So now seems like as good as any time to give my thoughts about this cruise. In summary, I truly loved it and far far exceeded my expectations.
I'd never been on a cruise before (does the Rotto ferry or Kangaroo Island ferry count?!) and never actually had any desire too. A big boat crowded with people sailing aimlessly did not (and still does not) sound even remotely appealing. So this being smaller and also not too busy must have added to the experience. There wasn't anything overly fancy about the ship, but the food was excellent and accommodation did the job. The staff were super friendly and really knowledgeable.
However, what truly amazed me was the scenery and the beauty of Norway. I loved being somewhere different each day without the hassle of packing up and having to fly/drive. Snow and cold is a novelty and added to the experience for me. I'd imagine in summer it must be just as spectacular and the long days would certainly be nice too.
In terms of the room we had on the ship. In hindsight I'd actually go the same option again. While there were certainly better rooms, none were really that much bigger that the extra cost would have been justified for me. The room was quite and had excellent privacy (as opposed to a room on the deck where people can walk around the outside).
Time went extremely quickly and I'm glad we decided to do the return voyage, rather than just the north or south bound one. If you do have to choose one, I'd suggest the north bound one seemed to have better stops during the day. However, in summer where there is more daylight, the south bound option would be pretty good too.
One thing we might have done slightly differently was booking the hiking package. This includes a set number of the hike excursions and is cheaper than paying for them individually. We didn't do this originally as we really weren't too sure how things worked or what kind of things would interest us.
So to say I love this and really glad we did it would be an understatement.
