to pay an additional cost to "upgrade" our inside cabin to an outside cabin - although we had already paid for an outside cabin on our booking!
They then failed to inform us that the ship was not going to stop at Svolvaer due to bad weather - we only found out by going to an expedition meeting.
They could not offer us any alternative arrangements to get us to Svolvaer to connect with our onward travel plans, so we had to get off at Bodo and make our own way back to Oslo, losing our onward travel arrangements from Svolvaer and incurring the additional costs of the new travel arrangements from Bodo.
For all of the above changes/inconvenience/costs we were offered £257.50!
They completely ruined what was supposed to be a special holiday for us......I would avoid using this company at all costs!
This is the fault of the company not the staff on board

INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED by Hurtigruten customer service : they FULLY let us down at our stopover.
We booked with my wife a cruise from Tromso down to Bergen with a 2 nights stopover at Svolvaer (this with a ship change). We made it without issue to Svolvaer - unfortunately - a storm was predicted for the day of our departure from our stopover in Svolvaer and Hurtigraten decided 1 day before to cancel the boat stop and send us an email to offer us to board instead at Harstad; which is fully understandable given the weather constraints.
HOWEVER when we warned the company that we may not be able to go by road from Svolvaer to Harstad due to the same storm issue but that they could take us to Harstad with one of their other boat going northbound they ask us to pay for it !!!! This is already very frustrating that we had to come up by ourselves with this solution (they did not at all offer it before) but this is incredibly frustrating that they asked us to pay additional tickets just to take one of their other boat to catch ours du to their cancellation ... despite the fact that it would have cost them nothing !! (We were cancelling our hotel and ready to take the boat by night without any cabin but they still wanted us to pay just to be onboard !) : SHAME on YOU HURTIGRUTEN !!! Worst customer service I ever seen in my life !!!!

See below the letter i wrote to the company after our trip at Christmas. I was hoping for an acknowledgement of how poorly they had treated their customers, which would give you some hope they might do things differently in future, but there was no reply, instead they gave £150 to each person affected. Not impressed at all.

Dear Sir/Madam

My daughter and I had a very enjoyable few days on Polarlys from 21-26 December, until that is, our journey was cut short due to bad weather.

This meant that we were unable to sail, as planned, to Kirkenes. The solution was to send the 52 guests due to leave the ship at Kirkenes on an overnight bus from Alta to Kirkenes, a journey of 8-9 hours in a bus totally unequipped for overnight journeys, no reclining seats, no pillows, no blankets despite the extreme cold, no hot drinks, nothing.

I accept and respect the decision to change plans, I also respect and appreciate how well the staff handled the situation on the ground. I understand that the situation was difficult and that the overnight bus journey represented a logical and quite elegant solution in which we would have an evening meal on board, we would all get to Kirkenes as planned, we would have breakfast provided on arrival, and none of the passengers remaining on board would miss their planned excursions. I also recognise that this was the most economical and easiest solution for the company, in the short term at least.

But to inflict this experience, an experience that we have not chosen and would never choose, on people who have paid a great deal of money for the luxury of a Hurtigruten holiday, was uncaring and unkind. It is this lack of human caring that has disappointed me most, and has had the most negative effect on my view of the company.

I don't know that part of Norway, you are the experts, but I do know there was at least one other option. We were in Honningsvarg on the morning of the 26th, travelling on buses that were that evening returning to Alta in order to take some of us to Kirkenes. The buses were actually there. We could have been transported directly to Kirkenes from Honningsvarg (almost exactly the same travel time as from Alta), we would have arrived that evening and could have had a night in a bed. We should have been given that choice. I have little doubt that there are other options that I'm not aware of, but you chose the one that was the cheapest and easiest for you, and the most distressing for us. This was not only a really unpleasant experience but it ruined the following day as we were so wiped out from lack of sleep. This was the last precious day I had with my daughter, who was flying the next day to Stockholm, where she lives.

I am aware that this was not an isolated event. There must regularly be times when you have to change plans due to weather, so you have had many years to build and test out solutions. The company has clearly made this choice. And it is a disappointing one and one that, in the longer term, is very damaging to your reputation.

In the first instance, I would like to hear your response to my letter. What I would most like to hear is that you will review your policy in the future.

I am extremely disappointed with my recent experience with Hurtigruten. I paid for a cabin upgrade and two shore excursions, and what I received was nothing like what was advertised. Hurtigruten promotes upgraded cabins as offering more space, a calmer and more comfortable onboard experience, and thoughtful extras like tea and coffee. The cabin I received was identical to a standard cabin, had no tea/coffee facilities or fridge, and was located on a high deck that caused extreme movement. This resulted in severe seasickness, damage to personal belongings, and even injury due to the unsafe bed height.

Both paid excursions were also misrepresented. The Viking Dinner was rushed and unsafe to access, and the Lighthouse Tour failed to disclose that the lighthouse was completely covered in scaffolding, making the experience pointless.

I raised these issues immediately while onboard and was told by Hurtigruten staff that a refund would be provided once I submitted a claim online. I followed their instructions exactly, only to be told later that they “could not help” because the booking was made through TripADeal. TripADeal then said they could not help because the upgrade was provided by Hurtigruten. Both companies continue to blame each other, and neither will take responsibility.

I have spent countless hours trying to resolve this, and Hurtigruten has shown no willingness to honour what was promised or to provide any form of customer care. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Hurtigruten and would strongly caution others to be aware of how they handle complaints and refunds.

Anyone considering taking a Hurtigruten cruise along the Norwegian coast may be confused by the contradictory reviews. I think it is important to remember this is a working ship rather than a luxurious cruise ship. So the cabins are tiny but they are comfortable. The shower is also tiny but efficient.
Staff are generally very pleasant and the food quality very good.
My main gripes are about the cost which is very high for what is on offer. One of the hot tubs was not working leading to an over demand for the remaining tub. There were various events on board but alcohol had to be paid for on these occasions. The transfer from Bergen was chaotic, there was no-one to assist us. At the end of the trip we had to pay extra to transfer to the airport.
The scenery is amazing and the experience worthwhile but you need to adjust your expectations. I feel a little less focus on making money and more on the customer experience would reap benefits

From 20-31 January 2026 we had the pleasure of sailing on the MS Nordlys on the Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen route. The ship, crew, Expedition staff, food and excursions were all superb. A problem with one of the bow thrusters meant that our holiday finished in Alesund but Hurtigruten rearranged out charter flight from Bergen to Alesund and arranged an excursion to Alesund Aquarium and a lovely lunch at an hotel. This was our first trip with Hurtigruten and will not be our last. A superb holiday.

Fantastic food. Crew great. Expedition team excellent. I had a brilliant time and was amazed at the amount of outing organised depending on length of time in port. I will definitely be back. To be fair we had good weather, cold and windy but didn't snow or rain.

Amazing holiday. Went on the Coastal Express on Bergen -Kirkenes-Bergen on the Nordkapp. Very comfortable cabin, 5* plus food and the best expedition crew. All staff were helpful and informative and the excursions various and interesting. Saw the northern lights on 7 consecutive nights

Travelled on the MS Nordkapp from Bergen to Kirkenes, 30/12/2025 - 05/01/2026. I’m a young 74!
Reason for trip - to spend New Year somewhere different - Don’t do this trip for same reason as they don’t celebrate New Year as we do. Drinks very expensive onboard , £12.75 for glass of wine!
I’m not going to go into very deep detail, just give my general impression of the trip.

Crew: Firstly, the crew were just fantastic, respectful, patient, informative and helpful. The cabin cleaning staff were amazingly thorough , smiling and efficient.

