Starting from Bergen, this was a 4 night Short Trip to Tromso. ~40 years ago I worked P&O’s Fairstar out of Sydney in entertainment. Thought it was time to try a cruise again…..
The delight & surprise was to discover this Havila voyage hugs the coastline, often in channels between islands and the coast, and sometimes threading-the-needle in narrow passages. Made for some sensational scenery.
Another smart feature, was the ability to be woken if the Bridge spots the Northern Lights. That came about on nights 3 & 4, albeit only visible to cameras (images below), with the very faint occasional pulse that could be seen by the naked eye. Passengers heading further on to Kirkenes may well have had better skies and Aurora.
Havila & Hurtigruten essentially have contracts do deliver cargo & mail to coastal towns, so passengers are more on a trip than a cruise. With this agenda, they did regular quick stops, and a daily longer stop to run excursions and give passengers a chance to explore a town.
First stop was Alesund which I had visited before, but quiet different covered in snow. Then Trondheim (below) with its own Bryggene and a beautiful church Nidarosdomen. And lastly Bodo before arriving the following day at Tromso in the Artic Circle and Northern Lights Aurora Oval.
Trondheim
Nidarosdomen
Northern Lights..
