The 11,200-ton
Nordlys was built in 1994. This working passenger ship is operated by Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Voyage). She takes up to 482 passengers at 18 knots on a round-trip cruise-style voyage from Bergen, Norway to call at 35 ports at all hours of the day and night. The route skirts the North Cape at the top of the country and turns around at Kirkenes, Norway near the Russian border.
Part of a 13-ship fleet, the newest ships share service features and conform roughly to the same standards. On this ship, the art and decor reflect the northern lights, also the name of the ship.
This 1,250-mile coastal route first got its start in 1893 to link the more developed south with the remote coastal and island communities in the north beyond roads and railways. For many decades it has operated as a daily service. With the advent of roll-on, roll-off transportation, all but two of the classic passenger cargo ships have been replaced by new tonnage.
The crew is Norwegian, and passengers are local Norwegians, other Europeans, and Americans coming aboard as individuals and as part of tour groups. Some make one-way trips that can be combined with rail, coach and air travel, and others choose the complete round voyage. The summer months are very busy when backpackers flock to the coast.
In the summer months wth long hours of daylight, the ship travels deep into the Geirangerfjord for stupendous mountain views from the ship and ashore. Other excursions visit the North Cape and the Sami people, small towns, and the interior countryside.
The time in port is short, apart from some major stops such as Alesund, Trondheim and Tromso, Norway. Happily, many sights are but a short walk from the ship. The most poplar months coincide with the Midnight Sun, but the weeks before and after this offer nearly 24 hours of daylight. The northern lights (Nordlys in Norwegian) appear in winter, and Christmas sailings can be festive, though the nights are long. Conference facilities attract meetings.
The highest deck offers sweeping views from a forward observation lounge and an adjacent cocktail lounge. All the way aft is limited open deck space. Deck 4 houses most of the public rooms, including another lounge, a library-cum-card room, conference facilities for seagoing Norwegian business gatherings, a 24-hour cafeteria for short-voyage passengers and snacks for round-trippers, a shop, play areas for children, a video arcade for teens, and a comfortable gallery lounge for reading. A fitness room and sauna are located on the lowest passenger deck.
All the way aft is the wraparound dining room with assigned tables and a set menu for dinner. For one-way and round-trip passengers, all meals are included in the ticket price. Breakfast features Norwegian specialties such as herring, cheeses, cold meats, and the kind of fare North Americans enjoy, while lunch is considered the main meal with a wide selection of hot and cold dishes, salads and desserts.
Entertainment generally centers on conversation, the gorgeous scenery and watching the cargo handling in port. Cabins, mostly outsides spread over four decks, are functional and have folding and sofa beds, radios, adequate stowage and private showers. Preferred cabins are away from the cargo-handling openings because the movements take place day and night. A few larger cabins have separate sitting areas.
For comfortable surroundings at a moderate price in an expensive country, the Nordlys provides a great introduction to Norway's beauty, its people, and towns along a rugged 1,250-mile coastline. No other service like this exists, though the Alaska Marine Highway's more basic ferries serve much the same purpose.
