Your experience on board

You can rest assured that we will always follow national rules and guidelines.

Here you will find the extra measures we have put into place to ensure good infection control on board our ships:

• For the summer of 2020 we will not sail with more than 50% capacity, so there will be even more room on our already spacious ships. We have a variety of ships of different sizes, so the precise numbers of fellow guests will vary from ship to ship.
  
  
• We ask all guests to comply with national guidelines issued by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health at all times. Among other things, this means that while on board, wearing a face mask is optional.
  
  
• Respect the capacity restrictions in the various public areas on the ship, such as the swimming pool, sauna, gym and other communal areas.
  
  
• Keep at least one metre from each other, and respect the floor markings set up to help with this.
  
  
• Frequent hand washing is one of the most important measures against infection. You will often be asked to wash or disinfect your hands; including at embarkation and disembarkation, outside all restaurants and on entering public areas.
  
  
• You will be asked to open a cruise account where all purchases are registered on a touch-free card. We do this to limit the use of cash and frequent contact with payment terminals.

Restaurants

We have made arrangements for more dining sessions so we can serve food to fewer people at a time, while ensuring the necessary social distancing between our guests.

• We ask you to arrive for your meals at the agreed time to minimise queuing.
  
  
• You should wash or disinfect your hands outside our restaurants before being welcomed in.
  
  
• Everything guests are in contact with in the restaurants are disinfected between dining sessions.
  
  
• Our chefs will serve you and carefully place your choice of meal onto your plate as you request.

Cleaning

We already have strict cleaning procedures on board:

• In addition to thorough daily cleaning, all cabins will be fully disinfected at changeover.
  
  
• We use electrostatic cleaning with strong disinfectants in all communal areas, storerooms and galleys.
  
  
• We will do a full disinfection of the entire ship if any infectious substances are detected.
  
  
• We carry out regular testing, and flood hard surfaces in cabins, galleys and all public areas with UV light to identify any organic materials invisible to the naked eye, which can then be removed by our cleaning experts.

These routines give continuous feedback on the effectiveness of our cleaning activity, and help us develop more and more robust cleaning methods. In addition, we also,

• Use external partners to implement both planned and unannounced hygiene inspections on all ships.
  
  
• Do regular checks of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) ventilator filters, and the quality of the drinking water.

Excursions and going ashore

You have the opportunity to go ashore at several places, and we will regulate the number of people who board and disembark the ship at any given time, to control the flow of people getting on and off the ship.

We are in close dialogue with our excursion suppliers along the Norwegian coast to meet the applicable national guidelines:

• We have implemented additional cleaning and hygiene procedures.
  
  
• You will be asked to wash or disinfect your hands thoroughly before, during and after excursions.
  
  
• The capacity of the excursions is reduced to ensure sufficient spacing for social distancing. This may mean some of the excursions are no longer available, or that the excursion has been changed to minimise the risk of infection.
  
  
• All equipment provided is disinfected before use by another guest.
  
  
• All buses used are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each trip.

Our staff

All staff follow national guidelines from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health at all times. 

• All crew members follow Norwegian rules for quarantine to be able to embark on the ship and have to undergo daily temperature readings.
  
  
• They have completed an official COVID-19 course for hygiene procedures and infection management, as well as an extensive internal training programme before they embark.
  
  
• Also, our crew has always undergone thorough first-aid training and has access to health professionals should a medical issue arise.
  
  
• There is a dedicated Health & Safety Officer on board, whose task is to coordinate and ensure the quality of infection control on board.

Along the Norwegian coast, we are never far from land and access to the onshore health service; meanwhile our expedition ships always have a doctor and at least one assistant nurse as part of the crew. Should we get a case of COVID-19 on board, we will immediately carry out infection tracking protocols, together with the Norwegian authorities.

What we expect from you

It is important to emphasise that for all the measures and procedures to be effective, we rely on you to contribute.

Self-declaration form

Before embarkation, all guests must provide a self-declaration form. On this form, you must,

• Confirm that you are not showing signs of any COVID-19 symptoms at embarkation.
  
  
• Confirm that you have not been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
  
  
• Confirm compliance to the current travel restrictions imposed by the Norwegian authorities (for journeys starting and ending in Norway.

A medical certificate from a doctor is not required. This declaration is required to allow you to travel with Hurtigruten, and we reserve the right to refuse embarkation for guests with missing or incomplete information. 

The digital form is sent to you by email 24 hours before departure. If you are not able to fill in the digital form, you will be given a self-declaration form at check in.

On board

• A contactless fever scan to record your temperature will be performed before embarkation, and we reserve the right to conduct this procedure at any point during the trip. This is for your own safety and for the safety of others.
  
  
• If you notice that you have symptoms, you must immediately notify the crew, who will quickly be able to offer cabins for isolation.
  
  
• Norwegian authorities are responsible for further treatment of sick guests and infection tracing.