My MSC Norway Fjords Cruise is no longer going to the fjords :(

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I am booked on the June 15, 2024 cruise on MSC Virtuosa that was supposed to visit 3 fjords and one city. Today, my TA informed me that the itinerary has totally changed and the ship isn't going to any fjords at all. I'm so bummed! The reason given is "port congestion". Anyone else on this cruise? Are you going to stay with the new itinerary or change to another cruise/cruise line?

[skyking]

Weird, it is still listed on their site as a Norway cruise.   We were looking to book that sailing so I will keep my eye on it. 

[DaiC01]

I'm booked on the May 18th 2024 sailing. Only booked it 2 days ago, I hope this is not a common issue. 

[EllieinNJ]

I am booked this year for the fjords on Carnival.  There are no fjord cruises on Carnival for next year.  The Norwegian people are trying to stop the cruise ships from stopping in their villages.

 

[phissy]

Same thing is happening in Greece. Limiting number of ships in ports.

Locals are "so over" the tourists taking over towns and leaving trash and mess behind when they leave.

[peder]

I just called and can confirm.

 

New ports will be: Copenhagen, Oslo, Zeebrugge

[peder]

There are 4 impacted sailings, sounds like 2 in June, and 2 in August?

[ChattTenn]

MSC USA still shows as a Norway cruise.  We also are looking at June 15, 2024 sailing and would hate if that sailing won't go to Norway fjords. 

[peder]

I mean, I confirmed it directly with MSC, it's not going to the fjords. It remains to be seen if the Euribia fjords sailing will be impacted. Emails will be going out tomorrow.

Edited May 3, 2023 by peder

[MissDaisyofTexas]

29 minutes ago, peder said:

I mean, I confirmed it directly with MSC, it's not going to the fjords. It remains to be seen if the Euribia fjords sailing will be impacted. Emails will be going out tomorrow.

Thanks for confirming with MSC. I guess I'll wait to see how everything shakes out before I figure what I'm going to book.

[RealNorwegianCruiser]

6 hours ago, phissy said:

Same thing is happening in Greece. Limiting number of ships in ports.

Locals are "so over" the tourists taking over towns and leaving trash and mess behind when they leave.

 

Can confirm this. Cruise tourists are very unpopular in Norway now. Locals in the fjords got fed up with tourists peeing and pooping in their gardens, and cruise ships pumping out loads of pollutions..

 

Its a issue that both the local authorities and the cruise industry need to share the blame for.

 

Many of the small places that is being visited by cruise ships is basically too small for it. For example Geiranger: 230 people lives there, and each year the place gets more than 700 000 tourists.. Its not sustainable. 

[peder]

We don't know the reason yet. Maybe sales for these 4 Virtuosa sailings are coming in low because of the launch of the Euribia.

 

It's not as if MSC is the only one that's sending ships to Geiranger, and I haven't seen any indication that the Celebrity Apex is avoiding the fjords in 2024, for instance.

[peder]

Someone on Facebook received an email with their updated itinerary for the August 31st sailing on the Virtuosa:

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by peder

[IsanTom]

On 5/3/2023 at 8:58 AM, peder said:

Someone on Facebook received an email with their updated itinerary for the August 31st sailing on the Virtuosa:

 

Only losing one port, so not as bad as predicted! Looks like a great cruise though!

[peder]

Sure, that itinerary wasn't changed too much, but the June 15th one was completely changed, and MSC isn't offering any kind of price-matching or onboard cruise credits to make up for the change.

[anniedave]

On 5/3/2023 at 2:11 AM, ChattTenn said:

MSC USA still shows as a Norway cruise.  We also are looking at June 15, 2024 sailing and would hate if that sailing won't go to Norway fjords. 

We are doing 1st June 2024 norway / Iceland cruise and yesterday got an email saying Flam had been switched to Molde which doesn't look as nice ! 

[MaverickF]

I am sure that this might not be a popular opinion on CC board, but I really hope that cruise lines do not send any of the large cruise ships to the fjords unless they figure out to use cleaner energy for those mega ships.

