Norwegian Coastal Voyage: the world's most beautiful cruise - Cruise of the Month - cruise along Norway's Troll Fjord

Though after midnight, an eerie glow outlined the 3,000-foot-tall peaks rising on either side of the 300-foot-wide channel our brave little ship was entering. Early the previous morning we'd crossed the Arctic Circle into the "Land of the Midnight Sun," but we were still weeks from the summer solstice, leaving this night dark enough for imaginations to run wild.

We were cautiously cruising Troll Fjord, the mile-and-a-half stretch of Norway's rugged 1,250-mile western coast that these supernatural creatures call home. Would this be the night that the immoral trolls, whose ambition is to dominate mortal man, choose to stone a ship? Nope, our captain knows that trolls sleep for a thousand years after their midday meal, and we'd be safe tonight.

Safe onboard the Kong Harald, eldest of the "New Ships" in the 11-vessel Norwegian Coastal Voyage fleet, we're in the midst of a weeklong adventure that would take us to the top of Europe. Billed as "The World's Most Beautiful Voyage," the cruise had already fulfilled that promise, and the best was yet to come. (We do speak with some authority, having sailed through famous fjords in every hemisphere.)

Known in Norway as the Hurtigruten ("Coastal Express") and marketed abroad as the Norwegian Coastal Voyage, this company is many things to many people. For more than a century, the Hurtigruten has been a lifeline to Norway's remote coastal towns, carrying passengers and cargo between ports. Today's ships are unique combinations of cruise liner and working vessel. Overnight passenger accommodations range from balconied suites to airline-style coach seats. With a half-dozen calls or more a day, some people are onboard for only a few hours. Cars are ferried, and cargo ranges from heavy machinery to snail mail. The Hurtigruten is also a major tourist attraction, and we found every aspect fascinating.

NCV ships sail daily, year-round, on 12-day roundtrips calling on 34 ports between Bergen on the south and Kirkenes on the north. The trips are also offered as seven-day northbound and five-day southbound voyages (ports visited at night one way are usually seen in daylight on the other). We chose the seven-day, embarking Sunday evening after spending a full, beautiful spring day in Bergen.

Oh that we had spent two or more days--at least that long is needed to truly scratch the surface of this charming city of a quarter-million, selected as one of Europe's showpiece "Cultural Cities" in 2000. Established in 1070, Bergen was the heart of the Kingdom of Norway during the Middle Ages, and later the vibrant trading center of the North Atlantic as a member of the Hanseatic League. Much of this past is evident in the historic Bryggen section, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On a non-stop walking tour, we made full use of our bargain-priced "Bergen Card" to gain admission to the Hanseatic Museum, St. Mary's Church, Bergen Castle, Bryggens (archeological) Museum, and even for a funicular ride 1,000 feet up Mt. Floyen, where we enjoyed lunch in a parklike setting with a view of the hundreds of islands, mountains, and hills comprising greater Bergen. Left unvisited were the legendary fish market, aquarium, stave church, another dozen museums, scores of galleries, composer Edvard Grieg's summer estate, the Old Bergen open-air historic-home collection, and so much more.

But time to set sail, with our sights set on so many more Norwegian cities of note--Alesund, Molde, Trondheim, Bodo, Tromso--plus a score more we knew naught of. Embarkation was a snap, and soon our stewardess was showing us our standard outside double cabin (about 120 square feet, twin-bedded convertible to sofa, big view window, small desk, suitable storage, compact but well-designed bathroom with shower, hair-dryer, and floor-warmer). Time now for ship exploration.

The 11,200-gross-register-ton Kong Harald (named for the King of Norway) entered service in 1993. She has 230 cabins with 490 berths, plus space for 50 cars, all wrapped up in a cruise-liner-like package. Six of her eight decks are open to passenger traffic, with public rooms mostly on two levels. Upper deck seven is prime viewing space with the forward, smoke-free 140-seat Ottar Viking panorama lounge most pleasant, while the 100-seat midship Leiv Eriksson observation lounge caters to the smoking/drinking crowd. Sheltered open decks aft offer more invigorating viewing.

Main deck four is anchored by the Martha-Salen dining room aft and the Fritjof Nansen club-lounge forward. Two conference rooms and a comfortable library/card room adjoin the latter. Amidships is the (extra-charge, cafeteria-style) Roald Amundsen Cafe, a shop, arcade (with teen-oriented video and adult-gambling machines), children's playroom, and baby room. Later explorations of lower cabin decks revealed the reception desk, coin-op laundry, hospital, fitness room, saunas--even showers and lockers for day-passengers. All in all, everything we require of a cruise ship, and more.

The NCV fleet contains five more "New Ships," similar to the Kong Harald, all built in the 1990s. Three 1980s-built "Mid-Generation Ships" have fewer amenities, accommodating some 320 guests in a more spartan, coastal-steamer-like 6,200-grt package. The small (170-passenger/2,600-grt) 1960s-built "Traditional Ships," longtime favorites of ship buffs, have been transferred from regular coastal service to seasonal sailings and expedition cruises (e.g., to Spitsbergen).