Roald to Alaska awaits for those who enjoy boutique cruises

I love setting sail on all kinds of cruises, but I particularly enjoy trying out small, boutique lines that aren’t as familiar to most of us here in North America. One of these is Hurtigruten (hurtigruten.com). Hurtigruten has a really unique story in that it has been operating cruise-ferry-style voyages along coastal Norway for more than a century now. What’s even more fascinating is that these voyages run year-round, meaning you can — as I did a few years back — set sail from the Hanseatic city of Bergen in the middle of winter. Or the spring. Or cruise the fiords during the height of summer, when Norway is arguably at its greenest. Hurtigruten has also offered polar expedition cruises for many years — first aboard its dedicated polar vessel, Fram, and later aboard fleetmates Midnatsol and Spitsbergen. These are unique sailings with a distinctive European flair. Many of Hurtigruten’s guests hail from Germany and Scandinavia, with a handful of Brits, Aussies, Americans and Canadians thrown in for a good mix. Next summer, however, Hurtigruten might become more of a household name — and become easier for you and me to hop on board. In December, the line announced that it will operate the first cruises to Alaska in the company’s history beginning in 2020. And it is doing so from the Port of Vancouver. During the summer of 2020, Hurtigruten will send its newest and most breathtaking ship — the still-under-construction Roald Amundsen — on a series of 13- to 17-night itineraries to Alaska. “Alaska is a perfect fit for Hurtigruten and our expedition cruise concept,” said Daniel Skjeldam, the company’s chief executive. “We will go where the big ships can’t, taking guests far beyond the ordinary while exploring the true beauty of Alaska.” The ship will sail 13-night itineraries between Anchorage and Vancouver, along with 14-, 15-, or 17-night round-trip journeys through Alaska and British Columbia from Vancouver. A 17-night voyage even goes as far north as the Aleutian Islands (of Deadliest Catch fame) and a massive 23-night exploration of the Northeast Passage that traverses the far northern reaches of Russia and Wrangel Island. The ship is named after Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen, the exploratory dynamo who became the first person to reach both poles, and who led the first expedition to successfully traverse the Northwest Passage. Roald Amundsen, the ship, has been designed to be every bit as adventurous as its namesake. It is one of the ships that, personally speaking, I am most eagerly awaiting, thanks to the number of super-cool features that Hurtigruten is packing on board, like a viewing lounge tucked into the very tip of the ship’s bow. The ship is also environmentally friendly, running on hybrid-electric power. Hurtigruten also became one of the first cruise lines in the industry to fully ban single-use plastics on board. The Roald Amundsen is slated to launch this year, with a number of itineraries exploring Norway, Western Europe, the Chilean fiords, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands before it makes its Alaska debut next year. Hurtigruten’s Alaska cruises on Roald Amundsen won’t be for everyone, but they will be absolutely perfect for folks who don’t consider themselves to be “cruisers.” Because of its nimble size, it will be able to go where the increasingly big ships in Alaska can’t, and it will explore more of British Columbia than the majority of cruise lines operating in the region. A unique stop will even be made in the ghost town of Butedale — on B.C.’s Princess Royal Island. For those who want to try out a new cruise line without the hefty international flights, Hurtigruten’s 2020 Alaska voyages from Vancouver are a breath of fresh air. Happy cruising. Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800707-7327, cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-thescenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com.