2015 Norway itineraries

I am trying to decide between a May or June cruise with NCL. 7 nights.

If you are debating May versus June, consider the weather factor. Nothing is 100% sure on weather, but in June, your odds improve for Norway conditions. Ideally, July is your best month for Norway, especially if you are going farther north, up and UP above the Arctic Circle. Good luck!!

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 149,223 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

TMLA,

For your stopover in Iceland, check out local tour companies since some of them offer short tours outside of Reykjavik or can design something special for you. Also, there's a thread in the Northern Europe & Baltics page that offers advice on Iceland -- this is advice both for people who visit an Icelandic port for a day or stay longer.

Around Akureyri, we saw some of the scenery from Tom Cruise's recent film "Oblivion," minus the CGI and Tom Cruise, so much better! During our Golden Circle tour, we saw the cameras and trucks from "Game of Thrones." Alas, they were only filming the scenery so we did not see any of the actors. Iceland is so cinematic!

Windstar is using one of its soon to be acquired Seabourn ships in Norway - I know there are

two cruises in August, 2015, between Iceland and Copenhagen.

Well, I thought I had a good idea of what Norway cruise I wanted until I got onto this thread....;) Had decided on RCCL, but now thinking Celebrity. Would love to do Disney, but can't justify the cost plus their time in port is pretty short by comparison. Now just to get my husband on board (pun intended) with this vacation. :rolleyes:

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I'm glad people are still finding this thread helpful. Whichever you decide on, have a wonderful cruise!

Just noticed the RCI cruises went up in price this weekend. It makes me wonder when is the best time to book. Do the prices tend to only go up or are there sales/deals certain times of the year?

Just noticed the RCI cruises went up in price this weekend. It makes me wonder when is the best time to book. Do the prices tend to only go up or are there sales/deals certain times of the year?

Carl and Ellie: Well' date=' I thought I had a good idea of what Norway cruise I wanted until I got onto this thread.... Had decided on RCCL, but now thinking Celebrity. Now just to get my husband on board (pun intended) with this vacation. [/quote']

 

The honest and comprehensive answer for the best timing on when to book is . . . IT DEPENDS!!

 

First and foremost, don't expect great bargains for Norway and the Baltics, like might more likely happen with the Carib and/or the Med. The season is fairly short in the Baltics and even more so for Norway. Weather is a prime factor for this narrower window when best to travel here. Weather in Norway, especially as you go farther up the coast to the North Cape, tends to be best in July. Things can work fairly or somewhat well for later May and June, plus August and early September. Maybe.

 

Norway is very costly due to their high tax rates, labor expenses/challenges, and other "cost of living" challenges within these areas. The cruise lines and people in these ports have to "make it" during this limited time frame, driving prices up. Marketing/Economics 101. And, it's popular.

 

My view and our experience was book early. Things tend to go up as the more popular cruises experience higher demand. Could prices go down? Maybe. Then you can, before your final pay-up time, negotiate a little to get a reduction or adjustment. And, now the national and world economy is slowly showing more signs of recovery. That also sends prices up.

 

Good luck getting your husband on-board. Bottom-Line?: The prize of Norway is worth it, especially if you like nature, great/unique scenery, etc. Plus, interesting culture, charming historic architecture, etc. Below are just a few more, quick items of my proof or "evidence". Many more item to prove why to him are on my full live/blog.

 

KEY NORWAY COAST QUESTION??: Posted this question earlier in this thread, but it is good to share again for those recent persons joining this posting. Your major challenge is whether to just focus on the lower Norway fjords, Bergen, etc. Nice and wonderful. BUT, there is the option of going up, UP farther north, above the Arctic Circle, seeing such great places as the Lofoten Islands, the North Cape, interesting cities such as Tromso and Trondheim, etc., in taking more time to go more north. Only doing the lower portion requires less time, has more sailing/ship options and costs less. That’s very good! BUT, if you can take the added time, seeing farther up this Norway coast can be very special and unique. Especially, if you really love/seek nature, great scenery, wildlife, etc. Your choice?

 

Any other questions? Happy to share more. Lots of other great people on this thread have and will answer other questions.

