Norwegian Coastal Christmas Cruise 

Hurtigruten ships have a designated Expedition Team that serves as hosts on board and on land, providing lectures, enhancing the voyage with insights into nature, wildlife, and culture, and offering handpicked excursions to enrich the passenger experience. This team has deep knowledge of the areas they sail, particularly the Norwegian coast, and are available to share their expertise with guests. 

What the Expedition Team offers:

Expert-led lectures: They deliver talks on various topics, including the Northern Lights, local history, wildlife, and Norwegian culture. 

Guided excursions: The team leads handpicked hikes and other excursions, offering an intimate and personal perspective on the journey. 

Enhanced onboard experience: They are on hand to make your voyage more engaging and informative, both at sea and on shore.

Norwegian Kroner (NOK) is the onboard currency. Most major currencies may be exchanged on board. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

A cruise card can be obtained and used for payment for extras and settled at the end of your voyage.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, UnionPay, and JCB. Please Note: Some card providers may charge a foreign transaction fee for cards issued outside the EU, UK, and US when processing the payment, please check with your bank regarding these fees. Hurtigruten is not responsible for this fee and does not receive any portion or benefit from these fees. Unfortunately, we don’t accept payment via cheque. 

The official languages spoken on board are Norwegian and English. Some crew members also speak German and French, and other languages may be present based on the nationalities of the guests.

The main restaurant, Torget, is open for three meals a day and offers a varied selection of dishes. Breakfast is served from 7am, with a range of hot options and a buffet of fresh bread, fruit, yoghurts, eggs, pancakes, smoothies, and juices. From 12pm, you can tuck into a menu of à la carte options based on the season’s best ingredients, while a three-course à la carte dinner is served from 6pm. Guests will find a variety of plant-based options on the menu for lunch and dinner.

For a more relaxed meal, guests can head to Brygga, the onboard bistro, which offers a delicious menu of salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pizzas.

You can also enjoy a taste of Arctic fine dining at Kysten, where the menu has been carefully curated by our Culinary Ambassadors.

Those with a sweet tooth will want to pay a visit to Multe, the onboard bakery, where guests can tuck into waffles loaded with generous dollops of whipped cream or ice cream.

We offer a wide range of plant-based options for lunch and dinner, suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Our chefs can also cater for special diets and some food allergies if you let us know ahead of time. It is very important that, at the time of booking, you make a point to tell us clearly about any food allergies you have.

It is not common practice to tip on our ships, but if you feel that crew members should be rewarded for providing exceptional service, tip boxes are placed in the restaurant together with envelopes.

We offer complimentary Wi-Fi on board our ships. Guests on a Basic fare will first need to register on our 1893 Ambassador loyalty programme to access the Wi-Fi. It’s free to sign up and you’ll also have access to discounts and a range of other benefits.  

Please note that the Wi-Fi signal varies depending on different locations on the ship. As the ship sails in remote regions of Norway, speeds may also be slower and not suitable for streaming services.

We Norwegians are down-to-earth people. We don’t believe in dress codes on board. Wear your hiking shoes to dinner or your slippers to breakfast. It’s up to you.

Laundry rooms with washing machines, dryers and irons are available on all ships. Tokens can be purchased at reception.

The sockets used on board are the 220v AC, two-pin Continental type. Please bring your own adapters with you if needed. 

There is no doctor or pharmacy on board. However, officers are trained in first aid and can provide emergency medical assistance. The ships are also close to land should urgent medical assistance be required.

While on board, all guests are asked to maintain good hand hygiene, and to wash hands regularly. You are required to wash or sanitize your hands before all meals. Hand sanitizer is available all over the ship.

We use air-conditioning systems that provides constant air supply - the air is not recycled.

All guests must have personal travel/health insurance. If you depend on medication, please remember to bring sufficient supplies to last through any unforeseen delays. Such delays, while rare, can and do happen. We also recommend that you keep your medication in your hand luggage, properly labelled, and with clear instructions for its use.

If you need to bring a prescription, Norwegian pharmacies require this in paper format with a doctors' signature. Mobile, email or app prescriptions will not be accepted.

We keep to a strict sailing timetable and cannot wait for late passengers, so please ensure that you are back on board in time. If you miss your ship, you will need to arrange transport by yourself and at your own expense to the next port on the schedule. 

The number of passengers depends on the ship's certification and the type of voyage. Our vessels are smaller compared with regular cruise liners, with capacity typically ranging between 500 and 650 passengers, depending on whether it’s a Signature or Original voyage.

It is a safety requirement that all passengers attend a compulsory safety briefing in Bergen and Kirkenes before the ship leaves port. After embarkation, the crew will greet you and conduct the mandatory safety brief at intervals. The briefing lasts between 10-15 minutes and is mandatory for all guests, including those who have travelled with us before.

The briefing will include a demonstration of how to put on a life jacket and the instructions to be followed in the unlikely event of an evacuation or other emergency during the voyage. There will be an opportunity to ask questions if you have any concerns.

Please familiarise yourself with the emergency procedures as shown in the cabins (there is a diagram on the cabin door and in public areas), and ask at reception if in doubt.

In many ports, there may be a good deal of activity on the quay with cars joining/leaving the ships and/or goods being loaded or unloaded. Please be alert to such traffic when embarking and disembarking.

All ships are equipped with a dedicated Expedition Team, ready to enhance your voyage with an array of enriching activities. From engaging lectures and captivating presentations to photography workshops and exciting offshore hikes and excursions, our expert team is here to make your journey unforgettable.

Dangerous goods such as weapons, explosives, and illegal drugs are prohibited. Additionally, there are restrictions on certain liquids and food items to comply with international regulations. You can see the full list of prohibited items here.