Norway -- 14 nights -- which itinerary or is 7 days better?

[travelingla]

In looking ahead to 2020 I keep returning to 14 nights for Norway -- crazy question but is that too many or should a 7 nighter and more time in Amsterdam be a better experience? I am looking at HAL -- the Veendam or Nieuw Statendam seem to be the offerings for 14 nights RT Amsterdam.

 

The itineraries are different. The Veendam goes to the Arctic circle and all ports are different. (no Flam)

The N Statendam goes to Flam but also repeats Eldfjord & and makes a day at Amsterdam (also RT Amsterdam) -- this one is cheaper so looking at it more. 

 

Both have 3 sea days - any very favorite not to miss ports that might help us decide?? Favorite Fjords not to miss??

 

I know so little about these areas. We are looking at doing this verses a third Alaska cruise -- we loved AK but prefer to see another part of the world.

 

Advice is much appreciated!

Edited November 26, 2018 by travelingla

[CruiserBruce]

The 14 day on Veendam will be a great cruise. Nothing wrong with N. Statendam, but the Veendam route is excellent.

 

I don't know how a 7 day route will ever be better than a 14 day route.

[Grandma Cruising]

I agree, 7 days is unlikely to get you into the arctic circle.

[hallasm]

Serenade of the Seas ’11 days Norwegian Fjords Cruise’ from Copenhagen might also be an option - does pass arctic circle and visit to Nordkapp as well as Geiranger and Flåm

Itinerary:  Copenhagen, At Sea, Geiranger, Crossing the Arctic Circle, Tromsø, Honningsvåg (Nordkapp), At Sea, Ålesund, Flåm, Stavanger, At Sea, Copenhagen.

The cruise is mid June so you experience the Midnight Sun

Edited November 26, 2018 by hallasm

[travelingla]

Thank you all so much for your quick replies!  Hallasm, I will definitely give that a look -- I appreciate it!

 

Do y'all have favorite fjords that you think should take top priority in planning? Or favorite ports? I keep reading that Flam should be on the itinerary if possible.

 

Not sure what the 'Arctic Circle' is other than to say we crossed it?? Ohhh -- Midnight Sun sounds like a good perk too......  I have a lot of reading up to do!

Edited November 26, 2018 by travelingla

[hallasm]

My favorites are Geiranger and Flåm - Fjords are magnificent- you need to be at the upper decks early in the morning to enjoy the mountains. Honningvåg and  Nordkapp is the northmost point of continental Europe.  See Norwegian Fjords video below.

The Arctic Circle marks the northernmost point at which the centre of the noon sun is just visible on the December solstice and the southernmost point at which the centre of the midnight sun is just visible on the June solstice.

in June you will have the Midnight Sun - my midnight sun video below.

 

 

 

 

[kitkat343]

Flam, geiranger and olden were our three favorite ports on our 7 day.  Didn’t make it to the arctic so can’t help with more than that (with a 2 year old we were lucky to see as much as we did). Norway is beautiful, and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time!

[travelingla]

3 hours ago, hallasm said:

My favorites are Geiranger and Flåm - Fjords are magnificent- you need to be at the upper decks early in the morning to enjoy the mountains. Honningvåg and  Nordkapp is the northmost point of continental Europe.  See Norwegian Fjords video below.

The Arctic Circle marks the northernmost point at which the centre of the noon sun is just visible on the December solstice and the southernmost point at which the centre of the midnight sun is just visible on the June solstice.

in June you will have the Midnight Sun - my midnight sun video below.

 

 

 

 

wonderful videos -- thank you for sharing - -I've enjoyed your other YouTube videos as well -- it is so very helpful to see your experiences!

[kaisatsu]

Among the fjord ports, my favorite is Geiranger, but Flåm is nice too. In the Arctic, the Lofoten Islands are stunning (typical ports are Gravdal or Leknes), and I’m awfully fond of Tromsø. Also, in general, Bergen is well worth visiting.

[travelingla]

Thanks, Kaisatsu.  Do you know of a cruise line that visits all of these?  I am having difficulty and it seems I will need to 'swap' out as I can't find one that has all the recommendations from posters. I am looking at 2020 so it might be that not all itineraries have been released yet.

 

For instance just with HAL (all 3 are 14 nights): 2 have Honnigsvag and Flam but no Geirangerfjord.  The third has Geirangerfjord and Flam but does not go more north than Alesund.

 

There are ports I've not heard mentioned:  Narvik & Bronnoysund on one and Trandheim on another. I'm so confused!  I just downloaded a Kindle - think I'll read a bit in it......

