NZ Fjiordslands or Norway Fjiords cruise-which one?

[trvlwrld]

Wondering how spectacular the NZ  fjords are compared to the ones in Norway...is it worth it to do the 22 hr flight?  Thanks for any first-hand info you can provide!

[skynight]

Have seen both. Norway gets the nod. There are more fjords to visit and towns on the fjords. The NZ fjord area is indeed spectacular, but it is a one day scenic visit, not like a Norway fjord cruise where you visit a different one and port mostly every day. NZ is more like the fjords in Chile, a visit and you are then gone.  Book the cruise because you want to visit all the ports, not just the scenic fjords. 

When we were there there was an overnight land tour which began with a tender in one of the fjords. It was supposed to go to our next port, Dunedin, but we skipped that port due to storms. Passengers that booked the tour wound up staying a few extra overnights and re-boarded the ship in Auckland. Reports were it was a great diversion.

Edited June 11, 2022 by skynight

[trvlwrld]

Thank you!

[TM]

Haven't been to the NZ fjords but did the Norwegian Fjords in 2019.  Even with less than ideal weather the fjords were absolutely spectacular and not to be missed.  As previously noted you see something different each day.

[RLK33853]

We totally agree with Skynight.  While NZ and South American fiords are great, the ones in Norway have the added bonus of places to visit instead of just sailing through.

 

Either way, enjoy.

[Dar & Bob]

22 hours ago, trvlwrld said:

Wondering how spectacular the NZ  fjords are compared to the ones in Norway...is it worth it to do the 22 hr flight?  Thanks for any first-hand info you can provide!

Updated, I do see one in August.  

Just curious which cruise (date/ship) are you looking at for a Noway Fjord cruise?  I did not see one that was actually the fjords on Princess. We were looking for a true fjord cruise and ended up going with Celebrity. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Dar & Bob

[Mercruiser]

We cruised the NZ fjordlands in 2013 on Celebrity Solstice 12 Night Auckland to Sydney. Of the 12 days, we spent one day visiting Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford Sounds (fjords). It was a very enjoyable cruise, stopping at many ports in NZ and Tasmania in Australia. The fjords were one day of a 12 night cruise.

 

Here are the photos from the NZ part. The fjordland pictures are at the end, all taken from the ship.

 

https://bhughes.smugmug.com/Travel/Tahiti-New-Zealand-Sydney-2013/New-Zealand-Nov-2013

 

In 2023, we are booked on the Island Princess 16 night "Land of the Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice"

https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=2310

 

This cruise visits Songefjord (Skjolden), Norfjord (Olden), and Romsdalsfjord (Andalsnes), on three different days, with a port stop in each one. Look at Skjolden on Google Maps. It is located 200 km from the ocean - that's a really long fjord. The fjords are three days of a 16 night cruise.

 

For both of these cruises, we booked aft balcony cabins. I recommend this for both the NZ or Norway cruise. The aft location allows you to be on you balcony while cruising through the fjords, while sheltered from the wind. A normal balcony, on the sides, would have a lot of wind chill

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Mercruiser

[Mercruiser]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:36 AM, trvlwrld said:

Wondering how spectacular the NZ  fjords are compared to the ones in Norway...is it worth it to do the 22 hr flight?  Thanks for any first-hand info you can provide!

To answer your question directly, I think NZ is definitely worth a 22 hr flight, but not specifically for the fjords. NZ is a great place to visit. The fjords are a small part of the experience.

 

I fjords are your priority, Norway wins.

[Mercruiser]

2 hours ago, Dar & Bob said:

Updated, I do see one in August.  

Just curious which cruise (date/ship) are you looking at for a Noway Fjord cruise?  I did not see one that was actually the fjords on Princess. We were looking for a true fjord cruise and ended up going with Celebrity. 

Island Princess and Sky Princess spend their summer season visiting Norway.  Some of these cruises visit three different fjords.

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Mercruiser

[Dar & Bob]

2 hours ago, Mercruiser said:

Island Princess and Sky Princess spend their summer season visiting Norway.  Some of these cruises visit three different fjords.

 

I only see the one doing the Fjords and that is in August which is rainy season from what I have read.   Didn't really want just the coastal ports and I didn't remember why we didn't choose Princess. Now I rememeber 🙂

 

[msmoger]

3 hours ago, Mercruiser said:

To answer your question directly, I think NZ is definitely worth a 22 hr flight, but not specifically for the fjords. NZ is a great place to visit. The fjords are a small part of the experience.

 

I fjords are your priority, Norway wins.

 

Couldn't agree more.  New Zealand was a fantastic cruise, including Fjordland.  Norwegian Fjords are spectacular.  These are two very different itineraries, both worthwhile experiences.

 

. 

[Mercruiser]

Here is a "live from" thread the OP may be interested in

 

 

[Airwavey]

13 minutes ago, Mercruiser said:

Here is a "live from" thread the OP may be interested in

 

 

Thanks for the link. Appreciated

Just to say, on our first BIG trip post retirement - Abu Dhabi, 3 months Oz camper van, 2 months NZ car/b&b/hostels, 1 month Hawaii, Canada - we spent a few days landside in Fjordlands. We had a day boat out into Milford Sound. Really nice but we are expecting far more drama amongst the Norway fjords. 

[Izzywiz]

As other posters have said, the fjords of Norway and New Zealand have many similarities in their scenic beauty. The main difference is that, during a cruise in Norway, you sail along many different fjords and there are settlement to see and opportunities to get off the ship and explore the small towns and surrounding areas….

On a NZ cruise, the ship sails into the 3 sounds during one day and there isn’t a chance to disembark unless you are booked on an overnight tour of the area where you rejoin the ship at one of the future ports. The sail through is sometimes missed because of bad weather. We were extremely lucky with our day as the Captain told us that the ship had been unable to make it into the sounds on the previous 2 voyages.

IMHO both areas are well worth visiting but for very different reasons.