What’s Included with Hurtigruten
A Hurtigruten voyage includes much of what you need to settle into life along the Norwegian coast, but exactly what is included depends on whether you choose an Original or Signature voyage. Original Coastal Express journeys centre around full-board dining and the historic working route, while Signature voyages offer a more inclusive experience with food, selected drinks and an enhanced programme onboard.
Whichever way you travel, the experience is designed around Norway rather than traditional cruise entertainment. Days unfold between locally inspired meals, time on deck, expert-led talks and ports scattered along one of Europe’s most spectacular coastlines.
Original or Signature: What’s the Difference?
On an Original Coastal Express voyage, breakfast, lunch and dinner form the heart of your inclusions. Hurtigruten currently offers Basic and Select fares, with Select adding benefits including complimentary Wi-Fi, unlimited tea and filter coffee, cabin selection on qualifying voyages and a choice of dining time.
Choose a Signature voyage and the experience becomes all-inclusive. Meals across multiple restaurants, selected wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks, afternoon snacks, an enhanced onboard activity programme and gratuities are included, creating a more leisurely way to explore The North Cape Line, The Svalbard Line and other Signature itineraries.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Original Voyages
Original Coastal Express voyages include breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, primarily served in Torget, Hurtigruten’s main restaurant. Menus follow the philosophy of Norway’s Coastal Kitchen, using ingredients sourced from farms, fisheries, bakeries and producers along the coast.
That means dining changes with the landscape outside. Breakfast might begin as the ship approaches a small coastal community, lunch can bring flavours from northern Norway and dinner provides another opportunity to discover ingredients shaped by the sea, season and region through which you are sailing.
All-Inclusive Dining on Signature Voyages
Signature voyages take Hurtigruten’s food experience further. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and an afternoon snack are included, with Flora serving as the main restaurant and Brasserie Árran bringing Nordic dishes with Sámi influences into the journey.
The slower pace of a Signature voyage is reflected at the table too. Meals become part of the experience rather than simply something fitted between ports, giving you time to discover Norwegian flavours while the fjords, islands and mountains continue beyond the windows.
What Drinks Are Included?
On Original voyages, inclusions depend on your fare. Select fares include unlimited tea and filter coffee, while alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and other beverages can be purchased separately or added through an available drinks package.
Signature voyages are much closer to a traditional all-inclusive experience, with selected wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks included in Flora, Brasserie Árran and the 1893 Bar during opening hours, alongside unlimited tea and coffee.
Stay Connected with Wi-Fi
Complimentary Wi-Fi is included with Hurtigruten’s Select Original fare and on Signature voyages, making it easy to send a message home, check your photographs or share a glimpse of the Norwegian coast as you travel.
You will be sailing through some remote parts of Norway and the Arctic, so connection speeds can vary and may not always be suited to streaming. Then again, with fjords, islands and fishing villages outside, this is one journey where switching off can become part of the appeal.
Warm Up, Slow Down and Take in the View
Access to many of Hurtigruten’s fitness and wellness facilities is included, with facilities varying from ship to ship. Most vessels offer a fitness room and sauna, while several Coastal Express ships also feature outdoor hot tubs where you can relax with the Norwegian coast around you. MS Vesterålen has a simpler range of facilities and does not have a sauna.
There is something particularly rewarding about returning from a winter port call and stepping into the warmth of the ship, or easing into a hot tub while mountains and islands drift past. On Hurtigruten, even downtime tends to remain connected to the landscape.
Onboard Activities with the Expedition Team
Hurtigruten does not fill its ships with casinos, large theatres or traditional cruise shows. Instead, the Expedition Team brings the journey outside to life through talks, presentations, workshops, informal gatherings and activities inspired by Norway’s nature, culture, history and seasons.
On the Coastal Express, that might mean learning about the Northern Lights before darkness falls, hearing the stories behind a landmark you are about to sail past or discovering more about Arctic wildlife and coastal traditions. Signature voyages include an expanded programme with a larger Expedition Team and additional hands-on activities.
Are Gratuities Included?
On Signature voyages, gratuities are included as part of the all-inclusive fare, so there is no daily service charge to calculate at the end of your journey.
On Hurtigruten more generally, tipping is not customary or expected. If a member of the crew has made your journey particularly memorable, you can choose to leave something additional, but it remains entirely voluntary.
Shore Excursions
Shore excursions are not included as standard on either Original or Signature voyages, giving you the freedom to decide how you want to explore. Hurtigruten offers a wide choice of optional experiences along the route, ranging from cultural walks and wildlife encounters to snowmobile journeys, dog sledding and adventures into Norway’s fjords.
On Original voyages, port calls range from brief working stops to several hours ashore. Signature voyages deliberately spend longer in selected destinations, often giving you several hours to explore independently or join one of Hurtigruten’s guided experiences.
More Ways to Dine on Original Voyages
Full board centres around Torget, but many Original ships offer additional places to eat when you fancy something different. Kysten provides an à la carte fine-dining experience, Brygga offers relaxed bistro favourites and Multe is the place for coffee, pastries, open sandwiches and Norwegian ice cream.
These venues and dining upgrades generally sit outside your standard full-board inclusion, with additional food and beverage packages available to purchase. It means you can keep things simple with the meals already included or add a special dinner, café stop or drinks package whenever it suits you.
Extra Benefits for Suite Guests
Book an Expedition Suite and Hurtigruten adds a few extra touches to the journey. Across the fleet, benefits can include priority check-in, a welcome basket with sparkling wine and a choice of dining time, while guests on qualifying full Original voyages also receive a traditional Norwegian sweater.
Signature suites take things further. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in fine-dining restaurant Røst are included alongside premium drinks and cocktails, daily minibar refills, turndown service and onboard credit on qualifying full voyages.
What Costs Extra with Hurtigruten?
What you need to budget for depends on the voyage and fare you choose. On an Original voyage, extras can include alcoholic and additional drinks, speciality dining, café purchases, shore excursions, flights, transfers and optional packages, while Basic fares have fewer inclusions than Select.
Signature covers considerably more onboard, but shore excursions, flights and transfers remain additional purchases. Guests outside suites can also choose to upgrade to fine dining in Røst, while other optional experiences and packages can be added according to the itinerary.