Hurtigruten Celebrates Anniversaries of Polar Heros Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amunsen

In honor of the anniversaries of two national events – polar explorer, scientist and humanist Fridtjof Nansen’s birth, and polar hero and pioneer aviator Roald Amundsen’s historic trek to the South Pole – the Norwegian Government has declared 2011 the Year of Nansen-Amundsen.

Hurtigruten, which was established in the same year that Fridtjof Nansen set off into the Arctic Ocean in his newly built vessel Fram, is celebrating the monumental year with four unique itineraries honoring their legacies.

First, a centenary celebration onboard the MS Fram, named after Nansen’s famous ship, on Dec. 14 the day Amundsen and his men reached the South Pole, during the Chilean Fjords and Antarctica voyage; the Climate Voyage; the special Polar Bears, Islands and Fjords voyage following in the path of Nansen and finally the Ice Breakers theme cruise.

Hurtigruten's Europe

Migrating towards the coasts and waterways of Europe, the MS Fram sets course to enjoy the spring and autumn exploring some of the richest historic settings in the northern hemisphere.

Enjoy the spring traveling on our Western Europe Voyage, where you can explore the most enchanting ports on the Atlantic coast.

Celebrate Easter in the Norwegian fjords on a special voyage covering ports off the traditional Coastal Voyage including Sognefjord, Hardangerfjord and Stavanger. Or join us on a voyage to some of the most captivating historic cities in the Baltic Sea. From St. Petersburg and Helsinki to Estonia and Bornholm, our 11-day Baltic
journey recaptures something of the golden glories of a maritime
tradition that spanned generations.


In the fall, cross the North Sea to explore the wild and rugged beauty of
the Hebrides, before continuing to visit the remote Isles of Scilly
and a number of the other fascinating coastal communities that lie
along the west and south coast of the British Isles.

During your voyage enjoy shore landings and excursions by our Polarcirkel Boats. These smaller nimble boats give you greater access to areas of special
interest and beauty.

Book now and save up to 20% off the retail rate.

Discover the Aurora Borealis

Check out this stunning time lapse video of the Aurora Borealis - the Northern Lights, over Tromso, Norway

http://vimeo.com/16917950


Discover the Northern Lights for yourself on an exhilarating wintertime Norwegian Coastal Voyage aboard Hurtigruten. Plus, learn how to photograph the Northern Lights during your cruise on our special Digital Photography adventure!

Book now and save up to 15% off with our Early Booking discount.

MV Fram makes pioneer expedition landing

MV Fram, under the command of Captain Arild Hårvik, made a fantastic pioneer landing in the Magelland Strait, Chile yesterday. After departure Punta Arenas, Fram headed for Magdalene Island, home for more than 200.000 Magellan Penguins. According to Expedition Leader Karin Strand, guests came crying in joy back to the ship after the pre-breakfast expedition landing.

We thank the Expedition Team Members Verena Meraldi and John Chardine for excellent pictures of the charming penguins.

Read more at: http://mvfram.blogspot.com/

Itinerary Change - Polar Encounters

Newsflash: the itinerary, duration and departure dates for the Polar Encounters voyage is now revised. Going forward there will be a 6 and 9-day version of the Polar Encounters expedition giving you more opportunity to see the island of Spitsbergen.

Plus, book now and save 10% with our Early booking discount. And if you book a 6-day expedition now, we'll give you a free upgrade!

The traditional fisheries in Northern Norway

This music video is a very good historic document of how the traditional Lofoten fisheries is done. On a winter voyage with Hurtigruten through the Lofoten Islands in the period of the fisheries (January to April) you may experience this yourself. The lyrics is Norwegian and is about Fish and Potatoes.

Norway Ranks #1 on Prosperity List!

Norway leads the 2010 list ranking the prosperity of 110 of the world's nations by the London analytical center Legatum Institute.

Norway also topped the 2009 rankings.

"The Prosperity Index seeks to understand how economic fundamentals, health, freedom, governance, safety, education, entrepreneurial opportunity, and social capital influence a country's economic growth and the happiness of its citizens," the group says.

