Hurtigruten Cruise Ship Live Streams Voyage, Sets Norway Ratings Record (PHOTOS)

AOL Travel News:

This may only happen in Norway: Live video feed of a Hurtigruten a cruise ship sailing the coast of Norway for six-days has set a ratings record in the country.

The fjord trip entitled "Hurtigruten--Minute by Minute", broadcast by Norway's NRK, was watched by 2.54 million Norwegians--more than half the country's population! Additionally, 7% of viewers came from Denmark, and 4% each from Germany, the U.K., France, and the United States.

Read the whole story: AOL Travel News

Comments

[TheReaderWhoComments]

09:17 AM on 06/25/2011

Its still possible to view the voyage:

http://www.nrk.no/hurtigruten/?lang=en

Just click on the interactive google map on the left to get the geographic position yo want watch stream from.

[Pembrokelib]

12:19 AM on 06/24/2011

This trip is one of the best. Incredibly beautiful scenery, comfortable ship with good food, stops daily in lovely small towns. We went from Kirkenes to Bergen with 3 days in Oslo first. Grand Circle trip is reasonably priced and excellent. Highly recommended! The fjords are magnificent.

[larmarch5]

01:09 PM on 06/23/2011

Traveling the Norwegian west coast will afford you some of the most beautiful sights in the world. I visited the Bergen area many times in the 90's. I lived in Boston then and liked taking Iceland Air when possible with a stopover in Reykjavik. Consider a cruise that includes the Flåm Railway.

[Karl LO]

12:27 PM on 06/23/2011

Hurtigruten still has some importance as a transporter of goods along the coast, but most goods are carried on the road these days. Most of the passengers on these ships are cruise passengers. There are always some exceptions, of course, people who use the ships to get from one place to another, but they are a small minority now. Most people will not seriously consider getting on the ship when they have other, faster alternatives like taking a bus, driving themselves or flying.

It was different in earlier times, when there weren't roads and airports everywhere. Today Hurtigruten's importance is for tourism and as a symbol of life along the coast and how important local passenger ships used to be. Its symbolic value shouldn't be underestimated, but it was many decades ago that it was highly important as a means of transport for the people on the coast of Norway.

[Air Vice Marshal Park]

10:59 AM on 06/23/2011

It is a mistake to call these "cruise ships." There is a lot of passenger traffic up and down the Norwegian coast that is simply a way to get from one place to another, a very practical way of commuting or shipping goods locally. These ships aren't just for tourists.

Actually, many coastal ships carry webcams and provide periodic updates as a way for people to know where the ship is located at any given time and if it is on schedule.

One very popular run is between the major cities of Copenhagen and Oslo. The ships make the trip overnight so you can come aboard in the evening and be in the destination city early the next morning. It is about the most stress free way to commute as you can imagine. You can have a nice dinner aboard, get a good night's sleep and arrive fresh at your destination.

[Totto]

09:39 AM on 06/23/2011

It's h*ll to get back from AOL-Land.