Let's talk about the Hurtigruten Cruise Line

I thought today we would start out by talking about what inspired this trip which was the allure of cruising a different type of ship and the beautiful, awe inspiring scenery that this area of the world offers.

Today I want to talk about the Hurtigruten Cruiseline itself and the Ships.  Now of course I am only going to be able to speak of what I know about them now...  I am certain I will come back with much more first hand knowledge and share that with you later.

For more than 115 years Hurtigruten have been a part of the coastal areas of Norway. With our experience in polar areas the company have become an international travel industry company with an unique product.

This is from Wikipedia.......


Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta (literally "Express Route", but sometimes referred to as Norwegian Coastal Express in English) is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's spectacular western and northern coast. Ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11 days. The trip has been described as the "World's Most Beautiful Sea Voyage." Highlights include the Hanseatic League city of Bergen, the Geiranger fjord (summer only), and the Lofoten Islands.

Richard With - the founder of Hurtigruten

So when a seasoned Norwegian sea captain called Richard With proposed a regular steam ship service to link northern and southern Norway many saw it as unrealistic folly. Originally intended as a weekly daylight service from Trondheim to Hammerfest, delivering mail, cargo and passengers, this audacious mariner then proposed to extend the service to travel both day and night, winter and summer. His intention was to sail through waters that at this juncture had still not been mapped, through a landscape that for centuries had only been accessible from the sea.

The Most Important Communication Link

For 90 years the Coastal Express became the most important communication link between the north and south and it is from these pioneering voyages that the Hurtigruten tradition stems. Translating as ‘fast route’, it was the quickest and most reliable passage into the remote lands of northern Norway, regardless of weather conditions. Indeed it was not until 1983 that the mail delivery was finally entrusted to road and air routes. It is this heritage and experience that marks out Hurtigruten as one of the most professional and proficient expedition voyage operations on earth.

The Pioneering Years

During the middle of the 19th century a few steamers plied the waters along Norway’s northern coast in an attempt by the Norwegian government to unify the country. In 1893 the government offered permission for a regular route to be opened up, an offer rejected by all but one man – Richard With. On 2 July 1893, Captain With and his ship the Vesterålen sailed from Trondheim on a journey to Hammerfest that was to take 67 hours and arrive 20 minutes ahead of schedule! Realizing the journey was possible a number of other companies joined under the Hurtigruten banner.

The War Years

Following Norway’s independence in 1905, the Great War of 1914 saw the next development in the Hurtigruten story. Kirkenes was included in the route, whilst the reduced production and increased cost of coal deliveries from England resulted in the service being drastically reduced. The Depression years then saw the route regularly disrupted, before the Coastal Express began a boom period, with 1936 seeing the beginning of a daily sailing from Bergen. There were now 14 ships linking the coastal communities, visiting more ports than ever and transporting some 230,000 passengers annually. The Second World War heralded a dark time for Hurtigruten; suffering the loss of 9 ships and some 700 people, with ironically the Allies destroying twice as many vessels as Germany.

Rebirth and the Future

Following the war it was vital to rebuild the fleet as quickly as possible. The first 4 commissioned ships set new standards in comfort and service, quickly followed by 11 more over the following decade. The latter years of the 20th century saw Hurtigruten’s role change, as cars became more popular and the ship's original remit changed. New ships were built with passenger comfort in mind, with more cabins and panoramic lounges included to accommodate a new kind of traveler. A new generation of ships was built between 1993 and 2007, ensuring that today we have a fleet of custom designed vessels capable of safely negotiating not only the rugged coastal waters of Norway and the Arctic, but also the remote lands of Spitsbergen and Greenland and the southern oceans off Antarctica. Now, the idea for me of being on a ship that is a full working ship, stopping all times of day and night delivering supplies, mail, packages, people, vehicles to remote areas of the world that are inaccessible by any other means besides the sea just really struck a note with me of pure adventure. I also wondered what type of people I might mean on such a voyage both the passengers traveling on the ship, tourists and the people of Norway using it as transportation to and from their homes but of course the people in port when we have a chance to get off the ship,  (which is not at all ports of course as the ship might only stop for 15 minutes to take things off and pick up others).

 

I wanted to tell you that we will stop 34 times in 6 days on our Journey.  

The 6-day Southbound journey begins in Kirkenes in the far north of Norway near the Russian border and ends in the Hanseatic town of Bergen.  This voyage calls on the same 34 ports of call as the Classic voyage.

That is a bit of history of the Ships and Hurtigruten.  

This week I will fill you in a bit on our upcoming trip while I have the internet usage in abundance and can grab photo's and other things online to make the posts full of information and then on my trip I will share what I am experiencing...

I hope you like it!  If there is anything you want to know make sure you leave it or anything else in the comments below the posts!