Hurtigruten's classic Norwegian Coastal Voyages offers the most authentic way to see Norway along the 1,250 mile fjord filled west coast. Come discover for yourself why Norway continues to top the Prosperity Index.

Hurtigruten More than Doubles Advanced Sales for 2011!

Hurtigruten is extremely proud to announce a tremendous increase in interest for our Norwegian Coastal Voyage and Explorer (Antarctica, Greenland, Arctic and Europe) cruises from the N. American market for the 2011 season!

Advance bookings have grown by an amazing 127% from our 2009 pre-booking season, comparison based on end-of-September figures. Passenger counts also increased substantially during the same year-to-year comparison. Ongoing growth is expected as we continue to develop strong sales opportunities for travel agents.

Way to go!

Finnkirka

On October 18th 2010 the Light Art Installation of Finnkirka, a Sami/Lapp sacred rock close to Kjøllefjord in Finnmark, Norway was opened. All guests aboard Hurtigruten sailing into Kjøllefjord will from now on see this magnificent sight.

Hurtigruten's Northern Lights Adventures

Experience a spectacular Norwegian coastal voyage aboard Hurtigruten. Known internationally as “The World’s Most Beautiful Voyage,” this enchanting vacation showcases Norway’s dazzling scenery of fjords, snow-capped mountains, bustling villages and picturesque towns. Our journey takes you on either a 6 or 7-day voyage to 34 charming ports between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north, close to the Russian border.

Winter may be the most special time to experience the Norwegian Coastal voyage - a hidden gem. A truly spectacular time to see Norway’s northern reaches with majestic scenery, the Polar Light and a surreal experience not found anywhere else.

Unique to the winter voyage are the exciting shore excursions including dog sledding in Tromso, snowmobiling over the frozen fjords of Lapland and the King Crab Safari. Here you’ll dive into the Barents Sea where your guide will catch the mighty crustacean and prepare it for you for dinner!
Plus, what winter wonderland would be complete without an encounter with the awe-inspiring Northern Lights? Aurora Borealis is a truly rare phenomenon only occurring in the winter.

Hurtigruten is truly once in a lifetime vacation.

Introducing the new 2011 Norway Brochure!

Hurtigruten proudly introduces our new, 2011 Norway brochure. This exquisite brochure was designed to give you all the information needed to plan your Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage including itineraries, pricing, shore excursions, theme voyages, cabin information and our Early Booking Discount*

Book now and save up to 15% off the retail rate!*

Click here to order your beautiful new brochure.

Hurtigruten Introduces the "1893 Ambassador" program for Loyal Guests

Hurtigruten is proud to introduce our first customer loyalty program - the 1893 Ambassador program. This program was created to reward our repeat passengers with exclusive discounts and recognition benefits.

Named after the year of Hurtigruten’s original founding by Captain Richard With, the program allows members to enjoy 10% off their next Norwegian Coastal Voyage, 5% off a future Explorer Voyage to Greenland, Antarctica, Spitsbergen, or Europe plus a host of other amenities including:

• 5% discount on selected excursions booked on board Norwegian Coastal Voyages
• A free bridge visit
• Free fruit basket in your cabin upon arrival
• 3 days free bicycle rental included with every Hurtigruten Norwegian classic round trip
• Free quarterly member newsletter with interesting background stories about Hurtigruten as well as travel tips and destination information
• Personalized membership card
  

Membership is free and easy to join. Visit www.hurtigruten.us/1893 for details.

Name the Seals Contest!

Two seal pups were born in July on the Lofoten Islands. They will embark Hurtigrutens ship MS Midnatsol September 2 on the way to Tromsø and their new home Polaria. Take part in the naming competition!

The seals Victoria and Lauser gave birth to cute little offspring in July on the Lofoten Islands, and they are growing and thriving wonderfully. The Polaria aquarium in Tromsø and Hurtigruten are looking for names for the two seals - one boy and one girl. Let your imagination run wild and take part in the naming competition. The prize is a Hurtigruten winter voyage for two from Kirkenes to Bergen.



