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Tourists travel from far and wide to join the Norwegian coastal voyage. A critical local transport service for 130 years, the coastal ferry is beloved by locals and tourists alike. Havila Voyages offers an exciting excursion program every day in selected ports with longer layovers.
Brand new ships
And for everything else, there’s the Havly Cafe, which is open from 8 AM to 10 PM and serves baked goods and sweets, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, soups, salads, and a variety of hot and cold beverages. The meet-and-greet with the huskies, which typically lasts 3.5 hours and includes a dog-sled ride in the winter and spring, was well-paced. The group of journalists that I was traveling with joined the excursion immediately after arriving at the Tromsø airport, before we even set foot on the Capella. Our visit was truncated but nonetheless left plenty of time to get up-close and personal with the sled dogs, tour the yard, and enjoy coffee and cake around a fire inside of a cozy yurt.
Main Deck 6
The batteries are charged with clean hydropower ashore, and when we don't use the batteries, we run on LNG (liquid natural gas) which – along with general efficient hybrid operation – cuts CO2 emissions by around 35 per cent. NOx emissions are reduced by 90 per cent compared to equivalent ships on the route. Many of Havila’s port-to-port travelers live on the Norwegian coast, but the company’s ferry-like service is available to all. Ticket prices for port-to-port stops are set by the government and comparable to that of a bus. The pace of travel is marginally slower by boat than by bus, but the experience is far more relaxing. The guarantee is only available to cruisers who book a full journey between October 1 and March 31.
Excursions and experiences
The ship houses two restaurants, a bar with panoramic views, a lobby shop, and a café. Here, part of the menu changes depending on which of the four coastlines you’re on. From north to south, Arctic, Polar Land, fjords followed by the archipelago are represented on the menu with corresponding local specialties. For guests with the Havila Gold premium package, there are also delicious additional dishes. The Norwegian mail ship route, also known as Hurtigruten worldwide, got new dynamics in December 2021. There is also the 32-seat speciality restaurant, Hildring, which serves the same five-course tasting menu for the duration of the cruise, and changes with the seasons.
Right to forced use for up to 2 years of Havila Capella granted to Havila Kystruten
In mid-September 2022, Havila Kystruten signed term sheets with lenders for the cruise fleet's refinancing and set dates for the start of operations for Pollux and Polaris. The Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen route and its 34 ports are served year-round by a total of 11x vessels, of which 7x Hurtigruten and 4x Havila newbuilds. When Havila Voyages sailed its maiden voyage in 2021, the Capella was the first ship to embark on Norway’s Coastal Route in 18 years. In the years prior, that privilege belonged exclusively to a company called Hurtigruten. For special occasions, you can also splurge on a prix-fixe dinner in the fine-dining Hildring restaurant, which Havila Gold cruisers can do twice on a round-trip voyage or once on a one-way voyage at no extra cost.
Havila: modern and sustainable cruise in Norway
One afternoon, more than 200 passengers boarded the Capella for a special detour from Stokmarknes to Eidsfjord. Beginning in the 1850s, a thriving herring trade brought countless mariners to the Eidsfjord. It was the success of this herring industry that later inspired the Coastal Route as an avenue for transporting herring more effectively via steamship, along with cargo and mail from nearby communities. So once the last of Havila’s new ships is ready, Havila will operate four ships on the route, with Hurtigruten operating seven. That means the two companies aren't competing for every passenger or every cargo transit.
Lofoten Islands: The Complete Guide to Norway's Northern Paradise
Our cabins are intended to be pleasant places to relax during the day and sleep well at night. The typical Nordic décor reflects the landscape through which you will be sailing. Havila Castor–and all the Havila ships–are very different from the Hurtigruten coastal fleet, and not just in design.
On Norway's Coast, This Ultra-Sustainable Cruise Line Has a Northern Lights Guarantee
Trondheim is a relatively long stop on the coastal route, so most of the roundtrip passengers had already left the ship by the time I arrived. As soon as you enter the Havila Castor via the wide hatch, the first wow moment comes. A glass-roofed atrium spanning three decks directs a lot of light into the interior.
