hurtigruten or havila

[Lmsundaze]

Can people advice me of things to consider in choosing?

[hallasm]

Itinerary and ports are the same.

It is also my impression that the excursions are the same in the various ports.

Hurtigruten uses seven older and different ships - however, all have been renovated recently - please note that the cabins are very different - double beds or bunk beds. Havila's four ships are new and identical.

Both serve good Norwegian food - French delivered in the ports.

Depending on how you order, you must check the terms and conditions regarding payment and cancellation.
For Hurtigruten, there can be large differences in the raw price from the Norwegian web to 'overseas prices'

[Flyinby]

Have a look at the cabins...see if size, layout, window/balcony/etc. suits you.  YouTube also will usually have some sort of cabin tour, though keep in mind that if they are old videos, it may have been pre-refurbishment.  As Hallasm said, the Havila ships are all new, the Hurtigruten ships are older...in fact, my in-laws took one of the current coastal route vessels, the Nordkapp, in 2003.

 

Here's a link to a walkthrough of the Havila Capella 

I don't have a similar link to the Nordkapp or other ship Hurtigruten uses for the coastal route, but perhaps again, a YouTube search might produce some.

 

If you like a balcony or larger window, the Havila ships may be more to your liking, as they have more cabins with them.

 

If your departure date is critical, check to see what dates are available.  Since they share the coastal route on different days, that alone may determine your choice.

 

I can't fairly compare the two, since I haven't done the route on Hurtigruten; I did the full round trip on the Havila Capella in February 2023, and we're going back on Havila in February 2025.  The experience, ship, crew, and voyage were absolutely great, so I had no reason to switch.

 

Good luck, whichever you choose...the coastal route is absolutely amazing and interesting!