Simply email your two name suggestions with your name, address and telephone number to seal@hurtigruten.com. The entry deadline is September 13, 2010. The winners will be notified.

Best of luck!

How Wrong Is It Possible to Write "Hurtigruten"?

The Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten makes it difficult sometimes for Americans to find it in search engines because Americans don't understand what the word means. This makes it therefore difficult to write.

For Norwegians it is not that difficult to write "Hurtigruten." Error sources are usually the first letter (should it be capital or lower case H?) and the silent (not pronounced) letter g. And Norwegians understand the two parts the compound "Hurtigruten" is composed of: "Hurtig" (meaning "fast") and "rute(n) (which means "route") - ships sailing regularly up and down the Norwegian coast. Some years ago, this voyage was fast; now our customers don't take this cruise for the speed.

Below you can see a list of how Americans write Hurtigruten wrong when when searching for the company or cruises Hurtigruten offers. For Norwegians some of the misspelling are quite funny, but they are very understandable. When you do not understand what the word is composed of, it is not easy to write it correctly.

• hertegruten
• hertigruten
• hrutegarten
• hurdigen norway cruise
• hurtegruten
• hurtengruten
• hurtgruten
• hurtig ruten
• hurtigan
• hurtigen
• hurtigeruten
• hurtigren
• hurtigrten
• hurtigrunten
• hurtigrutan
• hurtigrute
• hurtigrute
• hurtigrutenus
• hurtigrutin
• hurtigrutin fram
• hurtigrutten
• hurtigtuten opera voyage
• hurtigurten
• hurtiguta
• hurtiguten
• hurtihruten
• hurtingruten
• hurtingrutin
• hurtinguten
• hurtiruten
• hurtrigen
• hurtzegrutin cruise line
• hutengruten
• hutigruten
• hutigruten us
• hutrigruten
• huttigruten
• hutygruten

MS Fram's Chief Officer Writes from Ship in Greenland

MS Fram has completed our Spitsbergen season and is now in the throes of our Greenland expeditions in Disko-bay.

MS Fram's Chief officer Ingar Lorentsen sent us some fantastic pictures from the last cruise. Here's what he writes:

"When I’m writing this we have been a while at Ilulissat and the voyage has been amazing so far. As you can see from the pictures, the weather has been amazing. During our journey, we've been to Kangerlussuaq, Sisimiut, Qeqertarsuaq, Uummannaq, Ukkusissat, Eqip Sermia. Today we are in Ilulissat and had amazing weather, experienced great excursions in striking nature, seen a kayak show from the natives in Sisimiut and watched amazing sunrises with indescribable iceberg formations.
Yesterday when we were next to the glacier Eqip Sermia we had a barbecue on deck in the sunset and I guess you can say that our passengers are thrilled. The ship is full of extremely enthusiastic passengers!"

MS Fram now continues on her journey sailing the 8-day Glaciers and Icebergs of Greenland voyage.

Try a Norwegian Specialty - Fjellbekk!

One of our favorite spirits to enjoy while traveling on Hurtigruten's Norwegian Coastal Voyage is the famous Fjellbekk which means Mountain Stream in Norwegian.

The fjellbekk is a tasty and refreshing drink coming directly from Norway and made with aquavit, a very special Scandinavian liquor. The fjellbekk goes down great while watching the majestic scenery of the fjords or in the evening at the bar while listening to live music with friends.

Try making your own for a summer happy hour tonight!

3/4 oz vodka
3/4 oz aquavit
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz Sprite® or 7-up

Enjoy over ice as you watch the sunset. Or if you're in Norway, the Midnight Sun.

Hurtigruten Offers

Hurtigruten is offering amazing deals right now on our once-in-a-lifetime destinations including the our Northern Lights adventures in Norway and our special Christmas voyage in Antarctica.

Book select summer and autumn Norwegian Coastal Voyages now and your companion will sail for half price!

Plus, for adventure seekers, Hurtigruten's Northern Lights Adventures in the winter time have never been easier to attain than with this special offer. Book a 12-day Classic Roundtrip voyage and pay for only 7-days! What a deal!

