Hurtigruten is inviting its guests to join its 120th anniversary celebrations taking place on July 2. The line is offering 12-day anniversary sailings, departing daily from June 21 to July 1, with an itinerary that includes the introduction of Lyngenfjord, a new location for Hurtigruten guests, as well as a cultural mix of music, history and culinary offerings on board, and different celebrations in ports along the route.
July 2, the actual anniversary, is greeted with a traditional Norwegian birthday celebration of coffee, cake and musical entertainment. These roundtrip voyages from Bergen to Kirkenes and back are priced from $2,902 to $3,622 per person, double, a savings of $2,139.
For the first time in its 120-year history, Hurtigruten will sail into Lyngenfjord on the southbound portion of these anniversary voyages. Located between Skjervøy and Tromsø, this fjord is flanked by the Lyngen Alps and stretches approximately 52 miles. As part of their visit to this new region, guests also get to meet local fishermen, who come on board and offer tastings of their daily catch.
Many of the ports are participating in the celebration. In the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord, guests can enjoy a performance by 19-year-old Ingvild Sætra, a folk musician and fiddle-player who has received numerous awards. A local duo named Sounds of Nature (aka SON) greets guests in Tromsø with a mix of jazz, blues, electronic and traditional folk music. Further north, entertainment is offered up by the Berlevåg male voice choir that was made famous after being featured on a Norwegian TV documentary called Heftig og Begeistret (Cool & Crazy); they join the ship quayside to perform as proud representatives of Norway‘s choral societies and singers. On the culinary side, Hurtigruten’s chefs drew inspiration from 1893 as they developed a special dinner menu for these anniversary voyages.
For more information, visit www.hurtigruten.us.