The Real Deal: A four-night cruise, concerts and lectures, breakfast and dinner daily from $565 per person

When: Jan. 23 - 27, 2006

Details: Five concerts, three lectures, breakfasts, dinners, taxes, port charges and gratuities are included. The lowest rates are based on double occupancy and cabins are assigned on a best-available basis

Book By: No deadline; based on availability

Contact: Norwegian Coastal Voyage, 800-323-7436, 2006.coastalvoyage.com

The 674-berth MS Trollfjord departs from Bergen and makes its way over five days/four nights to Tromso, a picturesque and hopping university town located far north of the Arctic Circle. During the voyage, it sails through majestic fjords and passes waterfalls, glaciers, mountain peaks and barren islands. 

The ship functions as a cargo vessel but still has some frills: contemporary Norwegian art, lounges with panoramic views, an Internet café, saunas, a fitness room, Jacuzzi, pool, restaurant and 24-hour café. While onboard, passengers are treated to cultural lectures and concerts by music students from the Grieg Academy; traditional Sami music played by Ola Graff; violinist Elena Yakovleva; and songs by the Nord-Norsk Visegruppe.

Tromso plays host to the Northern Lights Festival, celebrating the sun's return after the dark polar winter. Performances include a staging of "Ashes to Ashes," a two-character play by Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter; Symphony No. 25 in G minor played by the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra in honor of Mozart's 250th birthday; and the world premiere of Norwegian composer Eivin Buene's piano concerto. For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets, which range from $13 - $58, visit nordlysfestivalen.no or call (+47) 77-66-33-66.

The MS Trollfjord will remain docked at Tromso during the festival and travelers can stay onboard for up to four nights at an additional $70 per person per night, with a buffet breakfast included.

Average daily temperatures in January are 24 degrees Fahrenheit.

Getting There & Away: Travelers will save a bundle if they book a roundtrip flight in and out of Bergen and then an internal one-way flight from Tromso back to Bergen. From New York, roundtrip airfare to Bergen in mid-late January is currently $506 (KLM). A flight from Tromso to Bergen is $278 (SAS).

Opting for the round-trip cruise sounds boring to us, but those with more time on their hands and a desire to retrace the same, slowly passing scenery could remain in Tromso for all four nights during the festival ($280 per person) and then spend four nights cruising back to Bergen on the ship (starting at $546 per person for an outside cabin). This would bring the trip up to 12 nights and would still require the purchase of roundtrip airfare to and from Bergen.

To get the full scoop, read about the experiences of an editor who took a similar Coastal Voyages journey: Have You Cruised in a Fjord Lately?