Help choosing which Norwegian Fjord cruise to take!

[nreyedoc]

Hi experienced Royal Caribbean family! We are considering the 7 day cruise to Norway on Anthem out of Southhampton departing July 7th vs. the 12 day cruise on Jewel departing July 11th from Amsterdam.  Would prefer thoughts of those who have done one or both of these itinerarires or similar and those who have been on these ships or similar class ships. Also interested in what there is to see on shipboard days while cruising the "arctic circle"? Thanks!!

Edited August 30, 2022 by nreyedoc

[ReneeFLL]

Looking forward to seeing what advice you get. Waiting for those cruises to come out for 2024 along with a TA.

[dani negreanu]

Jewel wins hands down -- it goes to Geiranger (which, IMHO, is a "must" on any Norwegian Fjords cruise), and Flaam.

 

The highlight being the Artic Circle !!! This cruise is usually, only offered once a year, but I see that in 2023 it is offered twice.

 

Personally, I'll book the June 17th one, since is has also Alesund.

[Ashland]

We just did the RCI Jewel Arctic Circle July 26th. Glad we did this itinerary but just a bit disappointed in a couple of our port stops. Some docking far from the city center and one stop in particular was a Sunday and it was a ghost town. The tourist center and one gift shop open.

 

Definitely Geiranger & Bergen were the highlights.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Ashland

[RobInMN]

We just did the 12 night Arctic Circle on Jewel B2B with the 12 night Iceland & Ireland from 20-Jun to 14-Jul. This was offered twice this year. The one we were on went to Flam, the other one went to Geiranger. From my research it appeared that Geranger and Flam have a friendly rivalry as to who has the best Fjord. Flam was beautiful. Norway was absolutely stunning. We loved the fact that the Arctic Circle one went to Tromso and Honningsvag. The later is essentially in the Arctic Tundra, above the tree line. We did the Blue Puffin third party excursion and it was amazing, ending up at Nordkapp, which is billed as the northern most point in Norway and continental Europe (our guide said, technically it's not, but it's such a dramatic location, they just go with it 🤣).

As for "Arctic Circle" sea day, it's really just another sea day, there's nothing to "see". But they do an Arctic Circle crossing celebration and paint your noses blue if you want (we didn't), and everyone gets a certificate in their room that night. The fun thing is that we were above the Arctic Circle 4(?) days after Summer Solstice. It was daylight for the 4 full days we were above the Arctic Circle. There was an announcement on Thursday that Sunset would be at 11:34 Monday night. I stayed up late and took pictures of the sun at midnight and 1:00 AM (because Daylight Saving Time).

For anyone that has the option, I highly recommend the Arctic Circle option over the "normal" Norwegian Fjords itinerary any day.

 

Our full itinerary was: Amsterdam, Cruising, Molde, Arctic Circle (Cruising), Tromso, Honningsvag, Cruising, Alesund, Flam, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Cruising, Amsterdam.

 

This was our first time on a Radiance class ship. We did Majesty on a 3 day like 20 years ago (and would not want to be on a similar ship very long), and since then, just Voyager, Oasis, & Freedom, classes, and recently did Odyssey. Our main concern was whether or not we would become "bored" of the ship after a while. I am happy to say, we never felt that way, we could have stayed on far longer. We also felt that she was in great condition and still a beautiful ship. She did not really feel dated in any significant way. So I would not let size compared to a Quantum class dissuade you.

 

 

 

[alyssamma]

23 minutes ago, RobInMN said:

We just did the 12 night Arctic Circle on Jewel B2B with the 12 night Iceland & Ireland from 20-Jun to 14-Jul. This was offered twice this year. The one we were on went to Flam, the other one went to Geiranger. From my research it appeared that Geranger and Flam have a friendly rivalry as to who has the best Fjord. Flam was beautiful. Norway was absolutely stunning. We loved the fact that the Arctic Circle one went to Tromso and Honningsvag. The later is essentially in the Arctic Tundra, above the tree line. We did the Blue Puffin third party excursion and it was amazing, ending up at Nordkapp, which is billed as the northern most point in Norway and continental Europe (our guide said, technically it's not, but it's such a dramatic location, they just go with it 🤣).

As for "Arctic Circle" sea day, it's really just another sea day, there's nothing to "see". But they do an Arctic Circle crossing celebration and paint your noses blue if you want (we didn't), and everyone gets a certificate in their room that night. The fun thing is that we were above the Arctic Circle 4(?) days after Summer Solstice. It was daylight for the 4 full days we were above the Arctic Circle. There was an announcement on Thursday that Sunset would be at 11:34 Monday night. I stayed up late and took pictures of the sun at midnight and 1:00 AM (because Daylight Saving Time).

