Norway Cruises?

k5thbeatle

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 22, 2005
Let me say that we have NEVER been on a cruise of any sort. We are considering one of their Norwegian cruises and I guess I am just looking for as much information and feedback as I can get. So many many questions but I guess I'll just start by asking anyone who has done one of these to kindly share whatever information, advice, or experiences they have had?

Thanks!
 
I recommend looking at the trip reports section, then do a search for Norway. I recall seeing one that must have had 100 pictures in it and good info. After our Northern Europe cruise, I’ll be looking at Norway next.
 
We did the inaugural Norway cruise in 2015. The link to my trip report is in my signature below. I'm not sure you will see all the same ports, but I think most of them are there.
 
We also did the inaugural Norway cruise in 2015 and ended up doing B2B Norway - Norway/Iceland/Scotland cruises. They were glorious. We travel quite extensively and Norway is the most beautiful country I've ever seen. I highly recommend the Norway cruise!
 


The 2019 Dover Scotland Iceland Norway cruise 21/7 is almost sold out, its been selling faster than any other cruise, if thinking about that one, maybe getting too late, so booking may stop your decision.
 
We might be heading over to Norway in 2019 - but here is what we gathered so far:

1. The Iceland cruise doesn't quite visit Norway proper - so to speak. It has two outside stops (Alesund and Stavanger), but that's not really the same thing as going into the fjords. So, while it's great that you get to visit Iceland and Norway in one cruise, you might be a bit disappointed by the Norwegian portion if you are after the must-see Norwegian attractions.

2. Ideally, you want a cruise that goes into the fjords. The two UNESCO World Heritage fjords in the southern portion are Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord (though there are quite a few actual fjords all along the coast). The ports are Hellesylt/Geiranger and Flam. Another great alternative is Nordfjord, where the ship can go all the way to Olden. A combo of one or two of these fjords is what I would look for in a cruise meant for Norway.

3. DCL's Norway cruise on Aug 25, 2019, does visit Geirangerfjord and Nordfjord, and we have our eyes on it. We are very much a DCL-focused family, but this particular cruise is a bit late in the season - which is why we haven't pulled the trigger yet. We just might.

4. Other alternatives aren't too bad if you can do non-DCL. Princess has an itinerary that combines Iceland and some of the Norwegian fjords (incl. Geirangerfjord) in one trip. Cunard has one that goes even further up the coast. MSC Yatch Club has an itinerary that visits both Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord in a 7-day sailing a few times over the summer.

5. An alternative is to do a road/ferry trip to Geiranger from Alesund, but you need at least 10 hours of docking time to do it safely. The Iceland cruise doesn't stop in Alesund for long enough - though, ironically, the actual Norway cruise does.
 


We did MSC YC in the Med last summer. It was wonderful. I'm not sure I'd do non-YC MSC, but I'd to the YC again in a heartbeat, especially if you get a good price. We had 2 for 1 pricing.

I've been to Iceland twice, on land trips, and I'm really torn for it to be a cruise port. It's an amazing country, but the countryside is what is amazing. Port excursions show so little of what's around. I know that's the case with all excursions, but for some reason Iceland seems to just accentuate that for me. I'd do Norway only, and do a few days in Iceland on the way there/back. Use IcelandAir's stopover deal.
 
We might be heading over to Norway in 2019 - but here is what we gathered so far:

1. The Iceland cruise doesn't quite visit Norway proper - so to speak. It has two outside stops (Alesund and Stavanger), but that's not really the same thing as going into the fjords. So, while it's great that you get to visit Iceland and Norway in one cruise, you might be a bit disappointed by the Norwegian portion if you are after the must-see Norwegian attractions.

2. Ideally, you want a cruise that goes into the fjords. The two UNESCO World Heritage fjords in the southern portion are Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord (though there are quite a few actual fjords all along the coast). The ports are Hellesylt/Geiranger and Flam. Another great alternative is Nordfjord, where the ship can go all the way to Olden. A combo of one or two of these fjords is what I would look for in a cruise meant for Norway.

3. DCL's Norway cruise on Aug 25, 2019, does visit Geirangerfjord and Nordfjord, and we have our eyes on it. We are very much a DCL-focused family, but this particular cruise is a bit late in the season - which is why we haven't pulled the trigger yet. We just might.

4. Other alternatives aren't too bad if you can do non-DCL. Princess has an itinerary that combines Iceland and some of the Norwegian fjords (incl. Geirangerfjord) in one trip. Cunard has one that goes even further up the coast. MSC Yatch Club has an itinerary that visits both Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord in a 7-day sailing a few times over the summer.

5. An alternative is to do a road/ferry trip to Geiranger from Alesund, but you need at least 10 hours of docking time to do it safely. The Iceland cruise doesn't stop in Alesund for long enough - though, ironically, the actual Norway cruise does.

Thanks for the advice. When you were talking about the Aug 25th cruise and stated, "...but this particular cruise is a bit late in the season." were you referencing the weather as in it's late in the season and the weather could have more of a chance of being foul? Thanks!
 
Thanks for the advice. When you were talking about the Aug 25th cruise and stated, "...but this particular cruise is a bit late in the season." were you referencing the weather as in it's late in the season and the weather could have more of a chance of being foul? Thanks!
School time, mainly. One of our sons is in high school and he usually has activities or prep lined up right at the beginning. (Plus their minds are then drifting into getting to be together with their school friends.) Mind you, we are doing a med and a baltic trip next summer, and the Norway cruise (if it happens) will stretch our Eurpoean tour well into the 7th week. :sail:

The weather in the fjords is pretty comparable in July and August - no major worries there:
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=1210&cityname=Alesund-Norway
 
We did the 2015 Inaugural Norwegian Fjord cruise and it was fantastic. We flew into Oslo a few days before the cruise and toured several museums (the Viking Ship Museum, the Kon Tiki Museum, Akershus, etc) . Then we took the Norway in a Nutshell train/boat/bus tour from Oslo to Bergen with an overnight stop in Flam so we could drive to see the Borgund Stave church. We flew from Bergen to Copenhagen the day before the cruise and saw the Little Mermaid statue and Tivoli. A great way to get a lot in when you have limited time that you can be away from work.
 

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