Unfortunately, although the quality of food was good, it always arrived cold.
The fitness facilities were woefully inadequate whereas the gambling facilities were the opposite.
The entertainment facilities were also inadequate and very loud. The quality of the entertainment was variable.
Most of the staff were very courteous yet we found the lady on the restaurant booking desk rude and condescending.
There were queues lasting hours to embark but disembarkation was very smooth.
There were also large queues for reception and some reception staff were not particularly helpful.
The shops were mainly jewellery based so not much in the way of souvenirs aboard.
The destinations were very good especially Glacier bay.
The Hurtigruten coastal voyage is amazing from start to finish and offers many opportunities to explore the ports visited. Crew on board are very helpful and trips out, although slightly expensive as you would expect in Norway, are informative and well worth booking. Every day there is somewhere new to visit and explore and activities and lectures onboard are also interesting and give you an insight into the surroundings. It is one of those journeys where you can do as much or as little as you want. Just sit back and watch the ever changing scenery, all spectacular. My favourite was attending the Midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso. Truly amazing! We have already travelled this route several times at different times of the year and have never been disappointed, as you can have all seasons of weather in just one day, which add to the experience. One of the other trips was to Svalbard on the Hurtigruten M S Fram. Totally different experience and luckily we spotted 13 polar bears, walruses, Arctic fox, reindeer and many species of bird and fauna. A once in a life time trip, thanks to Hurtigruten.
Related reviews
This was a tour round the Eastern Mediterranean over Christmas and New Year. It’s a small friendly ship, with only a few dining and entertainment choices on board, but that was all I wanted. The crew were brilliant too. Maybe it won’t suit those who want a luxury holiday resort aboard. I was much more interested in the ports of call and excursions. Only slight downside was that some excursions weren’t running, not the ship’s fault but the time of year. But most did run, including the ones most important to me. Christmas Eve in Jerusalem, wow!
They’re doing the same trip next Christmas, so anyone can check it out. I travel alone, and the solo price was very good. Cabin was comfortable and roomy.
It was a cruise to Iceland stopping off at two Scottish ports during the cruise.
The ship is very smart and elegant. Sometimes the staff were found lacking but I got the impression that they were not trained properly, example evening dinning- instead of waiting until everyone was seated to give out the menu’s they pounced on you even before you were properly seated, small enough but after a week of this it got annoying.
That aside the cruise was great