For anyone that has the option, I highly recommend the Arctic Circle option over the "normal" Norwegian Fjords itinerary any day.

 

Our full itinerary was: Amsterdam, Cruising, Molde, Arctic Circle (Cruising), Tromso, Honningsvag, Cruising, Alesund, Flam, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Cruising, Amsterdam.

 

This was our first time on a Radiance class ship. We did Majesty on a 3 day like 20 years ago (and would not want to be on a similar ship very long), and since then, just Voyager, Oasis, & Freedom, classes, and recently did Odyssey. Our main concern was whether or not we would become "bored" of the ship after a while. I am happy to say, we never felt that way, we could have stayed on far longer. We also felt that she was in great condition and still a beautiful ship. She did not really feel dated in any significant way. So I would not let size compared to a Quantum class dissuade you.

 

 

 

Thanks for your detailed description. I'm looking at taking my first Norway cruise and had a question about the fjords. Do you have to be up early when the ship is pulling into the town (and sailing through the fjords) to get a good view, or does watching in the "evening" (quotes because it will still be daylight) give the same views?

 

I'd rather not be up at 5am if I can help it 🙂

 

[Ashland]

For our itinerary our port times in Geiranger were 10:00am-6:00pm. We certainly didn't have to get up that early. The sail through the fjords took a few hours. The sail in and the sail out was beautiful.

[alyssamma]

9 minutes ago, Ashland said:

For our itinerary our port times in Geiranger were 10:00am-6:00pm. We certainly didn't have to get up that early. The sail through the fjords took a few hours. The sail in and the sail out was beautiful.

Thanks...so you're saying no need to get up at, say 8am to watch sailing in because leaving at 6pm was the same experience?

[RobInMN]

5 minutes ago, Ashland said:

For our itinerary our port times in Geiranger were 10:00am-6:00pm. We certainly didn't have to get up that early. The sail through the fjords took a few hours. The sail in and the sail out was beautiful.

Agree with this. I think all of our Norway port arrivals were between 9:00 & 10:30 AM. A balcony is almost a must for Norway. We'd wake up and open the curtains and watch the scenery as we got ready. Occasionally popping out on the balcony, taking some pictures, etc. I think in all cases, the closer to port, the better the scenery and the more to watch/see.

There was always plenty of time to get breakfast in WJ and then back out on our balcony or up top to watch us pull in and dock depending on dock side, or down to the theater for excursions. Honestly, I'd say an hour before docking would be fine. Even 30 minutes would net you 75% of the experience. Anything earlier is just more of the same. Still beautiful, just repetitive beauty. Or on a couple ports, anything earlier and you're still in open water.

To be honest, we didn't really watch us leave port. We were typically getting ready for dinner or eating dinner. And we had already watched us coming in.

[nancy2vues]

My husband  and I were also on the July 26 Jewel sailing.  We agree that some of the port days were shorter than I imagined, and I booked 3.5-4 hour excursions. I was disappointed that we didn't have a lot of time for shopping/eating in each port.  Having said that, I also TOTALLY agree that this route as fabulous and I truly don't regret the longer excursions. 

 

The town that Ashland referred to a ghost town was okay with me--we had taken the Blue Puffin tour as well and loved the shopping at the North Cape and overall experience.  The one open shop was sufficient for me (and I am 1/2 Norwegian and a pretty focused shopper).

 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Amsterdam was a great port!  We spent two nights there beforehand and one after due to the times of the return flights.  Beforehand, we walked around, toured the Anne Frank House, took the canal boat tour, etc. After the cruise, I wasn't sure that we could get off the ship and get to the airport in time, so we stayed an extra night near the airport.  We took the "Windmills, Cheese, and Wooden Shoes" tour from Royal upon departure.  They dropped us off at the airport and we took a hotel shuttle to our airport.  After checking in, we walked into the town of Hoofddorp and had a great Italian meal.  The front desk hooked us up with a taxi as their airport shuttle started running at 6:30 am, which is when we planned to be at the airport. 

 

In short, I don't think that you can make a bad choice, but we highly recommend the Arctic Circle/Fjord cruise.

[Ashland]

Loved Amsterdam. We had 3 pre-cruise days there and our hotel (Banks Mansion) location was perfect. I look forward to sailing out of there on the British Isles itinerary next time. 

