Inside the Midnatsol

We travelled on one of Hurtigruten’s expedition ships called the “MS Midnatsol” on our trip to Antarctica in October 2018. In the summer, the ship travels to Greenland, Norway, and the Arctic, and in the winter it travels to Antarctica. It is slightly larger than other expedition ships visiting the 7th continent, with over 400 guests on board. We intentionally chose a larger ship, as we heard the waters can be rough and we had never been on a cruise ship before in our adult lives. The Midnatsol has nine decks, six of which are used regularly by the passengers.
Here is our rundown of this Norwegian-based ship.

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The Staff

Always available with a smile, the staff were all very attentive, friendly and worked incredibly hard to keep things very clean throughout the journey. We rarely went more than a minute without a full glass of water in the restaurant and our housekeeper often surprised us with cute towel arrangements. Our cabin was spotless every day. The expedition team staff presented interesting lectures and were always available with any questions we had. They were often the first out on deck scanning for wildlife and alerting us to the albatross, dolphins, and whales we were able to spot from the ship. The expedition team were also the first on shore to map out our day and to make sure our landings were safe.The staff made our experience on the ship smooth, enjoyable, and problem-free!

Our Cabin

We took the advice of regular cruisers and chose a room in the middle of the ship on a lower floor. This helped lessen the severity of the ship movement (and on an Antarctica expedition, there was a lot of movement!). Our windowless cabin had had two twin beds with adequate space for the two of us.

There was plenty of room under one of the beds for our suitcases and ample closet space for our clothes and outdoor gear. One bed converted into a couch.
The TV had a few network channels to watch (CNN, BBC, HBO, Warner, NatGeo and Discovery). In addition, there were channels showing a live bow camera (live from front of the ship), a map of our current location, a slideshow of the photographers’ latest pictures, safety information, and Hurtigruten advertisements about other voyages. A video on demand service was also available for purchase.Our favourite feature was the bathroom’s heated floor, which was amazing after a cold day in Antarctica, and also helped to dry our wet clothes.

Outdoor Space

The 6th and 9th deck on our ship had outdoor spaces. The 6th deck was open to walk the circumference of the ship, offering great views from all sides of the ship.

The 9th deck was home to two outdoor jacuzzi tubs as well as some lounge chairs, a barbeque, cafe tables and chairs, and an area specifically for smokers.

There was also an oversized chess board on deck!

Exercise Room/Sauna

The small exercise room was a great way to combat the crazy calories we consumed on board. The gym had free weights, a bench press, and an all purpose weight machine. Cardio equipment included two stationary bikes, a stairmaster, and a treadmill, all facing outside, overlooking the water. The exercise room was adequate for our needs, though it was only big enough for four of five guests at a time.

Sometimes we had to poke our heads in to see if we could workout, and we would return later in the day if it was too busy. Next door to the gym was a sauna with a beautiful window looking out over the ocean.

Library/Science Lab

Also found on the ship was a small library on the 8th deck. There was a multilingual collection of fiction and nonfiction (including travel guides, science books, explorer stories, bird watching books), and guests were able to sign out books while on board.

Beside the library were the “newspapers”, a one or two page highlight of the day’s news in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy. Next to the library there was a science lab with posters, photos, books, and microscopes to learn more about wildlife and investigate samples collected during landings.

Bar/Lounge

On the 8th deck was a comfortable lounge with a full service bar. The bar had daily drink specials, and there was a piano that passengers would play from time to time. We were lucky to have one passenger who played pop songs for us nearly every day! Afternoon tea, called “Whale Watch Self Service”, consisting of soup, fruit, and sweets, was also offered in this area in the afternoons.

Panorama Lounge

A two-floor lounge with a panoramic view of the bow was located on Decks 8/9. During the day, it was a quiet place to read a book, stare outside and watch the waves, and have a coffee or tea. At night, it was used as a room for entertainment, such as the Halloween show or a talent show put on by the crew.

Information

Regular information about the current weather and wind conditions, upcoming excursions, and wildlife sightings were set up on Deck 7. We would stop by once per day to check out the weather forecast and see what wildlife our fellow passengers had seen from the ship.

Restaurants/Canteen

The ship restaurant was located on Deck 5, where we would have a buffet breakfast and buffet lunch, and alternating buffet/plated dinners.

There was also another restaurant called Pampas Grill also on Deck 5, which was available for guests at an additional cost, and a canteen to buy snacks and pop.

Souvenir Store

A souvenir store was located near the restaurant. It had an array of different items such as postcards, souvenirs, and books, as well as sweaters, jackets, t-shirts, waterproof pants/bags, toiletry items, and more. The store was handy for people whose luggage did not arrive and needed items, or if guests had forgotten items.

Amphitheatre

A small amphitheatre is located on Deck 5. We had many interesting lectures, port presentations, and movie screenings (Blue Planet, Shackelton) in the amphitheatre.

Reception

The reception desk, where we checked in and out, is on Deck 4. On check-in, we presented our passports and were given our Hurtigruten identification card, which was used for on-board purchases, identification, and was required to enter/exit the ship at landings. On our last day, we left postcards at the reception desk to be mailed from Port Lockroy (British base in Antarctica).

Tender Pit

On Deck 3 is the tender pit used by passengers on landings using tender boats. We also picked up our muck boots from the tender pit on our second day on board.

Wifi

It’s 2018 – of course there is wifi aboard! Unfortunately, the cost was prohibitively expensive and we went without internet during our 16-night cruise. We somewhat enjoyed being unplugged for the trip, but missed talking to friends and family and updating our Instagram!

Overall, our experience on the MS Midnatsol was wonderful. Having never been on a cruise in our adult lives, we were awed by Antarctica and enjoyed our time on board.