Cruising in Norway

Kari J. Bodnarchuk for the Boston Globe
Most of the major cruise lines run trips along Norways west coast from May to September, stopping at main ports like Ålesund, Trondheim, and Tromsø. But Hurtigrutens 11 working ships run year-round, as they have since 1893, transporting cargo, locals wanting to avoid long drives or experience the voyage, and sightseers. En route to Nordkapp, passengers can stop at a trading post to meet several local Sami (the area's indigenous people), who are semi-nomadic reindeer herders. Visitors can meet the Sami, get up close to a reindeer, and have a peek inside a lavvu, a structure that resembles a Native American tepee.