Norwegian Fjords NEED Info

[hollon]

There are so many different itineraries for Norwegian Fjords, Can someone tell me which ones are better. I'm looking for May 2023.  Jewel of the seas looks good but I don't care for the smaller ships, I'm use to Oasis class, I see some with Anthem but the itinerary is different than Jewel, any thoughts, I do want to go for the places not so much the ship even though I love the bigger ships.  Thanks, sorry I'm all over the place.   

[Saab4444]

Big ships are not good for the Fjords and even Jewel is a very big one for this tiny port towns.

[Tudy]

The big ships do not fit as well into the narrow fjords

 

[FionaMG]

You'll find people are better able to help you if you actually list the itineraries you're looking at.

 

Also, I'd suggest cross-posting on the Northern Europe board where there's a sticky precisely about this subject: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/ with LOTS of great information.

 

 

 

[hollon]

10 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

You'll find people are better able to help you if you actually list the itineraries you're looking at.

 

Also, I'd suggest cross-posting on the Northern Europe board where there's a sticky precisely about this subject: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/ with LOTS of great information.

 

that's what i was thinking, there are so many and I don't know where to start.  Thanks, I'll go to the Northern Europe board.  

 

 

[boogybaby]

Hi, we were very happy doing the North Cape on Jewel, she is a great ship. We were very lucky with the weather but if it’s not too good there are plenty of places to sit inside and watch the amazing scenery, Janice 

[zap99]

3 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Big ships are not good for the Fjords and even Jewel is a very big one for this tiny port towns.

We were on Jewel in the med. We thought a good size for the fjords.

[Sunshine3601]

Jewel offers a much better itinerary for the fjords, IMO.

[lovelife]

We did Norwegian Fjords on Explorer which fit into amazing ports. One of my favorite cruises.

[ditmar2007]

People speak English

The scenery is fantastic

The towns are small, but pittoresque.

You will probably be expected to pay in NOK.

[kitkat343]

Norway is amazing. You absolutely should go for itinerary over ship there. We did the 7 day round trip, and picked an itinerary for geiranger (wonderful views) and flam (for the railroad).   Loren was an unexpected highlight because the amazing (but very expensive) lioen sky lift opened 3 days before we sailed.   We didn’t visit alesund, but people also seem very happy with that on the Northern Europe boards.   There was a law passed about ships having to have zero emissions to reach the heritage fjords, so I’m not sure what’s currently happening with itineraries.   Another option to consider is this https://global.hurtigruten.com/port-to-port/# that’s really more of a ferry than a cruise ship, so you won’t have the same experience on board, but if we hadn’t been sailing with small kids who needed the kids clubs we might have done it because Norway is so beautiful and that allows you to go everywhere you want.  

[hollon]

Can anyone else chime in on their schedule of the ports that's a "must see", thanks again

[Saab4444]

19 minutes ago, hollon said:

Can anyone else chime in on their schedule of the ports that's a "must see", thanks again

For fjords Geiranger and Flaam, for cities Bergen and Stavanger and if you go further north Tromso. 

[lovelife]

Olden was one of my favorites.

 

[kitkat343]

9 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Norway is amazing. You absolutely should go for itinerary over ship there. We did the 7 day round trip, and picked an itinerary for geiranger (wonderful views) and flam (for the railroad).   Loren was an unexpected highlight because the amazing (but very expensive) lioen sky lift opened 3 days before we sailed.   We didn’t visit alesund, but people also seem very happy with that on the Northern Europe boards.   There was a law passed about ships having to have zero emissions to reach the heritage fjords, so I’m not sure what’s currently happening with itineraries.   Another option to consider is this https://global.hurtigruten.com/port-to-port/# that’s really more of a ferry than a cruise ship, so you won’t have the same experience on board, but if we hadn’t been sailing with small kids who needed the kids clubs we might have done it because Norway is so beautiful and that allows you to go everywhere you want.  

sorry - that should have read Olden, not Loren, was the unexpected highlight with the Loen Skylift and Briksdal glacier (the glacier has been hit hard by global warming, but its a lovely hike and drive to it).  Stavanger has pulpit rock, which we couldn't hike because we had a 2 year old with us, but most people love it.  It's  a relatively easy hike for adults.

Edited July 5, 2022 by kitkat343

[kernow]

We did the Fjords for the first time in May (on MSC Virtuosa) and it was absolutely beautiful. Gerainger and Flam are lovely and the long sail in/out to both are spectacular. I think Jewel would actually be better than Anthem because there are so many more places to see outside if the weather is poor and you don't want to stand on deck. Which ports do you like the look of? We're thinking of going again next year (a couple of different ports) and will stick with MSC because we thought the layout of the ship was perfect for the scenery.

[boogybaby]

We enjoyed every port on Jewel north cape, kristiansand was great but we found it the most expensive port. We used our credit card at every port and didn’t need NOK

[FireEater]

I am looking at doing the Transatlantic on the Jewel in late April 2023 then do the Fjord  in May then 2 more cruises on her.  All back to back totally 42 days then fly back to Florida.

 

Have not booked it yet, but they are on my radar for sure.

 

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by FireEater

[RobInMN]

We just finished the 12 night Arctic Circle cruise on Jewel. Like you, our favorite ships are the Oasis class, but like others said, you are not going to get an Oasis class ship for the foreseeable future outside of the Caribbean & Mediterranean, the trans-Atlantic in between and presumably China post-COVID. We are still on Jewel doing the B2B 12 night Iceland & Ireland.

We were concerned about being on such a small ship for so long, but now, 16 nights in, not a problem. We are having a great time, and am enjoying the ship.

Our itinerary:

•  Molde
• Tromso
• Honningsvag - Northern most port. A Radiance class ship is probably the largest that will go here. Excursion will take you to the Northern most point in Europe (or what Norway promotes as anyway).
• Alesund
• Flam - Do the combination railway and bus tour.
• Haugesund
• Kristiansand

Norway is absolutely stunning!! I can not recommend it enough, regardless of ship size. From what I read before going, it sounds like Geiranger & Flam have a friendly rivalry for who has the best fjord, so try to hit at least one of them. BTW, it's kind of funny seeing the ship tied up to docks that are not much more than half the length of the ship.

[Woodside Lady]

If you go to Molde do the Troll Road.  Our Cruise Critic group booked a whole bus (which followed the cruise trip bus) and it was incredible.  In Haugesund, with your Norwegian currency in hand, take the town bus and get the day pass.  Went to a lovely fishing village and then continued on to the Viking Center, both for about $7.  In Flam some of the Cruise Critic group booked their "Norway in a Nutshell" trip in Bergen then managed to do the whole thing in about 6 hours.  (ferry, bus, train etc were all perfectly coordinated).  We chickened out on that one but wish we had done it.