Do you see fjords on Norway coastal cruise?

[CruiseMark]

Looking at a Havila or Hurigruten Norway Coastal cruise. Do you see a lot of fjords compared to a traditional cruise ship itinerary?  They don’t seem to be explicitly mentioned in the itinerary, only the cities stopped at. For more traditional lines (non-cargo) they make a point of mentioning which fjords they cruise in.

 

Apologies if this is a silly question. 

[hallasm]

Not a silly question by any means.  
Hurtigruten/Havila (identical sailing schedules) has 34 port stops from Bergen to Kirkenes - most stops are only 10 to 15 minutes - one longer stop each day.  Most of the voyage takes place along the coast, between Islands and not into the fjords - in winter and spring they do not sail into any fjords - in summer they sail through Geirangerfjord and in autumn through Hjørundfjord.  When the weather permits, they Will also sail through Trollfjord on Lofoten.
The islands and the landscape along the coast are breathtaking - especially the area around Lofoten.
There is a lot of differences from a traditional cruise ship to a working ship - no entertainment but lectures about the areas passed and fantastic local food from the places the ships dock.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by hallasm

[Flyinby]

In addition to what Hallasm said, in winter (and I presume whenever they don't go into Geirangerfjord), an excursion is offered to take a smaller ferry through Geirangerfjord.  It's a long journey (about 9 hours), but the ship is in Alesund for about 10 hours during those seasons.  The ferry is comfortable, warm, windows all around and an open top deck.  A couple of rangers from the Norwegian Fjord Center give information along the way, and snacks, a meal, and coffee are provided (you can purchase other things).  There's also a short bus ride to Flydalsjuvet, with a photo stop, a visit to the Fjord Center, and you can hike down the waterfall trail if you like, before the return trip.

 

Before going on this trip, I never realized how complex the Norway coast is.  There are so many islands and scenic passages that I never had a thought about wishing we'd go through another fjord.  Also, some of the other excursions give you great views of fjords...for example, a tour called 'taste of Vesteralen' had us crossing on a ferry...they drove the bus right on, and we went up to enjoy it with snacks and refreshments.

 

I saw a photo from a relative who took the Hurtigruten trip in summer 2002, and cruising around the end of the fjord (not sure which one) were several very large cruise ships...I just couldn't help thinking it wasn't such a good thing, but I don't know if it's still that way in summer.  At any rate, the Geirangerfjord trip was great and a highlight of the trip.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Flyinby

[oakridger]

Thanks again @Flyinby for your recent information.  From what I understand Norway will be not allowing some larger cruise ships in the World Heritage Fjords within the next few years. (I don't remember the true timeframe).  It's good that Hurtigruten and Havila are using less polluting propulsion.

 

It's going to be a loooong wait for my Havila trip in June 2024!!  😏

 

~Nancy

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

From what I understand Norway will be not allowing some larger cruise ships in the World Heritage Fjords within the next few years. (I don't remember the true timeframe).

the Norwegian Parliament has adopted a resolution to stop emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the Norwegian World Heritage fjords as soon as technically possible and by 2026 at the latest.
However, there is a proposal to allow the use of biogas under certain circumstances for a transitional period of 5 years, so that new cruise ships powered by biogas can still sail the fjords until 2030.

[oakridger]

Thank you for this information @hallasm.

 

~Nancy

[GottaKnowWhen]

Recently back from a Hurtigruten cruise (NOT the classic coastal cruise, but a Northern Lights 2 week "expedition" from Hamburg to Nordkapp and back). We didn't go into many fjords, but the coastal scenery is spectacular! See the link to some of my photos in my sig below. I have yet to finish editing the last few batches of images, but there are plenty here to give you a flavor of the scenes.

Stan

[oakridger]

Those pictures are so gorgeous @GottaKnowWhen!  It looks like you had lots of good and sunny weather.  Thanks for posting them.

 

It sounds like Hurtigruten took good care of everyone when they had mechanical problems on your voyage.  Thanks for letting us know about what they are doing to either refund or give future credits to people.

 

~Nancy

[GottaKnowWhen]

14 hours ago, oakridger said:

Those pictures are so gorgeous @GottaKnowWhen!  It looks like you had lots of good and sunny weather.  Thanks for posting them.

 

It sounds like Hurtigruten took good care of everyone when they had mechanical problems on your voyage.  Thanks for letting us know about what they are doing to either refund or give future credits to people.

 

~Nancy

Thanks @oakridger I'll post more information on Refunds etc when we have a final resolution.

Meanwhile, I did revisit my Norway gallery. Some images added, a few deleted, captions added to provide rough location information. Our last cruise stop was in Trondheim, the next day was our airlift to Hamburg. The last three images are from our after-cruise visit with friends in Lüneburg, about 30 minutes outside of Hamburg...

Stan

[Gretchendz]

I should also note that this year, Hrtigruten has two new itineraries that will be much more fjord/destination intensive. Meaning, not dropping off the mail for 15 minutes. They will be on the Trollfjord which is being renovated right now.

 

The summer version is the Svalabard Express: https://www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/svalbard-express-southbound/

 

The winter version is the North Cape Express. Bergin to Oslo or reverse. Our family is doing in November 2024 mainly due to the Northern Lights : https://www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/north-cape-express-full-voyage-bergen-oslo/?_ccid=20927&_ccst=1794&_hrgb=2#key-info

[CruiseMark]

On 4/13/2023 at 1:41 AM, Gretchendz said:

I should also note that this year, Hrtigruten has two new itineraries that will be much more fjord/destination intensive. Meaning, not dropping off the mail for 15 minutes. They will be on the Trollfjord which is being renovated right now.

 

The summer version is the Svalabard Express: https://www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/svalbard-express-southbound/

 

The winter version is the North Cape Express. Bergin to Oslo or reverse. Our family is doing in November 2024 mainly due to the Northern Lights : https://www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/north-cape-express-full-voyage-bergen-oslo/?_ccid=20927&_ccst=1794&_hrgb=2#key-info

I was looking at that winter 2024 version as well. I just wish their pricing was more competitive with Havila, especially for solos. I realize they have solo specials, but usually only for last minute trips and I’m a planner 😊

[Gretchendz]

• Understood! They do have a solo sale for this particular cruise right now. My sister-in-law is considering it 🙂