Hurtigruten

ABOVE: A Norway Passage is a 59-minute, English-language version of a 134-hour documentary (titled Minutt for Minutt) that appeared on NRK, the Norwegian national television network. It takes viewers on a voyage aboard MS Nordnorge and explores the 120-year history of Hurtigruten's North Cape ferry service.

stateroom photo Hurtigruten (formerly Norwegian Coastal Voyage in the U.S. market) is a fleet of ferry cruisers that operate year-round from Bergen to the North Cape of Norway.

During a 12-day round trip, the vessels stop at 34 ports. Passengers who don't have time for the full itinerary can book one-way voyages of 7 days (northbound) or 6 days (southbound). It's also possible to buy short-haul ferry tickets between individual ports. Optional shore excursions range from city sightseeing tours to Zodiac, dogsled, and birdwatching trips.

Spitsbergen cruise photo Hurtigruten also provides adventure cruises in the Arctic, Greenland, and the Antarctic. (See our Spitsbergen Cruise article and photo gallery for a report of a cruise several years ago aboard a refurbished Coastal Voyage steamer from 1956, the MS Nordstjernen.) A handful of voyages to Western Europe, the Canary Islands, and transatlantic destinations are also on Hurtigruten's 2013 cruise calendar.