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Svalbard 2023

Expedition Cruise to Svalbard: Part 5 – Aboard the MS Fram

by | 18 July 2023

Finally, it was time to board and begin our expedition cruise on the MS Fram.

June 25
After a long day of flying from Oslo to Svalbard and sightseeing in Longyearbyen, it was time to head to the port to board our ship MS Fram. From a distance we were able to see the ship in the fjord in front of Longyearbyen.

Arriving at the port, it turned out that there was still a huge cruise ship at the dock and our little Fram was waiting for us further down the fjord. We would not board via the walkway, but with Zodiac boats! The Zodiacs are used to land on the desolate beaches of Svalbard, and we did not expect to get into the boats as soon as we arrived. We were given lifejackets and off we went.

The MS Fram is one of the Hurtigruten ships that is particularly suitable for navigating the polar waters, North and South Poles. The ship has a length of 114 meters and a maximum speed of 13 knots. There is room for a total of 276 passengers. Now there were 130 passengers on board. Among them were about 30 Norwegians who had their own program.

We had booked a Polar Inside cabin with no window. Completely unexpectedly, we were told at check-in that we had been double upgraded to an Artic Superior with a large window. What a lucky break, because the window turned out to be indispensable. When you are in your room or want to rest, you can always look outside. Even at night, I would regularly have a look behind the curtain to see what the weather was like or what kind of landscape was passing by. It was light 24 hours a day, so there was always something to see.

 

The ship has 8 decks, a restaurant, an auditorium, a science center, an observation lounge with a bar, a shop, a gym, a sauna and two jacuzzis, neither of which unfortunately worked. The entertainment on this type of trip consists of the scientific lectures and the passing scenery.

Reception with lounge.

The auditorium

The science center.

The stairwell.

Dining with a view.

Enjoying myself in the observation lounge.

The evening buffet was followed by boot fitting and picking up of our red Hurtigruten jackets and the welcome on board meeting. After an introduction to the safety regulations, a short talk by the expedition leader and the obligatory muster drill, it was time to depart and we left the port of Longyearbyen shortly after 9 pm.

We leave the port of Longyearbyen.