 

Disclaimer, I never took a cruise to Norway fjords before. However, several years ago, we took a land tour from Bergen to Oslo. Took a bus to Gudvangen, and then on an electric boat by a local tour company to Flam. The boat just quietly glided through the water, allowing us to really enjoy an immersed experience in the tranquil fjords.  It was one of best tours we had been on. But imagine the horror when we turned into the fjord leading to Flam. It was completely covered by black smoke extending several miles by a NCL cruise ship parked at the Flam port. Norwegians are known for preserving the environment, and big into electrifying autos and other transportation. I was both surprised and shocked at that time that they were allowing the cruise industry kind of ruining the natural beauty in the fjords. I am glad that the locals are more vocal now in their fights to preserve their nation’s treasure.

 

Having said that, I do hope that MSC will be more flexible in offering credit and compensation if they need to adjust the routes into fjords. Knowing MSC, I won’t be shocked if they don’t offer any. I know that cruise is a very convenient way to visit fjords. But if it is before final payment, and the schedule allows, I highly recommend taking a local tour inside Norway instead.

[peder]

I just think it's weird that the cruising/travel community treats the fjords differently than everywhere else with respect to cruise traffic and pollution. For some reason, it's rarely mentioned that Alaskan or Chilean fjord cruises should be limited, but the Norwegian fjords are held to a completely different standard.

 

Also, there's a more persistent belief that visiting Norway by sea is somehow less legitimate than by land.

Edited May 5, 2023 by peder

[MaverickF]

Don’t want to start a debate on class warfare. I am just merely thinking from the local communities perspective. Norway as one of the richest countries in world, people over there probably will be more into preserving the environment than catering to cruise industry to boost local economy. That is why the shock on me when I observed what was happening at Flam. 

 

As a tourist/cruiser, I am all for no restrictions at all so that we can all explore and experience all the wonderful places, using whatever means. However, I do hope that our footprint can be minimized. I applaud that MSC and other cruise lines are exploring new technologies. Will be on World Europa MSC’s first LNG powered ship to experience firsthand if this cleaner energy is all hyped up to.

[perakcruiser]

On 5/3/2023 at 1:54 AM, phissy said:

Same thing is happening in Greece. Limiting number of ships in ports.

Locals are "so over" the tourists taking over towns and leaving trash and mess behind when they leave.

These cities earn a hell of money alone from the port fees. These locals should be very very quiet and thankful. Of cause things are different in Norway, where they are so ridiculous rich that they certainly kick out any boats or even fire cannonballs at them. 

[peder]

I wonder if there are reasons they don't simply jack up the port fees and taxes in these towns. Seems like that would be an effective tool to limit demand.

[MissDaisyofTexas]

19 hours ago, anniedave said:

We are doing 1st June 2024 norway / Iceland cruise and yesterday got an email saying Flam had been switched to Molde which doesn't look as nice ! 

Oh no! It does seem like Flam is reducing ship traffic. That was one of the ports cut from my original cruise on June 15th on the Virtuosa.

[EllieinNJ]

In 2022 our 9 day cruise stopped in Stavenger.  This year it is stopping in Haugesund instead.  Similar area but there are so many more options of things to do in Stavenger than Haugesund.  Wonder if this is due to enviromental changes or the town is limiting number of ships.

[Mark_T]

20 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

These cities earn a hell of money alone from the port fees. These locals should be very very quiet and thankful. Of cause things are different in Norway, where they are so ridiculous rich that they certainly kick out any boats or even fire cannonballs at them. 

I suspect they would rather have their peace and environment preserved in many cases, and if they can afford to turn away the cruise trade then they probably should.

 

We've cruised the fjords in small ships in the past and enjoyed places like Flam for example, but they  have become a nightmare since the mega ships arrived. These small towns really can't handle the huge volume of people.

 

Similarly I am happy to see Venice finally rejecting the cruise trade, it was long overdue.

 

For the OP though, I do agree that MSC should do more than just inform that the itinerary has changed if they can no longer deliver the experience they promised.

[mnocket]

On 5/2/2023 at 6:55 PM, peder said:

There are 4 impacted sailings, sounds like 2 in June, and 2 in August?

Is it only the Virtuosa cruises that are affected?  I ask because I'm booked on the Aug 4th   Preziosa sailing and I haven't heard anything.