Travelers who want an all-inclusive Arctic cruise focused on scenery and wildlife rather than nightlife.
Think twice if: Few big-ship extras: no theater or casino, and Arctic weather can change plans.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express)'s page for this ship →
What she's like
Easy to find your way around. Fewer crowds getting off in port. About 30 tons of ship per guest. As a rule of thumb, 40 or more feels roomy and under 30 feels busy.
Unknown from line's site.
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
Signature Voyages (Svalbard Line, North Cape Line) are all-inclusive: cabin bookings include unlimited select drinks in Flora, Brasserie Arran and 1893 Bar during opening hours; suites include more. Original (Coastal Express) inclusions not published. Bergen luggage handling included.
No minimum age; under-12s must travel with an adult.
Informal; pack layers, waterproofs and boots for outdoor activities (no dress code statement found).
Where she sails in Europe
Norwegian coast
Ex-Otto Sverdrup (HX) until 2025. Not on hurtigruten.com ships list as fetched.
We don't have her sailing-by-sailing schedule yet. See the line's site for dates.
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | No gratuity policy found on the help pages downloaded. |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | Included on Signature Voyages (select drinks); Original voyages not published. |
| Money on board | NOK onboard (e.g. laundry 'NOK 30 (~$3) per load'); booking charged in the currency of your market (USD for US bookings). |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 3 included, 0 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| Flora (main restaurant) | Included |
| Brasserie Árran | Included |
| Røst (fine dining) | Included |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
The line doesn't publish cabin sizes for this ship that we could find.
Good to know before you pick
- Deck 6 aft cabins (638-673) sit below the deck 7 pool deck
- Deck 7 forward cabins (701-708) sit below the deck 8 1893 Bar
- Deck 3 cabins sit below the deck 4 restaurants (Flora aft, Røst midship)
- Lifeboats drawn along both sides of decks 5 and 6 midship
- Cabins on decks 5 and 6 include restricted-view/no-view categories
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Most public areas step-free from the central lift; at least two wheelchair-accessible public toilets per ship; some outdoor decks have raised thresholds. Wheelchair users asked to travel with a companion and bring their own wheelchair. Guests must carry their own luggage in most ports (except Bergen). Elevators: Lifts just aft of midship and just forward of midship; decks 2-8 Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Deck 8 , Observation deck; 1893 Bar
- Deck 7 , Pool deck and pool; Sauna; Gym; Wellness; Arran restaurant
- Deck 6 , Observation deck
- Deck 5 , Observation deck; Outdoor walking deck (both sides); Observation deck
- Deck 4 , Flora restaurant; Shop; Røst restaurant; Coastal Experience Team; Activity Center / Lecture hall
- Deck 3 , Guest laundry; Reception; Gangway
- Deck 2
Open Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express)'s official deck plan →
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Final balance due 90 days before departure. Check-in times vary by voyage (Bergen terminal opens 11am; luggage drop 1-2:30pm).
Paying and cancelling
25% fee at 90+ days; 50% at 60-89; 75% at 30-59; 100% under 30 days.
Tips for her Europe sailings
Coastal Express is a working ferry route: most ports have no luggage handlers, so pack light. Weather can cancel ports in winter.
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express)
- Kind of ship
- Small ship & sail
- Built
- 2002
- Last refit
- 2025
- Guests
- 526
- Cabins
- 263
- Guest decks
- 6
- Gross tons
- 15,690
- Length
- 138 m (454 ft)
- Width
- 22 m (71 ft)
- Flag
- Norway
- Class
- One-off (Kleven, 2002)
- Ship number
- IMO 9231951
- In Europe 2026–27
- Norwegian coast
Highlights
- Sailed as MS Otto Sverdrup 2021-2025; renamed Finnmarken in April 2025
- Year-round Signature voyages from Hamburg up the Norwegian coast to the North Cape and back
- Only ship in this group with a pool (deck 7), plus hot tubs and a spa
- Hybrid propulsion and shore-power ready
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 10 sources · checked 2026-11
- Hurtigruten official ship page: Finnmarken
- Hurtigruten official deck plan PDF: Finnmarken
- VesselFinder registry entry
- MS Finnmarken (2001) (Wikipedia, secondary)
- Hurtigruten help: refunds and cancellations
- Hurtigruten help: payments
- Hurtigruten help: accessibility
- Hurtigruten help: travel with children
- Hurtigruten help: check-in and boarding
- Hurtigruten help: food and drink
- Deck numbers inferred from the official deck plan drawing (top deck numbered from the WC/deck references in Hurtigruten's FAQ and cabin numbers); check before publishing.
- No US-English Hurtigruten page for Finnmarken; German page used. Spec box says 554 beds, FAQ says max 526 guests; 526 used. Accessible cabins not listed on that page.
- Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express): Gratuities
- Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express): Wi-Fi
- Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express): Smoking
- Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express): Original-voyage inclusions
- Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express): Language and nationality mix
- Deck plan: Deck numbers are not printed on the plan; inferred from cabin-number prefixes (6xx = deck 6 etc.) and deck order
- Deck plan: Vesterålen is a different ship with its own plan; only Finnmarken mapped here
- Deck plan: Cabin category codes shown on plan; sizes not stated