Norwegian Fjords

[gonecroozin]

Thank you for your thoughts hallasm and  gnome1.

 

My husband really wants to do all 3 of the fjords, but I would love to experience the Midnight Sun.

 

It’s not a bad dilemma to have.

 

 

 

[PATRLR]

On 9/11/2024 at 4:22 AM, gonecroozin said:

Thank you for your thoughts hallasm and  gnome1.

 

My husband really wants to do all 3 of the fjords, but I would love to experience the Midnight Sun.

 

It’s not a bad dilemma to have.

 

 

 

In my opinion, the primary reason to do the Artic Circle portion of those itineraries is for the midnight sun.  It's a full sea day to get up there, full sea day coming back, in my opinion whatever you are going to had better be worth the trip, and it's midnight sun that would make it worthwhile to me.

[gonecroozin]

Thank you for your thoughts PATRLR.

However , as is often the case, fate has intervened and made my decision a lot easier.

I cannot go in July now, so I have booked the August one. 
So sadly, I will miss out on the Midnight sun this time.

However, my husband will get his preference.

As we have travelled round the Mediterranean and Southwest of Europe quite a few times , we have decided to focus on Northern Europe for the next couple of years.

We hope to book a cruise for 2026 that visits the Artic Circle again, so I am sure I will get to experience the Midnight sun some time in the future.
Or we could plan a land visit .

[kaisatsu]

To offer another perspective: In my opinion, the primary reason to include the Arctic is to visit Tromsø and ideally Lofoten. For Norwegians, Lofoten has long been considered the most beautiful place in the country (i.e. prettier than the fjords). Though it has become magnitudes more touristed since the dawn of Instagram.

 

Also, the Arctic tundra up around Hammerfest and Honningsvåg is a fascinating contrast to the landscapes in other parts of the country. And without traveling to Svalbard, Nordkapp is probably the farthest north that most people will reach in a lifetime!

[1818]

Hello! I need this group help to make a decision:

Is it possible to see Northern lights from the boat by the end of August and first  days of September?

the route 

Alesund

Flam

Artic circle

Tromso

Honnigsvag

Trondheim
Because this is the only reason to cruise this period. Looking for your thoughts and expertise!
Thank you so much!

Monica 

[hallasm]

7 minutes ago, 1818 said:

Is it possible to see Northern lights from the boat by the end of August and first  days of September?

Possible, but I don't think it's very likely. The sky is still bright within the Arctic Circle in early September and probably too bright to see the Northern Lights.

I would think it is a little too early for a Northern Lights cruise.

[mahdnc]

We have not been to Norway and on impulse I am considering booking one of the Celebrity cruise 2026 itineraries being released in early October.  I have done some basic reading on the ports but would appreciate any comments/comparison with these sailings aboard Celebrity Apex:

 

Option 1:

 

Option 2 (B2B)

 

Option 3

 

I would be interested in any general comments about the above itineraries. 

 

Some specific questions that I have: How does Option 1 & 3 compare?  How big of a deal is the difference in time of year between the two? Weather differences?

 

Option 2 is difficult to compare to the other options because it is so different.  I have to decide how important it is to see (another) total solar eclipse and is it worth the tradeoff to not visit northern Norway.  Having said that, what is the thought about the 7 night Norway itinerary that is shown? 

 

Neither one of the cruises have both Flam and Geiranger together.  I know they are similar yet different--what are the opinions in terms of choosing one over the other?

Edited Saturday at 12:51 AM by mahdnc

[hallasm]

I can see that you have done your 'homework' and already have a good idea of the individual ports. Generally good itineraries including deep fjords to Geiranger, Olden, and Geiranger and nice coastal cities as Bergen, Ålesund, Tromsø, Trondheim and Stavanger.

Bruges is a interesting city as well.

Not  that interesting are Molde and Haugesund

6 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Some specific questions that I have: How does Option 1 & 3 compare?  How big of a deal is the difference in time of year between the two? Weather differences?

I prefer June - more snow in mountains and water in rivers .  
In June you’ll miss the Solar Eclipse but you’ll have the Midnight Sun inside the Arctic Circle - Tromsø and Honningsvåg (North Cape), 

For the Arctic Circle cruise in August no Midnight Sun. 

