Best cruise line for 2017 Norwegian Fjords

[seickert]

Looking for recommendations on the best cruise lines (and itineraries) for 2017 Norwegian Fjords. We like mid or large size ships. We are open to trying different cruise lines, especially if they specialize in northern/colder/fjord cruises. We can't afford a luxury cruise... probably best to stay in the $1500-1800 pp for a balcony for a week. It will just be my husband and I. We are quite active and like nature, exploring, culture, food, and photography. Flexible on departure port. Want length to be 7-10 days or so.

 

Also, what is the best time to book to snag the lowest prices? Any other tips for booking, selecting rooms, itineraries, etc?

 

For background, we have taken 3 cruises before: 1 Eastern Med on Royal Car, 1 Baltic on Royal Car, and 1 Western Med on Norwegian. Will be cruising the Greek Islands on Norwegian this summer.

 

Thanks all! Look forward to your reco's!

[CruiserBruce]

"Best" is totally subjective. What is "best" for you, might be horrible for me. For example, we have no interest in NCL. You might love it.

 

So, you need to focus (as with many cruise areas) on itinerary. Not sure how many cruise lines do 7 days in this area, I know Holland America does a few. 10 days to 2 weeks is a more available cruise length. We enjoy Holland America,and can recommend them.

 

Some reading down the board would reveal some of the more impressive fjords and related areas, then try to match itineraries and your time schedule. The fjords don't change- you will see the same thing on any ship you sail. Time in port is a frequently mentioned consideration, so you might want to look who stays in some of the ports longest.

[denatravels]

MSC, Princess, and HAL all have lengthier itineraries. NCL does a 10 day and RCI does a 7 day.

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

MSC, Princess, and HAL all have lengthier itineraries. NCL does a 10 day and RCI does a 7 day.

 

 

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I see HAL has 13 Norway area different sailings of 7 day length in June-Aug 2017. However, they don't go as far north as 12 or 14 day sailings.

Edited April 3, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[TLCOhio]

"Best" is totally subjective. What is "best" for you, might be horrible for me. For example, we have no interest in NCL. You might love it..

 

sickest: Best cruise line for 2017 Norwegian Fjords. Looking for recommendations on the best cruise lines (and itineraries) for 2017 Norwegian Fjords. We can't afford a luxury cruise... probably best to stay in the $1500-1800 pp for a balcony for a week

 

Agree 100% with the smart CruiserBruce that " 'Best' is totally subjective."!! And' date=' you mentioned that pricing is very important for your needs. Understand that desire for "economy", but things are not cheap in Norway. Their "season" is short and the country is costly due to its high taxes, expensive labor costs, high charges for imports, etc. In Norway, you will not find prices as low as what happens for the Caribbean and/or Med.

 

[b']You did not mention timing.[/b] May, as an example will be cheaper, but the weather then can be much more risky and not yielding, in general, as nice of an experience to see and enjoy these fantastic sights.

 

Tell us more on what is most important for you? How much for nature, history, culture, shopping, wildlife, architecture, museums, etc.?

 

KEY NORWAY COAST CHALLENGE/QUESTION: One major issue is whether to just focus on the lower Norway fjords, Bergen, etc. Nice and wonderful. BUT, there is the option of going up, UP farther north, above the Arctic Circle, seeing such great places as the Lofoten Islands, the North Cape, interesting cities such as Tromso and Trondheim, etc., in taking more time to go more north. Only doing the lower portion requires less time, has more sailing/ship options and costs less. That’s very good! BUT, if you can take the added time, seeing farther up this Norway coast can be very special and unique. Especially, if you really love/seek nature, great scenery, wildlife, etc. Your choice?

 

BEFORE/AFTER CRUISE?: Depending where you live and what you like in Europe, there are some great pre-cruise and post-cruise options that can added to the "value" and enjoyment. Tell us more on your Europe travel history/desires.

 

Below are a few pictures to help fire up you interest in Norway. Plus, on my live/blog connected below you can see many more details, visuals and options to consider.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 196,362 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

You go on these Norway Coast cruises for the spectacular fjords. From the journey to Flam, Gudvangen and Sognerfjord, here is one picture giving you a sampling of the skies and views for these beautiful internal coastlines of the fjords. Being up on the top of the boat can provide great view on BOTH sides as you sail up and down these various fjords.

 

 

 

This is the dramatic overview of Alesund from the Aksla vantage point along the western coast of Norway. This spot allows a nearly 360-degree view of this setting for this island city and the surrounding mountains and islands. It is at a 597’ height overlooking the five islands making up the scenic town. The canal or waterway in the middle of the town is called "Brosundet" (or the Bridge sound). That means Ale sund (sloping sound). Or, reflecting that the sound slopes through town. This is how Alesund got its name.:

 

 

 

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. Super loved the charm, character, history and beauty in Bergen.:

 

 

 

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

 

 

 

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. Here is this view, at a lower level, that provided a wonderful vista.:

 

 

 

After being tendered from Geiranger, we sailed out and passed by two super famous waterfalls. YES, yes, we saw lots and lots of waterfalls on this trip, but these two were among the “best of the best”. First is the “Seven Sisters”. Directly opposite in this narrow fjord, it is called several names, including “The Suitor”. The majesty for these feats of nature is pretty amazing.:

 

[tring]

Since you are asking about Norway and asking about the best itineraries it would at least be worth you looking at the Fred Olsen web site. They are owned by a Norweigian family, but are British based and specialise in going north from the UK. They also leave from different ports around the UK.

