Norway Itinerary Advice

[Col_G]

I would appreciate advice from those have done a Norway cruise. I have two choices on HAL,

1 on May 15 & 1 on June 12

Both from Dover, the main differences are:

 

May includes

Alesund, Skjolden, Sognefjord, Leirvik, Langenuen Strait, Aberdeen

 

June includes

Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Maloy, Lerwick

 

June also has one more sea days, so probably you don’t see as much of Norway as the May trip.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Col

[kaisatsu]

You say those are the differences. Are there other ports?

 

Eidfjord and Skjolden will both have some nice sail-in/out scenery, but both are small towns with limited port excursion options. Between Måløy and Ålesund (both coastal ports, rather than fjords), I think Ålesund has a lot more to recommend it with its larger size and notable art nouveau architecture.

 

In the 17 years I’ve lived in Norway and been posting on this forum and TripAdvisor, I don’t think I have ever heard of Leirvik. Besides yours, the only posts on CruiseCritic that mention it are a single Rotterdam sailing where it was a last-minute substitution, possibly with no excursions available.

For the UK ports, you might get better feedback elsewhere. Aberdeen is mostly known in Norway for its oil industry, and having spent a week there for work, I didn’t find it particularly pretty or interesting. I don’t know much about Lerwick, but we have a handful of Shetland Islanders among our immigrant community, and it sounds small but charming.

 

I think it depends a bit on what you’re looking for. Neither Eidfjord + Måløy or Skjolden + Ålesund will give you much of a taste of Norway. But if those are the only options, I’d choose Skjolden + Ålesund, because at least Ålesund is a fairly well-liked port.

 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Col_G said:

 

I would appreciate advice from those have done a Norway cruise. I have two choices on HAL,

1 on May 15 & 1 on June 12

Both from Dover, the main differences are:

 

May includes

Alesund, Skjolden, Sognefjord, Leirvik, Langenuen Strait, Aberdeen

 

June includes

Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Maloy, Lerwick

 

June also has one more sea days, so probably you don’t see as much of Norway as the May trip.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Col

I was going to give you the link for the cc forum that includes Norway, but I see you have already posted there. 

 

Of those ports, we have only been in Alesund, and did enjoy our visit there.

 

I would echo the advice you were given there and ask what other ports are involved. You really should have some deep fjord ports such as Geiranger for a truly wonderful Norway cruise.

[kaisatsu]

Okay, I went and looked these up, because I was curious, and I see that they also visit Trondheim, Lofoten, Tromsø, and Honningsvåg. That makes a difference (I love Lofoten and Tromsø, by the way).

 

If you’re spending that much time in the Arctic, I’d choose the June sailing so that you have a chance to witness the Midnight Sun. While I do think Skjolden and Ålesund are the better choice for the southern ports, for me the difference isn’t enough to outweigh the 24-hour daylight experience. Neither fjord port is phenomenal, but Eidfjord will have a lovely long sail-in and sail-out, and you’ll have a good taste of Norwegian coastal towns in Trondheim and Tromsø. So I’d choose the June sailing for the Midnight Sun, and just plan and book well in advance for Måløy and Eidfjord.

[Col_G]

Thank you. I was just about to post the Common Ports:

Trondheim

Trondheimsfjord

Leknes (Lofoten)

Tromso

Honningsvag

North Cape

(Dover, Rotterdam)

Appreciate the advice.

[Col_G]

Thanks!

Yes, I found it only after I initially posted.

[hallasm]

Since it’s an Arctic Circle cruise with Leknes, Tromsø, and Honningsvåg include the Arctic Circle I’ll suggest June for the Midnight Sun - May is too early. The ports posted in your first post doesn’t really make a difference. 

[Host Kat]

8 hours ago, Col_G said:

Thanks!

Yes, I found it only after I initially posted.

 

Hello @Col_G

 

To help you have all the replies to your inquiry in one place, your duplicate threads have been merged into one thread.

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[HaakonKL]

On 9/15/2024 at 12:40 PM, kaisatsu said:

In the 17 years I’ve lived in Norway and been posting on this forum and TripAdvisor, I don’t think I have ever heard of Leirvik. Besides yours, the only posts on CruiseCritic that mention it are a single Rotterdam sailing where it was a last-minute substitution, possibly with no excursions available.

 

 

It's a small town between Stavanger/Haugesund and Bergen.

I have no idea why you'd dock a cruise ship there. Why not just go for Stavanger or Bergen instead? Or Haugesund for that matter?

[NightOne]

7 hours ago, HaakonKL said:

 

It's a small town between Stavanger/Haugesund and Bergen.

I have no idea why you'd dock a cruise ship there. Why not just go for Stavanger or Bergen instead? Or Haugesund for that matter?

 

Looks like Holland America is stopping there 2025 and 2026. Also, NCL going there in 2026.

 

Must be some reason 🙂

[HaakonKL]

57 minutes ago, NightOne said:

 

Looks like Holland America is stopping there 2025 and 2026. Also, NCL going there in 2026.

 

Must be some reason 🙂

 

I haven't been there in like ages (the cruise ferry is a more fun way to get to Stavanger from Bergen), so maybe there's been development recently? Don't get me wrong, it's a nice place, and west Norwegians like me have made stops there for a long time on summer holidays. Let's hope it becomes a great stop for cruise ships as well.