These Hurtigruten offers won't last long so check out www.hurtigruten.us for more information.

For those really looking to brag about their holiday vacation, there's no better way than to sail Antarctica on the 17-day Shackleton's Christmas in Antarctica. Book now and your companion sails for half price!

Finally don't forget to ask about our amazing Early Booking Discount for 2011 Norway, Antarctica, Spitsbergen and Greenland departures. You can save up to 20%!

why the situation in Greenland is so serious...

While for every Greenlander there are nearly 120,000 other people in the world, what happens along these remote and barely populated shores of the world’s largest island affects people everywhere. The bottom line for the work that I do studying the climate of Greenland is the ice sheet’s contribution to global sea level rise. Scientists like me expect global sea level to be 1-2 m (3.3-6.6 feet) above its year 2000 stage by year 2100. Imagine if you're the mayor of a major coastal city and your nation's top scientists inform you that in the next century, your city better be well on it's way building ramparts against the sea. That's going to be downright costly and not just to managers of coastal infrastructure but to society well inland because of the economic ripple effects of coastal impacts and migration. I'll talk more in detail about this during our upcoming cruise. Suffice it to say for now that Greenland is currently a top source of global sea level rise.

I should not be so astonished that year 2010 so far, according to NASA, is the warmest on record for the globe, but also for Greenland. I'm preparing my 7th annual State of the Climate report already now and I accept the science of climate change. Note that I say accept, not believe. Scientists accept or reject hypotheses. A body of evidence that has withstood a reasonable amount of skeptical inquiry becomes theory. So far in nearly 150 years of now mature science, global warming theory has not been rejected. Anyway, winter 2009/2010 air temperatures, were a whopping 8.8 degrees C (15.8 degrees F) above normal*. Think about that, a 3 month average, setting a new record! If you're a dog sledder living above the mid point of Greenland’s west coast, like my good friend Ole-Jurgen Hammeken, that means NO DOG SLEDDING ALL WINTER. His sled dogs were going crazy chained up all winter. There was NO SEA ICE in his memory. As far as the glaciers are concerned (they are not, existentially-speaking), it's off to the races! Glaciers have reacted to climate warming.

It's not just air temperature. Actually, ocean temperature increases that are most important for glacier stability. Sea surface temperatures around Greenland have increased, on average, in all seasons since reliable satellite observations began in 1982. The DOUBLING IN SPEED OF ESSENTIALLY ALL SOUTHERN GREENLAND GLACIERS during the past decade have been attributed to the incursion of a warm ocean waters**. Water has a much much higher heat capacity than air. Globally, the amount of additional heat the oceans have absorbed, if re-released into the atmosphere would increase by you don't want to know how much, but I will mention this figure during one of my talks on board the Fram on the cruise 26 September - 10 October.

There's a lot more in store for us in the record setting warm year of 2010. Myself, my students, and colleagues are scrutinizing daily updates to satellite images. We're already finding this year retreats to new minima for the modern age for Greenland glaciers.

On our cruise, we're re-tracing the migration of the Norse. When south Greenland was settled MORE THAN 1000 YEARS AGO, temperatures were warm like today. The primary cause of the warming then was due to earth’s orbit. Unfortunately for the human guilt factor, the situation is very different today, the heat content of the climate system has increased while orbital changes and solar output has decreased. Humans have become, by far, the most important climate forcing agent these days, unlike in the time of the Norse. So, while it will be interesting to consider the similarities with Greenlanders 1000 years ago and now growing bumper crops of potatoes, broccoli, the situation today is so very different.

* The World Meteorological Organization defines a "climate normal" as the most recent 30-year period beginning at the first year of the most recent complete decade, that is, 1971-2000.

** Holland, D.M., R.H. Thomas, B. de Young, M.H. Ribergaard and B. Lyberth. 2008. Acceleration of Jakobshavn Isbræ triggered by warm subsurface ocean waters, Nature Geoscience, 1, 659–664, (10.1038/ngeo316.)

