Help! Iceland or Norway?

[bobbisailsolo]

Debating two cruises on the Prinsendam and one on the new Koningsdam for next summer (2016) I can't make up my mind, and I can't afford both... Looking for some thoughts on which might be more interesting and scenic. I will be traveling solo, so unless I hook up on some tours on the roll call, I will be pretty much have to do the shore excursions through HAL($$$), or just walk about the ports on my own(which is fine if there's enough to see). Here are links for the itineraries. I really like the Koningsdam itinerary, because it has both norway and iceland, plus some Scotland, which Ive not yet visited, but it's a large ship with 2500 passengers. I know its not going to get in close to the ports, like the Prinsedam can, and I would expect the scenery up the coast of Norway would be beautiful. Can anyone share some thoughts on this?

Bobbi

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6K21S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=K636A

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6NS20&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P640

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6N20S&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN&dateCode=&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=P632

[Bollinge]

If I had not been to any of the destinations I would choose the Holland, UK, Iceland and Norway cruise.

 

Loads of interesting and different ports to experience.

 

The next one is port intensive in Norway, where everything costs a fortune........

 

The voyage to Longyearbyen, Spitzbergen, via numerous Norwegian destinations would only appeal to certain types, interested in mining and keen to meet a polar bear. I would imagine the area to be rather cold and bleak.....

 

However, I have been to many of the destinations, so would like to visit Svalbard around midsummer in June, for a couple of days by air!

[Iluvcruising2]

If I had not been to any of the destinations I would choose the Holland, UK, Iceland and Norway cruise.

 

Loads of interesting and different ports to experience.

 

 

I agree with you.

 

To OP, we went on an Iceland and Norway cruise on the Adventure of the Seas in June 2014. This cruise is similar to the first option. Here is my review. See if you think such a cruise is interesting.

 

Adventure of the Seas Iceland and Norway Cruise June 2014

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058253

[Iluvcruising2]

I found the scenery in Iceland to be out of this world. I think it is well worth a visit and a cruise stop is a good way to do it.

 

I really liked the Godafoss. Very intimate feel. Dedicated to God!

[YOUTUBE]Ul-y9C6ko0Y[/YOUTUBE]

 

Driving around was also very surreal. Didn't feel like I was on Earth.

[YOUTUBE]e9oDgvwVIlg[/YOUTUBE]

[john watson]

Koningsdam looks best to me; much wider port calls. Iceland must not be missed as a place to go Norway is ok, but Norway Norway Norway No way. UK is good, you might have trouble in Newcastle with understanding the English geordie accent! There is a guy in Invergordon who offers tours in a Ferrari 360. I went on one, very good but limited to a single person per trip so I followed daughter consecutively. Koningsdam is very good itinerary and if it's a new ship a bonus!

 

Regards John

[OzCanuck]

Iceland is something that is better done as a destination as opposed to a cruise stop, in my opinion. It's a relatively short flight and there is enough to see and do over the course of a few days that it makes a nice getaway on its own.

[tring]

I have done all of these and totally disagree with comments about Spitsbergen. It is so far north and remote that it is really special and you would not need excursions there as you just walk ashore at the ports. It is not freezing in the summer and we were in the jaccuzzi in Longyearbyen and we do not do cold. You would need a decent warm coat with you though in case, especially for on deck going up there and back - but you will need that and raingear for Norway and Iceland. The ice floes in Magdelane fjord are really magical, although there will not be any really big icebergs like in Greenland. You will not see ice around the coasts in either Norway or Iceland.

 

Regarding Iceland vs Norway. You will need to do trips to see the places of interest in Iceland, (geothermal sites with geysirs and bubbling mud pools), and the ports would not be as scenic as some in Norway or Spitsbergen. The Eastern coast of Scotland is not as scenic as the west, so those ports are basically for the towns/cities of Edinburgh, Inverness and the English city of Newcastle. You could do trips into the mountains - but the scenery will not be as impressive as Norway.

 

I would definately avoid the larger ship, as the smaller one will be able to do some scenic cruising and may well be able to dock closer to the ports. If you decide against Spitsbergen, I would definately go for the Norweigian cruise as there are a lot of ports and they will all be of interest in themselves, so you could still have a great time without paying for any excursions and spending your time on a coaches getting from A to B. You do not have to spend that much in Norway as you could go back to the ship for lunch. The museums are not particularly overpriced and have toilets so you could take a bottle of water with you and have a hot drink from time to time. A pint of beer will set you back about £10, which will be about $15 so drink alcohol on the ship or be prepared!

 

I would suggest you go to Google Earth and look at photos posted in those places and perhaps have a peak at street view here and there. I find it very useful.

[bobbisailsolo]

I finally made a choice... The Rotterdam, 21 days.. Fjords, Vikings and Highlands.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=E6S21N&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=EN,ET&dateCode=6_2016&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=RT&voyageCode=T645A

 

I have also booked a hurtigruten 11 night winter (early March) cruise. So between the two, I should have a very good introduction to Norway, without the redundancy of every port. And believe it or not, I'm really looking forward to the winter cruise, in spite of the cold!

Looking at pics, I think this combination will give me the scenery I'm looking for.

Plus, the Rotterdam seems the right size for me... Not too big, and not too small.

