Norway and Cruise Lines Serving

[Floridastorm]

I notice that there are mostly two or three cruise lines that do cruises to Norway.

 

MSC

Costa

P&O

Pulmanter

A couple of Royal Caribbean & Holland America

 

What are opinions on these lines specifically for the Norway itinerary? The good, the bad, the ugly. I have read a lot of not so scintillating reviews about MSC and Costa, mostly due to the type of passengers they cater to. 

 

 

[hallasm]

I'll recommend to stay with  RCCL, Azamara, Celebrity, HAL, or P&O -(might be others)  -  Cruise lines like MSC and Costa might be too 'Italien' and AIDA too 'German'.

[naturelovergirl]

Cunard and Princess also do Norway cruises 😊

[naturelovergirl]

1 hour ago, Floridastorm said:

I notice that there are mostly two or three cruise lines that do cruises to Norway.

 

MSC

Costa

P&O

Pulmanter

A couple of Royal Caribbean & Holland America

 

What are opinions on these lines specifically for the Norway itinerary? The good, the bad, the ugly. I have read a lot of not so scintillating reviews about MSC and Costa, mostly due to the type of passengers they cater to. 

 

 

The main thing you want to look for in Norway cruises is paying attention to the places and things you want to see... Fjords are a huge draw and for good reason- they are outstandingly gorgeous.
Look at the itineraries on each cruise (paying close attention to making sure they spend a good deal of time on the Western coast and into the fjords if nature is your focus)... Oslo is interesting, mainly, in my opinion, because of the excellent museums in Bygdøy- but it is not the same kind of dramatic landscape as the Western Fjord area. Also if you want to go above the arctic circle, you will want to pay close attention to the itineraries as well. Not every boat or itinerary does that.

[Capt_BJ]

Viking Ocean does Norway too

 

[Coral]

I did Princess last year and am booked again on her 14 night this year (same itinerary, one different port). I looked at other cruise lines and I really like the 14 night on the Sapphire in June. 

 

I do have to say everyone describes their itinerary separately. For example - someone earlier was comparing a HAL vs Princess cruise. HAL had listed a lot of viewing of fjords which we saw the same ones last year on Princess but it wasn't "listed on the itinerary" - so read the itineraries and areas thoroughly. 

 

While not a typical cruise - this company spends a ton of time in Norway: https://www.hurtigruten.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxKqyqObK3gIVF9NkCh3egwa5EAAYASAAEgLN8PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds 

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by Coral

[Grandma Cruising]

Smaller ships, like those of Azamara can get into fjords and ports that others can’t.

we’re doing their North Cape cruise in July 2019

[Coral]

6 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Smaller ships, like those of Azamara can get into fjords and ports that others can’t.

we’re doing their North Cape cruise in July 2019

I was actually surprised - at least 3 of the ports we stopped at on Sapphire Princess had around a population of 250. No problems with ships getting in there. Norway really is setup for ship travel.

[hallasm]

26 minutes ago, Coral said:

I was actually surprised - at least 3 of the ports we stopped at on Sapphire Princess had around a population of 250. No problems with ships getting in there. Norway really is setup for ship travel.

Most fjords are deep enough for big cruis ships - some areas round Lofoten and Trollfjord are only accessible by small ships. Below some examples.

 

[Coral]

30 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Most fjords are deep enough for big cruis ships - some areas round Lofoten and Trollfjord are only accessible by small ships. Below some examples.

 

I actually did boat rides in both Lofoten and Trollsfjord as part of my excursions- so I didn't miss any of it.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Coral

[4774Papa]

NCL and RCI both have great Norway cruises that go all the way to the Arctic Circle.

We are booked on RCI for June 2019 (Serenade of the Seas).

 

Celebrity does cruise to Norway, but don't go all the way to the Arctic Circle.

[Chairsin]

Don’t forget also Seabourn has cruises to Norway. On a smaller ship you can go into some of the fjords that the large ships are unable to cruise.

[hallasm]

12 minutes ago, Chairsin said:

Don’t forget also Seabourn has cruises to Norway. On a smaller ship you can go into some of the fjords that the large ships are unable to cruise.

Just curious- which cruises and which Fjords?

[hallasm]

23 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Just curious- which cruises and which Fjords?

found it: 15-Day Scenic Fjords & North Cape - June 7 to June 22 2019

 

[Chairsin]

Hallasm,

Seabourn has a full summer schedule of cruises that include many ports in Norway (and the attendant fjords) on two ships - the Quest, which hold 450 passengers and the Ovation, which holds 600. When we were on our Norway cruise a few years ago since we had such s rough crossing from Copenhagen to Bergen our Captain secured permission to keep the pilot on board and instead of heading to Aelsund via the rough seas we went the scenic route inland. 

[hallasm]

5 hours ago, Chairsin said:

Hallasm,

Seabourn has a full summer schedule of cruises that include many ports in Norway (and the attendant fjords) on two ships - the Quest, which hold 450 passengers and the Ovation, which holds 600. When we were on our Norway cruise a few years ago since we had such s rough crossing from Copenhagen to Bergen our Captain secured permission to keep the pilot on board and instead of heading to Aelsund via the rough seas we went the scenic route inland. 

Chairsin 

Thank you for the update. I’ll look into the Seabourn offerings.

[chinita415]

On 11/10/2018 at 8:08 AM, Floridastorm said:

I have read a lot of not so scintillating reviews about MSC and Costa, mostly due to the type of passengers they cater to. 

 

 

 

I am likely going to choose a MSC cruise due to the itinerary and timing. I took an MSC Western Med several years ago and was worried about the same thing. It was not even an after thought. If you are well traveled and do not need to be surrounded by Americans, MSC is fine. It just feels like being in Italy and Spain and that people might not always queue up in orderly fashion. But then again I am Asian American so used to that from the Asian folks as well. I would not hesitate to book because of that concern. 

[kitkat343]

We were generally happy with Cunard which as the line we sailed to Norway, but I agree with all the previous posters that you should choose your cruise based upon itinerary.  We've generally been happy with all the cruise lines we've sailed ( Princess, NCL, Cunard and Carnival) so we just generally chose vacations based upon itineraries. On the older NCL ship we sailed, we didn't love their food in the free dining room.  But many people are happy with it, and if you aren't the specialty restaurants were very good and you can just eat there if you are picky like us.  The mainstream lines are more similar than different.   In Norway, Hurtigruten is the one exception, as this isn't a cruise ship, but more of a ferry line that would allow you to completely customize your itinerary.

[Capt_BJ]

here's the current visit schedule for Flam 2019 season

 

https://aurlandhavn.no/cruise-2/ship-arrivals-2019/

 

it can give you an idea of who's playing and some dates.  Of course there will be other ships, going other places too . ..