Hurtigruten Norway will introduce the two new offerings in 2023 – the Svalbard Express and North Cape Express.
The Svalbard Express will launch on June 3, 2023, just one month ahead of the company’s 130-year anniversary, while the first North Cape Express will depart on September 26, 2023.
The two new itineraries the two new itineraries will offer a “significantly different experience” including a half-or full-day port visits.
Also included are cooking classes, wine, beer, champagne, and whisky tastings, a food center, a cocktail bar and onboard entertainment.
Dining options will include an à la carte restaurant with tasting menus, all-day dining, afternoon tea, and takeaway service.
The food center will feature both cooking demonstrations and classes, and picnic and culinary excursions will be available, another first for the company.
Like the Coastal Express since 1893, the two new itineraries onboard Svalbard Express will also bring cargo between ports and freight to the northernmost community on Earth.
Hedda Felin, CEO of Hurtigruten Norway, said: “For almost 130 years, we have been carrying travelers on what is often referred to as ‘the most beautiful voyage in the world’, and no one does the Norwegian coast better than Hurtigruten Norway.
“With the Svalbard Express and North Cape Express, we will offer an experience similar to the likes of the Orient Express, combining a premium onboard experience with beautiful scenery, exceptional excursions, and some of the best food on any sea.”
The Svalbard Express will mark the return of one of Norway’s most iconic sailing routes, which operated between 1968 and 1982.
The new itinerary will include some of the Norwegian coast’s most popular destinations – such as the Lofoten Islands, Vesterålen, and the North Cape – before heading north to Longyearbyen in Svalbard, the world’s northernmost populated city.
The full roundtrip journey takes 14 days. A seven-day one-way cruise, either starting or ending in Svalbard, is also available.
Guests can pair their journey with Hurtigruten Svalbard’s wide range of sustainable activities.
The one-way journey package includes two nights at a hotel in Longyearbyen and two excursions: a wilderness evening at Camp Barentz and the hybrid-electric catamaran MS Bard.
Meanwhile, the 13-day North Cape Express takes guests to Oslo, the capital of Norway, and both the country’s southernmost and northernmost points.
It will mark Hurtigruten Norway’s first-ever time with regular sailings in Oslo.
This itinerary will also include new ports in southern Norway, scenic cruising through Hardangerfjord, and the most beautiful cities and picturesque towns along the coast.
For more information, please visit hurtigruten.com.
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