Hurtigruten cruise policies
Hurtigruten Policies: Deposits, Final Payment, Cancellation, Gratuities, Dress Code and Age Rules
Every booking rule that affects your wallet or your packing list, on one page: what you pay when you book, when the balance is due, what it costs to cancel, what tipping looks like on a Norwegian ship, what to wear at dinner and who can sail. Figures are Hurtigruten's own, from the North America booking terms and the U.S. help pages, and cover the Original Coastal Express voyages and the all-inclusive Signature voyages on the same Norwegian coast. HX expedition cruises have their own page.
Deposit
Hurtigruten takes a deposit of 25% of the total price when you book 90 days or more before departure, and the deposit is nonrefundable from the day you pay it. The U.S. help page gives you 7 days from booking to pay it; the booking terms treat it as due at booking, so plan on paying when you reserve. Book inside 90 days and the whole fare is due at once through a payment link.
| Cruise length | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Booked 90 days or more before departure, any voyage length | 25% of the total price per booking, nonrefundable |
| Booked 89 days or fewer before departure | Full payment at booking |
| Bookings under $1,340 including taxes and charges | The whole booking is nonrefundable from the start |
Good to know
- The deposit is a percentage of the package, not a flat amount per person, so it scales with the cabin, the fare type (Basic, Select or a Signature suite) and any excursions, hotel nights or flights on the same booking.
- There is no refundable-deposit option and no 24-hour grace period in the North America terms: the 25% is the minimum charge on any cancellation, however far out.
- Hurtigruten sells reduced-deposit promotions from time to time in other markets; none was published for the U.S. market at verification, and your invoice is the authority.
- Flights booked through Hurtigruten follow the airline's own rules and are charged separately from the cruise deposit.
- Hurtigruten's terms let it add a fuel surcharge or pass on airline increases up to 30 days before departure even after you have paid; if the price rises by more than 10% you can cancel for a full refund within 14 days of the new invoice.
Final payment
The balance is due 90 days before departure on every voyage. Hurtigruten sends no second invoice: the due date is printed at the bottom of the first one, there is a reminder email, and the line says it cannot extend the date. Miss it and Hurtigruten can cancel the booking, keep the deposit and apply the cancellation charge.
Standard schedule
| Cruise length | Balance due |
|---|---|
| Booked 104 days or more before departure | 90 days before departure (final invoice issued 104 days out) |
| Booked 103 to 91 days before departure | 90 days before departure (one invoice for the full amount) |
| Booked 90 days or fewer before departure | In full at booking, by payment link |
| Signature voyages (Svalbard Line, North Cape Line) | 90 days before departure, same as the Coastal Express |
Good to know
- Hurtigruten accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, UnionPay and JCB online and bank wire transfers; a payment can be split across two cards. Checks are no longer accepted from September 1, 2026. American Express works for the booking but not on board (MS Nordnorge excepted).
- Extras added online after booking (excursions, drinks packages, hotel nights) go on the final balance when departure is more than 90 days away and must be paid at once when it is closer.
- Payments are charged in the currency of your invoice, U.S. dollars for bookings made through the U.S. office; your card issuer sets any foreign-transaction fee.
- Signature voyage guests must also complete the Ship Manifest Information Form (passport, emergency contact and health details) at least 60 days before departure.
Cancellation charges
Charges are a percentage of the total package cost (cruise, hotel nights, excursions and transfers booked with Hurtigruten) and depend on the day Hurtigruten receives your written cancellation. Insurance premiums are never refunded, and a booking under $1,340 including taxes is nonrefundable whenever you cancel.
Coastal Express and Signature voyages booked in North America
Every Original (Coastal Express) and Signature voyage, any cabin or suite, any length, including port-to-port tickets. Bookings under $1,340 including taxes and charges are 100% nonrefundable at every step.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | 90 days or more | 25% of the package cost (the deposit) |
| Any length | 60 to 89 days | 50% |
| Any length | 30 to 59 days | 75% |
| Any length | 29 days or fewer, including the day of departure | 100%, no refund |
Good to know
- Cancellations must be in writing from the person who made the booking; tell SmartCruiser and we send it to Hurtigruten the same day, and the charge is set by the day Hurtigruten receives it.
- A no-show and leaving the voyage early both count as a cancellation on the day of departure: 100% charge, and unused excursions, tours, flights and hotel nights booked through Hurtigruten are neither refunded nor exchanged.
- Name changes cost $50 per change and must be made 15 days or more before departure. Other changes (adding a guest, dropping an excursion or hotel night) also cost $50 each and are at Hurtigruten's discretion; a change the line will not make and you make anyway is treated as a cancellation and a new booking.