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Norway Ranked among Top Ten Most Peaceful Nations in the World

The Top 10 most peaceful countries in the World were announced yesterday by the Institute for Economics & Peace:


1 New Zealand
2 Iceland
3 Japan
4 Austria
5 Norway
6 Ireland
7 Denmark
7 Luxembourg
9 Finland
10 Sweden


Western Europe is markedly the most peaceful region, with the majority of the countries in this group ranking in the top 20 overall.


According to the Institute for Economics & Peace, Norway’s score deteriorated slightly from last year, contributing to a slide of two places to 5th position in the 2010 GPI. Access to small arms and light weapons remains highly restricted. Relations between Norway and its neighboring Scandinavian countries, with which it shares a strong cultural and linguistic heritage, are very good, with close co-operation remaining a cornerstone of Norway’s foreign policy. Most GPI indicators relating to safety and security point to a harmonious society: violent crime is rare, human rights are accorded great respect, the political scene is stable and violent demonstrations are highly unlikely to occur. There are more security officers and police per head in Norway than in Denmark, Finland and Sweden.


The results of the Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2010 suggest that the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year. The GPI, which gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society and militarization in 149 countries, registered overall increases in several indicators, including the likelihood of violent demonstrations and perceptions of criminality. In some nations, an intensification of conflicts and growing instability appears to be linked to the global economic downturn in late 2008 and early 2009.

getting excited!

We're beginning to plan the voyage "in the wake of the Vikings"!

There are few things remaining on my to do in Greenland list, visiting the Norse ruins was on of them. I have read widely on the topic and visited some of the ruins. This trip will allow me to fill in some important blanks. To see 1. the church as Hvalsey (the best-preserved Norse Greenland ruins!) and the North American ruins at L'Anse sux Meadows (North America discovered ~500 years before Christopher Columbus!) are both big game sites to see.

I've actually take a ship through Prins Christian Sound and by the highest sea cliffs in the world at Torsukatat; part of the voyage.

I'm excited my parents are joining the voyage.

We're doing a pre-tour in Iceland.

Exciting stuff!

Jason Box

National Geographic CSD & Hurtigruten

Geotourism is tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents. We are proud to state that this in many ways reflects the historical “mission” of Hurtigruten. Hurtigruten is a part of Norway.

National Geographic's Director of the Center for Sustainable Destinations Jonathan Tourtellot talks about sustainable tourism in Norway.

Climate change already visible on Greenland

Many scientists and governments are talking about what “will happen” once climate change begins to occur, but on the great island of Greenland global warming isn't just a future problem - it's happening now.

Greenland is the largest island on the planet, and most of it - around 85 percent - is covered in ice. At over 656,000 square miles, it's the largest area of fresh water ice in the northern hemisphere. Scientists have predicted that if the Greenland ice sheet were to completely melt, ocean levels could go up by 23 feet, which would have catastrophic effects for low-lying coastal regions across the globe.

While scientists can't agree on how much or how fast the Greenland ice sheet will melt, what is certain is that the Arctic is warming up faster than the rest of the planet and that Greenland is already losing a large portion of its ice. As scientists continue to debate and take measurements, the effects of climate change are already visible on the island.

What are your thoughts on global warming?

Climatologist Expert Jason Box Joins Hurtigruten's "In the Wake of the Vikings"

Climatologist Expert Jason Box Joins Hurtigruten's In the Wake of the Vikings, a 14-day odyssey aboard the deluxe 318-passenger MS Fram that follows in the wake of the ancient Norsemen from Iceland to Greenland and then onto Canada’s Labrador and Newfoundland.

Having made 18 expeditions to Greenland's ice sheet since 1994, Jason Box is considered an authority on the relationship between Greenland glaciers and climatic change and was a contributing author to Climate Change 2007, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year. His insight is impactful and will leave Hurtigruten's guests with a clearer understanding of one of the world's most discussed climate issues - global warming.

Other onboard experts from numerous disciplines, including geology, marine life, environment, history and culture, will also be on hand and will join the landings and shore excursions where passengers have the chance to get close to the culture, wildlife and communities of Greenland’s most isolated areas.

In the Wake of the Vikings
Greenland Cruises with Hurtigruten
Norway Cruises