 

We are into scenery and not shopping -- that is one big thing!  I also noticed 2 of  these 14 nighters have 5 full sea days -- one has 4 (the one that goes only up to Alesund and includes Geirangerfjord)

[travelingla]

8 hours ago, hallasm said:

Serenade of the Seas ’11 days Norwegian Fjords Cruise’ from Copenhagen might also be an option - does pass arctic circle and visit to Nordkapp as well as Geiranger and Flåm

Itinerary:  Copenhagen, At Sea, Geiranger, Crossing the Arctic Circle, Tromsø, Honningsvåg (Nordkapp), At Sea, Ålesund, Flåm, Stavanger, At Sea, Copenhagen.

The cruise is mid June so you experience the Midnight Sun

 

Actually, Hallasm, this itinerary you posted IS perfect!  They just do not have a 2020 one released yet -- so I'll keep watching for it. It has the 3 I wanted: Arctic Circle, Geiranger and Flam!  :)  Thank you...... and it's only 11 nights with 2 sea days -- hope they go with this itinerary for 2020

[capriccio]

6 hours ago, travelingla said:

Do you know of a cruise line that visits all of these? 

Princess summer 2020 cruise itineraries aren't out yet but we will be on a 14 day "Land of the Midnight Sun" cruise from June 15 to June 30th this coming summer (we'll be above the Arctic Circle for the solstice) that visits Stavanger, Flaam, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag (North Cape), Tromso, Gravdal (Lofoten Islands), Alesund and Bergen.  The cruise is round trip Southampton.  Other Norway cruises are offered throughout the summer.

Edited November 27, 2018 by capriccio

[Coral]

I did 14 nights on Princess last summer and am so glad I did. I would not have been satisfied with 7 nights. I loved the trip so much - I am booked on it again. So much to do in ports that I had to make decisions and want to go back to do "the other things". 

 

If you can do 14 nights - I would. My favorites were Tromso, Bergen and Geriangerfjord. I would have loved North Cape but we had bad weather. My trip did not do Flam so I am returning this year to see Flam.

[travelingla]

10 hours ago, capriccio said:

Princess summer 2020 cruise itineraries aren't out yet but we will be on a 14 day "Land of the Midnight Sun" cruise from June 15 to June 30th this coming summer (we'll be above the Arctic Circle for the solstice) that visits Stavanger, Flaam, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag (North Cape), Tromso, Gravdal (Lofoten Islands), Alesund and Bergen.  The cruise is round trip Southampton.  Other Norway cruises are offered throughout the summer.

 

I looked, and the 2020 are out for Princess. But..... your 6/15/19 itinerary is perfect.... not so with their 2020 14 nights  :(  That is too bad for us.

[capriccio]

47 minutes ago, travelingla said:

 

I looked, and the 2020 are out for Princess. But..... your 6/15/19 itinerary is perfect.... not so with their 2020 14 nights 😞  That is too bad for us.

Sorry, somehow I must have set my filters wrong.  I agree with you that on the 2020 itinerary (Stavanger, Flaam, Olden Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Gravdal, Andalsnes and Bergen) you miss Geiranger (which we are really looking forward to) and Alesund.  But it does include Olden and Andalsnes which look lovely.  I hope you can find the perfect itinerary!

[puppycanducruise]

We did the Norse Legends (7 day cruise) on the Rotterdam a couple of years ago.  We spent 4 days in Amsterdam before the cruise.  We wanted to be away less than 2 weeks, so we compromised with a shorter Norway cruise.  While the cruise was wonderful, our only complaint that it was too short!  If we do another Norway cruise, we would do 14 days.

[kaisatsu]

15 hours ago, travelingla said:

Thanks, Kaisatsu.  Do you know of a cruise line that visits all of these?  I am having difficulty and it seems I will need to 'swap' out as I can't find one that has all the recommendations from posters. I am looking at 2020 so it might be that not all itineraries have been released yet.

Most of the cruiselines change their itineraries from year to year, and changes to Norwegian port regulations and fees can also have a noticeable impact on the offerings. If there are particular places you want to visit and you're not particularly loyal to a specific cruiseline, I would definitely wait until all of the lines you're considering publish their 2020 options.

 

It's unlikely to find a cruise that visits all of the ports you want, so do a small bit of research and figure out your must-sees, both in terms of specific ports and types of ports. The towns within the fjords tend to be quite small, and fjord scenery is -- to some extent -- a bit similar among the different fjords, so several cruiselines include a few representative ports rather than visiting them all. 

