Day 3: Trondheim to Bergen via Ship MS Polarlys
Our third full day in Norway marked the “sail” portion of our “Sail and Rail” journey. We were to sail from Trondheim to Bergen.
We chowed down on our complimentary hotel breakfast before heading out. We took a taxi to the cruise port, located about 10 minutes away. The MS Polarlys was easy to spot from a distance, towering next to the dock. The ship is part of the Hurtigruten fleet, sailing the seas of Norway. Built in 1996 and refurbished in 2016, the MS Polarlys holds approximately 500 passengers.
What to Know About Sailing with Hurtigruten
Not having previously sailed with Hurtigruten, I didn’t know much about the boarding process. The ship arrived in port at 6:30am and was scheduled to depart at 9:30am. We were told to arrive anytime after 6:30am, or a minimum of 30 minutes prior to departure.
The taxi dropped us off next to the ship. We walked onto the open gangway and right into the MS Polarlys. There was a check-in counter where we received our room and dining assignments.
We were told our rooms wouldn’t be ready until 11am and were directed to stash our luggage in a storage room. From there we were advised to find a comfy spot to spend the next few hours – either on deck 4 or 7.
Our itinerary was categorized as “half-board” meaning that dinner and breakfast were included, but lunch, snacks, and drinks were not.
A small group of passengers boarded with us as part of the “Sail and Rail Norway” itinerary. The ship was mostly filled with passengers who were already on-board for a 12-day cruise. We came aboard on their last full day on the ship. 22 nationalities were represented on the MS Polarlys during our sailing.
We found some seats inside the Explorer Lounge on Deck 7, hoping the floor-to-ceiling windows would provide a good view of our departure from Trondheim. Then an announcement came over the loud speaker. The expedition team invited passengers to head outside on Deck 7 to wave at a passing Hurtigruten ship. By the time we arrived outside, the music was pumping and the Norwegian flags were flying. This is a tradition unique to Hurtigruten. The flag waving event, accompanied by the sounding of the captains horn, is considered a friendly way to greet passing ships. Hurtigruten’s tradition dates back to the late 19th century.
The MS Polarlys was no sooner headed out to sea than we got word that our rooms would actually be ready at 9:45am. We were eager to check out our cabins for the night so we decided to get ourselves settled. We didn’t select our cabin types as part of our booking so our party of four ended up with two very different cabins, on different floors.
My mother-in-law and niece, were assigned to a cabin with one double bed and porthole windows. My daughter and I had a cabin that could accommodate up to three guests. It had two pull down beds, plus a convertible couch bed. Both cabins had a small bathroom with a shower. There were plenty of outlets and cabinets for stowing items. The rooms were tidy and efficient, but not fancy.
A 10:30 departure briefing was on the agenda. It was strange to be getting disembarkation instructions when we’d only just arrived. The meeting was useful in learning how the disembarkation process worked on Hurtigruten. We had to leave our large bags at the elevator by 9am. Then we had until 10am to clear out of our rooms, with the option of leaving our smaller bags in a conference room on Deck 4.
I wasn’t quite ready to think about leaving, so I got back to exploring the ship, including the areas like the hot tubs, fitness room, sauna, and, of course, the large gift shop. The gift shop sells items from or representing each port of call. Outside of the dining and lounge areas, there weren’t many other common spaces for gathering.
We had lunch at Brygga, the bistro on-board. It serves things like fish burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas. Lunch was not included with our sailing.
The ship stopped in Kristiansund around 4:30. Some guests disembarked for an excursion, a bus tour of the Atlantic Road. It’s famous for its dramatic bridges which seem to drop into the sea. The rest of us had about 45 minutes to get off the ship. We stepped off for some fresh air and a quick glimpse of the small, waterfront town.
Back on the ship, we resumed our positions in front of the windows in the Explorer Lounge. With cocktails in hand, we watched as the ship left the port and headed back to sea.
Dinner was at Torget, the ship’s main restaurant. It offered a three-course menu with a fish, meat, or vegetarian entree. The menu featured items that represented Trondheim and the South Sami food traditions in the region.
Sunset comes late in July in Norway. Rather than head to bed, we found an open table and played Yahtzee. We were still up when the ship arrived in Molde around 10:30pm to pick up the passengers from the bus tour.
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Keep Reading: Click on page 4 to read about our second day of sailing on the MS Polarlys.