 

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 150,749 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

 

 

In Bergen’s historic Hanseatic warehouse area, this folk music group is entertaining as people sit outside, drink beer (at $13.25 each) and enjoy the great weather day.:

 

 

 

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.:

 

 

 

At Flam, you can see here some of the great fjord, dramatic mountains, waterfalls, etc. Below are some pictures and highlights from this day in the Sognerfjord that is rated as the best in all of Norway for these views and doing a spectacular train ride up the mountain, seeing the valleys, waterfalls, etc.:

 

 

 

 

 

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.:

 

Terry, thanks for your input. I think it was your pictures that inspired me to move Norway up to "must-do" status on our wish list! I realize that it is going to cost a bucket of money, and we're prepared to break our record of "most expensive vacation" set on our Baltic cruise a few years ago. We're a family of five, so that makes it additionally challenging (a friend who also has three children commented to me, "If we had realized earlier how much we enjoy cruising, we would never have had the third child!" ;)) We are seriously considering trying to go beyond a standard 7-day fjords cruise to continue farther north (or to Iceland)...we'll have to see what itineraries turn up at what price options.

Had not notice till today the above kind comments and credit (or blame) from Pluto_fan. Appreciate this shout-out. Will be looking for that NCL commission check in my mail box . . . soon . . . maybe??!! Just kidding.

It looks like your Jun 12, 2015, cruise on the Norwegian Star starts and ends in charming Copenhagen, Denmark. Great choice.

I see stops in Alesund, Hellesylt, Geiranger, Trondheim, Leknes in the wonderful Lofoten Island, Tromso, Hammerfest, Honningsvaag, Molde and Bergen. We loved being in all of these, except Molde as the only location that we did not have a chance to visit.

Good luck! Keep doing your good research and excellent planning.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 68,334 views for this fun posting.

Just noticed the RCI cruises went up in price this weekend. It makes me wonder when is the best time to book. Do the prices tend to only go up or are there sales/deals certain times of the year?

As a general rule, prices are the lowest when the itineraries are first released. Cruiselines run sales throughout the year, but those are fairly unpredictable. They discount the itineraries that are not selling well closer to the sailing dates.

Many of us booked the Royal Caribbean cruises during their recent Buy One Get One Half Off promotion. Every single one of their sailings was included in the sale (they did block out some cabin categories).

Special destination cruises such as Panama Cananl, Transatlantics, Fjords are not as likely to go on sale.

Once booked, most lines will honor price drops up until the final payment date (after which they are most likely to drop). You will need to watch for those drops yourself (or a great travel agent will do that for you), or you can join a good cruise price fare watcher site.

Thank you for the information, Terry and Sippican. Looks like I need to get busy booking. :D

Thank you for the information, Terry and Sippican. Looks like I need to get busy booking. :D

YES!! Sooner is better for this part of the world. Get a reservation made. You've got time to cancel if things don't come together.

Let us know any other questions. All of us on these CC Boards are happy to be of help.

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 150,895 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

Do look at the Seabourn Quest's June 2015 14 Norwegian cruise. We were on Seabourn a few years ago with virtually the same itinerary. It was a special trip and the weather gods blessed us with wonderful weather -- especially at the North Cape where it was 70 degrees and sunny.

We just returned from Norway, cruised with P and O. We chose P and O because they visited the ports we wanted to see. I would advise doing Norway to do some through research on what you want to see, how long it will take and the transport mode you will use before you book.

The two things we wanted to do Gerainger, Pulpit Rock and the Atlantic Road we could not do due to an excursion that was removed and not having enough port time - we needed an extra half an hour at least to make sure we made it before the ship left to do the Atlantic Road.

We also went up to the Leknes, Loften Islands - not much to do there (walking around Leknes town centre - one high street, took 10 mins at most) and there was no reliable mode of local transport to go somewhere for the time we had. Most people not booked on the ships excursions returned to the ship for lunch.

I think that in future I would be making sure that time in port was suitable to do something what we wanted. That's where the price difference will come in.

We did look at the hertigetan but felt that we wanted a real cruise experience rather than a local ferry/cruise.

Also check that the towns you visit are open, some close down and open for June. I know when we looked some of out ports most things were closed until June hence we booked July.

We did find a few local transport modes (a tram, a bus and a local river bus) to reduce the cost of excursions which were being offered by the ship which weren't always good value.

Also in considering price, remember the extras that will add up, drinks, excursions, and any other on board extras. With P and O you can take drinks with you to have in your cabin. 😀

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Still trying to decide on a land vacation vs a cruise exactly for the reasons posted above.

