Need Help with Itinerary for Norway

[Casey2]

We are considering 2 cruises with fairly similar itineraries. One goes to the Arctic Circle with ports at Stavanger, Alesund, Geiranger, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde amd Bergen and cruising the Arctic Circle. The other itinerary is all Fjords- Stavanger, Olden, Molde, Alsesund, Geiranger, Flam, Bergen and Oslo. Both are 12 day cruises with Celebrity for the same price.

I heard that Flam is very beautiful and should not be missed, but also heard the ports in the Arctic Circle are beautiful as well, and of course there is the midnight sun.

I would apprecieate any thoughts or advice.

[TLCOhio]

We are considering 2 cruises with fairly similar itineraries. One goes to the Arctic Circle with ports at Stavanger, Alesund, Geiranger, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde amd Bergen and cruising the Arctic Circle. The other itinerary is all Fjords- Stavanger, Olden, Molde, Alsesund, Geiranger, Flam, Bergen and Oslo. Both are 12 day cruises with Celebrity for the same price. I heard that Flam is very beautiful and should not be missed, but also heard the ports in the Arctic Circle are beautiful as well, and of course there is the midnight sun. I would apprecieate any thoughts or advice.

 

YES!! Can share lots of info and am happy to answer any added questions after learning more from you. Like your board name of Casey2. Know several folks named Casey.

 

As outlined and detailed below with lots of pictures and port details, we did the full cruise up the full Norway western coast up the the North Cape and back. Look through that live/blog and do some follow-up questions at that location. In a Baltics cruise, we did Oslo. Nice town, but not as great and charming as Bergen or Copenhagen.

 

KEY NORWAY COAST QUESTION: 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. 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?

 

Flam is wonderful, especially its unique rail "adventure". Both cruises stop at Geiranger, a great location, especially if you take the time and effort to go "up country" and see more than just the immediate port village there at sea level. Are you only considering one cruise line or other options? Out of which port would you sail and return?

 

Below are a few of my visual samples. Reactions and added 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 118,326 views.

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

 

 

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. Being up on the top of the boat can provide great view on BOTH sides as you sail up and down these various fjords.

 

 

 

This is the dramatic overview of Alesund from the Aksla vantage point along the western coast of Norway. 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. The canal or waterway in the middle of the town is called "Brosundet" (or the Bridge sound). That means Ale sund (sloping sound). Or, reflecting that the sound slopes through town. This is how Alesund got its name.:

 

 

 

This is one of my many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks. We had a private boat from is the harbor in Gjesvaer near the North Cape at the top of Norway.:

 

 

 

Here is one view of the North Cape as we approached and the clouds started to clear and the sun broke through showing a great blue sky.:

 

 

 

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.:

 

 

 

Taking the cable car up to the top of Mt. Storsteinen at 1,260 feet provides great views of the town of Tromso, nearby islands, mountains and water. With our mid-day weather so sunny, it really helped enjoy this city in such a great setting. The Arctic Cathedral is shown bottom right in this picture.:

 

[kaisatsu]

So the two itineraries are:

1. Stavanger, Alesund, Geiranger, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde and Bergen

2. Stavanger, Olden, Molde, Alsesund, Geiranger, Flam, Bergen and Oslo

 

Looking at the differences, they are basically:

1. Tromsø, Honnigsvåg

2. Olden, Flåm, Oslo

 

I heard that Flam is very beautiful and should not be missed

Flåm is beautiful, but in my opinion, Geiranger is much more dramatic and much more beautiful. Since you'll be visiting the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord on either itinerary, the main highlight of Flåm is the Flåmsbana railroad. This is indeed an interesting feat of engineering and a pretty, pleasant ride, but unless you're a train enthusiast, I wouldn't consider it an absolute must-see for a fjord cruise.

 

but also heard the ports in the Arctic Circle are beautiful as well

The Arctic areas are also very pretty, and more importantly to me, they are very different. The southwestern fjords are beautiful, but they're all beautiful in a similar way. The northern ports have a different look and are dramatic in their own ways. Personally I enjoy the variety, because after too many days in the fjords, I realize that they're starting to blend together, and I'm not as wowed by the scenery as I should be.

 

and of course there is the midnight sun.

As long as you are sailing between mid-May and late-July, you will see the Midnight Sun. Here is the daylight chart for Tromsø:

http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/tromso.html

Having a few days above the Arctic Circle and traveling that far north definitely improve your chances of witnessing the true Midnight Sun, because of course you may have days that are overcast and not as great for watching the sunset/sunrise. However, this was definitely a highlight of our coastal cruise. Since you're at sea, you have an unobstructed view of the horizon, so you don't have to worry about the sun disappearing behind a hill while it's at it's low point.

 

 

The other difference in the itineraries is Oslo, which strikes me as a bit odd, since Oslo is actually quite a bit of sailing away from the western fjords. The sail-in to Oslo is long and pretty, but it's much more like the sailing around Bergen and Stavanger since the Oslofjord is quite wide and the hills are not very steep or tall. Oslo itself is a great little city (I may be biased), but it's much more like what you would find on a Baltics cruise than a Norway cruise. It also fits more easily schedule-wise into a Baltics sailing.

 

 

My summary opinion would be to do the Arctic & Fjords cruise, because you'll still have plenty of fjord cruising, but you'll also see more variety, travel farther north than just about anywhere else in the world, and probably get to see the Midnight Sun. (Plus, it's extremely easy to visit Oslo and Flåm together on an overland trip, as there's a scenic rail connection from the Flåmsbana to Oslo.)