6 hours ago, mahdnc said:

I have to decide how important it is to see (another) total solar eclipse and is it worth the tradeoff to not visit northern Norway.  Having said that, what is the thought about the 7 night Norway itinerary that is shown? 

I do not know wher you might see the solar eclipse- as I understand it’s August 12, 2026 - anyway the 7 night Norway Fjords has Bergen, Ålesund and Flåm as The highlights

 

6 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Neither one of the cruises have both Flam and Geiranger together.  I know they are similar yet different--what are the opinions in terms of choosing one over the other?

Flåm has the railway and Geiranger the view points. Geirangerfjorden is more impressive than Aurlandsfjorden into Flåm but from Flåm you can visit Nærøyfjorden in addition to the railway.

 

For the Solar Eclipse you have to choose option two - for Arctic Circle and Midnight Sun choose option 1

[kaisatsu]

Edited: I just realized that you said “another” total eclipse, which I suppose does factor in a bit. I think I’d still go for the one-time opportunity, unless there are reasons you wouldn’t be able to visit the Arctic another time.
_____

Will the ship be in the path of totality? If so, hands-down due the solar eclipse cruise. Norway and the Midnight Sun are around every year, but witnessing a total solar eclipse is such an amazing opportunity. It truly is magnitudes more amazing than a partial eclipse.

 

I flew to the US in April for the eclipse, because it happened to pass over my hometown, so some friends and family all gathered to try to see it. We assumed that if the weather didn’t cooperate, we’d still get to spend time with everyone visiting from out of town, and we had a place to stay without dealing with the crazy hotel costs or traffic. In the end the weather worked out, and it was honestly incredible to see.

 

If you have the option to see it from a cruise without having to battle the travel logistics of being in the right place at the right time, I would jump on that opportunity. And if the weather is disappointing, you still have ports to explore and enjoy.

 

I’d save northern Norway for another time. Either a mug night sun trip, or maybe a vcryise or visit to Tromsø to see the northern lights.

Edited Saturday at 09:39 AM by kaisatsu

[kaisatsu]

Comparing the Norwegian ports…

1. 6 Jun: Haugesund, Stavanger, Olden, Tromsø, Honningsvåg, Molde, Ålesund, Geiranger (plus Zeebrugge)

 

2. 15 Aug: Haugesund, Ålesund, Flåm, Bergen

 

3. 29 Aug: Stavanger, Ålesund, Olden, Tromsø, Honningsvåg, Trondheim, Molde, Geiranger, Bergen

Between 1 & 3, the difference in ports is swapping Haugesund and Zeebrugge for Bergen. Bruges is nice, but Bergen is one of the best port cities in Norway. Haugesund is pretty forgettable.

 

However, 29 August is quite late. Some seasonal tourism operators may likely have ended their season by then. Thanks to global warming, the last few years have seen fairly mild temperatures into September, and we hit the low 20°s C in Oslo this week. However, you’d need to be prepared for cooler weather (though you’ll need some layers up in the Arctic even in June).

 

between the weather and the Midnight Sun, June is definitely the better time of year. And given how very late in the season a 29 Aug departure is, I think I’d give the advantage to #1 over #3 in spite of swapping Bergen for Bruges/Haugesund.

 

As for #2 as a southern Norway cruise, it’s not bad at all. Most 7-night itineraries only visit one major fjord, and Flåm is a great choice for that. It includes Bergen, which is another big plus, and Ålesund brings a much different coastal vibe with its art nouveau architecture. Not a bad lineup for a shorter southern area cruise. (And Haugesund can be interesting if you’re into WWII history.)

[mahdnc]

3 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

Edited: I just realized that you said “another” total eclipse, which I suppose does factor in a bit. I think I’d still go for the one-time opportunity, unless there are reasons you wouldn’t be able to visit the Arctic another time.
_____

Will the ship be in the path of totality? If so, hands-down due the solar eclipse cruise. Norway and the Midnight Sun are around every year, but witnessing a total solar eclipse is such an amazing opportunity. It truly is magnitudes more amazing than a partial eclipse.

 

I flew to the US in April for the eclipse, because it happened to pass over my hometown, so some friends and family all gathered to try to see it. We assumed that if the weather didn’t cooperate, we’d still get to spend time with everyone visiting from out of town, and we had a place to stay without dealing with the crazy hotel costs or traffic. In the end the weather worked out, and it was honestly incredible to see.

