HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, MS Fridtjof Nansen, Antarctica Review

MS Fridtjof Nansen, Antarctica

This was the most amazing cruise from start to end. I have cruised for over 20 years & Antartica was my dream. It didn't disappoint of course, it was overwhelmingly beautiful. But what did surprise me was Hurtigruten - in a good way!
I don't think I've ever met such happy content staff - from the waiting crew to the cleaning crew to the expedition team. One staff member even told us that he felt so well looked after by Hurtigruten, who has ever been told that on a ship?
It was a beautiful ship, small, well laid out & easy to navigate. The cabin was the largest I've ever had. The food was not always to my taste but fresh & plentiful and they were amazing with the gluten-free menu for my daughter. The lectures & talks were extremely interesting & covered a wide range of topics. There was an amazing pool and hot tub - yes, you can sit in a hot tub in Antartica & not feel cold!! (Careful when you get out though) And at the end of our cruise when everyone was feeling a bit down the staff picked up the pace and went out of their way to entertain us - there was a quiz, a knot tying exhibition, a staff band & singers & a disco/sing-a-long. It was just such a mood lifter & so much fun. And they even waved us off in the morning. Thank you Hurtigruten, you have given me a lifetime of memories!