 

15 hours ago, travelingla said:

For instance just with HAL (all 3 are 14 nights): 2 have Honnigsvag and Flam but no Geirangerfjord.  The third has Geirangerfjord and Flam but does not go more north than Alesund.

This is one of the clear distinctions in Norwegian coastal cruises. They generally fall into two categories: those that target only the fjord country, and those that also include the Arctic. I would suggest this be the first decision you make. Once you decide whether you want to visit the Arctic or spend all of your time in the fjords, then you can focus your choices on just cruises within that category.

 

If you only want to visit the fjords, I would skip HAL's 14-night back-to-back booking options that return to Amsterdam mid-trip. You waste a lot of time at sea sailing south and back north. Also, Oslo and Kristiansand are neither fjord country nor Arctic and actually fit better (both culturally and geographically) into a Baltic Sea cruise, rather than a Norwegian coastal cruise.

 

Geirangerfjord and Flåm are the two most popular fjord ports, but while both places are well worth visiting, I personally don't think it's a must to have both. I would question an itinerary that didn't include either one, but if there are other ports you're especially keen to visit, I wouldn't make other sacrifices in order to include both of these. Especially if the sailing includes other fjords as well.

 

15 hours ago, travelingla said:

There are ports I've not heard mentioned:  Narvik & Bronnoysund on one and Trandheim on another. I'm so confused!  I just downloaded a Kindle - think I'll read a bit in it......

Narvik is a small city that's best known for its WWII history, when it was a strategic industrial port. I've not been, but most people visit for the historical significance or en route to other places in northern Norway and Sweden. Trondheim is a fairly common cruise stop and is the fourth largest city in Norway. It was the capital during the Viking age and is known for its Gothic cathedral (and the prestigious local technical university). It's a pleasant enough town to wander around, but it tends to be outshone by Bergen in most visitors' minds. Brønnøysund has a mountain with a hole through it. 🙂

 

15 hours ago, travelingla said:

We are into scenery and not shopping -- that is one big thing!  I also noticed 2 of  these 14 nighters have 5 full sea days -- one has 4 (the one that goes only up to Alesund and includes Geirangerfjord)

Don't worry! Norway is definitely not a destination for shopping! Even when it's available, the prices are generally prohibitive!

[BarbinMich]

We have been to Flam and enjoyed being there.  Looking at the map, I see that it's about 40 mi due south of Geiranger so assume the approach to each is similar.  Since we arrived about 7-8 am, we weren't up to see the approach up the fjord.  We had to make due with viewing the fjord scenery on the sailaway, but it was late afternoon and cloudy so the lighting wasn't the best.  It took several hrs to reach the ocean.  While sailing by steep rocky walls was scenic, I also enjoyed seeing the occasional farm with its sloping green fields.

 

Flam has a train that takes you higher into the mountains; don't know whether Geiranger has a train. 

[naturelovergirl]

I saw someone talking about Andalsnes above- with Andalsnes there are some excellent excursions to consider.

The Rauma line train is outstanding. We loved it. Very beautiful.

Also taking the hair-pin turn trip on one of the most famous roads in the world, the Trollstigen, is thrilling and beautiful.

[travelingla]

Kaisatsu -- this made me laugh out loud! Brønnøysund has a mountain with a hole through it. 🙂  I must read more about this... Your post is soooo helpful and helps me get a better focus on the itineraries offered. THANK YOU!  I may have mentioned we've been to Alaska twice and loved sailing the Inside Passage and I envision the Fjords to be similar only 'more so' -- and the smaller towns are probably quaint as well........ we would not want only Fjords all day every day but definitely want to get our fill of the scenery.  :) I agree and appreciate your statement:  "and fjord scenery is -- to some extent -- a bit similar among the different fjords, so several cruiselines include a few representative ports rather than visiting them all. "

 

I am making plans for several couples so trying to get it all in or as much as possible. I think the Arctic Circle is a 'must do' and several of us are hoping for Puffins!!!!  We are not loyal..... and will definitely wait for all lines to release their 2020 offerings -- we also know for sure now that 11-14 days is what we desire. I agree with the backtracking of that itinerary with Amsterdam in the middle -- it surely seems strange to me -- we are not booking it for sure.

 

Thank you for the heads up on the towns I was not so familiar with -- it really helps to have you giving your expert knowledge of your country -- thank you for sharing..... and for spending the time trying to help me make sense of this trip. We are all retired so I am sure this will be our one chance at seeing your beautiful country - it's been on my bucket list for many years and my husband and I decided now is the time!