As with land vacations much more planning is needed as coordinating flights, looking for hotels and transportation between towns.

I have done quite a bit of research but even though I am saving $1,000 by not taking the cruise I am still waiting for some miles & points to post to our credit cards for airfare and hotels before finalizing my decision.

Is it worth the hassle? I think so since with that $1k I am planning to fly to Iceland and spend some days there too.

By looking at the cruise schedule I can actually plan on being in Bergen for example when 1 or no cruise ship is there on some dates in July.. ( still fine tuning the dates) also taking the ferry in the afternoon once cruisers have left and getting to know each town a bit better.

We won't have the lavish meals and entertainment that a cruise offers but that is where we save money for a 6 day land vacation I am looking at $2,200 for both of us doing 2 excursions in Oslo, NIN train/ bus tour and overnight in Bergen for 3 nights and 2 excursions then fly to Iceland (on points)

All this is estimated of course and budgeting $100 a day for meals ( hotels provide breakfast)

Royal Caribbean has just announced BOGOHO has returned on all sailings (some cabin categories excluded).

We also went up to the Leknes, Loften Islands - not much to do there (walking around Leknes town centre - one high street, took 10 mins at most) and there was no reliable mode of local transport to go somewhere for the time we had. Most people not booked on the ships excursions returned to the ship for lunch. I think that in future I would be making sure that time in port was suitable to do something what we wanted. That's where the price difference will come in.

We super, totally loved the Lofoten Islands. Spectacular!!! Yes, some port or docking towns in Norway can be very limited and/or not that interesting. That's why we do the research ahead to consider our options and review what tours the ship might offers. Not all ship tours are great, nor bargains. BUT, consider in advance your many and best options. A tour might cost some money, but it provides the logistics to see some great area that you would not want to miss.

In three of the ports along the Norway coats, including with the Lofotens, we did rental cars with another couple. Arranged and booked in advance That gave us flexibility to explore, see spectacular sights and sites, be on our own schedule, etc. From my live/blog connected below, there are many details, visuals, options for the Lofotens. Below is a little more info for others to consider in their planning.

In Norway, it's all about nature and amazing views, etc.

Lofoten Island: This 70-miles long island archipelago has natural surroundings regarded to be among the most stunning in Norway, with mountains, peaks, cliffs and white sandy beaches. The remote southern islands of Vaeroy and Rost are rated as world-class bird sanctuaries having nesting places for millions of seabirds along its cliffs. There are 35,000 people living on all of the islands and they are 886 miles northeast of Bergen. In November 2007, National Geographic Traveler rated the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway the third most appealing islands in the world. The Gulf Stream contributes to its seasonal fishing success. In Leknes, the sun (midnight sun) is above the horizon from May 26 to July 17 and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 to January 4.

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 151,550 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

Here is one of our first Lofoten Islands views from a stop early during our trip driving south as we headed towards “Å". We had a rental car that allowed us plenty of flexibility to explore this great area, stop where our interests took us, etc. There is only one main road up and down, making things easy to navigate and travel in this super scenic area. Good road conditions, etc.

An historic seaport and cod fishing center is Nusfjord a few miles east of the main south-bound road in the Lofoten Islands. It is one of Norway’s oldest and best preserved fishing villages (fiskevaer). Here is one of its buildings and its harbor. There is also a cod processing building with various visuals to see for that historic era. The old Fish Oil Mill is used for exhibiting items from the Fish Buying Station or fiskemottak. They show a film called “The people and the fish”. The mill was built around 1910. Here fish oil was produced from fish liver. The fish was retrieved from the Buying Station then, transported by rowboat to the mill. Cod liver oil was a very attractive export product, used in industrial production and for medicinal purpose. We also got some great pictures of its birds perched on a large rock, etc. You can see more details from this website:

http://www.nusfjord.no/EN/nusfjord/index_new_eng.html:

We went to the end of the road in the Lofoten Islands along the scenic Norway Coast. This is a charming village called “Å”. In their alphabet, this “A” has a small “o” above the letter. Simple name for a charming fishing town! We had box lunches from the ship and dined on a picnic table on the wooden dock. This was our view with the busy and noisy birds. From Gravdal to the SW end of the E10 highway, it is about 38 miles. Not a long, long distance. Very good and interesting road conditions, bridges, tunnels, options for stopping, scenic drama, etc. Parts of this highway is known as King Olav's Road. Until the 1990's, Å was mainly a small fishing village, but recently tourism has become the main economic focus.:

