Daniel Skjeldam

I’d like to personally thank all of you for your time and for your thoughtful questions, both big and small! I hope you’ve found this Q&A as valuable as I have; it’s important to me that I hear and understand your challenges and concerns, as well as your compliments, and I was honored to have the opportunity to respond. Thank you again, and I hope to see you on board a Hurtigruten expedition cruise soon! Cheers.

Great feedback, @TravelinTexasGal, thank you so much for sharing.. I hope you have a wonderful time on board! 

@GeezerCouple, stay tuned! We expect to be ready to announce these itineraries early this summer. I think you’ll find these new routes quite exciting!

Yes, @Travel2? any alcohol brought on board will be required to be checked in at the reception desk, and will be returned at the end of your voyage. 

Yes, @Sallyandtex, pricing for a global brand attracting global customers is complex indeed. We appreciate your support.  

I'm so pleased you'll be joining us, Fran, and happy early anniversary! 

@hallasm, we're not aware of any actual plans at this time. 

@hallasm, the Northern Lights Promise is offered on qualifying cruises that are purchased through Hurtigruten and travel agencies. 

Takk for posten, @Host Bonjour! (Thanks for the post!)

I love this enthusiasm, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

Hurtigruten is the world’s most sustainable expedition cruise company; in fact, we like to think of our itineraries as unique experiences you can have while leaving a footprint you are proud of. In ports, we are always putting pressure on our land partners and vendors, to ensure the highest possible level of responsibility. At sea, we control even more of the operations ourselves, and our ultimate goal is to operate our ships free of emissions. By introducing the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition ships, we are taking large steps towards this goal; what's more, in the next few years, our fleet will consist mainly of these hybrid powered ships, as well as ships that are powered by both LNG and biogas.  

You can see that we're very excited about our new ships, and I’m glad to hear you are, as well! MS Roald Amundsen actually launches in a few months, her inaugural departure will be in May as she cruises through Europe, before we bring her down south for her first Antarctic season. MS Fridtjof Nansen will follow in 2020, and a third sister ship will come in 2021!

In terms of waste, we are very proud to be the first cruise company in the world to remove all unnecessary single-use plastic across our fleet. We’ve also reduced food waste substantially, and, we invite guests to engage in beach clean-up activities at a number of destinations. I would like to encourage you to read even more about our sustainability and responsibility commitment at hurtigruten.com/sustainability

Regarding Greenland, it is truly one of my personal favorite destinations; there's nothing like getting the opportunity to kayak in nature's pure surroundings. Thank you again, for your sincere enthusiasm about Hurtigruten!

@aronde, @sallyandtex, @grayjay, thank you all for your input! Hurtigruten is a global brand with presence in many regions and countries, and we price our expedition voyages in local currencies, as is common for many other international companies. A number of factors affect our pricing: currency fluctuations, time of purchase (for instance, early birds are often rewarded with good deals), time of season, regional or national campaigns, bundling of the total product purchased (pre- and post-activities, connecting flights, onboard packages, excursions, cabin grade, etc.), and so on. All of these elements – and more – have an impact on the final price, and they make it challenging, if not to say impossible, to directly compare prices! 

Hi Fran, yes, of course we serve alcohol on board and we do have optional drink packages available. Each of our ships that travels along the Norwegian coast has at least two restaurants and a bar, and they serve wine, beer, and liquor. Unfortunately,  we do not allow guests to bring alcohol on board, either for consuming in their cabins or in public areas.

Thank you for pointing this out, @hallasm, and I apologize for the conflicting information regarding our Northern Lights Promise! If the northern lights do not make an appearance during your 12-day coastal cruises with departure dates from October 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019, we offer a complimentary 6- or 7-day cruise departing between October 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 on a half-board basis. For departures dates from October 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020, we offer a complimentary 6- or 7-day cruise departing between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 on a full-board basis. This has been corrected on our websites. 

@hallasm, a ship tunnel such as this may prove useful for tour operators with fewer ships than Hurtigruten... For the past 15 years, we have passed Stad almost 12,000 times without any issues. Occasionally, akin to a mere handful of times each year, the weather conditions are challenging enough that we cannot cross. With that happening so seldom, a tunnel in this region will not make much difference for us, nor will it reduce travel time, emissions, or the risk of incidents.

@jonikal, we certainly do appreciate your loyalty, and thank you for choosing Hurtigruten so often! Currently, MS Roald Amundsen is on schedule. Her inaugural voyage will be our May 2019 journey along the coast of Western Europe, and she’ll head to Norway after that. MS Roald Amundsen is a state-of-the-art expedition vessel that handles both rough weather conditions and challenging ice conditions, at ease. Safety and guest service, before, during, and after your expedition cruise are our main priorities, and we feel confident that our brand-new expedition ship will deliver across the board.

@VAMISailing, it depends on the season and the stock; generally speaking, we offer Bergans of Norway gear on board.

@Colo Cruiser, we look forward to welcoming you! 

@hallasm, we recognize there is still high demand for our classic Coastal Norway cruises and Port-to-Port business, and we want to keep our guests happy! While today, our Port-to-Port can be booked by calling our Reservations center, I advise you stay tuned as solutions are in the works for being able to purchase online later this year.

@aronde, thank you for this feedback and I'm so pleased you had a great time! You’ll be happy to hear that Hurtigruten will add more ships to our year-round expedition service in 2021 as MS Finnmarken, MS Midnatsol, and MS Trollfjord will come out of the Norway coastal route and instead sail on expedition itineraries on the coast. These ships are extremely well-suited for this, and these adventures will offer longer stays in the most representative Norwegian coastal towns.

@lupaglupa, why book a train when you can sail with Hurtigruten during your whole experience in Norway! We’d highly recommend our roundtrip Bergen to Bergen voyage for the full experience along the Norwegian coast or perhaps traveling northbound from Bergen to Kirkenes or southbound from Kirkenes to Bergen to see some amazing wildlife and fjords. If you're determined to join a shorter portion, @grayjay has it right, our Norwegian office will be your best bet.

@mnkauf, I think it starts by buying goods and services from local suppliers. This comes through in food quality at Hurtigruten through a concept we call Norway´s Coastal Kitchen. By trading locally, we reduce transportation emissions to a minimum and increase the knowledge and understanding of local food, customs, and cultures among our guests. Knowing the source also ensures the well-being of animals and the safe origin of other ingredients. Norway´s Coastal Kitchen has changed our entire onboard food concept; we've abandoned all industrial processed food, and we ensure no endangered species are on our menus. Instead, our guests get to experience tasty and healthy food from local suppliers throughout the their entire journey.

Well, Mike, your friends must have traveled at sea decades ago! As the global leader in expedition cruise travel, Hurtigruten offers unique experiences for our guests. Our innovations include MS Roald Amundsen, the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition ship launching this May, and the fact that we are beginning to fuel all of our vessels with waste products or biofuels. We also have world-class expedition teams who share their knowledge and expertise throughout our voyages. We’ll always be tied to our 125 years of Norwegian heritage that connected us to the fjords we first called home; but now, we also venture deep into Antarctica, the Arctic, and a growing number of destinations in warmer waters. By 2021, our fleet will reach 250 locations across the globe!