Hurtigruten MS Midnatsol Photo Gallery

Hurtigruten launched the MS Midnatsol in 2003 and the ship has sailed the fjords and western coast of Norway between Kirkenes and Bergen since then. The 1000-passenger ship has cabins for over 600, plus can carry an additional 300+ ferry passengers, 45 cars, and tons of freight.

In addition to the comfortable dining venues and cabins, the Midnatsol has very bright and cheerful common areas, which goes along well with her name, which means "northern lights".

These photos of the ship provide a tour of the indoor and outdoor common areas on the ship, as well as the exteriors of the ship. Since we often took shore excursions that disembarked in one port of call and rejoined the Midnatsol at a later port, I got some great photos of the ship that you don't normally get on a cruise ship.

Midnatsol means Northern Lights in Norwegian, so it's appropriate that the atrium is decorated with this bright rendition of this amazing phenomenon.

Those of us on the sea eagle watching shore excursion left the Midnatsol after the ship left Stokmarknes and was sailing through the passage of Raftsundet. The Trollfjord is off this passage, cutting into the island of Austvågøy. We got great views of the ships during this excursion as she continued towards Lofoten.

The MS Midnatsol Cafe, which is used by both the ferry and cruise passengers, has several nearby rooms used for seating and relaxing. Guests can enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the coastal scenery.

One of the best ways to enjoy the long summer days is on the Sun Deck of the Midnatsol.

Everyone on the Midnatsol loves to be outdoors enjoying the long summer days in Norway!

The two hot tubs on the Sun Deck of the Midnatsol are popular places for gathering and enjoying the outdoors.

The mouth of the Trollfjord is only about 100 yards across, but the Midnatsol Captain navigated the passage easily.

One of the things I enjoyed about the Midnatsol was the use of seating next to almost every window area of the ship. And, there were a lot of windows!

Our guide and bus driver timed our shore excursion arrival in Sortland perfectly. We drove across the bridge at the exact moment the MS Midnatsol sailed underneath!

The Midnatsol has numerous lounge seating areas on the ship, most with windows and great views.

The Midnatsol has free WiFi For those who bring along their own computers, tablets, or other WiFi-enabled devices. In addition, the ship has free-use computers hooked to the Internet midship near the Library on deck 8.

Those of us on the reindeer spotting excursion disembarked the Midnatsol in Mehamn, rejoining the ship two hours later in Kjøllefjord. We got a good look at the ship as she sailed into the harbor.

Guests can enjoy a drink, live music, and dancing in the Paradis Bar on the Midnatsol.

The ship looks amazing as she sails through the Lofoten Islands of Norway. 

The Paradis Bar on deck 8 is a good place on the Midnatsol to enjoy a drink and listen to live music in the evening.

Like many passenger ships, the Midnatsol has a nice Panorama Lounge with sweeping views of the sea and surrounding Norwegian coast and fjords. This one is forward on deck 8.

We did a shore excursion from Harstad to Vesterålen driving along the coast and the island countryside, rejoining the Midnatsol in Sortland.

The MS Midnatsol has many well-lit seating areas, perfect for watching the spectacular coastal scenery of western Norway.

With a dozen ships sailing the western coast of Norway, it's not unusual to see a Hurtigruten sister ship. The Midnatsol and Polarlys both docked in Harstad when the Midnatsol was southbound and the Polarlys was northbound.