Accommodation: Our cabin, 512, on deck 5, was comfortable, albeit a little small to get around the sumptuous double bed, but the shower was powerful and easy to control. It was a little tiny, but anyone who has ever owned a motorhome or large camper van will appreciate how well designed the bathrooms are, given the space available. Plenty of cupboard and shelf storage , especially as the bed is set high, and large suitcases fit easily underneath. Seasoned hotel dwellers, however, may find the cabins cramped.

Despite upgrading to the Atlantic cabin package, it was still a little cramped, with not much sitting room, although a chair is provided, except for lounging on the bed. There is a large picture sized window giving amazing sea views, BUT, bear in mind that deck 5 is the promenade deck, so people walking around the deck can see into your bedroom. Why there is no tint on the window, I don’t know, and I’m not sure that nets would help either. In reality , we didn’t spend much time in our cabin, except to go to sleep and wake up. We mostly spent a very relaxing time on deck 7 viewing lounge and bar, on the very comfy reclining leather seats , affording a wonderful view of the trip.

Children: ! It may not be apparent from the literature, but children of seemingly any age are permitted onboard, ‘under parental control’. On our trip there was a young couple with a recently born baby, and a toddler. I don’t mind children, but there should be specific nursery areas provided with childcare and play facilities. I don’t know how much actual appreciation of the trip the parents got, but they were full on childminding most of the time. Being a father, myself, and giving a knowing smile to the parents just met a blank stare back, so I’m trying hard to be realistic, here. Babies scream, older children want to run and play, noisily. It’s what they do, but if you’ve just had lunch, and relaxing with a book, crossword, or whatever, it gets irritating after a while.

Food: My partner booked the trip, she’s amazing, and is also a Vegetarian. Sadly, it appears that in a land of fish and reindeer, vegetarian needs were somewhat lacking. The buffet cooked breakfast catered mostly for standard tastes. All the fried eggs were adorned with a piece of bacon a piece, no alternative tray of just fried eggs. Excellent scrambled egg was also on offer, although I think there were tiny pieces of bacon on that, too, occasionally ! No vegetarian sausages or lookalike breakfast meat alternatives, like veggie burgers or veggie bacon. There were, of course, the usual fruit, cereal , toast , cheese and cold meats continental dishes also available, together with mini croissants and mini pain chocolate , too.
If you like toast, you’ll be amazed at how many times you need to re insert your toast onto the moving conveyor in order to get the bread even slightly toasted. I got to four times and gave up!

The buffet hot lunch similarly catered little for the vegetarian. The nearest you got was a tray of cooked mixed vegetables with a tray of potatoes, everything else hot was not suitable for vegetarians. The problem appeared to be that there was no appreciation for the fact that vegetarians need protein, too, just not in animal form, and there are loads of alternatives, which simply were not available.
The Head Chef, Paul, was very interested in what we had to say, and appreciated that this was something he needed to raise with the chef who looked after the vegetarian menu. He was a great guy, very friendly and a good man to chat too. If you’re vegetarian, just beware.

Accommodation concerns: Check out the layout of the ship you’re travelling on! Each ship on this coastal express route North and South , is not only a post and supplies ship for all the places it has to pull into. It additionally embarks or disembarks passengers ( and their cars) as there’s a car deck too, ITS A FERRY! Not a cruise ship. Think a slightly posher ferry boat with many additional facilities. It sometimes docks several times during the night, with the resultant engine noise when it uses its directional engine thrusters. Then there’s the opening and closing of the passenger gangway and vehicle access doors, etc.
CHECK where your cabin is located, you don’t really want to be above these noisy areas!

This review covers the September 22nd to October 3rd Coastal Express voyage of the MS Nordkapp.

We were lucky with the weather and with 11 Northern Lights viewings, often two per night in the clearer northern regions – one between 8/9pm and the 2nd time ranging from after midnight to 4am. We were also lucky to see autumn colours and a variety of wildlife – none of which can be guaranteed.