- Ground transfers bought through Hurtigruten are nonrefundable, and flights follow the airline's rules.
- Pre-booked excursions that Hurtigruten cancels (weather, sea state) are refunded automatically, usually within 3 weeks of your return; a port call dropped for weather is refunded in whole or in part through the refund request form.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method, or to SmartCruiser when we made the payment for you, and we pass them straight on. Hurtigruten gives no fixed refund timeline; bank-transfer payers are contacted to arrange it.
- Hurtigruten recommends a travel protection plan on every booking and requires one for some destinations; with the deposit nonrefundable from day one, trip-cancellation cover is worth pricing with the cruise.
Gratuities
Tipping is not customary on Hurtigruten's ships, in Hurtigruten's own words, and nothing is added to your account on a Coastal Express voyage. If you want to recognize exceptional service, there are tip boxes and envelopes at Reception and in the restaurants, and what goes in is shared among the crew. On the Signature voyages all gratuities are included in the fare.
| Stateroom | Daily gratuity |
|---|---|
| Original Coastal Express voyages, all cabins | No charge added; tipping optional, by tip box or envelope |
| Signature voyages (MS Trollfjord: Svalbard Line, North Cape Line) | All gratuities included in the fare |
| Drinks bought on board | No automatic service charge on the bill |
Good to know
- Hurtigruten does not sell a prepaid gratuity and publishes no suggested daily amount for the Coastal Express; the 80 NOK per day guideline sometimes quoted online belongs to the HX expedition ships, not these voyages.
- Tips for local guides on excursions are separate and entirely at your discretion; tipping is not expected in Norway generally.
- What the fare covers instead: Original voyages include full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Torget restaurant) with tap water, filter coffee and tea at mealtimes; Signature voyages are all-inclusive with meals in Flora and Brasserie Árran, select beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks in the restaurants and the 1893 Bar, and Wi-Fi.
- Meals are not included on port-to-port tickets and short segments; full board or half board can be added through Customer Service.
Dress code
There is no dress code on any Hurtigruten ship and no formal night on any voyage. Hurtigruten's own line is that it does not believe in dress codes: wear your hiking shoes to dinner or your slippers to breakfast. The only rules are for safety: shoes stay on in the restaurants and the bar, and ice spikes come off indoors.
Daytime
Whatever the deck and the weather call for: layers, a waterproof hooded jacket and trousers, sturdy broken-in shoes with grip. In winter, ice grips for the soles are sold in the onboard shop for walks ashore.
Evening
The same as daytime. Dinner in Torget on the Coastal Express and in Flora, Brasserie Árran or Røst on the Signature voyages has no dress standard beyond keeping your shoes on; a sweater and clean trousers are as dressed up as most guests get.
Signature voyages
Also no dress code. The fine-dining restaurant Røst, included for suite guests and an upgrade for cabin guests, publishes no attire rule.
Dress Your Best nights
| Cruise length | Formal nights |
|---|---|
| Any length | 0 |
House rules
- Keep your shoes on in the restaurants and the bar, and leave ice spikes and crampons off indoors; these are the only published rules.
- Pack in layers: Hurtigruten calls layering the golden rule for the Norwegian coast, with a wool or synthetic base, fleece or down in the middle and a waterproof shell outside, plus a hat that covers the ears even in summer.
- The sauna and fitness room are open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., most ships have outdoor hot tubs (MS Trollfjord does not), and the ships are kept at about 70 F inside, so a light layer is enough indoors.
- Each ship has a self-service laundry with washers, dryers, irons and ironing boards at NOK 30 (about $3) a load, so you can pack light for a 12-day round trip.
- Smoking, e-cigarettes and vaping are allowed only in designated areas on the outside decks, never in cabins or indoors, and not while the ship is in port or fueling in Bergen; a NOK 1,500 (about $150) cabin cleaning fee applies if a cabin needs extra cleaning because of smoke.
Age rules
Hurtigruten sets no minimum age: the Coastal Express is a working Norwegian ferry route as well as a cruise, and guests of all ages are welcome. Children under 12 must travel with an adult, and some excursions set their own minimum ages. Age is counted on the day of sailing.
