Hurtigruten, which is now sailing in Europe, plans to operate 14 of 16 ships starting in August and September. In addition, Hurtigruten will launch new itineraries in the British Isles over the coming months.
“With the safety and well-being of our guests and crew as our number-one priority, the response to our successful return to sailing last month has been extremely positive from both the local communities, our guests and crew,” said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “As travel restrictions are lifted, we are now entering the next phase of our step-by-step return to full operation.”
The cruises are primarily marketed to certain European residents but are not available to U.S. citizens yet, who can’t travel to Europe due to the uncontrolled pandemic outbreak here.
Hurtigruten resumed cruising on June 16 with the MS Finnmarken in Norway. With limiting capacity and strict hygiene measures, Hurtigruten currently operates five ships on international and domestic Norwegian itineraries.
Arctic expedition cruising will resume in mid-July with the battery-hybrid powered MS Roald Amundsen and MS Spitsbergen. They will operate six- to 15-day voyages on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Seven additional ships will operate the Bergen-to-Kirkenes voyage along the Norwegian coast in August and September.
In September, Hurtigruten plans to introduce a series of British Isles itineraries on the MS Roald Amundsen. Departing from Portsmouth (Sept. 2), Liverpool (Sept. 7 and 17) and Glasgow (Sept. 12), the short expedition cruises will go to off-the-beaten-track destinations such as Isles of Scilly, Fowey, Rathlin Island, Fortwilliam, Oban, Fishguard and Waterford.
“We wanted to make sure guests can enjoy the British Isles like never before, visiting remote isles, seeing rugged nature and amazing wildlife, and enjoying charming coastal cities, towns and villages while avoiding the mass tourism crowds,” Skjeldam said.
The newest addition to Hurtigruten’s fleet, battery-hybrid powered MS Fridtjof Nansen marked the return of international cruises as it departed Hamburg, Germany on June 26 for the first in a series of summer 2020 expedition cruises to the Norwegian coast.
The 14-night itineraries will continue into September, exploring world heritage fjords, glaciers, bird cliffs and narrow inlets all the way to the North Cape.
There have not been any confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 on any of Hurtigruten ships. Hurtigruten has implemented strict procedures to ensure the health and safety of guests and crew. These include reduced guest capacity to allow social distancing, strict hygiene protocols, health checks and screenings, frequent temperature readings upon boarding and entry to restaurants, and more. For more details, click here.
