Alaska on the Roald Amundsen

[blhlls]

I wanted to share some thoughts for anyone considering Hurtigruten for Alaska based on my recent trip on the Roald Amundsen.  As a preface, I want to say I enjoyed the cruise and am still strongly considering Hurtigruten for Antarctica.  I have previously done Alaska cruises on Holland America and Celebrity, mostly on their older, smaller ships (Volendam x 2, Infinity, and Nieuw Amsterdam).  My comments below are directed specifically at Alaska, where there is a wide variety of excursions available to passengers on large cruise ships, both through the cruise line and independently.

 

My experience with crew members was similar across all lines.  They were friendly, helpful and welcoming.  The Roald Amundsen was only at about 50-60 percent capacity, so nothing seemed crowded or required much of a wait, if any at all.  They did seem very organized and prepared to smoothly handle many more passengers than were present.  The food was good and varied.  The cruise was bookended by a hotel night.  Generally the Hurtigruten arrangements were easy and information accessible.  There was some difficulty before getting our rooms on the last night, but that seemed like the teething pains of a new arrangement between the hotel and cruise line and Hurtigruten representatives remained available throughout.

 

It didn’t seem to me that the expedition format necessarily provided a closer look at Alaska beyond the lectures and interactions with the expedition personnel on board.  Going off the ship on the zodiacs was generally limited to a hour or a little more during the course of the day.  The need to cycle through the various groups limited how far the zodiacs could go from the ship.  I don’t have any mobility issues, and did not find them difficult to get in or out.  However, I did find the required life jackets very bulky, making it more difficult to look around and take in the experience.

 

The zodiac operators, at least those I rode with, had general information about various aspects of Alaska but limited knowledge of the specific details of the locations.  They did not provide any kind of ongoing narration about the location and what we were seeing.  Specific questions about the location often elicited a “I don’t know” response.  This may be due, in part, to the requirement that each zodiac operator have certain Coast Guard qualifications, limiting who could be hired.  As compared to expeditions off the larger cruise ships where the guides typically provided an ongoing discussion of the details we were seeing with suggestions of specific plants, animals or geology to look for, and have often been exploring the same locations for years, the zodiac explorations were lacking. There were some additional commercial excursions at some ports but only a few.   The lack of advance schedules made it impractical to make individual arrangements.  While the smaller ship could get into some locations unavailable to larger ships, I don’t think we saw more than I did taking longer small boat excursions off the larger cruise ships.

 

Over all, I enjoyed the trip and the smaller ship.  However, someone making the decision based on access to locations will need to look closely at the itinerary and excursions offered rather than assume the smaller ship will provide tours of areas not accessible during a more traditional cruise.  

 

 

[CDNPolar]

We are considering Alaska for the future and Hurtigruten is one of the lines that we will consider.

 

Interesting however is that we have come from a series of ocean cruises on Viking and are used to more offerings on the ship - including more dining options, more lounging options, and some entertainment - that Hurtigruten does not offer.  

 

We did Antarctica on Hurtigruten and I do consider this a true "expedition" cruise.  I don't personally however consider Alaska an "expedition"?  Perhaps I am wrong...?  Therefore I might be looking for more than the Hurtigruten Expedition ship offers?

We were more than comfortable on our Antarctica cruise.  The ship was beautiful in its own right.

 

As you consider, I did write a review of our trip to Antarctica on Hurtigruten.  You may want to look at that.  There is not a great deal of activity on the Hurtigruten forum so you have to take what you can get.

 

Thanks however for posting this as it will help in our search for an Alaska cruise provider.

 

Here is my review:  

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

If you want a tour of 'Diamonds International,' take one of the big ships that can only go to the big touristy ports.  If you want to see Alaska nature and culture in depth, you need to treat it as an 'expedition' cruise.

[blhlls]

I think what surprised me is that in some ways the larger ships allowed for better opportunities to experience the nature and culture in depth due to the availability of small boat/longer excursions with guides who had more local knowledge and experience than the excursion leaders on the RA.  Certainly walking around town was much more interesting and pleasurable in the smaller ports used by the smaller ship, and the lack of sales presentations/materials was a great improvement over the large ships.

[mlgb]

On 5/30/2023 at 12:11 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

If you want a tour of 'Diamonds International,' take one of the big ships that can only go to the big touristy ports.  If you want to see Alaska nature and culture in depth, you need to treat it as an 'expedition' cruise.

Of course this is ridiculous. All the ship does is get you to the port. What you do there depends on how much time you have and your interests. Especially in Alaska, there are so many local companies that can take you on a small fishing or whale watching boat, or on a photography tour, or you can  use your feet or public transportation (bus lines) to State Parks such as Totem Bight. In most ports, you can also rent a car ( for example from Skagway you can  drive yourself as far up into the Yukon as time allows).  The main problem is when the  itineraries don't allow enough time in port. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by mlgb

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 minutes ago, mlgb said:

Of course this is ridiculous. All the ship does is get you to the port.

You and 6,000 of your new best friends.  No thanks.

[mlgb]

So you don't get off the cruise ship in port at all? Because all of those "6000" which is a made up number BTW have the option to disembark in any port and those who do will be doing something,  no matter how big the horse you came in on. Some will be on smaller/whale watch boats, or walking around on their own two feet, or taking the bus up to one of the National or State Parks, or driving their own rental vehicle. While you will be crammed in a zodiac for an hour and then sitting on a cruise ship?. No thanks.

Edited June 3, 2023 by mlgb

[Host Jazzbeau]

You do you.  There are other alternatives.  Choice is good.