Norwegian Fjords or Eastern Med

[Daffy83]

From may - early august you can get a pretty decent temperature in Norway!

[Hlitner]

Rervous I thought about Istanbul, but it was between that and Sicily, and I really want to see Sicily.:p

 

If you really want to "see" Sicily you should plan a land trip (2 weeks would be good) to Sicily where you rent a car and explore the island. On any cruise you will actually see very little of Sicily but rather just get a tiny taste of what this island has to offer a visitor. As to Istanbul, it is among one of our favorite ports (in the world). But if we wanted to truly see Turkey we would spend a few weeks on a land trip. We have spent nearly 1 1/2 years on cruises in the Med.....but have long understood that if the goal is to really "see" a large area one needs to spend more time on the land rather then the sea.

 

Hank

[zales]

I have done both cruises. Loved them. For me, the decision was time of year. The Fjords cruise is a summer time cruise. The Med cruise sails summer, spring, and fall. I've done it in July which was extremely hot. I would never sail the Med in the Summer unless you love extremely hot humid weather. I've done it in October which was ideal. My choice would be Fjords in July or August. If you cannot sail in July or August, then pick the Med. Either cruise will be great.

 

Thank You Redtravel, we both work in a school, so it would have to either be late June July or August:rolleyes:

[NancyIL]

While I prefer a Solstice-class ship to an M-class ship, I'd rather cruise to Norway than the Med in the summer. I was on the Silhouette in mid-May to Italy and Croatia, and the weather was very nice. However, I wouldn't have wanted to travel in southern Europe much past June 1st due to the heat. I also sailed to Norway on RCI June 9-21. That cruise went all the way north to Honningsvag, and it was cold above the Arctic Circle. However, I enjoy cool weather cruises when it's hot at home, and warm weather cruises when it's cold at home.

[zales]

Do not fret about the cold in Norway Been there a few times in June and July it is actually quite warm Do bring a fleece or jacket just the same but you cannot say it was cold

Most days it was sunny till past midnight ...very cool ...sun would rise again by 3 Am

WE crossed the ARCTIC circle past midnight and it was still daylight Norway is lovely ...but VERY expensive ..so be prepared

Like I said I enjoyed both ..do one now the other later

 

Great, as another fellow cruiser said, I will book the one I don't go on first, on board:D

[momofmeg]

Hi guys, I am just looking for opinions. I am trying to decide on Fjords on Infinity, or Med on Reflection. Cruise and airfare are comparable. This is my first time on Celebrity so...

 

That is a hard one. I want to do both. We did a western med last summer-so now I would like to see Athens, and back to Venice, but we also want to go to Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Maybe if you watched the prices for awhile and you could book if one the prices drop considerably. Often if the ship has not sold well-when it gets to between 3 and 5 months out the prices drop. Even at 3 months out you still have time to book airfare.

 

The only other thing. I would not do the Med in the summer-it is too hot on the Adriatic sea side.

[zales]

From may - early august you can get a pretty decent temperature in Norway!

 

This is what I keep reading, this is good to know, maybe I can get a balcony after all;)

[NancyIL]

A Fjords cruise will be warmer than an Arctic Circle cruise, so you ought to survive on your balcony!

[zales]

If you really want to "see" Sicily you should plan a land trip (2 weeks would be good) to Sicily where you rent a car and explore the island. On any cruise you will actually see very little of Sicily but rather just get a tiny taste of what this island has to offer a visitor. As to Istanbul, it is among one of our favorite ports (in the world). But if we wanted to truly see Turkey we would spend a few weeks on a land trip. We have spent nearly 1 1/2 years on cruises in the Med.....but have long understood that if the goal is to really "see" a large area one needs to spend more time on the land rather then the sea.

 

Hank

 

I apologize, when I said I really wanted to see Sicily, I just meant more so than Istanbul for some strange reason. But no definitely not a land vacation:o

[zales]

While I prefer a Solstice-class ship to an M-class ship, I'd rather cruise to Norway than the Med in the summer. I was on the Silhouette in mid-May to Italy and Croatia, and the weather was very nice. However, I wouldn't have wanted to travel in southern Europe much past June 1st due to the heat. I also sailed to Norway on RCI June 9-21. That cruise went all the way north to Honningsvag, and it was cold above the Arctic Circle. However, I enjoy cool weather cruises when it's hot at home, and warm weather cruises when it's cold at home.

