In 2023, the world's largest expedition cruise company is building on 130 years of Norwegian pioneering heritage with the biggest product evolution in its history - the launch of two new premium journeys: the Svalbard Express and North Cape Express itineraries aboard the fully refurbished MS Trollfjord with its finest materials and craftsmanship.
Named after the spectacular Trollfjord in Vesterålen, the vessel offers utmost comfort in expansive spaces built making extensive use of Norwegian wood and stone. It includes an outdoor deck, a two-storey observation lounge, a panoramic sauna, an enlarged fitness room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and remodelled cabins with modern Scandinavian design.
Upgraded extensions to Hurtigruten’s traditional Coastal Express, the two itineraries will offer a very different experience, with half-or full-day port visits, cooking classes, wine, beer, champagne and whisky tastings, a food centre with demonstrations in a show kitchen, a cocktail bar, and onboard entertainment. Dining options will embrace an à la carte restaurant with tasting menus (more than doubled in size after the refurb), all-day dining, afternoon tea and takeaway service. Picnic and culinary excursions will also be available – another first for the company. There is also an option to add a £260pp on board credit onto your booking alongside these new offerings.
The extended port visits allow the Coastal Experience Team to create a range of excursions depending on route and season. The team is also responsible for a fascinating lecture program focused on Norwegian history, culture, food, nature and wildlife, and for the photography, crafts and arts classes.
CEO of Hurtigruten Norway Hedda Felin describes the new experiences as “similar to the likes of the Orient Express, combining a premium onboard experience with beautiful scenery, exceptional excursions, and some of the best food on any sea.”
Like the Coastal Express has done since 1893, the two new itineraries will also bring cargo between ports, and the Svalbard Express will bring freight to the northernmost community on Earth.
Full Voyage Book by 31 Jan 2023 and save up to £1000
Launching on 3 June 2023, a month ahead of the company’s 130-year anniversary, the Svalbard Express will take you to the world’s northernmost permanent populated area, Longyearbyen in Svalbard. This nostalgic voyage reprises the route of one of Norway’s best-loved sailing routes, which operated between 1968 and 1982, and will include some of the Norwegian coast’s most popular destinations, such as as the Lofoten Islands, Vesterålen and the North Cape.
The full round-trip journey takes 14 days to take you up to the ‘edge of the world’, the Svalbard archipelago in the High Arctic, and back . As well as life aboard the exceptionally designed MS Trollfjord, you’ll visit an array of charming coastal communities on mainland Norway and on Svalbard and choose among a number of authentic, locally run excursions . At the height of the season, you’ll experience 24 hours of daylight courtesy of the Midnight Sun.
Full Voyage Book by 31 Jan 2023 and save up to £500
Launching on 26 September 2023, this iconic new experience along the Norwegian coast (one of the world’s longest coastlines) from Bergen to North Cape in Arctic Norway will conclude in Oslo – marking Hurtigruten Norway’s first-ever regular sailings to the capital. It will also take in the country’s southernmost and northernmost points, Hardangerfjord and gorgeous coastal cities and towns.
You can opt to sail in autumn, winter or spring and enjoy thrilling seasonal excursions involving local communities across a range of latitudes, including the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights.
To book your new-in-2023 premium itinerary with Hurtigruten, with full financial protection, call your Travel Counsellor today.
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