 

Most passengers will be older (especially on the longer cruises) and British and their largest ship (Balmoral) is only about 45,000 ton, but the small size does mean they can get into ports that the larger ships cannot and they do a lot of scenic cruising. If you go North for instance they travel on the inside passage on sea days (scenic cruising), whilst the bigger ships mentioned previously will go out to sea on those days (sea conditions can be worse out at sea as well). They have the normal cruise ship entertainments, but on a smaller scale, so you may find the quality of performers vary.

 

Fred's ships are older so not glamorous. I would not book a cabin low down or to the back (say third) of the ships as there can be quite a bit of vibration, but otherwise the cabins are fine for us. Braemar is newer than their other ships (and smaller), but has a flat bottom like the more modern cruise ships you are used to. Fred's other three ships are much more stable in bad seas. They have very few balconies and we would never consider paying the high price charged for those cabins, just because of their scarcity. We find that even an inside cabin or lower deck outside is fine as it is easy to get a space on deck or in an observation lounge compared to the big ships which have limited deck space for the number of people onboard. Beware of some superior outside cabins, and even some balcony cabins as the view is obstructed by life boats. Prices can be high when first released, but if you can make use of offers when available, they can be very good. Unfortunately the good offers tend to be "buy three" deals (e.g. three for the price of two), so may not be of use to you unless you want three cruises.

 

The cruise style is fairly formal and most people will wear black tie or at least a lounge suit on formal nights. There used to be about two formal nights a week, but that seems to be diminishing. There are good self service restaurants though if you prefer to dress casually on formal nights. The one thing that can be a snag IMO with Fred is that they do set sittings for dinner. This means you choose early or late sitting and request table size and you get allocated a table for the duration of the cruise if you dine in the main restaurants for dinner. Breakfast and lunch are open seating. Food is better than on other cruise lines we have travelled with and most people report the same as us regards that.

 

Just a thought - may not be for you, but as I said worth a look. It would be quite a different experience to the other cruise lines you have used, but they do say variety is the spice of life. We find it easier to walk off from the quieter ports visited.

Edited April 12, 2016 by tring

[angeleyes27]

TLC, we are looking to do a Norwegian fjord cruise in 2017 as well. We want to go to Trondheim, Tromso, Loften Islands. We have been to Bergen, Alesund and Geiranger before in 2014. We were thinking of NCL out of Hamburg

[denatravels]

TLC, we are looking to do a Norwegian fjord cruise in 2017 as well. We want to go to Trondheim, Tromso, Loften Islands. We have been to Bergen, Alesund and Geiranger before in 2014. We were thinking of NCL out of Hamburg

 

 

I'm leaning towards that, as well. My other option is princess in August but it's twice as much $$ and the ports are MOSTLY the same.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

TLC, we are looking to do a Norwegian fjord cruise in 2017 as well. We want to go to Trondheim, Tromso, Loften Islands. We have been to Bergen, Alesund and Geiranger before in 2014. We were thinking of NCL out of Hamburg

 

Glad to know you are considering going farther north to enjoy Trondheim, Tromso, Lofoten Islands, etc. We super loved the Lofoten Islands!! Super wonderful area that is one of the "secrets" in that nation where the elites of the nation go to visit during their summers. Trondheim was also very nice and Tromso has some enjoyable options there, too. Below are some of my visuals as proof or "evidence" to back up my opinions.

 

KEY POINT??: No one cruise for Norway is going to have it "all", the perfect pricing, visiting every stop desired, etc. Be ready to do the best available, not waiting till you find a cruise that will answer every desire. That "perfection" might not be obtainable.

 

Added questions, info needs?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 139,947 views for this posting.

 

 

Trondheim’s top and most historic attraction is their Cathedral. Nidaros Cathedral was built from 1070 and is the most important Gothic monument in Norway. The Norway King is still crowned here. This is the front of Trondheim’s Cathedral. This is Scandinavia’s largest medieval building and has a central, 321-foot-high tower.:

 

 

 

Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim, originally constructed in 1774 with 144 rooms constituting 43,000 sq. ft. It is the largest wooden building in Northern Europe, has buttercup-yellow coloring, a Rococo style with Baroque details, is open 10 am-5 pm and has been used by royals and their guests since 1800.:

 

 

 

Taking the cable car up to the top of Mt. Storsteinen at 1,260 feet provides great views of the town of Tromso, nearby islands, mountains and water. With our mid-day weather so sunny, it really helped enjoy this city in such a great setting. The Arctic Cathedral is shown bottom right in this picture.:

 

 

 

Here is one of our first Lofoten Islands views from a stop early in the trip as we drove south towards “Å" along the A-10 highway from Leknes.

 

 

 

We went to the end of the road as our “adventure” in the dramatic Lofoten Islands with our rental car. We stopped in a village called “A”. In their alphabet, this “A” has a small “o” above the letter. This is a simple name for a charming fishing town with spectacular scenery. We brought along box lunches from the ship and dined on a picnic table on the wooden dock with water and sights all around us. This was our dining view with the busy and noisy birds providing entertainment!!:

 

 

 

As we departed Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands of Norway on a perfect, sunny day, these are two of the green, tree-covered mountains rising up from the sea that we saw with the small out-islands in the foreground.:

 

[durante]

You could also check out Cunard as they do a few Norwegian cruises each year. Also Celebrity. We have been to Norway on both lines and recommend both.

Edited April 17, 2016 by durante

[kcbmarek]

We are also considering the NCL out of Hamburg in June 2017!!!

 

 

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[angeleyes27]

We booked the NCL North Cape cruise yesterday. Terry, do you know if we can rent a car and drive around in Loften Islands and perhaps Tromso ? I was thinking of the King Crab Safari but not sure. Alesund: perhaps the outer islands or bird park. We have been there before. What did others do in these ports?

[angeleyes27]

I read again and see that you did rent a car in Loften Islands. How did that work out?