Norway in May

[maxy1234]

I am contemplating the Ryndam cruise to Norway in May 2015. Does anyone have experience of this, particularly the weather.

[Ine]

We sailed in May a few years ago. It was sunny, but chilly/cold. There still was a lot of snow on the mountains.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Dress in layers -- you will have chilly/cold weather.

[lynn2002]

We have sailed twice to Norway in May (mid to latter part). Agree dress in layers but on both occasions most of the days were warm and sunny. On both cruises we had one day of drizzly rain so take a waterproof, but on the whole the weather was good and people were using the pools on the ship.

[KirkNC]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. While May is cooler it is also less crowded so to me that would be a great time.

[RuthC]

I've been to Norway any number of times ranging from early May to late August. The last time was two weeks starting May 4 a couple of years ago.

 

The weather there can't be totally predicted, of course, and to some extent depends on where you are in Norway at the time. As you know, it is a long country, going quite far north!

We had some warm-ish weather in the more southern portion of the country, and even were able to walk around in short sleeves sometimes. But there was also one port where there had been a hard snowstorm in the mountains outside of town the night before. That was on top of the several feet of snow along the roadside. I got snow blindness, as I hadn't brought my sunglasses on the tour.

 

Be prepared for just about everything. Including the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. I want to go back again.

[wandb]

I've been to Norway any number of times ranging from early May to late August. The last time was two weeks starting May 4 a couple of years ago.

 

The weather there can't be totally predicted, of course, and to some extent depends on where you are in Norway at the time. As you know, it is a long country, going quite far north!

We had some warm-ish weather in the more southern portion of the country, and even were able to walk around in short sleeves sometimes. But there was also one port where there had been a hard snowstorm in the mountains outside of town the night before. That was on top of the several feet of snow along the roadside. I got snow blindness, as I hadn't brought my sunglasses on the tour.

 

Be prepared for just about everything. Including the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. I want to go back again.

 

Hi, Ruth. I've been wanting to ask you about Norway for a while now, so am happy that maxy1234 started this thread. Norway has been on my "bucket list" for 49 years!! During my first year of teaching, a fellow teacher---a lovely lady from Norway--- filled my mind with wonderful pictures and stories of her beloved Norway. I've wanted to go ever since. Think 2015 is the magic year!

 

What was your favorite time of year to cruise there? I was thinking of July or August. Are there drawbacks to those months? My DH is more cold-natured than I am, so thought May and Sept. probably too chilly for him.

 

Have all your cruises there been on HAL? We love HAL, have never sailed Celebrity, but have a couple of very comparable cruises on those two lines. If you have sailed any other lines, how did they compare to HAL for Norway?

 

I have always valued your wise comments and advice, and look forward to your suggestions here. Thanks in advance!!

 

Any other cruisers out there with advice on this, please join in. Thanks.

[happygran]

We are taking our first HAL cruise in February and so cannot compare, however we did go to the fjords with Celebrity in early May this year.

 

The scenery was spectacular, and the ship was wonderful but the weather........was a lot colder than we were expecting. No rain, some sun, some snow and cold. So I would say, go later.

 

I've posted some photos for you (hopefully........)

 

 

 

 

 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/oB_vGGeATtoi-c1YBZWt59eli9ymXcKxAWZvGEa90Uw=w277-h155-p-no

[user8]

I moved to Norway from the Texas Panhandle and lived there for 4 years. The winters in Texas were much colder than where we lived in Southern Norway ( Stavanger ). In the summer time, it rained quite a bit. So, as other posters have said, dress in layers and take your umbrella. Norway is a beautiful country so I am sure you will enjoy it whenever you go.

[RuthC]

What was your favorite time of year to cruise there? I was thinking of July or August. Are there drawbacks to those months? My DH is more cold-natured than I am, so thought May and Sept. probably too chilly for him.

 

Have all your cruises there been on HAL?.

I've loved all my times in Norway, but think it was probably mid-June to mid-July that was the best, overall. The days are so much longer then, which is very nice. Love those lingering sunsets that never seem to end! The warm weather is warmer, without really getting hot. Yes, there has been rain in all the months I've been there, but that happens everywhere.The possibility of snow in the mountains exists even then. There was snow in the mountains above Flam in very late June, and the heavy snowfall in the mountains above Eidfjord was mid-May.

 

I've been on other cruise lines, but only on HAL to Norway. The first time was in 1994, and the most recent was 2 years ago on the Ryndam.

 

Do go, and enjoy it while you can. Who knows what the HAL itineraries will be when the S-class ships leave the fleet?

[wandb]

Thank you all for your advice. I am going to start looking at the June and July cruises.

[Mistymya]

I am a life long resident of Oslo, Norway and as mentioned by others weather is very unstable in May and you can risk anything from snow to heat.

 

The summer stretches from mid june to mid august, but there are advantages on going both spring and fall, as the country side is especially beautiful when everything starts to bloom in april/may and when it all turns yellow/red and leaves start falling of the trees.

 

The weather in the summer months can also vary. Normal summer temperature is around 20-23 degrees celsius. On sunny days this is perfect. There can also be days and days of rain, and there is no way to predict the weather. The last few weeks the heat here has been surprising all. We´ve had about 3 weeks with 28-31 degrees c and some rain at night - more like tropical weather.