And in the other direction while in the village called "A", here is another dramatic view for the nature overlooking this harbor.:

Here is an example of the soaring rocks/mountains and dramatic scenery in the Lofoten Islands when we did our DIY drive south and then back on the Lofoten Islands. Nice? This includes one of the curved beaches about a mile and a half east of Ramberg.:

Here are some of the many wooden racks for fish drying on these islands that we checked out during our drive south in the Lofoten Islands.:

Have to agree with Terry, we loved the Lofoten Islands. We took a taxi to an outdoor Viking Museum with a Long House and that was great. Picture below of us sailing under the bridge connecting the Island to the mainland about midnight. Sorry, I don't know how to get the full size photos upladed:o

Greg

Leknes, in the Lofoten Islands was the biggest surprise for me.

2 photos I'd like to share with you if I may.

Terry, Thanks for your insights on Norway. Your photos are stunning!

And, hi Greg! Enjoyed your photos, as well :)

This excellent thread have so much great info about itineraries and which cruise lines were going to visit Norway in 2015.

Now all this info i buried in all sorts of stuff (again) and its hard to find the original content.

This excellent thread have so much great info about itineraries and which cruise lines were going to visit Norway in 2015.

Now all this info i buried in all sorts of stuff (again) and its hard to find the original content.

YES! Excellent points/concerns as noted by I-Cruiser. Lots of great info contained within many of these threads and helpful people available, doing posts. BUT, in some cases the titles on the threads do not make clear what ALL is contained therein.

My top two suggestions?

FIRST, scroll back through all of the earlier postings. You will see many different items on ports you would visit and/or at the board for each separate cruise line in planning for your upcoming cruise.

SECOND, do a search on these boards by each city and you will see lots of postings on various subjects connected with each port stop. Then, after taking the time to get that background, see other experiences, etc., you can post with specific questions in each port city. Be sure to have a title that is narrow to your question so that other can know what you are seeking. There are lots and lots of great people and information here on these boards. Don't be shy in asking follow-up questions. Folks are happy to share more when they know what you are seeking and background on your timing, cruise ship, travel party, personal interests and travel style, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 69,992 views for this fun posting.

..... YES! Excellent points/concerns as noted by I-Cruiser.......

Emm,:confused::confused: you sort of totally missed the point in my post...

what I said was.....oh nevermind....

We'll see you there! :)

Yesterday I pulled out my "Rick Steves Scandinavia" from a few years ago, and I'm thinking that it might be possible to do the "Norway in a Nutshell" route, which includes Flam, as a daytrip from Bergen. Of course, then we'd have to miss most of the stuff in Bergen, which also looks nice. Too many decisions! Good thing we have more than a year to figure it all out.

Well.... I found this thread you started back in February AFTER we booked our cruise on the NCL Star this past week in August (see you onboard!). So far your thread is confirming we made the right choice going with NCL's itinerary.

Although we are platinium members on Princess, their itinerary didn't include Geiranger Fjord, but did include Flam (Sognefjord). In 2007, we were fortunate to do a "Norway in a Nutshell" tour before our Baltic cruise. That tour with Nordic Saga included Oslo to Myradal, the train down to Flam to Balestrand to Bergen. It also included a side trip to a glacier museum and to Mundalsdalen (town where Walter Mondale ancestors are from). So we feel we have already had our trip to Oslo & Sognefjord - we are just repeating Bergen which has plenty to see.

As you can see from my signature we have cruised to Alaska a lot - so we enjoy seeing fjords & glaciers. (Also enjoyed the ones in New Zealand too!)

So, yes, look into one of the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour. There are lots of companies that do them. It would be one way to fill in the missing Sognefjord (Flam) portion.

-Rose

We super, totally loved the Lofoten Islands. Spectacular!!! Yes, some port or docking towns in Norway can be very limited and/or not that interesting. That's why we do the research ahead to consider our options and review what tours the ship might offers. Not all ship tours are great, nor bargains. BUT, consider in advance your many and best options. A tour might cost some money, but it provides the logistics to see some great area that you would not want to miss.