Ports
If you want to use the coastal route as a local ferry on a particular day, then you take whichever ship and whichever company is running the service on that day. Competition will be more intense for roundtrip cruise passengers, for whom travel dates are more flexible. The Havila Castor fascinates me as a small, very modern ship, that also sets standards in terms of low-emission propulsion technologies. The focus of the concept on sustainability could not be more appropriate for this probably most beautiful sea voyage in the world, with countless nature experiences.
Havila forced to delay another sailing due to technical issues - Cruise Trade News
Havila forced to delay another sailing due to technical issues.
Posted: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The design reflects the scenery outside, allowing passengers to feel as though they’re immersed in Norwegian nature whether or not they’re sitting by a window — of which there are countless on board. To start, the small ships, which have the capacity for 640 passengers and some 70 crew members, cling close to the coast, navigating through several of the 900 fjords that exist between Bergen and Kirkenes. This means that some of the most exciting and scenic excursions that cruisers can experience with Havila Voyages happen right there on the ship. Sailing through the narrow Trollfjorden and ensuing Raftsundet Strait, for example, the ship passes so close to the surrounding mountain walls that it’s hard to believe you’re traveling on a cruise-sized vessel at all. Although I can't review thefull coastal cruise experience as I only stayed onboard for a short time, hopefully I've given you enough information to help you with your travel plans. Before I dive into the photos, you may already be wondering where the people are.
They run on LNG and have some of the world's largest battery packs at sea, enabling completely zero-emission sailing for up to four hours. The special feature of the food concept is that small Norwegian tapas portions are served exclusively to order at the seat by very friendly staff. Thus, due to the great variety of dishes, I feast on the regional cuisine of Norway, also called Coastal Kitchen. Delicious and sustainable at the same time, because with this concept Havila Voyages was able to reduce food waste to 71g per person per day.
Divided into four parts -- flavours of the fjords, polar region, Arctic and archipelago -- the menu is also unusual in featuring a wide range of small tasting plates as opposed to main meal portions. Conversely, passengers can order as many as they want which provides the opportunity to try regional specialities such as king crab, deep-fried cod tongue, reindeer, local cheeses and cold cuts. In the evening the tasting plates are supplemented by main course dishes. In the main restaurant passengers are allocated tables at the beginning of the cruise and sit as couples or in groups they are travelling with.
Whether you choose Hurtigruten or Havila for your Norwegian coastal voyage, you’ll have just as much opportunity to enjoy the Norwegian landscape. If you are eco-minded or have a keen interest in Scandinavian design, you may prefer Havila. From the landscape as the entertainment to a seafood-focused menu, much of what you can expect on a Hurtigruten trip also applies to Havila, but there are a few differences to be aware of before booking a roundtrip cruise.
Havila Voyages (website) is a new cruise travel brand and subsidiary fully-owned by the Norwegian company Havila Shipping ASA (Havila Kystruten AS/shipowner, 2003-founded, headquartered in Fosnavag, Norway). On our menus, you will find a range of top-class dishes made from raw materials, mostly supplied by local producers. In addition, we avoid all unnecessary use of plastic, and we try to limit the food waste on board to a maximum of 75 grams per passenger per day, while at the same time making sure that no one goes hungry. I typically ordered four small plates for breakfast and lunch at Havrand, which is lined with wall-to-wall windows.
This venue carries a supplementary fee, apart from suite passengers where it is one of the complimentary perks. Most of the cabins have sea views, while others are located inside the ship. Some of these are small, with just two beds and make an inexpensive alternative if you are not travelling far. Our cabins and suites range from 16m² to 45m², and can accommodate up to four people. On May 11, 2020, Hurtigruten announced plans to "gradually restart" the Norwegian ferry services (on the Norwegian Coastal Express Route / Bergen-Kirkenes) in mid-June. The first was scheduled for MS Otto Sverdrup (fka Finnmarken) leaving on June 16th out of Bergen.
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