Jump to content

Packing for Norway in June on Koningsdam! Help Me Please


crewsgirl
 Share

Recommended Posts

We are planning to go to Norway this June on the Koningsdam and will have a few days pre-cruise in Amsterdam. I would like to be efficient, yet prepared and would love to hear your tips for packing the right things for this trip.

 

We will be visiting the fabulous art museums in Amsterdam and a day trip to Delft/Hague.

On the cruise, we will be doing the train/bike ride in Flam, so I need some appropriate outwear gear as I am concerned that it will be cold coming down the mountain. Oslo and fjord viewing on the deck are on the agenda as well as Kristiansand and Stavanger. I will be researching the weather in those areas but I need to be prepared for late June.

 

We will do a night or 2 of specialty dining and we enjoy dressing up occasionally. Ha! I am pretty sure the hubs is leaving the tux at home, unless anybody here deems it an absolute necessity. Our last cruise was a Viking river cruise and we enjoyed the relaxed laid back atmosphere, so I need some comparisons and advice.

 

So show me your best lists and ideas of the essentials for a 13 day N. European adventure. And, I need it all to weigh under 50 lbs. :'):halo:If any of you have done this itinerary, please weigh in too!

Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

crewsgirl,

 

While we weren't on a cruise we did spend two weeks in Norway last June visiting family. Layers are your friend. Good waterproof walking shoes and a lightweight raincoat that you can wear layers under. The weather can beautiful and in an hour rain can fall. We spent time in Trondheim, Brekstad and Stavanger. We had beautiful days, rainy days and some days both. I packed 2 tank tops, 4 long sleeve shirts, 3 turtlenecks, fleece jacket and a rain coat with a hood. I didn't wear the turtlenecks in Norway but I did later in Scotland. Off the coast of Stavanger is a beautiful island that is only open in the summer - Flor go Fjaere is amazing. If you are into gardens this place is what happens when a gardener retires and gets bored. You don't think of palm trees when you think of Norway! The lunch that is included was wonderful. The boat for the island leaves from the same dock as the cruise ships dock. The people of Norway are lovely and the chocolate is sooooo good!. I hope I've helped a little - have a wonderful time on your cruise!

 

H20mac3 :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We may well be on the same cruise!

I have been watching a number of YouTube videos of folks on this trip in ptior years. Layers such as a lightweight sweater and a puffy or fleece vest. As a long time Boy Scout leader in Colorado I’ll caution you against jeans. Cotton gets wet and stays that way. I’m going for a few pair of knit pants in several weights. Hats, mittens, socks and scarves are going to be wool. I bought a puffy jacket with room for layering.

A few nice tops with black pants will work for formal nights for me. They did on HAL in Alaska last year. My husband will just have a nice shirt and tie, maybe a pullover with it. No tux or suit in our suitcases either.

I’m not quite sure how I’m packing for Amsterdam yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ll caution you against jeans. Cotton gets wet and stays that way. I’m going for a few pair of knit pants in several weights.

 

Another option for excursions would be lightweight "trekking" style pants from REI, Columbia etc. They are lighweight for packing and dry quickly if they get wet, and you can layer tights or leggings under them for added warmth.

 

Personally I'd skip turtlenecks and just take a single thin scarf that you can wrap around your neck if needed, or a neck gaiter.

 

 

I'd take a mix of short and long sleeved tees, plus a lightweight wool sweater and/or fleece or puffy vest to layer for warmth, and a lightweight raincoat. If you do a puffy vest/jacket, make sure it's one of the newer ones that packs down into very little space in your suitcase. Since you're not doing formal attire, for evenings I'd pack 2-3 neutral bottoms with a few dressy tops that can be mixed and matched with the bottoms (For me, it would likely be black pants, black maxi skirt and dressy jeans).

 

 

What adds weight to your suitcase is usually shoes and toiletries, so try to limit those to ensure you stay under 50 lbs. Waterproof walking shoes for excursions, a pair of comfortable sandals for nice days, and 1-2 additional pair for evening.... for my example above, I could get away withe 1 pair of black wedges for evenings. Remember that you'll wear a pair on travel day so that's one less pair to pack. If you have a complicated skin care , hair care or make-up routine, pare it down for your trip. i.e. for a week or two your skin will be fine if you skip the eye cream and serum, and use use the same moisturizer day and night. Likewise no one will notice or care if you are not using contour powder, highlighter powder, different eyeshadow colors every day etc. Stick to the absolute basics to minimize what you need to pack and keep overall weight down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

H2OMac3- your trip sounds fabulous! And yes, I love gardens, so now I will be looking up Flor go Fjaere! Thanks for the info. I am thinking a fleece, probably not a turtleneck.