 

Thanks, Naturelovergirl for your mention of the excursions -- I'll read up on that as well -- and I've seen photos of that road --whew! That would definitely be fun!

 

I am loving reading and learning more about these many options -- by the time the 2020 are all released I'll be ready!  Thank you all!

[4774Papa]

On 11/26/2018 at 6:59 AM, travelingla said:

In looking ahead to 2020 I keep returning to 14 nights for Norway -- crazy question but is that too many or should a 7 nighter and more time in Amsterdam be a better experience? I am looking at HAL -- the Veendam or Nieuw Statendam seem to be the offerings for 14 nights RT Amsterdam.

 

The itineraries are different. The Veendam goes to the Arctic circle and all ports are different. (no Flam)

The N Statendam goes to Flam but also repeats Eldfjord & and makes a day at Amsterdam (also RT Amsterdam) -- this one is cheaper so looking at it more. 

 

Both have 3 sea days - any very favorite not to miss ports that might help us decide?? Favorite Fjords not to miss??

 

I know so little about these areas. We are looking at doing this verses a third Alaska cruise -- we loved AK but prefer to see another part of the world.

 

Advice is much appreciated!

We picked RCI, Serenade of the Seas for our June 2019 Arctic Circle cruise.  It stops in Flam.  NCL also has a great Arctic Circle cruise.  

[LilaC123]

My sister and I were on a 14 day HAL cruise in July 2017, on their "new" Koningsdam" ship.  The high-light for me was renting a car at North Cape (Honningsvag) and driving to all the small fishing villages and up to the North Cape where we walked around.  It is beautiful scenery up there.  My husband and I will only try to do 14 day cruises because I live on the west coast of Canada and to fly to Europe takes quite a few hours, so we want to make the time on the plane worth our while 😄 By the way, every port we visited in Norway was beautiful and well worth the time exploring.  We took the train in Flam, but got off early on the way back down and walked through some gorgeous areas where we could take photos and see nice town scenes.  Bergen, Alesand and Trondheim and Stavanger were also nice stops.  So much history in Europe compared to baby Canada!

[Capt_BJ]

are locked onto the dam ships?

 

We recently did Viking Ocean Midnight Sun 14 days.  Started in London (Greenwich) and hit 3 spots in Scotland (Eden', Orkney & Shetlands) b4 crossing over to Norway but then hit Northcapp, Tromso, Lofoten, Molde, Geiranger and ended in Bergen.

 

But I want Flam you say .....

 

We extended in Bergen for a day, then booked (via Norway in a Nutshell) a trip to Flam by train/bus/water and then did an overnight there.  THEN took Flam train UP to meet the Bergen/Oslo train .... and after a few days in Oslo flew home from there.

 

IMO the big difference between F and G was the train (no train in G)  G is actually a bit larger of a town I'd say but a bunch of folks hit Flam for the train.  A cruise excursion will typically ride the train up, then back down (round trip). You can find a bunch of YouTube of this train ride.  If you go to Flam and don't ride the train .... why did you go to Flam .... otoh I'm glad we overnighted in Flam and not G as it WAS a much smaller town. Once the cruise ships pulled out it was a sleepy little village and not as overloaded with tourist shops.

 

**********

Norway cruises are all about scenery ... not shopping

 

Everything in Norway is $$$ .. spend a lil time on the ground there and you learn FAST.

[kaisatsu]

10 minutes ago, Capt_BJ said:

G is actually a bit larger of a town I'd say but a bunch of folks hit Flam for the train.

It's a bit hard to compare, since they're both so tiny, but Flåm is actually ~40% bigger by population. As a visitor, Geiranger probably feels larger because the sights are more spread out, and you end up seeing more of the town itself, while Flåm squeezes almost all of its tourist infrastructure into the small area around the harbor and train station. However, the valley stretching back from the water is long and wide, so there's plenty of space for the town to expand. The populated area around Geiranger peters out around 1km from the shore, but Flåm is built up much farther inland. For example, the church lies 3km back from the water (and even more if you account for the curve in the valley). It's possible to take the Flåmsbana train up to Myrdal and rent a cycle to ride back down. It feels so much farther on a cycle than it does on the train!

[maryann ns]

We are taking this trip. I think it goes to all the places mentioned.

 

We have been on the same ship to the Antarctic and it was a top notch experience in every way. It costs more than some cruises, but it includes all excursions and because it is an expedition ship there is a wonderful professional staff to provide education and background to the experience. The excursions on zodiacs are special too.

 

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/norwegian-fjords-arctic-discovery/XVBLNX/