Hurtigruten-best ship for winter sailing?

Are there any particular ships of the Hurtigruten line that would be best for a February sailing? Would need to spend lots of time in panoramic lounge due to cold I imagine. Are smaller ships better for cutting down on getting off time? Or is it better to go with a larger ship with more facilities? If recommending a particular ship, can you recommend a particular cabin category or deck?

Thanks.

The 2 newest ships (identical except for colour schemes) Midnatsol & Trollfjord have 2 deck panoramic lounges with high floor to ceiling windows, with by far the most comprehensive outside views. All the other ships with exception of Lofoten & Nordstjernen have single deck panoramic lounges giving good views but with much more limited vertical view unless you're seated very close to windows. Again these 6 ships are same basic designs with difference in detail ony (jacuzzis or not, more/less suites, internal decoration)

The oldest 2 ships have much more limited opportunity for inside viewing: Lofoten has one small lounge with forward views but with no "panoramic" windows with maybe 25 seats in total and I don't believe Nordstjernen has any forward facing lounge. In comparison the lounges in all the more modern ships have 100+ seats (maybe much more).

Difficult to give general recommendations on cabins but can comment if you can advise on what's important fot you: I've travelled in inside cabins & suites & been happy in both.

Best I can offer is to check individual ship layouts, avoid cabins close to loading/passenger entrances & lower decks in rear third of ships & front quarter to minimise noise/vibration.

Hope that helps.

Richard

Thanks Richard for your detailed explanation.

We'll be on the Midnatsol in December 2012, and chose an inside "sort of" forward cabins: 714 and 708. It did look like the lower cabins would get noise throughout the night when cargo is loaded/unloaded. We also picked this ship because of the lounge windows and small exercise room.

Tamara - although we are two people, we decided not to share one room, since based on pictures I've seen, standard cabins are really small. The newer ships' cabins are slightly bigger, but still pretty small. The single supplement was $250, which was cheaper than getting a larger cabin.

Thanks Richard for your detailed explanation.

 

We'll be on the Midnatsol in December 2012, and chose an inside "sort of" forward cabins: 714 and 708. It did look like the lower cabins would get noise throughout the night when cargo is loaded/unloaded. We also picked this ship because of the lounge windows and small exercise room.

 

Tamara - although we are two people, we decided not to share one room, since based on pictures I've seen, standard cabins are really small. The newer ships' cabins are slightly bigger, but still pretty small. The single supplement was $250, which was cheaper than getting a larger cabin.

Actually I was asking for my husband who wants to do the cruise in Feb. 2012. I sailed the Nordkapp solo about 5 years ago and I agree the cabins are very small. Because it was just me I talked the cabin attendant into leaving one bed open and made up all day in case I wanted to take a nap; normally they fold them up during day leaving just one in "sofa" position." The mattress on my ship was very firm and rather narrow (I'm a plus size). I had outside, obstructed view and the cabin was bright all night because of light near my window so having an inside may work well.

For our December sailing in 2008 whe chose the Trollfjord - as richws said, the Trollfjord (as well as the Midnatsol) has a two-deck panoramic lounge with a wonderful comprehensive outside view, which for sure was a plus for a winter sailing.

The ships all have more secluded spots to spend some time outside without getting too wet/snowed in/cold, but the panoramic lounge was great for watching bad weather ;)

I loved sitting there with a good book and a cup of tea when it got dark (or the weather got too bad).

We shared cabin 602, which is a Q2 and thus a mini suite. The size is wonderful, but... next time we'd go for cabin 736, which is a mini suite with obstructed view and midships. Seas can get rough in winter and though I never got very seasick I couldn't sleep for two nights because of the noise and the scary sound the whole cabin made when the ship hit the waves. Also deck 6 (deck 5 for all other ships except for Lofoten and Nordstjernen) is the one where you always have people standing in front of your window, especially in the two forward mini suites.

I think the mini suites 701 and 702 are smaller than the other four mini suites, being regular sized outside cabins. They should be similar in size to cabins 703-704, which are regular outside cabins, which are U cabins.

The MG cabins seemed to be great (if you feel like spending "extra" money).

We very much enjoyed the Trollfjord with its subdued colors and wonderful art. On the other hand, the older ships (Lofoten and Trollfjord) are a lot more intimate, with less passengers. Though you have to expect portholes to be closed in winter due to bad weather... so maybe no view even though you are in an outside cabine.

If we go again (we are currently planing our 2013 vacation and it will most likely either be a second hurtigruten trip or a TA) we hope to travel on the Nordnorge or the Richard With.

No matter which ship and/or cabin you chose, you'll have a wonderful trip!

Thanks Piggeldy for all the great details and the heads up about portholes--had not thought about that.

If you want to splurge on The Trollfjord or Midnatsol, cabins in the MG category located on the 8th deck have side enclosed areas with huge windows that extend over the ship for great viewing. We have sailed in the M category on the 7th deck where the cabins have balconies, but they would probably be very cold in winter!...the views would be great however.

The Hurtigruten ships have a very low percentage of cabins with balconies compared with other cruise lines and they cost a lot. Are they worth it? Also, can three people fit into a mini suite or would it be preferable to get two lower priced rooms and split up?

I was somewhat surprised on a recent Alaskan cruise on Celebrity Millennium that we spent a lot of time in the common areas, which were comfortable and not crowded, and not as much on our balcony as I had expected.

The Hurtigruten ships have a very low percentage of cabins with balconies compared with other cruise lines and they cost a lot. Are they worth it? Also, can three people fit into a mini suite or would it be preferable to get two lower priced rooms and split up?

 

I was somewhat surprised on a recent Alaskan cruise on Celebrity Millennium that we spent a lot of time in the common areas, which were comfortable and not crowded, and not as much on our balcony as I had expected.

I don't know about the balcony cabins, but I do know the single supplement is pretty minimal during the winter months, so you might want to consider two rooms for three people.

We had a balcony on the Trollfjord and thought it worth the extra cost, BUT we went in the summer, not winter. For the winter cruises I would not spend the extra money because it is much too cold to enjoy the balcony. The public spaces were crowded, and we enjoyed the privacy of the balcony for a drink before dinner and to enjoy the scenery without a lot of extra noise. I think 3 people can fit in the balcony cabins by using the couch for the 3rd person. I would check with the Hurtigruten about that possibility to be certain.