Daily information briefings cover the next day’s activities and ports but also wider topics like art, music, and mythology. They are a good introduction to each port, whilst landmarks and photo ops are announced and pointed out on approach. Crossing the Arctic Circle is celebrated going north and south. Given the route is a postal service, you can send postcards with a special Arctic Circle or North Cape stamp. Other onboard activities on our trip included detours into Trollfjord, food tastings, Norwegian music, sea shanties, learning knots and there’s plenty of books, games, and jigsaws for those who want them.

Excursions are expensive but enable you to visit locations inland, not feasible on your own, and with timings guaranteed to have you back on board just before the ship sails. Like the information briefings, excursions are usually organised with 1 or 2 nationalities per coach, with translation in both languages. English speakers who spoke some German did comment that descriptions in German covered more topics on some excursions.

Some excursions are weather dependant so may be cancelled and others were added in during our trip so it’s worth checking, whilst there is an opportunity to visit the bridge for a small donation to the Hurtigruten Foundation.

There’s no pressure to take excursions. It’s entirely possible to do your own thing in the ports and onboard – chat, gym, sauna or 2 hot tubs – a robe or towel recommended for the latter. Several attractions like the Hurtigruten museum in Stokmarknes (fascinating!) and the Lofoten Krigsminnemuseumin and the Lofoten Magic Ice Bar (both in Svolvaer) are just metres from the ship. Most places also have a range of statuary and public art. Peoples’ experiences and photos differ depending on what you choose to do.

Downloading the Hurtigruten and Camarella apps is recommended. The first is only usable on board but provides a helpful programme of events, details of your personal excursions and the dinner menu for that day and the next day. The other (a partnership with Camarella) offers access to the wider Camarella community but also a group for your boat where passengers can, and do, share photos. The voyage video package is also a nice souvenir. There is a mix of nationalities. There were more people on the north-bound voyage than the southern on our trip, but everyone was friendly and willing to talk.

Food is plentiful and excellent. Hurtigruten work with a number of Norwegian growers and suppliers to provide fresh and interesting artisanal products, including various alcoholic beers and spirits. Similarly, with the toiletries in the cabins. Breakfast and lunch are buffets. Dinners alternate between buffets and three course set meals – with three options, including vegetarian. Allergies etc are catered for. In the UK, there is an option to dine at Kysten, the fine dining restaurant on board, for a small supplement. This was excellent and provides a quieter experience for anyone celebrating a birthday or anniversary. There is a coffee shop offering a selection of cakes, sandwiches, ice creams and beverages, whilst the bar provides alcoholic and hot drinks in the evenings. Hats off to the chefs, and all the onboard crew who are hard-working but friendly. The team handling UK sales was equally good, being very helpful with booking enquiries.

Everyone seemed pleased with their cabin, whether they opted for a more stable position on a lower deck or one higher up with a window – being on the promenade deck raised the possibility of people walking past but this really wasn’t an issue. Hurtigruten’s 1893 Ambassador programme is useful for free hot drinks, wi-fi and excursion discounts. Creating a ship account tied to a credit card meant there was no need to carry cash on board. It was possible to settle up the final bill via cash, or a debit/credit card so was very flexible. On land, Norway is virtually cashless so a debit card with a good overseas rate is recommended. Cash was useful for crew tips which are discretionary.
Something to do again? Absolutely, probably in a different season to maximise the contrast. This was a brilliant introduction to Norway and the coverage of Sami culture and Norwegians’ experiences in the 2nd World War was particularly interesting.

We were very happy with our recent North Cape cruise on Hurtigruten. We enjoyed the ship size and the roughly 325 passengers; we don’t need to be in a throng of 3,000. The facilities were very good and well kept. The ports of call were interesting, and we were thrilled to see the Northern Lights on 3 nights. The staff was professional, efficient , very helpful, and honestly friendly. We enjoyed the daily interaction and greatly appreciated their hard work. We would gladly recommend to anyone who asked