Best Cruises to See Norwegian Fjords

We've cruises a couple of times before, in South America and Alaska, both times with Princess. My wife wanted to take the Emergald Princess from Copenhagen to St. Petersburg, Oslo, etc., next July (at first didn't want to cruise in mid-summer, since a friend complained of the heat on a Mediterrean cruise, but I assured her the temps in the north would be much lower). She then started expressing interest in seeing Norwegian fjords. I had told her how scenic I found it, when I went when I worked in Brussels and my parents visited me: flew to Oslo, then by train to Flam and a one-day "cruise" to Bergen, then train back to Oslo. I found the scenery at least as good as that in Switzerland.

I've seen several multi-day cruises along the Norwegian coast, but most of the cruises, such as on Hurtiqruten's Polartys) are on rather small ships, and I am a little concerned about comfort in cabins, etc. ad well as smoothness of the ship when it's on the open sea vs. in fjords.

Did see two "regular" cruise ships, the Holland America Eurodam and Cunard Queen Mary II, which go to Norway and spend at least a few days in southern fjorda (the former sailing from Amsterdam and the latter from Southanmpton), but each spends 2 days total on open sea, not in fjords, etc., though they are considerably larger so hopefully wouldn't experience TOO much seasickness even on the real open sea.

Any experiences on either the coastal cruises or the others? Thanks!

Did see two "regular" cruise ships, the Holland America Eurodam and Cunard Queen Mary II, which go to Norway and spend at least a few days in southern fjorda (the former sailing from Amsterdam and the latter from Southanmpton), but each spends 2 days total on open sea, not in fjords, etc., though they are considerably larger so hopefully wouldn't experience TOO much seasickness even on the real open sea.

In 2013, Holland America also does this area with Rotterdam and Ryndam in addition to Eurodam. Cunard will have Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria as well as Queen Mary 2. Princess will have Caribbean Princess and Crown Princess. RCI has Adventure, Independence and Vision. Celebrity has Constellation, Eclipse and Infinity. And so on.

Obviously you'll need to look at individual itineraries to see whether they're going to the sort of fjords you're thinking of (for me, Geiranger would almost be a must). But there should be a lot of options to choose from.

I have done the coastal voyage with Hurtigruten 3 times (4th time booked for next February). This is not a "cruise" in the classical sense, Hurtigruten operates a mixed cargo/passenger line along the coast of Norway (although the "touristic" aspect of it is now much stronger than the cargo use, particularly in summer). The ships calls at 34 ports during the 6 days from Bergen to Kirkenes (and back, since the ports visited during the night on the northbound trips are visited during the day on the southbound trip). The main interest of the trip is that it stays close to the coast at all time so you have constantly a stunning landscape to look at. And this is the main interest of the trip, there is little animation on board (but various excursions are offered). In the summer the ship enters the Geirangerfjord. It is a trip that I absolutely love, but you need a bit of a contemplative mind to enjoy it fully ;)

Because the ship is close to the shore, it is in "sheltered" waters most of the time, since it sails between islands and is protected from the rough sea. Apart from a few streches of open sea (which last a couple hours at the most), the main exception to this is the Barents Sea at the Northern tip of Norway which can get rough (but can be calm as well!). But the ships are very well built to handle the rough seas (they are efficiently stabilized). I wouldn't bet on larger ships being more stable than these ones (and bigger ships means you get higher above the sea level and you feel the ships' movement more). And to make up for it, in summer in the North you can see the Midnight Sun, which is not visible in the Southern Norway fjord area.

There are 11 different ships in Hurtigruten's fleet, from the 1964 MS Lofoten to the 2003 MS Midnatsol and MS Trolljford (the most recent ones being more comfortable, of course). Since I haven't done any other cruises I can't compare the cabins on bigger ships but I find the cabins comfortable enough for their purpose (which is to sleep, mainly, since I spend most of my time on the bridge enjoying the landscape). I only know the small ocean-view cabins, I don't know about the suites.

You can see pictures and text from my latest trip (in March 2012 on board MS Lofoten) on my blog starting here , and also the previous trip for Christmas 2010 on board MS Polarlys (starts here, and for this trip the text is in French only). It can give you an idea of the kind of landscape you can expect (although with a lot less snow in the summer, of course!).

If you can go late June then there is a 14 night Princess cruise up to Svalbard which for us was spectacular all the way. Svalbard is only about 600 miles from the North Pole.

If you cannot get away for 14 nights then take a Fjords cruise which is just fabulous.

We have also done the 14 night Baltic cruise to St Petersburg, what a wonderful cruise that one was too. This year we are going up to Iceland but also visiting the fjords once again, we never get bored with seeing these places.

We did look inside a couple of Hurtigruten ships, the more modern ones are of course a lot better than the older ones. One thing you really must think about is that on Hurtigruten you do not get all your meals thrown in. Usually it is just half board with no snacks inbetween unless you pay for them. Norway is possibly the most expensive country to visit and so unless you eat like little birds you will have to expect to pay excessively for food and drink. We stayed in Tromso for a week so we know how hungry we felt!