[hollon]

following, i'd love to know which ports are a must see as well.  thanks

[mac_tlc]

11 hours ago, RobInMN said:

We just did the 12 night Arctic Circle on Jewel B2B with the 12 night Iceland & Ireland from 20-Jun to 14-Jul. This was offered twice this year. The one we were on went to Flam, the other one went to Geiranger. From my research it appeared that Geranger and Flam have a friendly rivalry as to who has the best Fjord. Flam was beautiful. Norway was absolutely stunning. We loved the fact that the Arctic Circle one went to Tromso and Honningsvag. The later is essentially in the Arctic Tundra, above the tree line. We did the Blue Puffin third party excursion and it was amazing, ending up at Nordkapp, which is billed as the northern most point in Norway and continental Europe (our guide said, technically it's not, but it's such a dramatic location, they just go with it 🤣).

As for "Arctic Circle" sea day, it's really just another sea day, there's nothing to "see". But they do an Arctic Circle crossing celebration and paint your noses blue if you want (we didn't), and everyone gets a certificate in their room that night. The fun thing is that we were above the Arctic Circle 4(?) days after Summer Solstice. It was daylight for the 4 full days we were above the Arctic Circle. There was an announcement on Thursday that Sunset would be at 11:34 Monday night. I stayed up late and took pictures of the sun at midnight and 1:00 AM (because Daylight Saving Time).

For anyone that has the option, I highly recommend the Arctic Circle option over the "normal" Norwegian Fjords itinerary any day.

 

Our full itinerary was: Amsterdam, Cruising, Molde, Arctic Circle (Cruising), Tromso, Honningsvag, Cruising, Alesund, Flam, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Cruising, Amsterdam.

 

This was our first time on a Radiance class ship. We did Majesty on a 3 day like 20 years ago (and would not want to be on a similar ship very long), and since then, just Voyager, Oasis, & Freedom, classes, and recently did Odyssey. Our main concern was whether or not we would become "bored" of the ship after a while. I am happy to say, we never felt that way, we could have stayed on far longer. We also felt that she was in great condition and still a beautiful ship. She did not really feel dated in any significant way. So I would not let size compared to a Quantum class dissuade you.

 

 

 

We were suppose to be on the 6/20 cruise but cancelled. Rescheduled for 6/17/23 and looking so forward to it. We have two aft balconies so I hope the views are awesome. It doesn’t go to Tromso but does an overnight in Honningsvag.

 

mac_tlc

[4774Papa]

13 hours ago, nreyedoc said:

Hi experienced Royal Caribbean family! We are considering the 7 day cruise to Norway on Anthem out of Southhampton departing July 7th vs. the 12 day cruise on Jewel departing July 11th from Amsterdam.  Would prefer thoughts of those who have done one or both of these itinerarires or similar and those who have been on these ships or similar class ships. Also interested in what there is to see on shipboard days while cruising the "arctic circle"? Thanks!!

We did a Royal cruise that visited 6 ports in Norway and went all the way to the North Cape.  It was awesome.  Our cruise left from Copenhagen.  It was in 2019.  I think it was 11 days.    I would highly recommend doing all the way to the North Cape.

[lakelorain]

July 11 is the best!  I've done many Norway cruises and this one offers the best ports.

[Ashland]

14 hours ago, hollon said:

following, i'd love to know which ports are a must see as well.  thanks

Easy answer....Geiranger & Bergen...amazing !!!!

[4774Papa]

Geiranger is the best.   Alesund, Flam and Bergen are great as well.  The North Cape is not to be missed.

[FireEater]

I am hoping to do the Jewel of the Sea ship starting with a 12 night repositioning from Florida to Amsterdam April 2023 then follow it up with 3 cruises B2B.  8 night Norwegian Fjords Cruise than a 12 night Iceland and Scotland cruise, ending it with the 12 night British Isle Cruise.

[RobInMN]

27 minutes ago, FireEater said:

I am hoping to do the Jewel of the Sea ship starting with a 12 night repositioning from Florida to Amsterdam April 2023 then follow it up with 3 cruises B2B.  8 night Norwegian Fjords Cruise than a 12 night Iceland and Scotland cruise, ending it with the 12 night British Isle Cruise.

 

In general, totally in favor of your plans. Had we had more vacation, we might have stayed on for the British Isles making it a B3B. There was a very large number of B2B & B3B (and even some B4Bs?).

