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.

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For over a century, these ships have served as functional transportation and are as ingrained into the life and culture of western Norway as anything could possibly be. Only recently has the line decided to market these voyages as something other than the ferry service it has always been. And why not? Why not capitalize on the stunning beauty and natural resources of coastal Norway while still serving the primary transportation needs of its citizens? It makes sense, and it can work, but to be successful, the personnel on the ships need to shed their personas as mere ferry-service functionaries and behave as though they actually care about the comfort and convenience of their guests.

Norwegians tend to be a generally reserved people, so no one was expecting effusiveness or joviality. The lack of the most rudimentary customer service skills, however, was evident almost everywhere, from our check-in procedure to the curt responses we received by staff when asking a question. With the exception of at least one outgoing bartender and a couple of people at the shops, this behavior was the rule and it was uncomfortable. No one seemed to care, for example, that the plumbing had backed up in the cabin of a member of my party, and the stench of sewage was permeating her space. Although she made several polite requests for assistance, it was not until our last day, when she literally had to demand relief, that she was changed to an unaffected cabin. On two of my days on board, my cabin stewardess was missing and I was left with wet towels and no soap. (Making the bed is easy; just flip it up and latch it. No stewardess is needed for that activity.) I was not alone in the missing cabin crew scenario, several people mentioned it.

One incident that emphasizes the problem seems funny in retrospect, but had the makings of a true disaster when it happened.

The ship makes many stops along her route, some as short as 20 minutes, just enough time to allow passengers to board or debark and to load and offload provisions. There are several stops of an hour or more, and on these, passengers can get off the ship and walk around or take a land tour if one is offered.

On a stop of about 70 minutes' duration, my friend and I were casually looking into shops and taking photographs of gulls flying over the port. The battereis in my watch were dead, so I was relying on my friend to keep us on track and on time. While she was still snapping photographs, I continued on to where the ship was docked. I wasn't rushing; we had plenty of time. Or so I thought. On turning the corner and coming within view of the ship, I saw the hydraulic ramp being lifted and stowed. Waving frantically and screaming for my friend, I caught the attention of the port master who lowered the ramp for us. Once safely on board, my friend went to the reception foyer to see what time they showed on the big clock in front of the desk... she had set her watch to coordinate with that clock, and the two remained in sync. The front desk personnel confirmed that the clock in the lobby was 12 minutes slow; there were no apologies nor explanations. We told them that they should fix it since many passengers relied on that clock to track their time on shore, but they basically yawned, and the clock remained set incorrectly throughout the journey.

In all, these were minor issues when weighed against the beauty of the route and the experience of the journey. Although many of the North Americans on board had the same gripes about cabin noise and unresponsive personnel, there wasn't a soul with whom I spoke who was truly unhappy with the voyage.

Starting in Tromsø was perfect; the city's people display a joie de vivre that's infectious, and to have been in the Arctic Circle under the midnight sun was a unique and wondrous experience for me. The voyage itself is slow and offers a lot of opportunites to just relax while getting a taste of this region of Norway, from the haunting, stark silhouettes of the Lofoten Islands to the steep cliffs, glaciers and waterfalls on parts of the journey, the bustling ports of Trondheim and Bergen and the small villages along the route with their brightly colored houses at water's edge.

Being able to debark in several small villages and cities along the way is unique too, and adds greatly to the exploration of western Norway. You can't do this on a regular cruise ship, you can't feel as though you have "experienced" the area, although you might get to "see" it.

Pricing is also a consideration in that a trip on a Norwegian Coastal Voyage costs roughly twice that of a regular passenger cruise ship, and you don't get your Las Vegas-style shows, midnight buffets, casino or constantly flowing coffee, either. M.V. Finnmarken does have some musical entertainment, and there are four slot machines (which actually pay out) but that's about the extent of the entertainment. Shore excursions are a remarkably good value; no one felt gouged in any way as the prices were quite reasonable and the excursions were good and informative.

So, while the voyage isn't for everybody, it was a wonderfully valuable experience for me, and I would recommend it with the caveats listed above and some comments about cabin selection: