Any recommendations on a cruise company? Plan to do this cruise in September of this year.
Posted by
Schwerin
3864 posts
You have the choice between coastal cruise line (Norway only, Bergen - Kirkenes) and standard cruises.
The Norwegian coastal cruise line (Bergen - Kirkenes, called Hurtigrute or Kystrute) is operated by Hurtigruten (company) and Havila with ships appr. 110-140 meters long. Together they send one ship each day into a port northbound and one southbound. The ships do not stay long in ports and offer own excursions. Always the same ports (more like a maritime bus line), see sailing plan. Havila ships are newer. Hurtigruten are the original ones. In September with clear sky and a little luck you can see Northern Lights.
Standard cruises normally get in the morning into a port where they stay for the day. In parts of Norway they are too large and cannot take the same route so close o the coast. German cruise lines are Aida, Mein Schiff and Phoenix - they all speak English as well but are closer located to Norway than ships starting from UK. Other cruise lines are MSC, NCL, Costa, Viking, P&O, Celebrity and some smaller ones, also from France. On Baltic Sea cruises there is nearly no chance to see Northern Lights (route is too much South).
Example photos: