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The Nordstjernan is considered a
small ship by todays standards, but coziness is only part of the Nordstjernen's
charm. It also has an old-fashioned maritime character that you won't find on
today's ships. The hull, for example, is curved from bow to stern and from the
lower deck railings to the waterline. Look closely, and you'll see that the hull
is welded from steel plates that are heavy enough to withstand pressure from
Arctic ice. Walk on the exposed decks, and you'll see open lifeboats,
ventilation funnels, masts not unlike those of a sailing ship, and solid planks
of varnished wood.
The Nordstjernen's vintage appeal carries over to the interior, where polished
wainscoting and traditional step-up-and-over watertight doors are reminiscent of
ocean liners from the 1950s (when the Nordstjernen entered service on
Hurtigruten's year-round route between Bergen and Norway's North Cape).
In other ways, the MS Nordstjernen's old-fashioned looks are deceptive: The
vessel underwent major overhauls in the 1980s and again in 2000, when it was
refitted as an expedition ship. It's well-equipped with modern features such as
vacuum toilets, GPS navigation, satellite telephony, and PolarCirkel boats for
shore landings. |