There may also be a noise problem with Hurtigruten as the main purpose of these ships is to deliver and collect items to small little ports. This means you could hear clanging and banging early morning or late at night when they stop at some of these ports.

For us the larger cruise ships are the way to go.

RCI has Adventure, Independence and Vision.

 

We've been on the Voyager of the Seas which is a sister ship to Adventure of the Seas and found that we really enjoyed this ship size. It had enough to do to not be bored and was big enough not to seem crowded. There is a Royal Promenade which is lined with "bars" and "snack areas" that is nice to have.

We went up to Freedom of the Seas (sister of Independence) after and just felt it was too big/crowded (then again in was June in Florida). But it did have more activities so if you will use things like the Ice rink or flow rider then it might be a ship for you. Also have the Royal Promenade as mentioned above.

We sailed the Serenade of the Seas (similar to Vision) in the Mediterranean and found it to be small but really nice. We never felt crowded or bored on the ship. It was nice because a small boat means smaller number of passengers. I found the activities directors tried really hard to have fun activities to participate in on our sea days. We will be sailing on Vision next year and look forward to it. No ice rink, no Royal Promenade.

If open sea is an absolute no-no, Hurtigruten is just about the only choice. Anything that sails from England has to have a day each way on the North Sea. Though that's no worse than the seas around Alaska or South America, and in summer more often than not it's calm.

There are a lot of "full size" cruise ships that do Norwegian fjords, with itineraries typically lasting between 7 and 14 days. Obviously you'll need to look at individual itineraries to see whether they're going to the sort of fjords you're thinking of (for me, Geiranger would almost be a must). But there should be a lot of options to choose from.

As Globaliser and others have wisely noted, you have many great options to consider in this wide, general area that can be very nice and enjoyable during the summer. In late July 2008, we did the Baltics and Russia, starting in Dover, UK and finishing in Stockholm. St. Petersburg was the super highlight, plus loved Copenhagen, Tallinn, Stockholm, etc.

Tell us more on your travel party, personal interests, travel style/needs, etc.

As fully detailed below, we did the complete western Norway coast up to the North Cape (top of Europe) and back. Or, others will do cruise options for that lower portion of the Norway coast focusing on the major fjords, great historic cities such as Bergen, etc. Much depends on how much, in what depth, you want to see nature and scenic setting up close and personal. It's a choice/difference on the history and culture of the great Baltics/Russia versus the very dramatic outdoor setting along that Norway coast. Below are some visual samples for what you can enjoy along that Norway coast and in the fjords.

Reactions and questions from our Brazil friend?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 86,327 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for this post. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

You go on these Norway Coast cruises for the spectacular fjords. From the journey to Flam, Gudvangen and Sognerfjord, here is one picture giving you a sampling of the skies and views for these beautiful internal coastlines of the fjords.

This is the dramatic overview of Alesund from the Aksla vantage point. This spot allows a nearly 360-degree view of this setting for this island city and the surrounding mountains and islands. It is at a 597’ height overlooking the five islands making up the scenic town.:

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background of this charming Norway coastal town with so much great history and architecture. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor.

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. Here is this view, at a lower level, that provided a wonderful vista.:

After being tendered from Geiranger, we sailed out and passed by two super famous waterfalls. YES, yes, we saw lots and lots of waterfalls on this trip, but these two were among the “best of the best”. First is the “Seven Sisters”. Directly opposite in this narrow fjord, it is called several names, including “The Suitor”. The majesty for these feats of nature is pretty amazing.:

How long a cruise were you looking for? In addition to the Hurtigruten, a quick search came up with around 50 traditional cruise sailings in July on MSC, Holland America, P&O, Costa, Celebrity, Cunard, Princess, Oceania, etc. Royal Caribbean seems to only be sailing southern Norway in May/June, and Carnival and Norwegian (ironically) have been noticeably absent from the Norway market for years.

I actually planned to do the Huritgruten the year after I moved to Norway, but in the end I found a sailing on the QE2 (during her final season) that was 12-nights and sailed all the way up to Svalbard for less than the cost of the 6-night Hurtigruten trip. It seemed odd to fly to the UK and then sail back to Norway, but we decided it was worth it for the lower fare, the longer trip, and the full days in port.

If you decide to do a traditional cruise, as previously mentioned you will have 2 sea days to get to/from the embarkation port. There aren't any huge ports on the coast, so all of the traditional ships have to sail up from somewhere else (even when RCCL homeported a ship in Oslo this year, it still took a day to sail around the southern tip of the country to reach the west coast). If you sail up to Svalbard, you will have at least one sea day in transit each way.

