As we cruise above the Atlantic at just over 35,000 feet, I figured I’d start this trip off with a quick blog entry to describe what exactly we’re doing for spring break this year.
If you follow us on social media, you may have seen hints of what’s to come over the next 10 days, including a stay in an igloo at the top of Norway, followed by a few days aboard one of Hurtigruten’s ships, sailing the coastal waters from Kirkenes to Bergen. Here’s the full itinerary:
- Arrive in Oslo on 3/24
- Fly to Kirkenes on 3/25
- Stay in an igloo at the Kirkenes Snowhotel the 25th, after some dog sledding, of course!
- Board the MS Nordnorge on the 26th, sailing down to Bergen
- Arrive in Bergen on the 30th and spend a couple of days sightseeing
- Take the train from Bergen to Oslo on 4/1
- Fly home 4/2
That’s the basic gist. We’ve actually lost a day on the Nordnorge due to some sort of mechanical issue. Whatever the issue, it’ll be skipping all ports after Tromso and getting to Bergen a day early.
We got the call about that one on the way to IAD today, so while I drove, Jen spent an hour or two trying to get us on one of the other ships in a way that wouldn’t cause us to lose the Snowhotel and dog sledding, but the one option available would have required a larger spend on Hurtugruten’s part than they were willing to do (including an additional two sets of flights for us). Oh well, it is what it is. They’re giving on board credit, covering our hotel both nights in Bergen, and I *think* we may still get to do the two excursions we wanted, as they’re both prior to the impacted portion of the itinerary. Kudos to the agent Jen spoke with, she was very friendly and worked with us on every option trying to set things up in a way that would allow for the full voyage without losing any of the other activities.
Stuff happens, ships miss ports for various reasons, so we’ll just have a couple of sea (fjord?) days to enjoy the scenery! I brought 5 cameras, might as well spend some time shooting with all of them, right?
Anyway, not sure if I’ll have time to post until we get back, but if you’ve ever wanted to visit Norway and sleep in an igloo, are interested in what sailing through the Norwegian fjords aboard a Hurtugruten ship is like, or even want to experience the day long train ride between Bergen and Oslo, follow along with us on social media, I do plan to post pics and video as much as possible!
Wanderlist Vacations 
Which cabin style on the ship did you get?
________________________________
Don’t recall of the top of my head, but I’ll include it in my review after we sail