We went on a great 12-day cruise on a working supply/tourist ship along the coast of Norway from Bergen in the South all the way to the border with Russia deep inside the Arctic Circle and then back to Bergen. The ship made 68 stops at fjord towns to drop off or pick up people, cars, mail, pallets of fresh fish, and more. Some stops were only for 15 minutes, others for 3 hours. We walked the towns for the longer stops and could sign up for excursions throughout the trip which often would start and one small town and then meet up with the ship a stop or two up its course.
Hurtigruten has been running these routes since 1893. With only about 200 rooms and 375 guests, it had a totally different feel than the 6,000-person mega-ships with onboard water parks, shopping centers, nightly shows, etc. Our ship, the Kong Herald, is a hybrid and is allowed to enter some of Norway's restricted "clean" ports. Nearly all the food came from local farmers along the route (we saw many salmon farms in the fjords). The overall vibe was great - this was NOT a party boat, but rather a way to relax, learn, and venture out as you saw fit. And even in the Arctic Circle, the temperatures were in the mid 60s Fahrenheit due to the warm Gulf Stream.
August 16-28, 2025. Hurtigruten Cruise Lines
Photo of the Kong Herold
taken from Sea Eagle excursion boat.
Photos are split into four groups. Click below to see more.
I've been told that people get bored if asked to look at more than about 25 pictures from someone else’s trip. Probably true, but I really want to show many of the sights from a 12-day trip covering thousands of miles and 68 stops. So I am violating the 25-photo rule this time.
One highlight from the trip was an excursion to see and photograph Norwegian Sea Eagles.
There were eleven in our group: Dan and his long-time friend/colleague Claudia, brother Andy and his wife Vera, brother Phil and his wife Anne (they went on the first half of the trip), and 5 friends of Andy’s from the west coast.
