Hurtigruten 'Seminar at Sea' FAM - in search of the Northern Lights

Hurtigruten Northern Lights FAM
14-17th March 2010 - Norway
Flo Powell, Director, ACE

Our group of 28 met at Heathrow at 5.20am to fly to Oslo and then Tromso, we arrived at lunchtime and went straight to the RICA hotel for a 3-course meal. There was quite a lot of excitement about the snow and Fjords that we passed on the way - the scenery was quite spectacular; there had been quite a lot of snow before we arrived so it was all crisp and new and everyone secretly wanted to jump in it!

We had a wander around Tromso after lunch and noted the unusual style of housing with enormous icicles hanging off every ledge. We were then transferred to the Husky Farm in the evening for a traditional Sami meal of Reindeer stew around a fire then onto the dog sledging which was really good fun - the huskies seemed as excited as us about the whole experience! We were standing around 'cooing' at huskie babies when someone looked up and gasped - the Northern Lights had paid us a visit and a bright green strip of light was dancing across the sky above our heads. It lasted for around twenty minutes then began to fade away but came back later, interrupting our dessert of chocolate cake, beer and baileys!

We boarded the ship at around 01.30, I was expecting a pretty basic cabin as I knew the Hurtigruten ships are working vessels, taking freight to the remote Norwegian communities as well as passengers. However, I was surprised to find that my cabin was very comfortable, it came with a warm duvet, picture window and a heated floor in the bathroom!

After a hearty breakfast the following morning we trudged onto the coach for a half day sightseeing tour, we were blessed with excellent weather. Our tiredness soon waned as we took in the amazing views of Fjords and snow-capped mountains basked in sunshine. We were even treated to a local delicacy of 'brown cheese' on board a ferry, this snack is a kind of sweet cheese which they served on waffles - it was delicious!

We returned to the ship for a top-class buffet lunch with lots of fish, then toured the ship. The MS Midnatsol is a fairly new ship at only 7 years old and boasts two hot tubs on deck 9, single-sex saunas and a gym as well as a panoramic lounge, bar, cafe, facilities for disabled passengers and a number of suites with balconies.

The following morning I awoke to the announcement that we were passing the Arctic Circle so I rushed up to the icy deck 9 to take a quick snap before breakfast. Our FAM was a 'seminar at sea', so after breakfast we visited one of the conference rooms to meet the Purser, Camilla, who was a truly wonderful lady who had been on the ship since the beginning and talked excitedly about life on board, the different types of passengers and the services available including excursions such as reindeer riding and snow-mobiles, the option to travel with your car or bicycle on board, wine packages and an unlimited coffee option. Lucy from Hurtigruten then took us through the rest of the Hurtigruten fleet and destinations including Greenland, Spitsbergen and Antarctica and we learned that they stop at 34 ports on the Norwegian coast and at Kirkenes passengers can stay in an ice hotel!

Our last day was at Trondheim; the weather was not as bright as before but our tour guide took us through the sites with great enthusiasm and showed us the Cathedral and famous bridge, canals, university and rock music museum. We arrived at the airport a little sad to be leaving Norway, but the journey home was very speedy - two flights in only 3 hours!

This trip was a lot better than expected, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we were all amazed at the breathtaking scenery, fantastic facilities on board as well as great food and service. We certainly weren't expecting waiter service for dinner, entertainment in the bar, comfortable cabins with heated floors, saunas and hot tubs! It was far more a cruise ship than a ferry and at times it felt like a river cruise as we travelled so close to the mountains on either side of the ship. This trip would be ideal for those looking for a bit of adventure, its not exhausting and those interested in wildlife and photography would be particularly interested, they just need to wrap up warm! We took in just a small part of the coastline on offer and itineraries are available in Spring, Summer and Autumn as well as Winter to showcase this fabulous country in all the different seasons.

Hurtigruten have a training module available on the ACE Academy to learn more! www.cruiseexperts.org.

ACE Antarctic Blog - Swan Hellenic

ACE Antarctic Blog
by Peter Ruck, Baldwins Travel

For many years I had dreamed of visiting Antarctica, an untamed continent of heroic explorer fame and have now realised that dream! I decided to take my wife during our 35th wedding anniversary year on a Swan Hellenic Antarctic Peninsular cruise in December – it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Hurtigruten and Silversea were considered but we had quite tight travel dates.