 

When you throw the initial TA into the mix that's a tough choice to make. All things equal, it's a no-brainer to do that plan. But on the other hand if it was just "Fjords" vs. "Arctic Circle" (like the OP), it's Arctic Circle all the way. Unfortunately, the only way to do Arctic Circle (with Honningsvag and the Nordkapp) is either the Jun 17th or Jul 11th combined with Iceland & Ireland and British Isles one way or another. Which also means limited Scotland (just Glasgow). Hmmmmm........

 

Well, either way, you're going to have a great time. That will be amazing.

[FireEater]

4 hours ago, RobInMN said:

 

In general, totally in favor of your plans. Had we had more vacation, we might have stayed on for the British Isles making it a B3B. There was a very large number of B2B & B3B (and even some B4Bs?).

 

When you throw the initial TA into the mix that's a tough choice to make. All things equal, it's a no-brainer to do that plan. But on the other hand if it was just "Fjords" vs. "Arctic Circle" (like the OP), it's Arctic Circle all the way. Unfortunately, the only way to do Arctic Circle (with Honningsvag and the Nordkapp) is either the Jun 17th or Jul 11th combined with Iceland & Ireland and British Isles one way or another. Which also means limited Scotland (just Glasgow). Hmmmmm........

 

Well, either way, you're going to have a great time. That will be amazing.

I hav flown over the Arctic Circle.  Thats enough for me.  LOL

 

Lived in Iceland but still, to go back and also have Ireland and the British Isles, along with the Fjords would be a one in a life time event for me.  

 

Am waiting until after the first of the year to see how low the prices will drop to see if I want to fully commit then.  

[blueslily]

On 9/1/2022 at 11:58 AM, FireEater said:

I am hoping to do the Jewel of the Sea ship starting with a 12 night repositioning from Florida to Amsterdam April 2023 then follow it up with 3 cruises B2B.  8 night Norwegian Fjords Cruise than a 12 night Iceland and Scotland cruise, ending it with the 12 night British Isle Cruise.

 

I'm working on a similar plan, but with a combo of Royal and NCl cruises in June and July. But, I'm debating if being on a ship for nearly 6 weeks is a good fit for me. I've done land stays for around 3+ weeks and was fine. But, not sure about 6 weeks on a ship. I'm debating just doing the 12 day Norway on Jewel out of Amsterdam in June,  fly home to Southern USA for around 10 days, and then fly back into London to do the 15 day British Isles on NCL. The in between cruise would be Iceland and Ireland still on Jewel. That cruise looks ok, but its not having me jump up and down about just having to do it. It would basically allow me to not have to waste money and flights going back and forth between cruises,.but, maybe that's just me being naive about that itinerary. I dont like being wasteful about time or money. I think flying home is not the best option, but neither is going on a cruise that I just kind of like. But, again, maybe I just need to do more research on that itinerary. I really wanted to go on the Norway and British Isles itineraries so I did a lot more research for those ports than Iceland. Also, where is all this money coming from, hahhaha. And time off from work, hahhaha. It's agreat dream though 🙂

[RobInMN]

9 hours ago, blueslily said:

But, I'm debating if being on a ship for nearly 6 weeks is a good fit for me. 

We kind of wondered about this ourselves. Our longest trips had been 2 weeks, with only 1 week of those being a cruise (ocean and rivers), and we went B2B on Jewel 24 nights total with 2 nights each before & after, for a total of 4 full weeks. At the end of the second cruise, we honestly felt like we would have been just fine going on the next leg for a 36 night B3B if we had enough vacation days. 😄 

But that was us.

[Tin can]

I'm probably going to go against the general consensus.

 

Its the Anthem itinerary for me, Stavanger and Kristiansand are nothing special in my opinion on Jewel and Anthem goes to (again in my opinion) the best Fjord ports Bergen, Olden & Gerainger.

 

Anthem offers a lot more on board if that's a consideration.

 

All opinions of course 😀

[dani negreanu]

17 hours ago, blueslily said:

I'm debating just doing the 12 day Norway on Jewel out of Amsterdam in June,  fly home to Southern USA for around 10 days, and then fly back into London to do the 15 day British Isles on NCL. The in between cruise would be Iceland and Ireland still on Jewel.

 

Me? I'll skip the British Isles and do the Iceland and Ireland instead....

[blueslily]

8 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Me? I'll skip the British Isles and do the Iceland and Ireland instead....

Oh no, going on a British Isles cruise is what I had planned before the pandemic and everything shut down. I really want to revive that plan. I did look for other dates for that itinerary, but could not find one sooner that is really similar. So, I'm still torn.