Havila voyages in Norway

I was researching this for a future trip and have heard nothing but good things about the Havila line of ferries. In fact, some comments have said that their ferries are newer and nicer than many of the ones owned by Hurtigruten.

They have a Facebook group that you might want to join if you are on FB as there are lots of comments and questions about the company. But overall, I'd say they are very reputable from what I have read. https://www.facebook.com/groups/620501293490155

We had an excellent experience on Hurtigruten.

We are also thinking about this and I found this series of videos from a family (2 adults and young child) who did the Havila cruise in December. Very detailed videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vfh2nkO1Vg&list=PLVRgy7dBAIIH-Knj6sntCgsA7z3lmCPv2&index=4

In 2023 we traveled Hurtigruten coastal ferry from Kirkenes to Bergen. Havila was just starting service at that time and was having delivery problems with their new ships. So we didn't even consider Havila.

That said, both companies follow the same basic route and stop at the same ports. The port stops can be as short as 10 minutes and as long as 8 hours or so. Some stops are in the middle of the night. They both offer shore excursions when time permits. Some excursions begin at 1 port traveling by motorcoach and return to the ship at a later port.

Because these are working ferries, they are transporting both passengers, cars and cargo. Some passengers stay on the ship for the full journey. Some take it from one port to another port.

They are totally unlike mainstream cruise lines. No casinos, no shows, no bingo and such. The journey is the entertainment.

We enjoyed our trip on a traditional ship with Hurtigruten. The staff was welcoming, the meals were delicious, the views were wonderful even if a bit damp or foggy at times. I would guess that the majority of our fellow passengers were Norwegian, German and British.

I traveled on Hurtigruten, but I think there’s a trip report somewhere by thenosebigs who traveled on Havila a year or two ago.

Thanks all.
I’ve started looking at the videos suggested, and getting more convinced by the minute that this would indeed be a great trip!

In July 2025, we travelled with Hurtigruten from Bergen to Trondheim and loved it. It was a great experience. I was only sorry we did not go all the way north.

I traveled with Hurtigruten from Bergen- Kirkenes pre-COVID and just loved it. The itineraries look very similar. I think the round trip would be too long.
Their other offerings look great, too!
My only caveat- as a solo traveler, I chose the "cheapest" windowless lower cabin on the Hurtigruten ship. I tried from the ship's plan, when I booked, to be as far from the engine area as possible, but as mentioned, there were usually stops in the middle of the night and when the ship docked and later turned around it was SO loud and the ramps were raised and lowered with a lot of massive clunking! If you can splurge for a better "cabin class" it would be worth it.