My parents wanted to meet up with us during our year of travel and eventually picked a week cruise along the Norwegian coast. We met them in Bergen to begin our journey with Hurtigruten, a company that has been transporting people and cargo along the Norwegian coast for over 100 years. They have thirteen ships with daily departures from all the ports they serve. Now Hurtigruten also provides cruises through the beautiful Norway fjords to paying passengers as well as transporting cargo to the far reaches of the north. Our voyage on MS Nordlys (Norwegian for northern lights) was from Bergen to Kirkenes.

Day 1: Bergen to Floro

In Bergen, Hurtigruten has a large facility for embarking passengers and cargo onto their ships. We checked-in which included dropping off our bags for transport to our cabin and setting up our “cruise card” to make onboard purchases easy. We proceeded into a small conference room where a safety briefing was shown in four different languages (Norwegian, English, German, and Chinese). Before boarding, Hurtigruten requested everybody disinfect with antibacterial gel but one woman had a conniption stating that doing so would cause “superbugs” – she was having a great start to her vacation!

Our port side cabin

We boarded and visited the lobby to purchase the “coffee package” which allowed for unlimited coffee during the cruise. Then we found our home for the next week towards the bow of the ship. Sara and my room was on the port side while Mom and Dad were across the ship on the starboard side. I was surprised at how large the cabins were. There was a fold up bed, a couch that folded into a bed, a spacious closet, bathroom, and even a desk! We got settled in our rooms before making our way outside to watch departure. We were scheduled to leave at 8:00 PM but at 8:15, a lifeboat was still on the dock with several employees attempting to hoist it back onto the ship.

We realized that the ships dinning room was going to close soon, so we had to leave the excitement. That first night was a buffet with salad, fish, pasta, and other excellent food options. Soon after starting to eat, we heard plates starting to rattle and then the entire room started to shake. The crew must have fixed the lifeboat hoist because the ship was pulling away from the dock. Our cruise had finally started! While we ate, I kept getting distracted by the beautiful scenery as we cruised past islands outside of Bergen.

Will taking in the views from 5th deck (outside his parents cabin)

Steve looking closer from inside his cabin

Sunset view from the bow

Sunset just north of Bergen was at 10:30

Views leaving Bergen

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