 

If you have the option to see it from a cruise without having to battle the travel logistics of being in the right place at the right time, I would jump on that opportunity. And if the weather is disappointing, you still have ports to explore and enjoy.

 

I’d save northern Norway for another time. Either a mug night sun trip, or maybe a vcryise or visit to Tromsø to see the northern lights.

Thank you for posting.  You’re so right—total solar eclipses are incredible to see and a cruise its a great way to see it.  My wife and I have seen three already including one at sea (Jul 1991) and we are scheduled to see the six minute solar eclipse at Luxor, Egypt in 2027. 
 

 

 

Apex is scheduled to see the Aug 12 2026  eclipse at La Coruna, Spain, which is in the path of totality. Because the totality occurs at 8:30p, it remains to be seen whether she will be docked or on her way to Bilboa when totality happens (Bilboa is also in the path and is her next day’s destination). 
 

The problem with this eclipse cruise is that the northern coast of Spain has 50-50 prospects for clear skies based on historical data (red dot in there diagram below). It’s much better than Iceland (blue dot where Celebrity Silhouette will be) which is very likely to be clouded out. However, it is not as good as the Mediterranean coast of Spain which is where I’d rather be. Contrast that with the 2027 eclipse in Luxor which has a 99% chance of clear skies although it’s also guaranteed to be hot!

 

So that’s my conundrum. I’d hate to book the “lesser” Norway sailing for an eclipse that could get clouded out. The eclipse snob in me has me thinking that I should forgo the iffy Spain eclipse and book the much better Norway sailing especially since we’re doing an eclipse the following year (assuming that it’s safe to travel there). I’m not sure we will be back to Norway.  The eclipse junky in me says “the more eclipses the better”. 
 

Edited Saturday at 12:38 PM by mahdnc

[mahdnc]

The midnight sun thing is a cool phrase, but in reality I don't find it all that interesting unless I can be awake for all 24 hours.  So I am ok with the idea that the sun might dip below the horizon for a while when I am asleep.  Maybe I am missing something.

 

On the other hand, I find the opposite to be more intriguing--where the sun doesn't come up above the horizon for the whole day.

[mahdnc]

3 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

I flew to the US in April for the eclipse, because it happened to pass over my hometown, so some friends and family all gathered to try to see it. We assumed that if the weather didn’t cooperate, we’d still get to spend time with everyone visiting from out of town, and we had a place to stay without dealing with the crazy hotel costs or traffic. In the end the weather worked out, and it was honestly incredible to see.

 

 

Where did you go to see the eclipse this past April?  I am glad that you got to see it because the weather that day was kind of crazy because it was cloudy in a lot of places--but that is April weather in the USA.  

[mahdnc]

5 hours ago, hallasm said:

I can see that you have done your 'homework' and already have a good idea of the individual ports. Generally good itineraries including deep fjords to Geiranger, Olden, and Geiranger and nice coastal cities as Bergen, Ålesund, Tromsø, Trondheim and Stavanger.

Bruges is a interesting city as well.

Not  that interesting are Molde and Haugesund

I prefer June - more snow in mountains and water in rivers .  
In June you’ll miss the Solar Eclipse but you’ll have the Midnight Sun inside the Arctic Circle - Tromsø and Honningsvåg (North Cape), 

For the Arctic Circle cruise in August no Midnight Sun. 

I do not know wher you might see the solar eclipse- as I understand it’s August 12, 2026 - anyway the 7 night Norway Fjords has Bergen, Ålesund and Flåm as The highlights

 

Flåm has the railway and Geiranger the view points. Geirangerfjorden is more impressive than Aurlandsfjorden into Flåm but from Flåm you can visit Nærøyfjorden in addition to the railway.

 

For the Solar Eclipse you have to choose option two - for Arctic Circle and Midnight Sun choose option 1

 

Thank you for your comments as well.  Part of my homework included reading this entire thread which has many of your posts.  

 

Both your post and the responses from @kaisatsu are interesting and informative.  In particular, I was surprised that both of you felt that Option 1 was better than Option 3 because between the two, I was leaning towards #3 because of Bergen.  Now I will have to rethink this.

