Hi my lovely readers!
On my Arctic Expedition Cruise to Svalbard, I had the pleasure calling cabin 622 my home for the two weeks I spend on board MS Spitsbergen with Hurtigruten.
Cabin 622 is an Arctic Superior, an outside cabin located on deck 6 towards the aft of the ship.
The location of the cabin is great and so convenient. You have the Explorer Lounge on the same deck towards the bow of the ship, one deck down on the aft is Torget the restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and one deck up the sauna, fitness centre and Jacuzzis. All within a few steps more or less. The lift is close by, too.
The cabin has a window, but it is worth mentioning that the view is slightly blocked by the lifeboats. There is also a walkway around the ship on deck 6 and people can pass your cabin. However, this is normal for a lot of the Hurtigruten ships, so not uncommon. It is part of the ship design.
It did not bother me or inconvenience me at all as I was mostly out and about in the public areas. The views from there are in general better and I only used the window to quickly peak outside to see what the weather looked like. Still, this needs to be kept in mind when booking this cabin.
As it was really cold throughout my voyage, not a lot of people were using the walkways on my deck neither. They either went straight up to deck 8, the observation deck, or they mostly stayed in the Explorer Lounge or other public areas inside the ship. Did I mention that it was really cold?
The cabin is spacious enough and comfortable. There is a double bed with two bedside tables to each side, two chairs to put some clothes on and a really big closet with a safe to keep your precious possessions.
Next to the door by the entrance are a few hooks to hang your coat and life jacket. I found them very useful as I was able to have my coat hanging in the open, which allowed me to get to it quickly in case there were any unexpected wildlife sightings. I only had to open my cabin door, grab the coat and off I was.
On top of the bed is some extra shelving unit to put your belongings. I mostly stored my magazines and books there. The cabin comes also, which is important, with a tray for putting your wet boots and shoes.
The TV is mounted to the wall opposite the bed and next to the wardrobe. I found the height very pleasant and watched a few movies in bed after a long day to relax.
The cabin has a total of four European (two pin) plugs for charging your devices. Two located on each side of the bed, which is plenty to charge your camera, phone and maybe laptop. Just make sure to bring a converter if you are not using the European plugs.
Amenities include a kettle for making coffee and tea, slippers, a bathrobe as well as extra shower gel, shampoo and soap in small containers that you can keep as a souvenir if you wish.
Moreover, each cabin is equipped with a phone and this phone is very important. Of course, it has the normal functions such as calling reception and so on, but the most important feature is the announcement function, which can be turned on and off.
If you keep it on you will get announcements eg. about Northern Light sightings even 2 am in the morning, updates of what is going on in and around the ship such as lecture timings, current position of the ship, but also wildlife sightings. If you do not want to miss any unexpected sightings I would recommend leaving the announcement function on at all times.
The bathroom was actually one of the nicest bathrooms I have seen on ships in standard cabins. The material was not plastic, which was a nice change and the bathroom felt rather spacious and light.
It comes with the standard items and toiletries such as clothes line, hairdryer, hand and bath towels, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner in refill containers that are mounted to the walls. The mirror in the bathroom was quite clever as it had some anti steaming up coating or technology.
Here is the overview of the stateroom features:
- Double bed
- Flat screen TV
- Safe
- Small desk
- Tea and coffee making facility
- European two pin plugs
- Life Jacket for landings
- Tray to store wet boots
- Phone for announcements
- Shower gel, Shampoo and Conditioner
- Bathroom with shower
- Hair dryer
- Slippers and Bathrobe
Lastly, Arctic Superior 622 can actually accommodate up to four people. There are two bunk beds in the cabin which can be folded away if they are not needed. This way, they do not take up any space and just disappear into the wall more or less. I even forgot at some point that they were there!
FINAL THOUGHTS …
The cabin is very functional, gives you enough space to store your belongings and was very comfortable.
It is always nice to have a window as well to get some natural sunlight in and have the chance to quickly look outside. You never know what you will see, especially in the Arctic.
However, it did lack some drawers in my opinion for storing small bits such as watches, pencil case etc. Also, in the bathroom, the shelving unit is underneath the sink and you have to bend down to get your hairbrush and so on.
Otherwise, I was very happy in this cabin and I felt at home! And what else can you ask for?
Thumbs up from me.
For some tips on selecting your cabin, please feel free to check out my post:
PS: On this note I would like to mention that I am currently employed by Hurtigruten. However, all the pictures and views are my own. I went there as part of a FAM trip, but I experienced everything as a tourist / guest. With the exception of doing a few emails from time to time. 🙂
theworldofcruiseandtravel.com 
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