 

Karen604- I am so excited about this trip, its not anything we have ever done before, so yes, I hope we meet you and lots of others as well. I definitely have a packable down hooded coat that stuffs into a nothing-sized pouch, so yes, that is on my list as well. I like jeans of the stretch-y variety, but I am more of a black leggings kind of girl myself. I am planning to bring my fleece lined Avalanche leggings for that bike ride down the mountain!

 

and Waterbug- Yes, I need to pare down the toiletries but OMG, can we please discuss the shoes! I like flip flops and that is not going to work on this trip.....so what kind of waterproof shoes do you use??? I have a great pair of UGGS rainboots but they are far too heavy to pack for this trip. Lightweight packable tennis shoes for biking, but if it rains in the city.....what are you taking?

 

Thanks for the ideas...keep 'em coming!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

and Waterbug- Yes, I need to pare down the toiletries but OMG, can we please discuss the shoes! I like flip flops and that is not going to work on this trip.....so what kind of waterproof shoes do you use??? I have a great pair of UGGS rainboots but they are far too heavy to pack for this trip. Lightweight packable tennis shoes for biking, but if it rains in the city.....what are you taking?

 

I should have said water resistant, not water proof. I don't have any shoes, besides my rain boots, that are truly waterPROOF. (too bulky to pack) I have hiking boots that are fairly water RESISTANT, and can be made more so with a weather proofing/water repellant spray. You can also find similar hiking shoes, that are smaller and probably better for walking around than actual hiking boots, and then spray with a water repellant spray.

 

We are doing an Alaska cruise in June and we have nothing planned that would require hiking boots so they are staying home, even though they are my most water resistant shoes besides rain boots. I will likely take a pair of fleece lined clogs and spray with the water repellant spray. Yes, my heel area/sock could still get wet if we get caught in a downpour; so be it, I will not melt. If it's truly pouring, we'd probably stay on board anyway unless we had a truly amazing excursion planned that wasn't canceled for weather (we don't). I will also take my Ugg ankle boots for warmth if it's super chilly (and also because they are super comfy and cute as can be) but wouldn't wear them in the pouring rain. I will take a pair of Vionic flat sandals that are comfortable for walking around when it's warm, and can also be worn to/from the hot tub. We'll be gone 10 days so I plan to work out, thus my tennis shoes will be going. And probably 2 pair of wedges for evening. I could get by with 1, but since I'll have a slightly larger suitcase to accommodate a couple of sweaters, jacket etc. I should have plenty of room. The flat sandals can also be worn in the evening if i's a super casual night, and are also my general walking-around-the-ship-on-sea-days shoes.

Note: My status with my airline and my ticket category allow me to book up to 3 bags, and they can be overweight, but I still try to pack fairly minimally. For this 10 day trip I anticipate checking one 25" suitcase (smaller than the max allowed by airlines), which I know from experience will way in at no more than 50 lbs., even with the 5 pair of shoes listed above (6, less the ones I'll be wearing on travel day.) All I will carry on is a large tote bag style purse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We often travel to cool wet places (like Europe in the fall ;-) so we both have goretex walking shoes. Currently, Haglofs. I've also owned merrell goretex hikers and asolo and/or lowa (going back a few years now and can't recall which). There are TONS of goretex trail runners, hiking shoes, and hiking boots. We do a lot of actual hiking & heavy walking so I don't mind traveling with shoes that might be a little heavier (though mine aren't very heavy, actually).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waterbug, you are going to love Alaska, its pristine, gorgeous and we had great weather in July when we went there years ago. The glaciers are amazing and I hope you have a lovely trip. I may take your advice and do the repellent spray, its hard to give up valuable luggage space for heavy shoes. I think I have decided on a pair of black booties that will be good for daily wear. Hiking in the city...haha.

But, I may check out the goretex per Hoyaheel's recomendation above

 

I pack in ziplock compression bags and carry Lippault luggage, it is incredibly lightweight and I rarely hit 50 lbs. so I am planning to minimize as much as possible. I will have a 25" checked bag and I like to use the smaller carryon Lippault that I will pack just for the 3 days precruise in Amsterdam and then for the trip home in the event of delayed travel. I have a LV large tote that I put all the electronics and incidentals in for the plane. And my absolute other must have is Noise Cancelling Bose earbuds.

 

What are the things that you love most about cruising? I loved our last Viking river cruise....it was so easy-peasy and laid back. This trip on the K'dam with HAL will be a huge ship, so a big change for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waterbug, you are going to love Alaska, its pristine, gorgeous and we had great weather in July when we went there years ago.

 

Thank you, it is not our first Alaska cruise so know how beautiful the scenery can be. And we know how much the weather can vary! Last time we had days when shorts and a hoody were fine, and my boys walked around in just a t-shirt at times, some much cooler days when I was happy to have my fleece vest, turtleneck and jeans, and a very chilly rainy day in Juneau when I was very thankful for my all-weather jacket and gloves. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...