Minimum age to sail without a parent or guardian
| Departure | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Every voyage, every ship | 12 and older may travel without an adult; Hurtigruten publishes no higher age for traveling alone |
| Children under 12 | Must travel with an adult |
Stateroom assignment
Hurtigruten does not publish a separate cabin-occupancy age rule beyond the under-12 requirement to travel with an adult; a child under 12 shares the cabin with that adult. Interconnecting cabins are available on every ship through Customer Service for families who need two. A baby crib replaces one bed in a limited number of cabins per ship (two to six, depending on the ship) and must be reserved in advance through the Customer Service Center; Hurtigruten's U.S. pages quote the fee as NOK 130 on one page and NOK 200 on another, so confirm it when you book.
Infants
| Sailing | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Any voyage | No minimum age; Hurtigruten welcomes infants and reserves cribs on request |
| Excursions | Some excursions have their own minimum ages and small-boat landings are at the captain's discretion for children under 12 |
Drinking age
| Departure or destination | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Every ship, every voyage (Norwegian law applies on board) | 18 for beer and wine, 20 for spirits and other drinks above 22% alcohol |
Good to know
- The drinking ages follow Norwegian law, which Hurtigruten's ships apply at sea and in port; the line's U.S. pages do not restate them, so the 18 and 20 figures are confirmed through cruise trade press rather than hurtigruten.com.
- You may bring up to two unopened bottles of alcohol per person (1.5 liters each at most); they are handed to Reception at boarding and returned at the end of the voyage, not consumed on board. Snacks and nonalcoholic drinks from ashore are fine in your cabin but not in public areas.
- Pregnancy: the North America booking terms welcome guests through the 23rd week and do not permit travel beyond it; the U.S. medical and safety help page allows travel to 36 weeks with a doctor's note confirming fitness to travel at sea from 24 weeks. The contract is the stricter text, so check with Hurtigruten at booking if you will be past 23 weeks on any day of the voyage.
- Guests must be able to manage their own daily needs on board; the ships carry crew trained in first aid and emergency response rather than a ship's doctor, and serious cases are transferred to care ashore.
- There are no kids clubs, casinos or production shows: some ships have a children's play corner, every ship has a fitness room, sauna and (except MS Trollfjord) outdoor hot tubs, and the Expedition Team runs daily talks and guided hikes in selected ports.
- Children's fares: Hurtigruten runs child discounts on the Coastal Express from time to time (the older published rule was ages 4 to 15 at half the journey fare and 0 to 3 free without a berth); the current U.S. offer page lists no child discount, so we price each sailing as booked.
How SmartCruiser handles the fine print for you
- We put your 90-day final payment date on our calendar and remind you before it; Hurtigruten sends no second invoice and will not extend the date, so a booking never cancels by accident.
- Before final payment we watch your sailing for Hurtigruten's offers (Northern Lights Promise, seasonal sales, solo fares) and reprice the booking when the line allows it.
- Hurtigruten takes cancellations and changes in writing only, so we handle cancellations, name changes and cabin moves with Hurtigruten directly and tell you the exact charge, including the $50 change fee, before you decide.
- Excursions, drinks packages, the Select fare upgrade, pre- and post-cruise hotel nights and travel protection go on your invoice if you want them, and your 1893 Ambassador number goes on the reservation so its benefits apply.
- SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit on sailings where Hurtigruten allows it, on top of the line's own offers and not available booking direct. Ask for it when you call 1-800-444-1560.
Last verified October 14, 2026 against Hurtigruten's own pages: General Terms and Conditions, North America (bookings on or after November 1, 2024), Terms and Conditions page, U.S. site, Payments: deposit, final balance, payment methods, Refunds and cancellations: fee schedule, Life on board: tipping, dress code, smoking, Wi-Fi, laundry, Food and drink: what is included, bringing alcohol on board, Original voyages: meals, cabins, cribs, Signature voyages: all-inclusive fare, gratuities included, Travel with children: no minimum age, under-12 rule, cribs, Medical and safety: pregnancy and fitness to travel, What to pack: layers and footwear, Coastal Express fares: Basic and Select, 1893 Ambassador Loyalty Program, Cruise Critic: Hurtigruten alcohol policy (drinking ages), ROL Cruise: alcohol on board by line (drinking ages, 2022). These deposit, payment and cancellation terms are Hurtigruten's General Terms and Conditions for North America, effective for bookings made on or after November 1, 2024 (Hurtigruten Inc., Bothell, Washington). The global terms sold in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia use different cancellation bands (40%, 70% and 90% steps) and a EUR 50 amendment fee, so a schedule you see on another country's site will not match your U.S. invoice. Policies change; the cruise line's ticket contract and the terms on your booking confirmation govern.
Questions
Hurtigruten policy FAQ
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Is there a dress code or formal night?
Can children sail, and can my 14-year-old travel alone?
What is the drinking age on board, and what does the 1893 Ambassador program do?
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