::: Nordlys :::

[HurtigruteMartin]

Back through the cafeteria again, looking down to the floor










And now it is time to find my cabin.

[HurtigruteMartin]

Welcome to my cabin 567. Big outside cabin at the very end of the corridor on port side of deck 5 (One of Seagulls favourite, I think




But have a look here....

The back of the sofa is missing........




There was also some other stuffs missing, or not working in my cabin. Coming back with more later today.........

[Seagull]

Mmmmmm…lets see, I last left a hurtigrute just one week ago…so it’s not TOO soon to be thinking about the next time is it?????????????
NL, definitely…

“Appreciate your report” is total understatement Martin. And your photos!…I’m totally captivated, right from that first one conveying the exact feeling of walking up the gang plank. General views, details, even stone and carpets! That mirror always fascinated me too; then at one trip it was as if it was getting hidden with large banners advertising coffee and wine deals, and tour desks and clutter. Now it is back, to its former glory and more. The arc has become a full circle.

Ah, my next door neighbour! …On my longest voyage aboard NL I had cabin 565!

I’m sure the souvenirs will soon show up in those show cases, but just as importantly:-
Have they got sheets of paper and coloured crayons aboard???? If not they should go shopping at the next port with nearby shops…and then any child aboard can be immediately encouraged to draw the ship so there will be some artwork for those bare walls in the play area

Looking forward to the next instalment

[Ralf__]

Hey, stunning pictures. We become the Hurtigruten carpet experts, thank to Cecilia and you, Martin. Yees, she is brandnew and they were in a kind of hurry. That is clearly to see on many pictures. Please notice that the paint on the stirs was so fresh, that they lost it again with the setting in of the carpet. See #436/2. Thrilling to have a live report from her first round! Thank you Martin and enjoy the tour.

[arcticGateway]

Hi Martin,
enjoy your journey with the Nordlys!
I could take some photos on her first visit to Tromsø, but sadly had no time for a trip.

She arrived shortly after the departure of the northbound Trollfjord, so I got the unusual opportunity of getting 2 ships on one photo in Tromsø.


After picking up 2 officers from the "sjøfartsdirektorat" she was sailing south to Tromsø performing the last sea trial.

[arcticGateway]

Two hours later she came back and I was lucky to go onboard getting some impressions of her restauration.
I also was impressed of the entrance area on deck 4.

[arcticGateway]

New carpets also in the panorama lounge.

[HurtigruteMartin]

Hi Martin,
enjoy your journey with the Nordlys!
I could take some photos on her first visit to Tromsø, but sadly had no time for a trip.

Pity you are not aboard on this trip "arcticGateway". It is VERY unusual and extraordenary to stay aboard on Nordlys this time.

Mainly because it is her first one since the fire. But also because there are absoulutely NO foreigners, and cruise-passangers. Distance-passangers only. So the cruise-feeling is replaced by transportation-feeling. All announcement is given in Norwegian only. Out of Bodø we were 18 passangers. And about as many workers fixing doors, chairs, carpets, tables and curtains etc.......... Interesting to see just 6-7 tables occupied for lunch in the restaurant. From 13.45 to 14.30 this afternoon, I was all alone in the restaurant.

Both from Nesna and from Sandnessjøen we had a handful more passangers. So in this very moment there are sitting 8 people in the arcade on deck 4. The first 3 children on this trip are drawing som new drawings in the play-room. And up at the panorama there are sitting 5 people.

I have a wague feeling of beeing on one of the traditional ships, because everyone aboard is talking to each other. When people meet in the stairs, the stop for a chat. And everyone nod and say hello. So just after a few hours, it feels like a small family.

[HurtigruteMartin]

Earlier this morning I ended my photo-report in my cabin 567.

When I discovered all this details in the cabin not fixed and prepared for passangers, I went down to the reception to report.

The brand new Nordlys receptionist apologized. And he told me that this ship is srill a working-place with a lot of things to be done before the next roundrip.

I was offered a new cabin on deck 6. Big window. But this cabin 636 is one of the small ones. But for only ONE person it is more than big enough to sleep 2 nights.

[Ralf__]

How wonderful, Martin.
After so many trips you really deserved such a cosy travel.

I should to keep that in mind if there ever is an opportunity for a sudden, spontaneaus trip (dream...). Look out for a ship that just returns and is not correctly fitting in schedule or not bookable for roundtrips for some reason...

Enjoy each minute of it (minutt for minutt).

[HurtigruteMartin]

Some more details showing that there are some more woek to be done before the Germen and the American and all the other 220 roundrippassangers on next roundrip can be welcomed aboard in Bergen.


This wall completely miss the artwork






This chair on the panorama, has to be fixed





And the glew at the stair-carpets is not working at some steps

[HurtigruteMartin]

How wonderful, Martin.
After so many trips you really deserved such a cosy travel.


Enjoy each minute of it (minutt for minutt).

Thank you.

You know what, Ralf. I have been thinking about you all day. In my mind, I thought that this kind of trip was kind of a "Ralf-trip".......

So next time there will be a ship in a short route, I will give you a call

[HurtigruteMartin]

An illustration of "building while sailing"

[HurtigruteMartin]

Out on deck, more carpets and other stuffs ready to be innstalled







Outdoor loudspeakers covered with plastic

[HurtigruteMartin]

New details on deck 7.

Part of the Panorama bar with starboard view, is now replaced with a brand new fitness-room / gym studio with view

[HurtigruteMartin]

In the public toilets aft of the panorama-bar / gym-studio, there are now also showers installed.

Interesting detail, if you travell without a cabin, or your / my water-pipes are frozen in the winter. You can always go down to the harbour, and board MS Nordlys to take a shower.

[Tommi]

Hi Martin!
Such a special trip you're experiencing. Please say hi from all of us on CVF!?!

[HurtigruteMartin]

Hi Tommi
The first thing I did last night when I got on board Nordlys, was to introduse myself as a member of our CVF. And on behalf of everyone of us, I gave the ship anf the crew a warm greeting and WELCOME BACK.


The nice night-receptionist apriciated that even if he didn`know about us. But he was very familiar with the German Forum and also with a facebook-group called Hurtigrutens Venner.


Today I saw several familiar faces among the crew. And they had plenty of time to chat with me. A well known bar-tender from other ships. A man I first met aboard old Polarlys in 1991. And he was my "onboard-source" when I wrote an education-exam about Hurtigruten........

And I also chatted for a long time with, in my opinion, the most nice, friendly and handsom crew-member in the entire fleet................

Jannicke has always been special to me. And not ONLY for flirting with our and Seagulls SEA TROLL.........

Jannicke asked me to send a lot of greetings back to our members. And to say THANK YOU for all our valuable free PR for Hurtigruten. She knew about Seagull, Tommi and Ralf`s (and partly my) Autumn-Cruise last november.

And she also asked me to send a special warm and personal greeting to our SEAGULL. She always enjoy having Seagull aboard. And she SO much apriciated your warm thoughts and support after the dreadful fire.

[carinahansen]

Are you still onboard? Say hi to Jannicke from me pleeease!?

[HurtigruteMartin]

It is a pleasure to announce, that the total numbers of passangers so far on this trip from Tromsø to Rørvik now has rised to 63. That numbers also includes all 18 workers and engineers from Fiskarstrand Shipyard / Ålesund, who are doing the last work as we sail.

If this total number also includes some delicious fish.....I don`t know


But all of them came omboard in Rørvik.


Maybee some of them will end up behind this windows