 

 

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Edited February 20, 2015 by bobbisailsolo

[tring]

Thanks for letting us know your decision. That sounds like a good compromise, but make sure you are well kitted with warm clothes for Hurtigruten (lots of layers are recomended with hat, gloves, scarf etc).

 

We are off on a Northern lights cruise for the second half of March with P&O and people were talking about -27C on the Northern Lights excursion last year, it should not be quite so cold by the coast, but if we want to spend time on deck I suspect we will know about the cold!

 

We are also looking forward to Norway in winter.

 

Cheers,

 

Barbara

[bobbisailsolo]

Thanks for letting us know your decision. That sounds like a good compromise, but make sure you are well kitted with warm clothes for Hurtigruten (lots of layers are recomended with hat, gloves, scarf etc).

 

We are off on a Northern lights cruise for the second half of March with P&O and people were talking about -27C on the Northern Lights excursion last year, it should not be quite so cold by the coast, but if we want to spend time on deck I suspect we will know about the cold!

 

We are also looking forward to Norway in winter.

 

Cheers,

 

Barbara, I took at look at your cruise and it's nearly $1000 less than Hurtigruten! I'm going to look into it! I know P&O is a British line... Does it attract an international clientele?

 

 

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[tring]

Prices have gone down now it is selling at a last minute price.

 

P&O passengers are primarily British, but I do not think that would stop you travelling with them. The drinks and tip levels tend to be cheaper than on the American lines though, especially compared to Hurtigruten, which sounds like Norweigian prices - you will very soon find out about those in Norway!!!

 

If you would consider a British based cruise line, there is also Fred Olsen. Fred's ships are older and not the same quality as the more modern ships, but being smaller they do a lot of scenic cruising - just do not risk a cabin low down and to the back of a Fred ship as there will be so much noise and vibration that you will not sleep - I have read Hurtigruten can be a problem with noise from loading and going in and out of port at night as well, so cabin location is important with them as well. Fred's trips are more expensive than P&O, but drinks are a bit cheaper and you can buy a drinks package now. Both companies have good staff, but bar service can be a bit slow on Fred. Fred generally has an older clientelle, but that is less so if you go for a more unusual cruise - we have done both Spitsbergen and Greenland with them and a wide range of people will go for that sort of itinerary. Fred is better in the more northerly reaches from our point of view and many people say that. We would not travel on the bigger P&O ships as they are over crowded from our point of view especially on deck.

 

Holland America does have a very good reputation over here though, so if they are your normal, 'tipple', you could notice the difference. No personal experience ourselves. The other cruise lines we have been on our Swan Hellenic, which we love and Costa which we did not like - but the itinerary was good on that Costa one. Swan are a different concept altogether, being an academic style of ship, with accademic speakers, excellent wildlife guides and good conversation with the other passengers. No shows, photographers and typical bar entertainment you get o the bigger ships though. Swan look expensive, but thay include tips and good quality trips, so a cheaper cabin can be very good value. Again, Swan's ship is older and without the glitz - people travel for the itineraries and the interest in the parts of the world in which they are travelling.

 

There are a couple of threads going on the P&O and Fred Olsen Section of this site comparing them to each other, so you may want a peak at those threads.

[Bollinge]

You know the Hurtigruten is a car ferry/mail packet boat operation, with many stops per day and night.

 

Their vessels are in no way cruise ships. Beers cost around $11 and wine from $60 - as in the rest of Norway.

 

As Tring says, Fred. Olsen has older ships, and and older, predominantly British demographic.

 

Another line to consider would be http://www.cruiseandmaritime.com/ again with a mainly British crowd. I am sure you would enjoy that more than the ferry.

 

The only drawback travelling with Brits is the language barrier!

[bobbisailsolo]

Yes, well aware of the Hurtigruten concept. I think it sounds interesting..especially in winter, when I really don't plan on doing lots of excursions. I don't drink beer or wine... So not a problem there

After studying the P&O itinerary it's not what I'm looking for.., will check out fred though!

 

 

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[tring]

Good luck with your search.

 

I note that Cruise and Maritime has been mentioned and we have done a couple of mini cruises with them to try the company out as they do have very low prices and detailed itineraries. After our trial, we decided we would not want to book a longer cruise with them for a number of reasons. I did not mention them previously as I thought someone who has cruised with HAL may not be that interested in Cruise and Maritime, but there are forum posts regarding the company on the, 'other cruise lines', section of this site and numerous reviews in the review section.

 

British ships have a reputation for being more formal than a number of other lines, but there are usually self service restaurants where you do not have to dress up on formal evenings. Otherwise a dinner suit or just dark lounge suits are worn by men. Ladies have it somewhat easier as formal gowns are not worn nowadays - just nice dresses (long or short), or even a pair of evening trousers and a sparkly top are perfectly acceptable. Thought it may be worth mentioning as I do not know how HAL stand with dress codes, although I suspect they may well be similar to the British ships.

 

We do fancy a Hurtigruten cruise sometime and would be particularly interested in their expedition cruises. We would also like to do some of the North American HAL itineraries, but for now we are going with the cheaper options to get the 'bucket list' of places we want to visit down. We are off to the St Lawrence with Fred on the 22nd May form our local port of Liverpool, which is an easy one for us and we will not have to pay for expensive flights. We will also see my brother in St. John's and my niece in Montreal on that one.

 

Cheers,

 

Barbara