 

I am also "unhappy" that Option 2 does not have Geiranger in it because to me, Geiranger represents the quintessential Norwegian fjord experience probably due to all the photos I have seen and some good marketing.

[Cold traveler]

On 9/18/2024 at 7:03 PM, 1818 said:

Hello! I need this group help to make a decision:

Is it possible to see Northern lights from the boat by the end of August and first  days of September?

the route 

Alesund

Flam

Artic circle

Tromso

Honnigsvag

Trondheim
Because this is the only reason to cruise this period. Looking for your thoughts and expertise!
Thank you so much!

Monica 

You most likely won't see the northern lights at that time. Tromsø still has about 15 hours of daylight, and the proper night hasn't started yet. You'll need more darkness to see the northern lights, and even then they aren't guaranteed.

 

https://www.timeanddate.no/astronomi/sol/norge/tromso You can see when the night comes back on this link.

[kaisatsu]

On 9/21/2024 at 3:04 PM, mahdnc said:

 

Where did you go to see the eclipse this past April?  I am glad that you got to see it because the weather that day was kind of crazy because it was cloudy in a lot of places--but that is April weather in the USA.  

I was in central Indiana.

[kaisatsu]

On 9/21/2024 at 2:43 PM, mahdnc said:

The midnight sun thing is a cool phrase, but in reality I don't find it all that interesting unless I can be awake for all 24 hours.

You really just have to stay up until around 1 am, because you’ll start to be able to see that the sun is rising again without ever having set.

 

On 9/21/2024 at 3:12 PM, mahdnc said:

In particular, I was surprised that both of you felt that Option 1 was better than Option 3 because between the two, I was leaning towards #3 because of Bergen.

Itinerary alone, I do think #3 is better, but it’s extremely late in the season. Even if you’re not keen on the Midnight Sun, the earlier sailing will be much more likely to have tourist services operating.

 

On 9/21/2024 at 3:12 PM, mahdnc said:

I am also "unhappy" that Option 2 does not have Geiranger in it because to me, Geiranger represents the quintessential Norwegian fjord experience probably due to all the photos I have seen and some good marketing.

Flåm is a wonderful port to visit. And though Geiranger is famous and admittedly beautiful, there are many spectacular fjords in Norway. While it’s one of the favorite fjord ports, it’s not at all a case of “you must see this place while you’re in Norway.” It (along with Flåm) are simply on the shortlist of best places to visit from a cruise. (For those on driving holidays, the advice is often to skip them in favor of smaller less-touristed places, since you don’t need to rely on local tours or Infrastructure.)

[mahdnc]

21 minutes ago, kaisatsu said:

You really just have to stay up until around 1 am, because you’ll start to be able to see that the sun is rising again without ever having set.

 

Itinerary alone, I do think #3 is better, but it’s extremely late in the season. Even if you’re not keen on the Midnight Sun, the earlier sailing will be much more likely to have tourist services operating.

 

Flåm is a wonderful port to visit. And though Geiranger is famous and admittedly beautiful, there are many spectacular fjords in Norway. While it’s one of the favorite fjord ports, it’s not at all a case of “you must see this place while you’re in Norway.” It (along with Flåm) are simply on the shortlist of best places to visit from a cruise. (For those on driving holidays, the advice is often to skip them in favor of smaller less-touristed places, since you don’t need to rely on local tours or Infrastructure.)

Thank you again for your responses.  Can Geiranger be visited from Alesund during a port stop there? Or is there not enough time to do that?  That might make the solar eclipse + 7 night fjord cruise more attractive to me.
 

What kind of tourist services would be unavailable during the later part of the season? I know that’s a pretty general question but while that sounds quite logical, I can’t imagine what that would mean in my case. I imagine stores are still open? Are certain important attractions closed? Private guides can still be hired? I would imagine the ship would still offer their normal range of expensive shorex offerings?

 

I’m glad your trip to see April’s eclipse was successful. I had two sets of friends who went to different places around Indianapolis that saw it. The weather on that day was much different than what was expected. In April, Texas had the best prospects for clear skies and Maine/Vermont had the worst but in reality it turned out the opposite was true. To your point, the cruise ships off the coast of Mexico had clear skies. We went to southern Illinois and had heavy rain early in the morning followed by heavy fog but it cleared up just in time for us. 
 

