Norwegian Coastal Voyages' new Millennium-class ship M.V. Finnmarken has the potential to rival the great cruise ships plying Norwegian waters... but Holland America she's not.

The sun caught the ripples in Tromsø Harbor and glinted off the side of the magnificent, brand-new M.V. Finnmarken as she passed under the bridge and prepared to dock. Passengers were lining up to board, some wheeling bicycles, some carrying small children, some still in their cars on the access road to what would be the automobile ramp into the belly of the ship. The weather was nearly balmy; nothing but a light sweater was necessary. The sky was clear and bright blue. It was 11:45 pm.

With the launch of the Finnmarken and her sister ship the Trollfjord, Norwegian Coastal Voyages' two Millenium Class vessels brought the line into a new realm of "luxury" for what is ostensibly Highway One, the elaborate ferry system of the western Norwegian coast. The car deck is still there as are the storage facilities for the provisions brought on board to deliver up and down the route; the biggest and most impressive changes are to the passenger areas. The Millenium ships are designed to rival the great cruise ships of the world, and in form and function, the Finnmarken almost succeeds.

Boarding at midnight was hectic, as passengers scrambled to drag their luggage up the ramp and into the passenger entryway. Those passengers leaving the ship at Tromsø were fighting their way down the ramp at the same time, as were those who were taking a midight bus tour of the "Paris of the North" before returning to continue their voyage on board. No one in our party had pre-assigned cabins, so we crowded into the reception foyer with what felt like hundreds of other guests, and waited, waited, waited while bored and tired front desk personnel handed out cabin assignments and keys.

At 1:30am I was finally set, so once again, I dragged my luggage and found the cabin assigned to me.

Leaving Tromsø, 1:45am

Tromsø (pronounced "Trom-SEH",) is located in the Arctic Circle. The late May sun was still high in the sky and would remain so until the end of August, when it starts waning. It was almost as bright out at 1:30am as it had been at noon, the sun circling overhead instead of around the globe. My disappoinment was immediate as I entered my outside cabin only to discover that it was so far forward and so low that I had angled porthole tubes instead of a window, and while I could see out if I were directly in front of one of the portholes, the cabin itself was pitch dark.

I stashed my luggage in the beautifully-designed and well-equipped cabin and went out on deck for departure. The M.V. Finnmarken was on her way down the coast, heading for Bergen, which we would reach in four days.

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