Exciting news for fans of adventure cruising!
Hurtigruten have just announced that they’ll be moving one of their existing vessels to Antarctica as well as introducing family friendly sailings.
The Midnatsol will be moving from the Norwegian coast to Antarctica from September 2016.
The vessel will go through some adjustments to make it ready for these sailings, although it already comes equipped with ice breaking gear and a helipad.
Hurtigruten’s Fram will remain as a working ice breaker ship and will continue to be marketed towards hard-core explorers. It will continue to sail from Ushuaia, whilst Midnatsol will sail from Punta Arenas to the Chilean Fjords, Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn.
The Midnatsol will also target families for the first time by introducing a Young Explorers programme.
Guests will also be able to enjoy a science lab on-board with experiments and listen to lectures from scientists.
The introduction of Midnatsol as a Polar vessel brings the total of polar passengers up to 700 from 250.
Cecilia Abert, the UK’s managing director of Hurtigruten said: “we’re very excited about Midnatsol and we’re offering two very different propositions with Midnatsol and Fram.
“We are positioning Fram for hard-core explorers and more adventurous travellers, whereas Midnatsol will be a softer kind of discovery and exploration. We’re going in a new direction and we’re definitely putting a lot more focus on the exploration side of things.”
Hurtigruten have always had a reputation for exploration cruises but until now most parents have been reluctant to bring children on board, preferring the bigger cruise ships and all the facilities that come with them.
Will this make a difference do you think? Are you more likely to look at Hurtigruten now knowing they have family friendly sailings available?
Let us know in the comments below…
You can learn more about Norway here or you can learn more about Hurtigruten here.