I’m still going back and forth on which option to choose! I go to bed thinking I should take a 14 nighter Norway cruise but I wake up thinking the eclipse + 7 night Norway option is the way to go. 

[TMLAalum]

@mahdnc

This company offers a 9.5 hour r/t tour from Alesund-Geiranger and back.

Hellesylt - Geiranger | Cruise Service (cruise-service.no) I've been unable to find the exact time for this tour so IDK if it would fit into port time in Alesund. We are there from 7am-5pm next August.

 

That company's Hjorundfjord cruise fits perfectly into our time frame, and posters here and on RS's Norway forum tout it as one of the most beautiful fjords as the boat cruises beneath the Sunmore Alps. So we are doing that for @$160 per couple vs. Celebrity's similar tour at @$420/couple

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, TMLAalum said:

@mahdnc

This company offers a 9.5 hour r/t tour from Alesund-Geiranger and back.

Hellesylt - Geiranger | Cruise Service (cruise-service.no) I've been unable to find the exact time for this tour so IDK if it would fit into port time in Alesund. We are there from 7am-5pm next August.

 

That company's Hjorundfjord cruise fits perfectly into our time frame, and posters here and on RS's Norway forum tout it as one of the most beautiful fjords as the boat cruises beneath the Sunmore Alps. So we are doing that for @$160 per couple vs. Celebrity's similar tour at @$420/couple

 

Thanks.  The trip to Geiranger and back looks like it takes too much time to for an Alesund port stop. I just looked at Celebrity's offerings and they don't seem to offer that--probably because of time.  

 

Thanks for the Hjorundfjord information.  I did see that shorex in Celebrity's catalog.

[Jenjohncourt]

3 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

You really just have to stay up until around 1 am, because you’ll start to be able to see that the sun is rising again without ever having set.

 

Itinerary alone, I do think #3 is better, but it’s extremely late in the season. Even if you’re not keen on the Midnight Sun, the earlier sailing will be much more likely to have tourist services operating.

 

Flåm is a wonderful port to visit. And though Geiranger is famous and admittedly beautiful, there are many spectacular fjords in Norway. While it’s one of the favorite fjord ports, it’s not at all a case of “you must see this place while you’re in Norway.” It (along with Flåm) are simply on the shortlist of best places to visit from a cruise. (For those on driving holidays, the advice is often to skip them in favor of smaller less-touristed places, since you don’t need to rely on local tours or Infrastructure.)

Kaisatsu, 
My husband and I are going in a Celebrity cruise next July from Amsterdam to Alessandra, Olden, Molde and Stavanger. We have only planned to go to the Briksdal Glacier in Olden. Can you please give us some advice on excursions to take in the other places? Thank you very much. 
Jenny

[hallasm]

2 hours ago, Jenjohncourt said:

We have only planned to go to the Briksdal Glacier in Olden. Can you please give us some advice on excursions to take in the other places?

You’ll also have time for Loen Skylift to the view point - there is a shuttle from Oldento Loen. Alternative is a walk to Olden - some shops and two churches. 

[Jenjohncourt]

13 minutes ago, hallasm said:

You’ll also have time for Loen Skylift to the view point - there is a shuttle from Oldento Loen. Alternative is a walk to Olden - some shops and two churches. 

Ok wonderful. Sounds like a great plan. Thank you. 

[GottaKnowWhen]

7 hours ago, Cold traveler said:

You most likely won't see the northern lights at that time. Tromsø still has about 15 hours of daylight, and the proper night hasn't started yet. You'll need more darkness to see the northern lights, and even then they aren't guaranteed.

 

https://www.timeanddate.no/astronomi/sol/norge/tromso You can see when the night comes back on this link.

You also need to check the phase of the moon for the nights you are interested in. A full moon or close to it would likely interfere as well.

[mahdnc]

My planning ADD was also looking at this B2B.  The 8 night Norwegian fjords sailing does visit 3 major fjords including Geiranger which is attractive to me and it visits Bergen.  So it seems that this short itinerary does visit some of the best parts of Norway based on what I am reading here.  But what is the thought about an early May sailing?