Norwegian coastal voyage

After connecting flights from the UK via Oslo we arrived in TROMSO which is a lovely town/city with an eye catching cathedral. Renowned for skiing, you can also have the unique experience of dog sleighing (at Villmarkssenter, just outside Tromso) a 45 minute ride where you can be the ‘driver’ being towed by 12 enormously powerful huskies, fantastic! Then its back into a large wigwam type building with a central log fire for home-cooked stew, chocolate cake and coffee. This really is a 'must do'!

Aboard the MS Polarlys

At 12,000 tons it was not what we expected. The ship had a clean bright red and black colour scheme. On board all the public areas are very smart, clean and ‘cruise ship’ like. We found the staff friendly and helpful, and we stayed in a standard cabin; essentially functional and a bit bland, but all ensuite. No TV, but there was a 'in room' phone and air conditioning. Life on board was very relaxed with wall to wall scenery the whole time, it was amazing and when the weather was not so good we had a wonderful panoramic lounge with giant windows to admire the Fjords. On board facilities was different from a standard cruise and enjoyed light entertainment in the evenings, and there was a sauna and small gym on board.

The restaurant was situated at the rear of the ship and offered buffet style breakfast and lunch, with a set menu for dinner. We found that if the set meal wasn't to our taste, the staff were happy to offer an alternative. Quality and variety of food generally was excellent with fish being fairly prevalent, but also a good varied choice of meats, salads and deserts.

This ship is one of 14 that operate through a government license serving numerous ports along the Norwegian Coast. Hurtigruten was formerly know as Norwegian Coastal Voyages and the ships deliver cargo to some of the more remote places which very much rely on this service for goods. The scenery really is stunning and one of the most pleasant aspects is that, for those not terribly good a sea, land is nearly always within touching distance. At certain ports you can take time off the ship to do excursions and rejoin the ship further down/up the coast. We did this at Trondeneshalvoya visiting a 14th Century church and the Trondenes Museum, showing artifacts from the Viking ages through to the Second World War.

The scenery this time of year (March) was breathtaking, with the spectacular Fjords, beautiful snow capped mountains and crystal clear skies. The Northern Lights are never guaranteed and we were unfortunate in missing out, but I am desperate to go back and try again!

Our short cruise finished in Trondheim, where we did a walking tour taking in the Gothic British built Cathedral and University. A lovely port city with plenty to do and a real vibrancy about it.

The cruise was wonderfully relaxing and interesting as you call in out of ports throughout the day. A real experience which I would recommend to those looking to unwind and admire a very special coastline.

We found this type of holiday to be totally flexible in terms of whether you want to do a short or full length cruise, with the best time to catch the Northern Lights being the early part of the year.