We flew on BA via Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires for a 2 night pre-cruise stop, taking in a tour of the city, the Tigra Delta and a tango dinner show while staying at the centrally situated Sofitel Hotel. Bearing in mind the cost of an air fare, transfers, excursion and pre-post stays (£300 per room, rack), the add-on was extremely good value for money. A number of passengers had decided to ‘do it themselves’ – which caused problems for them on their return, following delays/cancellation of flights from Ushuaia and disruption of flights to and from Europe because of the European snowy weather conditions! After our brief stay we flew down to Ushuaia where we transferred to an alpine type lodge in the Tierra Del Fuego Parks area for lunch and a minimal-fuss check-in to collect our boarding/cabin key cards. Shortly thereafter boarding Minerva, starting our cruise adventure along the Beagle Channel with the sun shining over the Chilean Alps and awaiting what Drake Passage may throw at us. Although Minerva can accommodate around 350 guests, the Antarctic Cruises have a maximum 200 following guidelines laid down by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators treaty. Only 100 of those passengers are allowed off ship at any one time using the 10 Zodiac boats available on board. The cabins are adequate with full en-suite facilities – just about room to house the complimentary parkas, landing life preservers and Wellington boots disinfected and returned at the end of the cruise.

As it turned out, Drake was a bit of a lumpy Force 4, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. 2 days later we had made such good headway that we had the bonus of an early extra landing on the Antarctic Continent. The good weather continued through most of the next 5 days where we experienced totally stunning scenery – in Half Moon Bay, Deception Island and Paradise Bay. We had sightings of Minke, Humpback and a large pod of Orca (Killer) Whale. To be standing on those pristine, blindingly white ice beaches was both exhilarating and humbling! Viewing penguins at such close quarters – yes, you’re supposed to stay 15 feet away from them – but nobody bothered to tell the penguins! There is an aroma of very strong marmite – but I’ve encountered worse.
We encountered hundreds of Gentoos some with very newly hatched chicks, cute Chinstrap and Adelie penguins plus one poor King penguin who was obviously lost.
One could spend ages just watching all their antics. (see pics below)

We viewed Elephant seal pups, cute Weddell Seals and the occasional evil-looking Leopard seal. You have to be watchful when walking on land – that long rock could well be a seal!

It wasn’t all bright skies and sunshine glinting off the waters and glaciers. We entered the Lemaire Channel, so called Kodak Alley, in a Force 12 hurricane, but fortunately due to its steep sides, the wind didn’t affect the ship too much – the Captain just had to keep an eye on the icebergs, and if you were on deck it was hard to hold a camera steady – but we made it through without incident. The icebergs – wind and ice carved statues and glittering crystal, some coloured such a deep azure blue where over the centuries air has been compressed out of the ice returning it to its natural hue. There were also huge 27 kilometre length tabular bergs that had broken away from the ice shelf – incredible. The whole experience was really amazing.

We were treated to some interesting and landing-enhancing lectures from very professional marine biologists, geologists and ornithologists. We visited a US research station, Palmer Station, where they have just discovered a marine sponge that gives off a toxic substance that can kill skin cancerous cells without harming surrounding live cells. Having named it ‘Palmeroid’ they need to replicate it in the laboratory (you can’t just wipe out the sponges harvesting this toxin) and then trial it – may take 7 or more years and millions of dollars – but one day! Just goes to show the important research being carried out down there. After an unforgettable 6 days of cruising and landings we commenced our return through Drake Passage (or Drake Lake) – it was flat calm with a long distant view of Cape Horn – often some of the most notorious waters in our oceans!

The continent (my 7th now) was absolutely stunning. Although swimming in an icy cold caldera does raise questions of my sanity. It was supposed to be fed by geo-thermal springs but they must have been turned off for the Summer! At least the vat of hot coffee or chocolate together with your favourite tipple of rum or cognac etc welcomed us back on board each time.

I don’t know why Minerva only has 3+ stars in the Berlitz guide. The crew were very professional, the staff so friendly and the service excellent. All were very safety conscious, helpful and informative.

My next task to improve on this or at least equal it – something I believe will be hard to do.