HURTIGRUTEN INTRODUCES A MUSIC LOVER’S PARADISE -- OPERA CRUISES

New York, NY, October 2007 -- Carmen in the pub, chamber music in the lounge, jazz interludes in the ship’s bar and dancing to the Viennese orchestra during an Opera Ball are some of the possibilities on Hurtigruten’s new series of “Opera Beneath the Polar Sky” January itineraries.  An exclusive arrangement between Hurtigruten (formerly known as Norwegian Coastal Voyage) and the Norwegian National Opera and its nearly 90-plus singers and musicians brings guests distinctive musical events on land and sea daily -- set to the backdrop of an ever-changing landscape of majestic fjords, snow-capped peaks and charming fishing villages that hug the coast with the possibility of the Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky.  The special sailings, available on three late January voyages that ply Norway’s west coast aboard the 674-passenger Trollfjord, are a three-night Tromsø-Kirkenes cruise, four-night Kirkenes-Bodø itinerary and eight-night Tromsø-Bodø sailing.  Fares range from $1,399 to $4,499 per person, double, and include accommodations, all meals and cultural and musical programs on board, and three concerts on land.

        On-board concerts, with excerpts from operas, operettas and musicals, fill the ship’s public area, while in select ports guests go ashore with the Norwegian National Opera as they present Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9; Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 1; musical selections from Grieg and Richard Strauss; and portions of popular operas and musicals by Mozart, Puccini, Strauss, Sondheim and many others, in stunning venues such as the Arctic and Lofoten Cathedrals.

        The three-night Tromsø-Kirkenes voyage departs January 27, sailing north with calls at Hammerfest, Honningsvåg, Vadsø and Murmansk (Russia) at $1,399 to $2,399; the four-night Kirkenes-Bodø, leaving January 31, follows a southern route visiting Murmansk, Honningsvåg, Harstad and Svolvær at $1,599 to $2,799; and the eight-night Tromsø-Bodø roundtrip, departing January 27, combines the other two itineraries at $2,499 to $4,499.

        Described in Lonely Planet’s “Bluelist” as the “world’s most beautiful voyage,” 11of 16 Hurtigruten vessels sail year-round along Norway’s coast, boasting a unique combination of first-class cruise ship and lifeline to remote towns and villages.  The rest of the fleet sails on programs to Antarctica, Greenland and Spitsbergen as well as Pole-to-Pole World Cruises in the spring and fall.

         Information, brochures and reservations can be obtained from Hurtigruten at (800) 323-7436 or (212) 319-1300; fax (212) 319-1390; for brochures (800) 666-2374, 24 hours a day; www.hurtigruten.us.