Latest Offers from Hurtigruten

Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten have announced the following special offers for April and May:

PEARLS OF THE BALTIC SEA VOYAGE – now from £1261pp (save over £975pp) – Depart Oslo on April 25 and take advantage of a great offer from Hurtigruten on an 11 day voyage that departs Oslo and calls at Copenhagen, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Gudhjem and returning to Oslo on board MS Fram. Book either and Inside or outside cabin and take advantage of great savings. Prices now start from £1261 per person for an inside cabin, including 10 nights full board on the ship and transfers. Based on two sharing. Flights to Oslo are extra and can be booked through Hurtigruten.

BIRDWATCHING THEMED CRUISE IN NORWAY - £1043pp – Depart Bergen on May 20 for a six-day birdlife-themed voyage along the Norwegian coast from Kirkenes in the far north to Bergen in the south. May is a time when millions of rare migrating birds return to the Arctic coast during their nesting period. Species like puffins, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, cormorants and sea eagles are numerous in this area and the voyage is accompanied by two Norwegian specialists in this field and an RSPB lecturer to give passengers the chance to learn more. Priced from £1043 per person for a six-day voyage including full board on the ship. Flights are extra and based on two sharing.

SPECIAL OFFER ON NORWEGIAN FJORDS OFFER - £655pp – Head to Norway and take advantage of a special offer from Hurtigruten. The ship calls at over 30 ports of call along the way, taking passengers much closer to the heart of the country, with many ports not visited by the larger ships. As the country enjoys the start of Spring and the changing seasons, see the scenery for yourself. Take the Voyage South from Kirkenes in the far north to Bergen in the South on April 22, 25 or 26, which now costs from just £655 per person. This price includes five nights half-board accommodation on the ship in an unspecified cabin (simply choose inside or outside). Flights are extra and can be booked through Hurtigruten. NO single supplements apply. Book by April 20.

For more information, vist http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or contact the adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

New Year in Norway with the Northern Lights

By guest blogger Steve Newman

How about ringing in the New Year in Norway with the Arctic landscapes as the backdrop? Hurtigruten are offering a New Year's banquet which can be enjoyed with dancing in the bar after dinner, before heading up on deck at Midnight where there will be fireworks and a toast for the New Year. Depart on December 30 for a five-night ‘Venture into the Arctic’ voyage onboard MS Midnatsol travelling from Bergen in the south to Tromsø in the north and hopefully seeing the Northern Lights along the way. And what better way to kick off 2011 than with a dog-sledding excursion or snowmobiling, which can be added to the trip.

Prices start from £895 per person and include four nights half board on the ship, one night B&B accommodation in Tromsø at the end of the voyage and return flights from Gatwick. No single supplements apply.

To book, log on to http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or visit cruise specialists The Cruise Line.

From Whale Watching to Staying in a Fisherman's Cabin!

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Fancy seeing nature's gentle giants, the sperm whale, in their natural habitat and under the Midnight Sun? Exploring small fishing villages whilst staying in a traditional fisherman's 'Rorbuer'? Or taking a voyage that combines Norway and Spitsbergen and the chance to see Polar Bears?

All this, and much more, is now possible with new itineraries introduced for 2011 by Hurtigruten, which aim to bring passengers even closer to all that Norway has to offer. Alongside the traditional daily departures from Bergen that travel up and down the coast, the new voyages offer something a little different, combining time onboard and time on land.

Giants of the Deep - Vesterålen Whale Watching Adventure (from £2380pp)
This 12-day trip combines a voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to the Vesterålen Islands with two nights in Andenes for a whale-watching safari. This is the first time Hurtigruten has offered whale watching in the Summer. Just an hour north-west of Andenes is Bleik Canyon, part of the continental shelf and home to a rich supply of deepwater squid, cuttlefish and plankton; the staple diet of the sperm whale.

The trip departs on 31 July, 2011, and includes the 8-night voyage on a full board basis, one night in Bergen and two nights in Andenes on a B&B basis, whale-watching and tour lecturer and tour guide (based on two sharing and price includes early booking discount if booked by December 21; flights are extra).

Classic Norway and Spitsbergen (from £2814pp)
A new 11-day itinerary combining the coast of Norway and the north west of Spitsbergen with internal flights between. This trip takes in northern Spitsbergen, including Ny Ålesund, the world's most northerly permanent occupied settlement and hopes to cross the 80th parallel to visit Moffen Island.

There will be the chance to see a wealth of different wildlife and animals, including, hopefully, the Polar Bear. Four dates are available on July 25 and August 1, 8 and 15, 2011, and the price includes 10 nights full board on the ship, flights between Kirkenes and Longyearbyen and from Longyearbyen to Oslo (based on two sharing).

Themed Voyages with experts - these once again feature prominently, with themes including Polar History, Edvard Grieg, Birds of the Nordic Coast and Norway's National Day. Also new for 2011 is a New Year themed voyage that includes celebrating seeing in the New Year actually on North Cape, with prices from £1328pp.

For more information, look up http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or the dedicated Hurtigruten section of The Cruise Line Ltd.

You can also learn more about Hurtigruten cruises at The Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27).