Having boarded the ship for our cruise down the Norwegian coast, life slowed down and revolved around meal times with regularity. The days blurred into each other, the common theme being non-stop stunning scenery. In this post I, therefore, describe various aspects of the cruise rather than a sequential description of our journey.
The ship
One of four operated by Havila Kystruten, the Castor is a particularly eco-friendly vessel that runs on Liquid Natural Gas and Solar generated electricity and boasts large battery packs that can power the ship for up to four hours. It is 124 metres long, 22 metres wide, and carries a maximum 640 passengers in 179 cabins (our cruise 342 passengers).
These are not solely cruise ships. They are used by locals to travel between remote villages (some of which have no road connections) and for mail and freight deliveries. All the staff are Norwegian.
There are plenty of opportunities for enjoying the scenery, relaxing and eating inside and out. The ship has a system for cleaning the windows to allow passengers to use their cameras inside. There is a bow deck on level 6 and a walkway round the front of the bar on deck 9. On a couple of occasions we were standing there when the ships deafening horn blasted our ear drums.
Docking
It was interesting watching the ship dock. There was generally one person on the quay responsible for slipping the mooring ropes round the bollards, two forward and two aft. On the occasion that the ship was docked for 15 minutes, only the forward moorings were made fast with the stern being control by the propellors. The same person operated the fork lift to load and unload cargo.
At a number of stops, the ship docked for a long enough period to allow passengers to disembark for outings or to stretch their legs. The towns we managed to disembark at and explore were:
- Vardo
- Hammerfest
- Tromso (outing, see below)
- Svolvaer
- Bronnoysund
- Kristiansund (Outing see below)
Our cabin
On checking in, we were provided with a card which we used for:
- Getting on and off the ship
- Accessing our cabin
- Paying for additional purchases (at the shop, bar and restaurant)
Our cabin was located on the port (left) side of the ship; this was ideal as we had a constant view through a large window of the coast on account of travelling south. It was like a spacious hotel room with everything we needed, except cups (fridge, kettle, instant coffee and tea bags, but no cups!). We soon picked up a couple of mugs from one of the many card operated coffee vending machines
As we were to be in the cabin for five nights it was great to unpack our cases and live out of the wardrobe.
Outings
Most afternoons, there was an information session in the conference room. This was aimed at giving passengers more information about aspects of Norway and the options for the next day’s outings.
We booked two outings, a midnight concert in the wooden Tromso Cathedral and a scenic bus tour along the scenic Atlantic Ocean Road
The main challenge with the midnight concert was staying awake during the evening. We disembarked 15 minutes later than scheduled and walked the short distance to the cathedral. As it was Saturday evening, the town was buzzing with young revellers (seems to be a worldwide theme), but it was all well humoured. The concert was performed by an organist/pianist, a trumpeter and a vocalist. Most of their numbers were local compositions, but they finished with an interesting arrangement of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
The Atlantic Ocean Road tour was a big expensive disappointment. With the promise of dinner on route, we started the coach tour from Kristiansund at 16:30. After our first stop at a Stave church, we stopped for dinner. With a full set of cutlery on the table, we looked forward to another great meal, only to be disappointed. The menu only included a local fish soup and a light dessert. From there we drove along the Atlantic Ocean Road (much shorter than we expected) and through the countryside before re-joining the ship at its next stop.
I plan to describe the cruise highlights and our stops at some stage – probably on our return.
The Catering
All I can say is that the waist band of my trousers has inexplicitly shrunk.
After checking in on the first afternoon, we had to select our preferred lunch and dinner times for which we were allocated a table number. As breakfast was free seating, we decided to start the day early at 07:00 before the rush. Lunch and dinner menus comprising three courses (if desired) varied each day, all of which were delicious. Wine and other drinks, apart from tap water, were extra.
The scenery
As we left Kirkenes, the coast line looked very inhospitable – steel grey rocky cliffs streaked with pure snow on their gullies.
These cliffs gradually increased in height and became significantly more craggy. It was not until we approached the Arctic Circle that green vegetation, reminiscent of moss, started to coat the lower slopes of the mountains.
Low lying land with stretches of houses and belts of trees became a more regular sight and there was less and less snow at higher altitudes.
Finally, as we approached Bergen, the snow disappeared and slopes more forested.
The main thing about the ever changing landscape was that it was difficult to put the camera down, particularly as the weather, after the first day gave us clear blue skies with occasional fluffy white clouds.
One of the highlights was navigating through the Lofoten Islands and cruising into the Trollfjord
The Weather
When we arrived in Kirkenes, the temperature was down at 4 degrees with a cold north wind straight from the north pole. Setting sail, this weather prevailed until it started to clear on day 2 – the wind dropped and swung round from the south and the skies started to clear. Despite this we still had to wrap up before venturing out on deck.
The weather continued to treat us to sunshine and calm waters allowing us to be in shirt sleeves on deck the further south we progressed. Until the afternoon of day 5 when it started to cloud over and by night it was raining. We also faced with a wet arrival in Bergen.
The end of the cruise
I am finishing this post at 09:30 on day 6 as we cruise towards our port of final disembarking, Bergen. It is a grey day with rain expected when we arrive. We had to vacate our cabin by 10:00 and are therefore ‘hanging around’ until lunch and arrival into Bergen at 14:45. This is a less than happy ending to what has been an amazing experience.
4 Responses
Looks like great Scandinavian trip Martin
Interesting blog and the food looks yummy!!
Brilliant photos and story. Thanks so much. Can’t wait for the next installment.
Fantastic blog Martin. Very inspiring