 

No definitely will not be going above the arctic circle. What is above there anyway:o I am not too familiar with Celebrity, I am an RC gal, what is less desirable about an M-class ship:confused:

[NancyIL]

No definitely will not be going above the arctic circle. What is above there anyway:o I am not too familiar with Celebrity, I am an RC gal, what is less desirable about an M-class ship:confused:

 

Colder weather is above the Arctic Circle. :D

 

I have sailed on the Constellation (Millennium class) and Silhouette (Solstice class), and I liked the Silhouette better. The cabins are larger, and the bathrooms are considerably larger on the Solstice-class ships. My husband thought the buffet on the Silhouette was the best of any ship he'd been on. Having said that - I would still choose the Fjords cruise in the summer on just about any ship, rather than a Med cruise in the summer on a newer ship.

 

Since you're an RCI gal - have you looked at their Norwegian Fjords cruises? They have more sailings to Norway than Celebrity.

[zales]

Colder weather is above the Arctic Circle. :D

 

I have sailed on the Constellation (Millennium class) and Silhouette (Solstice class), and I liked the Silhouette better. The cabins are larger, and the bathrooms are considerably larger on the Solstice-class ships. My husband thought the buffet on the Silhouette was the best of any ship he'd been on. Having said that - I would still choose the Fjords cruise in the summer on just about any ship, rather than a Med cruise in the summer on a newer ship.

 

Since you're an RCI gal - have you looked at their Norwegian Fjords cruises? They have more sailings to Norway than Celebrity.

 

Why of course I have:D, but RC does not have Greianger, Flam, and Olden in one itinerary for the Fjords and for the Med RC does not have Santorini, and Sicily in the same itinerary so that's why I jumped ship no pun intended;)

[welshfamily]

Hi,

We too are stuck with school hols, but we only have 6 weeks off from July the 22nd to the end of August.

We have travelled on most of Celebrity ships and the only itineraries we haven't done are Iceland/Norway/Alaska. This is simply because at the end of term we are always ready for some sun. We have boiled alive in Rome/Venice/Florence etc yet had cool weather and even rain in parts of France, Spain and Naples. Sailing out and in to Southampton is always been in shades of grey/mist/fog/drizzle. This has always been in August.

 

In my opinion the Med is fine as long as you are prepared for the heat and take things at a slow pace, we are looking at the Reflextions as well.

We are not looking at Iceland/Norway as we are concerned that although the scenery is supposed to be spectacular 14days is a long time to spend looking at mountains. Another consideration is the cost of living in Norway/Iceland......eyewateringly expensive I am sorry to say.

 

Have you thought about the Baltic? We did this cruise last July/August and it was simply stunning. We even had a few hours on several days sunbathing as the weather was amazing for a good part of the cruise.

 

The two ships are very different. The Sostice class are elegant and have the best bathrooms afloat in my opinion. Yet there is a charm about the infinity which makes me overlook the dreaded shower curtain. I honestly don't think you'd go wrong with either.

 

Does this help?

[zales]

That is a hard one. I want to do both. We did a western med last summer-so now I would like to see Athens, and back to Venice, but we also want to go to Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Maybe if you watched the prices for awhile and you could book if one the prices drop considerably. Often if the ship has not sold well-when it gets to between 3 and 5 months out the prices drop. Even at 3 months out you still have time to book airfare.

 

The only other thing. I would not do the Med in the summer-it is too hot on the Adriatic sea side.

 

Thank You momofmeg, this is exactly what I had planned to do, that would definitely make the decision so much easier:D

[dln929]

Why of course I have:D, but RC does not have Greianger, Flam, and Olden in one itinerary for the Fjords and for the Med RC does not have Santorini, and Sicily in the same itinerary so that's why I jumped ship no pun intended;)

 

