Norse Legends or Viking Sagas

[Love2cruise77]

Trying to decide between these two cruises, which would you choose and why?  Thanks in advance!

 

7-Day Norse Legends

1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Days at Sea

3. Eidfjord, Norway

3. Scenic cruising Hardangerfjord

4. Andalsnes

5. Olden

6. Scenic cruising Nordfjord

6. Bergen, Norway

7. Days at Sea

8. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

7-Day Viking Sagas

1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Days at Sea

3. Scenic cruising Oslofjord

3. Oslo, Norway

4. Kristiansand, Norway

5. Stavanger, Norway

6. Flam, Norway

6. Scenic cruising Sognefjord

7. Days at Sea

8. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

[naturelovergirl]

Hi- both are interesting itineraries- I assume they are in summer?

 

I would choose the Norse Legends itinerary, I believe. It seems like it would be a very scenic trip with very good fjord experiences...
- Andalsnes... One excursion would be getting to drive or ride on the Trollstigen, one of the most famous roads in the world- it is amazing and a bit thrilling with all of the hairpin turns... another choice would be to take the Rauma Line on the train- we loved this train ride- absolutely gorgeous!! Either one of these excursions is absolutely worth a trip to Andalsnes.

Now if you chose the other you do get to go to Flåm... which has great excursions too... the Flåmsbana rail is interesting and historic... also the excursion to the Stegastein Viewpoint is so beautiful.
Oslo is good for the museums on the Bygdøy Peninsula...

 

Best of luck in your choices- Norway is stunning


 

[kaisatsu]

These are actually quite different focuses, so it really depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a cruise of the Norwegian fjords, definitely choose the first one. If you prefer city sightseeing and feel that one iconic fjord is enough, then choose the second.

 

The Norse Legends is pretty much entirely focused on the iconic western fjords. All of the ports are in the heart of the fjords, so you'll be visiting small towns in dramatic landscapes and doing lots of scenic cruising. Eidfjord, Andalsnes, and Olden are all classic fjord ports. The only proper city port is Bergen, but most visitors focus on the historic center around the Bryggen waterfront, so it feels smaller than it really is.

 

The Viking Sagas focuses more on Norwegian cities. Oslo is much more like the Baltic capitals than the western fjord ports, and the Oslofjord is nothing at all like the western fjords. It's a very wide fjord with low hills on either side and a rockier coastline towards the south and around to Kristiansand. Stavanger is another small city and the epicenter of Norway's oil industry, though it's possible to venture out of town to explore the nearby Lysefjord. Flåm is the only truly fjord port on this itinerary, and it is a popular favorite for fjord cruises thank to its railway that climbs an impressive 863m to connect to the main Oslo-Bergen rail line. However, a big part of Flåm's fame comes from being the most accessible town in the fjords. Thanks to the railway, it's easy to get to by public transit when taking the train between Oslo and Bergen, so it's even more popular as a (often the) fjord stop for land-based visitors.

 

Personally, I would choose the Norse Legends, because the fjords can be difficult to visit by land. Even with a car, driving times are long and roads are small and circuitous. Being able to explore the fjords by ship is much more relaxing and in many ways more convenient. Most of the destinations on the Viking Sagas itinerary can be visited easily on a typical land-based trip. Additionally, if you consider a Baltic Sea cruise in the future, several itineraries visit Oslo, and some even include Kristiansand.

[Love2cruise77]

5 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

These are actually quite different focuses, so it really depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a cruise of the Norwegian fjords, definitely choose the first one. If you prefer city sightseeing and feel that one iconic fjord is enough, then choose the second.

 

The Norse Legends is pretty much entirely focused on the iconic western fjords. All of the ports are in the heart of the fjords, so you'll be visiting small towns in dramatic landscapes and doing lots of scenic cruising. Eidfjord, Andalsnes, and Olden are all classic fjord ports. The only proper city port is Bergen, but most visitors focus on the historic center around the Bryggen waterfront, so it feels smaller than it really is.

 

The Viking Sagas focuses more on Norwegian cities. Oslo is much more like the Baltic capitals than the western fjord ports, and the Oslofjord is nothing at all like the western fjords. It's a very wide fjord with low hills on either side and a rockier coastline towards the south and around to Kristiansand. Stavanger is another small city and the epicenter of Norway's oil industry, though it's possible to venture out of town to explore the nearby Lysefjord. Flåm is the only truly fjord port on this itinerary, and it is a popular favorite for fjord cruises thank to its railway that climbs an impressive 863m to connect to the main Oslo-Bergen rail line. However, a big part of Flåm's fame comes from being the most accessible town in the fjords. Thanks to the railway, it's easy to get to by public transit when taking the train between Oslo and Bergen, so it's even more popular as a (often the) fjord stop for land-based visitors.

 

Personally, I would choose the Norse Legends, because the fjords can be difficult to visit by land. Even with a car, driving times are long and roads are small and circuitous. Being able to explore the fjords by ship is much more relaxing and in many ways more convenient. Most of the destinations on the Viking Sagas itinerary can be visited easily on a typical land-based trip. Additionally, if you consider a Baltic Sea cruise in the future, several itineraries visit Oslo, and some even include Kristiansand.

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation, it does help our decision a lot with such detailed description of both itineraries.

[Love2cruise77]

16 hours ago, naturelovergirl said:

Hi- both are interesting itineraries- I assume they are in summer?

 

I would choose the Norse Legends itinerary, I believe. It seems like it would be a very scenic trip with very good fjord experiences...
- Andalsnes... One excursion would be getting to drive or ride on the Trollstigen, one of the most famous roads in the world- it is amazing and a bit thrilling with all of the hairpin turns... another choice would be to take the Rauma Line on the train- we loved this train ride- absolutely gorgeous!! Either one of these excursions is absolutely worth a trip to Andalsnes.

Now if you chose the other you do get to go to Flåm... which has great excursions too... the Flåmsbana rail is interesting and historic... also the excursion to the Stegastein Viewpoint is so beautiful.
Oslo is good for the museums on the Bygdøy Peninsula...

 

Best of luck in your choices- Norway is stunning


 

 

Thanks for your suggestion of the excursions, we will consider them once we decide on which itinerary.

[kitkat343]

These two itineraries split two of our favorite stops from our Norway cruise.

 

In Olden, the Loen skylift is expensive but amazing.  In the afternoon, we visited Briksdal glacier, which has been hit hard by global warming, but is quite a lovely drive and hike.

 

In Flam, we started with the amazing railway ride, and had a wonderful time visiting the goat farms with https://www.fjordsafari.com/half-day-excursions-summer/ .  

 

There's details about how we arranged these private excursions in my review, which is located in the signature lines.

 

Norway is incredible, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time whichever itinerary you choose (and I haven't been to many of the cities on your itinerary so I can't help you choose).

Edited November 8, 2018 by kitkat343