MS Polarlys Reviews

Having just come back from Bergan - Kerkenes - Bergen cruise on MS Polarlys from 21/12/2025 - 01/01 2026. What an experience we have had. We went as far as Hammerfest and managed to complete the excursion to the North Cape and couldn't go any further due to the stormy weather - we went back down to Atla for 24 hours to sit and wait for the storm to reduce. MS Polarlys was lovely it was decorated for Christmas , Cabin was very nice a bit tight to get around the bottom of the bed . We really enjoyed the heated bathroom floor and that we were able to control the heating in the room as we like it cooler at night. Housekeeping is early starts at 080;00 - 15. 00 so remember to put the sign on the door at night so you aren't disturbed - we had a outside cabin on deck 3 which meant we could leave the blind up during the night so we were able to see the ports of call when we docked and the scenery when in the fjords etc. ( Day light hours permitting as once over the Artic Circle remember at this time of year its pretty dark most of the time) The experience of docking in many places was fantastic - had to keep ahead of where you were going but that made it exciting and to plan where we had the time to get off. Booking the excursions prior to going on the cruise is a must - however it was a little frustrating to not to be able to book directly with Hurtigruten -- as we had booked with Iglu they had to communicate with Hurtigruten who then gave them a link to enable us to look at the excursions but had to get Iglu to book them - because of this we missed out on one excursion that we really wanted to do - perhaps this can be looked at for future cruisers so that you could book directly with Hurtigruten as you can with other cruise lines !! Saying that we were able to book excursions whilst on board that was really easy. Food was excellent - We had buffet the first night and a couple of times during the cruise in the evenings which was lovely - Buffett for Breakfast there was so much choice. Buffett for lunch there was a fantastic choice. The set dining at night we were group 6 20:15 dinning (no control over the time allocated) the set meals were nice but limited options. It was nice to try foods from the local areas. We choose this cruise as we wanted to experience the beautiful scenery and snow. ! and to experience a white Christmas which we got both. We were luck enough to see the northern lights for the first couple of days after leaving Bergen but due to the storm and weather being heavy snow we sadly didn't see them again. Although some parts of the cruise was really rough the ship navigated this with its experience staff . It was described by them as a "Little Movement". Staff were friendly, helpful . the excursion team were knowledgeable and we enjoyed the daily updates that they did and all of them made you feel welcome.

Absolutely amazing

wow where to begin!!! the accommodation exceeded my expectations, plenty of room, 2 portholes open to the sea without any disruption. the staff were open, friendly and extremely helpful, well done on the training. the rood was excellent in the restaurant, I tried things I never thought I would such as reindeer and caviar, the 2 café bars also offered the best quality snacks. overall a fabulous experience.

Trip was everything we had hoped for - comfortable, high quality food, fantastic scenery and every possible weather condition for the time of year. We had two good nights of Aurora borealis in the Lofoten Islands

We really enjoyed our cruise up the Norwegian coast once we had adjusted to the darkness and short daylight hours. The staff on board ship were always polite, friendly and helpful. The food and choice of food was excellent. The ethos of using food sources along the route and using local recipes was brilliant. We didn't opt out of the set menu but know we could have requested an alternative if necessary. Buffet choices for breakfast and some lunches was amazing. We went on a few of the trip options and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. The scenery was beautiful once we could see it and having the snow made this even more dramatic. Highlight has to be seeing the Northern Lights which we were fortunate to see on three nights, maybe a little more emphasis on their appearance to the naked eye would have helped and maybe a viewing scope for those without cameras with high iso or pictures downloaded onto the big screen from those who had good cameras.

Brilliant cruise, every needs met. Great staff, really good accommodation. Only complaint is at Hurtigruten departure station. We arrived there about 1 pm on the Saturday, nowhere to get a drink cafe only open Monday-Friday unable to board ship until 4.15. Wish we had been informed about this so we were prepared having left Gatwick at 8.40am. Once aboard all our needs were met. Well done Hurtiguten. Holiday of a lifetime. Thank you.

We are just completing our first Hurtigruten trip onboard Polarlys. We have had a really wonderful time. The ship is modern and stylish with good visibility all round. We have had plenty of time to relax surrounded by attentive staff who have made the whole experience so special. We have seen the Northern Lights three times and walked in the snow several times. Unfortunately the weather was too warm for our dog sledge ride as the ice on the lakes is not yet thick enough to bear our weight and also the ice hotel hasn't been built yet. But that didn't matter as the views of mountains and fiords have been stunning and we feel privileged to have had this opportunity to sail through such isolated and spectacular areas. I would definitely recommend it and I hope that we will return some time.