 

In three of the ports along the Norway coats, including with the Lofotens, we did rental cars with another couple. Arranged and booked in advance That gave us flexibility to explore, see spectacular sights and sites, be on our own schedule, etc. From my live/blog connected below, there are many details, visuals, options for the Lofotens. Below is a little more info for others to consider in their planning.

 

In Norway, it's all about nature and amazing views, etc.

 

Lofoten Island: This 70-miles long island archipelago has natural surroundings regarded to be among the most stunning in Norway, with mountains, peaks, cliffs and white sandy beaches. The remote southern islands of Vaeroy and Rost are rated as world-class bird sanctuaries having nesting places for millions of seabirds along its cliffs. There are 35,000 people living on all of the islands and they are 886 miles northeast of Bergen. In November 2007, National Geographic Traveler rated the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway the third most appealing islands in the world. The Gulf Stream contributes to its seasonal fishing success. In Leknes, the sun (midnight sun) is above the horizon from May 26 to July 17 and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 to January 4.

 

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 151,550 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

 

 

Here is one of our first Lofoten Islands views from a stop early during our trip driving south as we headed towards “Å". We had a rental car that allowed us plenty of flexibility to explore this great area, stop where our interests took us, etc. There is only one main road up and down, making things easy to navigate and travel in this super scenic area. Good road conditions, etc.

 

 

 

An historic seaport and cod fishing center is Nusfjord a few miles east of the main south-bound road in the Lofoten Islands. It is one of Norway’s oldest and best preserved fishing villages (fiskevaer). Here is one of its buildings and its harbor. There is also a cod processing building with various visuals to see for that historic era. The old Fish Oil Mill is used for exhibiting items from the Fish Buying Station or fiskemottak. They show a film called “The people and the fish”. The mill was built around 1910. Here fish oil was produced from fish liver. The fish was retrieved from the Buying Station then, transported by rowboat to the mill. Cod liver oil was a very attractive export product, used in industrial production and for medicinal purpose. We also got some great pictures of its birds perched on a large rock, etc. You can see more details from this website:

http://www.nusfjord.no/EN/nusfjord/index_new_eng.html:

 

 

 

We went to the end of the road in the Lofoten Islands along the scenic Norway Coast. This is a charming village called “Å”. In their alphabet, this “A” has a small “o” above the letter. Simple name for a charming fishing town! We had box lunches from the ship and dined on a picnic table on the wooden dock. This was our view with the busy and noisy birds. From Gravdal to the SW end of the E10 highway, it is about 38 miles. Not a long, long distance. Very good and interesting road conditions, bridges, tunnels, options for stopping, scenic drama, etc. Parts of this highway is known as King Olav's Road. Until the 1990's, Å was mainly a small fishing village, but recently tourism has become the main economic focus.:

 

 

 

And in the other direction while in the village called "A", here is another dramatic view for the nature overlooking this harbor.:

 

 

 

Here is an example of the soaring rocks/mountains and dramatic scenery in the Lofoten Islands when we did our DIY drive south and then back on the Lofoten Islands. Nice? This includes one of the curved beaches about a mile and a half east of Ramberg.:

 

 

 

Here are some of the many wooden racks for fish drying on these islands that we checked out during our drive south in the Lofoten Islands.:

 

Your photos are stunning. Can you please tell me the car rental company in the logo ten stop?

Thank you. Great sharing. We are going next June.

Carolyn

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Hello fellow cruisers!

We are hoping to take a cruise to Norway in 2015 (probably June, but definitely June-August). I've been checking every day (some days more than once :rolleyes:) to see which cruise lines have released their itineraries. Please tell me I'm not the only one doing this! I thought it might be fun and possibly helpful to start a thread to list which lines have released Norway itineraries for summer 2015. Please add to the list as you find them. So far, I've seen:

 

Hurtigruten: too many to count!

Regent: a couple long sailings

Azamara: one sailing in July

Crystal: one sailing in July

Silversea: nine sailings on three different ships

Holland America: six itineraries on the Prinsendam, ranging from 14 to 35 nights

Norwegian: two sailings on the Star, a 7-night and a 14-night

 

For us, the only ones in our price range are NCL and possibly Hurtigruten. I'm anxiously awaiting the publishing of itineraries by the other cruise lines. Anyone else? :)

Since all your excellent information now is buried in lots of post unrelated have you thought about re-posting the last "updated" 2015 "list"??

I also hope you will make the same thread for 2016 as I and others have enjoyed this listing very much.:)