Embarking with Hurtigruten

First glimpse of our beautiful ship

November 5, 2022

After my visits to the Bergenhus Castle and St Mary's church, I dawdled around in the cute shops in Bryggen a while.  At 3:00 I retrieved my luggage from the hotel and caught the shuttle bus to the Hurtigruten terminal.  I had paid for this transfer in advance, to the tune of $30.  As I boarded, I asked the bus driver what it would cost to purchase from him directly and he said it would be $8.  Oh well.

Bergen is the beginning and the end of all cruises, so the terminal is huge.  The check in process was long, but at last I was able to check my suitcase and go to their waiting lounge with just a backpack.  There we were offered light snacks before watching a safety video.  Only then could we proceed onto the ship through a covered walkway. 

Boarding the MS Richard With

Built in 1993 in the Volkswerft Shipyards, the ship is named after the founder of the Hurtigruten line.  Having beds for nearly 500, and being 400 feet long, the ship was refurbished in 2018.  

At 6:00 I found cabin #515, which would be mine for the 12 days I would be on board.  As promised, my suitcase was waiting by the door.  Cabins are all designed for two people, and usually for a single to occupy one, the rate would be double.  There are no cabins for singles.  However, I watched for a special deal to be offered, so I was able to get it for a single rate.  So welcome to my cabin #515, with its cheery yellow door!

As we would not sail until 8:30, I first took the time to put away everything and scoot my suitcase under the queen size bed.  I use packing cubes for my luggage so the job was quickly done.

The bathroom was quite compact, probably not much bigger than in my tiny trailer, but is sufficient.  

Sign above toilet reads, "Please do not throw strange things in toilet"

Cozy bed with huge pillows

Most nights we would have our dinner served, and sit at assigned seats.  But this first night there was a buffet and free seating.  Follow is a sampling of the food.  

As would be expected on a Norwegian cruise, the food is not American, and there are a lot of dishes from the sea.  Hurtigruten is very proud of their food.  They go to great lengths to use local ingredients and are very creative with their dishes.  I've learned that there will always be some kind of fish on the hot buffet, and some potato.  Also plenty of bread.  

After dinner I took a walk about the ship.  My cabin, 515, is obviously on deck 5.  This happens to be the walking deck.  Thus a bit cheaper, and lacking in privacy.  Here's my view from the outside.  Pretty cozy. 

There are lifeboats hanging all over the ship.  Some larger, some smaller.  I'm assuming there's enough for all of us should there be a need.  I'm also assuming that they are well secured, as one must walk under them on deck 5.  

The lights of Bergen, now somewhat familiar, sparkle over the water as we wait for our departure.

The clouds glow from both the city lights and a nearly full moon.

Back in my room for a little relaxation, I tried out a new gadget I bought for my cell phone.  A small flexible tripod, with a remote shutter release.  It was clever, but I promptly lost the remote.  Oh well.

Deck 7 also has an outdoor area at the stern.  It is here that we were invited to gather in the brisk evening air to watch the dock recede as we motored away.  Sailed away sounds better, but we have no sail on this ship.

There were hurrahs, cheers and the clinking of champagne glasses (for those with deep pockets) as we pulled away from the city.  My new friend Mary joined me so we took photos of each other.  Her husband was already asleep.

As we slipped away beneath the Askoy Bridge, the damp night grew too cold for standing out on the windy deck so we each went to our beds to dream of our adventures in the coming days.