Most Norway cruises sail in summer, under the midnight sun. This one goes in November, when the nights are long and dark enough for the northern lights. The first half follows the west coast north from Rotterdam: Ålesund's Art Nouveau harbour, the Romsdal mountains at Åndalsnes, then Trondheim and an evening run out along the Trondheimsfjord. After a day at sea the ship crosses the Arctic Circle.
Above the Circle, the ship stays overnight twice — in Tromsø, then in Alta, which calls itself the City of the Northern Lights. Overnight stays give you evenings ashore in the dark, away from the ship's lights, when there is a real chance of seeing the aurora (it can never be guaranteed). On the way south there are calls at Kristiansund, near the Atlantic Road, and at Bergen's Hanseatic wharf, before a day at sea back to Rotterdam. It is a round trip, so there is only one airport to fly in and out of.
At a glance
| Cruise line | Holland America Line |
|---|---|
| Ship | Nieuw Statendam |
| Sails | 6 November 2027, returning 20 November |
| Length | 14 nights, 15 days |
| Ports | 7 calls in Norway, 4 days at sea, overnights in Tromsø and Alta |
| Embarks / disembarks | Rotterdam, The Netherlands — round trip |
| Price | Group rate veranda from US$3,309 per person, double occupancy, taxes and port fees included |
Itinerary
Ports, arrival and departure times are taken from the cruise line's published schedule and can change — we confirm the final version with the group before departure.
| Day | Port of call | Date | Arrive | Depart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Rotterdam, The Netherlands | Sat, 6 Nov | — | 15:00 |
| Day 2 | At Sea | Sun, 7 Nov | — | — |
| Day 3 | Ålesund, Norway | Mon, 8 Nov | 10:00 | 21:00 |
| Day 4 | Åndalsnes, Norway | Tue, 9 Nov | 08:00 | 17:00 |
| Day 5 | Trondheim, Norway, then scenic cruising Trondheimsfjord | Wed, 10 Nov | 08:00 | 23:59 |
| Day 6 | At Sea — crossing the Arctic Circle | Thu, 11 Nov | — | — |
| Day 7 | Tromsø, Norway | Fri, 12 Nov | 10:00 | Overnight |
| Day 8 | Tromsø, Norway | Sat, 13 Nov | — | 22:00 |
| Day 9 | Alta, Norway | Sun, 14 Nov | 08:00 | Overnight |
| Day 10 | Alta, Norway | Mon, 15 Nov | — | 14:00 |
| Day 11 | At Sea — crossing the Arctic Circle | Tue, 16 Nov | — | — |
| Day 12 | Kristiansund, Norway | Wed, 17 Nov | 08:00 | 17:00 |
| Day 13 | Bergen, Norway | Thu, 18 Nov | 08:00 | 17:00 |
| Day 14 | At Sea | Fri, 19 Nov | — | — |
| Day 15 | Rotterdam, The Netherlands | Sat, 20 Nov | 07:00 | — |
Ports of call
Seven calls in Norway, two of them overnight, and four days at sea.
Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam in 1873, and its old head office on the waterfront is now the Hotel New York. Rotterdam was almost entirely rebuilt after 1940, and the new city is known for its modern architecture: the Erasmus Bridge, the cube houses and the horseshoe-shaped Markthal food hall. The ship sails mid-afternoon, so arriving a day early is easy.
After a fire destroyed most of the town in 1904, Ålesund was rebuilt in stone in the Art Nouveau style of the day. The result is one of the most complete Art Nouveau townscapes in Europe, with turrets, pastel façades and decorative stonework along the canal. It is 418 steps from the town park up to the Aksla viewpoint, where the whole town and the islands beyond come into view.
A small town at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, surrounded on three sides by mountains that are usually snow-capped by November. The Romsdalen valley runs inland past the Troll Wall, Europe's tallest vertical rock face, and the Rauma Railway follows the same valley. It is known as one of the most scenic rail lines in Norway.
Norway's first capital, founded by Viking kings. Nidaros Cathedral, built over the grave of St Olav, is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world and was a major pilgrimage site for centuries. Across the Old Town Bridge, the Bakklandet quarter has painted wooden warehouses built on stilts along the river. The ship stays until almost midnight, then sails out along the Trondheimsfjord.
The largest city in northern Norway, about 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. In mid-November the sun is only up for a few hours, so the long dark evenings are when many people go looking for the northern lights. With an overnight stay there are two evenings ashore, which can be spent on an aurora trip away from the city lights. By day, the Fjellheisen cable car and the white Arctic Cathedral are close to the harbour.
Alta has a long connection with the aurora: the world's first northern lights observatory was built on a mountain near the town in 1899. Its best-known modern building is the Northern Lights Cathedral, a spiral tower clad in titanium. The Alta Museum stands beside a UNESCO-listed site of rock carvings, the oldest of them more than 6,000 years old. The ship anchors offshore here and passengers go ashore by tender.
A harbour town spread across four islands, which made its money exporting klippfisk, salted and dried cod, to Spain and Portugal. The small Sundbåten ferries that link the islands have run since 1876. About forty minutes' drive away is the Atlantic Road, where a chain of low bridges hops from islet to islet along the open coast. In November it is often lashed by sea spray, which is part of its reputation.
Bryggen, the row of gabled wooden merchant houses on the harbour, dates back to the Hanseatic League and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The narrow passages behind the façades are worth walking through. The Fløibanen funicular climbs from the centre to Mount Fløyen in a few minutes, and the fish market is just along the quay.
Booking
Send a message with the number of travellers and the cabin grade you want. No payment at this stage.
Your cabin is booked from our group space, at the group rate.
A deposit of US$600 per person secures the cabin, and it is refundable until 8 August 2027. Final payment is due on 8 August 2027. Other cancellation terms follow the cruise line's group policy for this sailing.
Before your trip, we’ll send you key departure information and guidance on completing online check-in, which guests generally handle themselves as it may require a selfie and credit card details. We can also assist with group dining reservations and booking shore excursions you’ve selected, subject to availability.
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