ms Midnatsol by Tim

Ship - ms Midnatsol
Line - Hurtigruten
Date - 15 March 2009

My short trip on Hurtigruten’s ship Midnatsol was completely different to any other cruise experience.  I flew via Oslo to Tromso which is about 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle to join the 15,000 ton Midnatsol which is one of Hurtigruten’s newest ships.  The ship’s itinerary meant that there were twelve ports of call between Sunday evening and Wednesday morning!  Most ports are small towns scattered on the Norwegian mainland and offshore islands.  The ship has the dual role as a  cruise ship and also operates as a ferry for passengers, cars and freight.

The ship has plenty of open deck space, excellent lounge facilities with panoramic views and a pleasant main restaurant where all meals are served.

There is a small bar and also a 24 hour self service café which is used mainly by local people using the ship as a ferry.  There are several separate smaller lounges , a library and internet facilities.  The ship also has a theatre style conference room.  The freight and car ferry side of the ship is kept completely separate from the cruise facilities and you would not know about that aspect unless you studied the activities on the quayside when the ship is in port.

Cabin accommodation is in modern cruise ship style and was spotlessly clean though the amount of storage space was not generous in the standard sized cabins.  The bathrooms had heated floors – most welcome at the time of year I travelled!

My trip was enhanced with some shoreside activities – the first evening was spent dog sledding near Tromso.  This was a great experience and capped off with a Norwegian style supper served in front of a roaring log fire.  On the second day a tour of the Vesteralen islands was included which meant disembarking for the morning and rejoining the ship two ports further on!  The scenery of northern Norway especially in the Lofoten Islands is absolutely spectacular.  Other shoreside visits included a visit to a bar constructed entirely of ice and also a visit to the Hurtigruten museum.  The museum included a chance to go onboard one of their former ships – it was such a shock to see how much ship design and comfort has changed in the last 30 to 40 years.

Arrival in Trondheim came round all too quickly.  After a short city tour we were dropped off at the airport for the flight back to the UK.

Using the Hurtigruten service is one of the best ways of seeing the real Norway – no other ships come close to having the same involvement with the country and its people.

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