High-speed catamaran review
My verdict: the fast one, and the one with the longest published season. MS Rygerdronningen rates 4.6 from 3,772 reviews at the time of writing over an eight-hour day out of Tromsø. It carries seasickness tablets and a second-chance re-booking in the inclusions, which tells you the operator has thought about the two things most likely to ruin your day.
Speed is the product
A high-speed hull buys you range. On a coast where the herring can be an hour further out than they were on Tuesday, range is the difference between a long look and a glimpse from the edge of the light. You board harbourside behind the Nerstranda shopping centre, which is about as central as a departure gets in this town, and you get a warm lounge with panoramic windows to sit in for the crossing.
The published season is mid-October to the end of January, the longest of the six. Take that as a statement about the boat and not about the whales. The orcas follow the herring and the herring turn up when they turn up; an October departure on this catamaran is a whale safari with the odds tilted towards humpbacks and minke rather than orcas. The month-by-month picture is here, and February is a separate question with a shorter answer.
What the reviews tell you that the listing does not
This tour has the most honest review file of the six, and I mean that as a compliment to the people who wrote it. Beate from Germany came unfortunately too late for orcas and saw other whales instead. Siyana from Bulgaria praised the staff after a trip that produced nothing. Simona from Italy saw a sperm whale. Linea from Sweden saw sperm whales twice.
- “Unfortunately too late for orcas, but we saw other whales.” Beate, Germany
- “The staff were wonderful even though we saw nothing.” Siyana, Bulgaria
Read those four together and you have the shape of the product. It sails a long way, it finds cetaceans more often than not, and what it finds is not always the animal on the poster. Sperm whales turning up twice in one reviewer’s file is a genuinely good sign about how far out this boat goes. What else is out there is worth reading before you decide that only orcas count.
One practical warning that the review file makes plain and the listing does not. Food is not included here. Snacks are sold on board and alcohol is not served, so if you board at the harbour with nothing in your bag you will be eight hours out on a winter sea living on hot drinks and whatever the counter has left. Both other big-boat days from Tromsø handle this for you; this one does not, and hour six is late to find out. What each tour actually gives you is set out in one place, and it is the page I would read before this one if you are still choosing.
Seasickness tablets in the inclusions
Small detail, large signal. An operator that hands out tablets at the gangway has watched enough people go green in a beam sea to make it standard. Take them before you board rather than when you start to feel it, because that is how they work. The practical version is on the seasickness page.
The second-chance re-booking works the same way: if no whales are seen, you can come out again on another departure, subject to the operator’s own conditions. It is not a refund and it is not a guarantee, and it is only any use if you still have a spare day in Tromsø. Plan for that before you travel, or the policy is worth nothing to you.
If you are travelling in December or January and Italian is your language, this is the only tour of the six that runs in it, and only in those two months. German runs all season. Everything else here is English.
What works
- A high-speed hull, so the boat can reach whales that are a long way out
- The longest published season of the six, mid-October to the end of January
- A warm lounge with panoramic windows for the crossing
- Seasickness tablets, hot drinks and safety gear are included
- A second-chance re-booking if no whales are seen
- German all season and Italian in December and January
Worth knowing
- Food is not included; snacks are sold on board and alcohol is not
- An early-season departure is a whale safari more than an orca safari
- 3,772 reviews at 4.6 means plenty of people have had a blank day on it
- The re-booking only helps if you have a spare day left in Tromsø
- No drones, no pets, no smoking or e-cigarettes on board
- Eight hours on open water, which the fast hull makes rougher, not smoother
Usually included
- Guides and a whale presentation
- Hot drinks
- Safety gear
- Seasickness tablets
- A second-chance re-booking if no whales are seen
Not included
- Food, which is sold on board as snacks
- Alcohol
- Drones, pets, smoking and e-cigarettes, none of which are allowed on board
Who should book it, and who should not
Book it if you are travelling in October or very early November, when the Skjervøy RIB operations are still finding their season and this boat is already sailing. Book it if you are a poor sailor and want an operator that has already thought about that. Book it if you need German or, in midwinter, Italian.
Do not book it if orcas specifically are the whole reason for the trip and you are here outside the ten-week window, because a fast boat cannot outrun the herring calendar. Do not book it expecting lunch: this is the one big-boat day of the three where food is a transaction rather than an inclusion, which is worth knowing at hour six. And if you want to be close to the water rather than looking down at it, you want an open RIB instead.
The alternatives
Most bookedTromsø: Whale Watching Tour by Hybrid-Electric Boat
Everything includedTromsø: Whale & Orca Safari – All-Inclusive (Max 50 pax)
Warm all dayTromsø: Orca and Whale Watching Heated Boat Trip
Frequently asked questions
What happens if the catamaran sees no whales?
The listing includes a second-chance re-booking: you can join another departure, subject to the operator’s own conditions. It is a re-book, not a refund and not a guarantee, so it is only useful if you still have a day spare. Read sightings and guarantees before you rely on it.
Is the catamaran worth booking in October?
It is the only one of the six with a published season starting in mid-October, so it is often the only option that early. Expect a whale safari rather than an orca safari: the orcas arrive with the wintering herring from about early November. See the best time to see orcas.
Which languages does this tour run in?
English and German across the season, with Italian added in December and January. That is the widest language offering of the six tours on this site — every other one runs in English only. If that is the deciding factor, this is the tour, and the other heated-vessel days will not help you.