We jumped ship, too, though not in the same direction as you! We were originally booked on the Reflection in September departing from Italy with an overnight in Istanbul. I've been dying to go to Istanbul for ages now and the overnight was the clincher. Then our niece got engaged and all of a sudden I had to rearrange our cruise vacation around an August wedding in London instead. We had the choice of going on the Infiniti in late July or the Brilliance of the Seas. Both going to Norway; both the same price for a basic balcony. In the end, the idea of seeing Iceland won me over with the idea of being on the Brilliance but it was neck-in-neck for a while! That and the thoughts of not being able to go Aqua Class on the Infiniti because of the cost. We'd have had to have booked a regular cabin. We sailed on another M class ship, the Summit, Aqua and loved it so much and now we're spoiled. ;)

 

INFINITI: Departs From Harwich (London), England visiting Oslo, Norway >> Kristiansand, Norway >> Stavanger, Norway >> Alesund, Norway >> Geiranger, Norway >> Flaam, Norway >> Bergen, Norway

 

BRILLIANCE: Departs From Harwich (London), England visiting Bergen, Norway >> Geiranger, Norway >> Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland >> Klaksvik, Faroe Islands >> Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

 

BTW, we were on the Solstice this past summer and I thought I would have trouble with the heat and the crowds but it really wasn't so bad at all. We carried a water bottle with us everywhere and that went a long way in coping with being out on day trips. If you're interested in what it's like to sail Europe in the summer, here's my trip report with photos. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1676328

[zales]

Hi,

We too are stuck with school hols, but we only have 6 weeks off from July the 22nd to the end of August.

We have travelled on most of Celebrity ships and the only itineraries we haven't done are Iceland/Norway/Alaska. This is simply because at the end of term we are always ready for some sun. We have boiled alive in Rome/Venice/Florence etc yet had cool weather and even rain in parts of France, Spain and Naples. Sailing out and in to Southampton is always been in shades of grey/mist/fog/drizzle. This has always been in August.

 

In my opinion the Med is fine as long as you are prepared for the heat and take things at a slow pace, we are looking at the Reflextions as well.

We are not looking at Iceland/Norway as we are concerned that although the scenery is supposed to be spectacular 14days is a long time to spend looking at mountains. Another consideration is the cost of living in Norway/Iceland......eyewateringly expensive I am sorry to say.

 

Have you thought about the Baltic? We did this cruise last July/August and it was simply stunning. We even had a few hours on several days sunbathing as the weather was amazing for a good part of the cruise.

 

The two ships are very different. The Sostice class are elegant and have the best bathrooms afloat in my opinion. Yet there is a charm about the infinity which makes me overlook the dreaded shower curtain. I honestly don't think you'd go wrong with either.

 

Does this help?

 

Yes welshfamily, thanx to you guys my cruising family, I was told in this thread to walk with a bottle of ice cold water and wear a hat, lol:p. Yes I have thought about the Baltics, it is third on my list after these two:D

[zales]

We jumped ship, too, though not in the same direction as you! We were originally booked on the Reflection in September departing from Italy with an overnight in Istanbul. I've been dying to go to Istanbul for ages now and the overnight was the clincher. Then our niece got engaged and all of a sudden I had to rearrange our cruise vacation around an August wedding in London instead. We had the choice of going on the Infiniti in late July or the Brilliance of the Seas. Both going to Norway; boththe same price for a basic balcony. In the end, the idea of seeing Iceland won me over with the idea of being on the Brilliance but it was neck-in-neck for a while! That and the thoughts of not being able to go Aqua Class on the Infiniti because of the cost. We'd have had to have booked a regular cabin. We sailed on another M class ship, the Summit, Aqua and loved it so much and now we're spoiled. ;)

 

INFINITI: Departs From Harwich (London), England visiting Oslo, Norway >> Kristiansand, Norway >> Stavanger, Norway >> Alesund, Norway >> Geiranger, Norway >> Flaam, Norway >> Bergen, Norway

 

BRILLIANCE: Departs From Harwich (London), England visiting Bergen, Norway >> Geiranger, Norway >> Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland >> Klaksvik, Faroe Islands >> Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

 

BTW, we were on the Solstice this past summer and I thought I would have trouble with the heat and the crowds but it really wasn't so bad at all. We carried a water bottle with us everywhere and that went a long way in coping with being out on day trips. If you're interested in what it's like to sail Europe in the summer, here's my trip report with photos. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1676328

 

Lol that was too funny us both jumping to the opposite ship. Thank You for sharing your trip report, looks like you guys had a great time.:)