Itineraries usually fall into two categories: The fjords cruises, which sail just the southwestern coast, and the Arctic cruises, which visit a few of the fjords and southwestern ports each direction but sail up to North Cape or on to Svalbard.

Obviously this is a personal preference, but I like the Arctic cruises for the variety, as northern Norway is dramatically different from the fjord regions (but also beautiful). I find that if I spend too many consecutive days in the fjords, the scenery starts to blend together, and I stop appreciating it as much as it deserves.

I also give major bonus points to the northern sailings that visit the Lofoten Islands (ports are usually Gravdal or Leknes), because the Norwegians often say that the islands are the most beautiful place in Norway (high praise in a land known for its picturesque fjords)!

Obviously this is a personal preference, but I like the Arctic cruises for the variety, as northern Norway is dramatically different from the fjord regions (but also beautiful). I find that if I spend too many consecutive days in the fjords, the scenery starts to blend together, and I stop appreciating it as much as it deserves. I also give major bonus points to the northern sailings that visit the Lofoten Islands (ports are usually Gravdal or Leknes), because the Norwegians often say that the islands are the most beautiful place in Norway (high praise in a land known for its picturesque fjords)!

Super excellent points by our friend Meg in Oslo. The Lofoten Island are spectacular. Below are just a couple of my examples to prove the point. Getting the full "mix" of fjords, farther up the coast, great cities like Bergen, Alesund, etc., etc., can make for a great, overall experience.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 86,327 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

As we drove back in the Lofoten Islands along the western Norway Coast, here is a view, among many great ones that we enjoyed.:

As we departed Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands of Norway on a perfect, sunny day, these are two of the green, tree-covered mountains rising up from the sea that we saw with the small out-islands in the foreground.:

Thanks. Lovely pictures! Will check the tips, including the Lofoten Islands. The smaller ships look interesting in where they can go, up into the fjords, though presumably they do hit at least some open ocean. Silver Cloud looks bigger than 16k tons. I'll have to read the full description of the trip to see if choppy seas even occurred. Open ocean not a no-no, especially on a larger ship. Decisions, decisions. I'm actually American, my wife Brazilian.

We are going on the Eurodam July 2013 cruise. We considered several otheres before deciding on this particular itinerary.

We are planning to stay a week in Denmark before our cruise. I love Denmark and we plan to rent a car and visit Aero for some biking as well as a stay at a beachside inn in Northern Denmark.

Then the cruise hits Bergen , Alesund ( both with great architecture) , Oslo and Skjolden , with cruising the Sognefjord ( Norway's longest and deepest fjord , which affords wonderful scenery).

I love the fact that this cruise also visits the Shetland Islands with its important archealogical sites , puffins and windswept scenery , as well as Scotland and Ireland. We already have private tours which will give us a taste of the highlands and Ireland's castles and countryside.

I think the Eurodam " mixes " it up a bit , giving us the fjords along with some other incredible , but different scenery. We end up in Amsterdam , which is quite relaxing for a couple of days to end our trip . We have booked a hotel with canal views.

I like the look of the Eurodam ( it'll be our first HAL trip) , nice classic lines , elegant decor , some lovely speciality restaurants.

Obviously , I am not giving advice ( as I haven't been on the cruise yet!) , but I have done extensive research and I am quite confident it'll live up to our expectations. We did the Baltic cruise on the Celebrity Constellation and enjoyed it immensely.

Whatever your choice , have a great trip.

Kim

Thanks. Lovely pictures! Will check the tips, including the Lofoten Islands. The smaller ships look interesting in where they can go, up into the fjords, though presumably they do hit at least some open ocean. Silver Cloud looks bigger than 16k tons. I'll have to read the full description of the trip to see if choppy seas even occurred. Open ocean not a no-no, especially on a larger ship. Decisions, decisions. I'm actually American, my wife Brazilian.

Appreciate the added details on your background and what you are considering. Brazilian wife sounds like fun!! Lots of good options in this area, but a fairly limited summer timing window.

YES, the Silver Cloud is rated as 16,800 tons for 296 passengers with a crew of 222. The size is very nice and their service was extremely good and personal. The ship sailed fairly close to shore and we had no problems in any way with rough seas. It was a super wonderful cruise of a nice length where the passengers and staff had a wonderful "chemistry" to make things so enjoyable. Other questions on this great area?? Key port stops/options??

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 109,919 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 86,496 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

The smaller ships look interesting in where they can go, up into the fjords, though presumably they do hit at least some open ocean.

Just to clarify, the full-size ships can sail up the fjords, as the water is incredibly deep. The Hurtigruten spends more time close to shore because of its frequent calls at all the little villages along the way. On a traditional cruise, there's much less difference scenery-wise between a smaller cruise ship and a full-size one. The only place I've seen a noticeable difference is that some of the smaller ships call at Gudvangen, and thus sail through Nærøyfjord. This is one bit of scenic cruising that's truly out of reach to larger ships, as the name actually means "narrow fjord."