When to Book Iceland/Norway

[dock]

We’ve never cruised NCL. 
We’re looking at Prima August 2025.

I’ve looked at O ( not too keen on the Marina) and Celebrity ( waiting for 2025 and which ship), but for now Prima seems to be the one we are leaning towards.

 

Will there be specials around Thanksgiving or should I just go ahead and book if the price is acceptable? 

Thank you. 

 

 

[www3traveler]

(1) For a cruise like this, I would NOT book The Prima, She is too big for parts of this itinerary and does not have a lot of indoor space needed for cooler weather cruises.  I would book a smaller ship but not The Norwegian Star-- way too many issues that may or  may not be fixed by August of 2025.

 

(2) I would book as soon as can so that you can get the cabin that you want.  Check deck plans carefully so that there are no public spaces above or below your desired cabin.  I always book as close to the middle of the ship (top to bottom and front to back as possible).

 

Enjoy

[MeHeartCruising]

15 minutes ago, dock said:

We’ve never cruised NCL. 
We’re looking at Prima August 2025.

I’ve looked at O ( not too keen on the Marina) and Celebrity ( waiting for 2025 and which ship), but for now Prima seems to be the one we are leaning towards.

 

Will there be specials around Thanksgiving or should I just go ahead and book if the price is acceptable? 

Thank you. 

 

 

 

With NCL, there is no reason not to book now assuming it's a ship/itinerary you like.  Up till the final payment due date, you can call and have them reprice the cruise to current pricing that see online.  However, be aware that when you do this, they will replace any promotional terms with what is current as well.  So if your current pricing gets the "Free at Sea" package now, if you reprice in the future, they will include the then-current terms of that Free at Sea package.  Those terms may or may not be identical to what they are now.

 

But generally, I would buy when you find a price you're comfortable with.  Then continue to monitor the price and if it goes down before your final payment is due, review the current promotional terms.  If they are acceptable, call to get it repriced.

 

All of this assumes you are purchasing direct from NCL or via a travel agent who lets you make changes.  Some travel agents may have their own restrictions on changes.  I see you are from Canada.  I'm pretty certain that you get the same rules as we do in the US.  But you should double check that.

Edited October 1, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[dock]

@MeHeartCruising, we like the ports and that it’s both Iceland and Norway and starts in Reykjavik and ends in the UK.
 

Other lines have Scotland ports that we are not interested  in ,or have done before ( have done Ireland on land trip) 

 

Which port specifically would you say Prima is too large for? 
We would like some entertainment which is why we’re averse to Marina. 
 

I just noticed the new Prima review  for those type of cruise now ,so will maybe have to rethink lol. 
Thank you. 
 

Edited October 1, 2023 by dock

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, dock said:

@MeHeartCruising, we like the ports and that it’s both Iceland and Norway and starts in Reykjavik and ends in the UK.
 

Other lines have Scotland ports that we are not interested  in ,or have done before ( have done Ireland on land trip) 

 

Which port specifically would you say Prima is too large for? 
We would like some entertainment which is why we’re averse to Marina. 
 

I just noticed the new Prima review  for those type of cruise now ,so will maybe have to rethink lol. 
Thank you. 
 

We sailed the Prima this past August, London (Southampton to Reykjavik), and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.

 

We did miss 2 ports. Every sailing missed Isafjordur, but hopefully by the time your cruise sails, they will have finished the dock. And we missed Brugge. According to NCL it was because of an extremely low tide.

 

I'll try to find the thread that I posted our experience on the cruise. It will probably take longer than the edit time, so if I find it I'll quote this post.

[ontheweb]

6 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We sailed the Prima this past August, London (Southampton to Reykjavik), and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.

 

We did miss 2 ports. Every sailing missed Isafjordur, but hopefully by the time your cruise sails, they will have finished the dock. And we missed Brugge. According to NCL it was because of an extremely low tide.

 

I'll try to find the thread that I posted our experience on the cruise. It will probably take longer than the edit time, so if I find it I'll quote this post.

@dock, here is the thread I started about our cruise.

 

click on the first part, I don't know why the second part is there.

[DrSea]

4 hours ago, www3traveler said:

(1) For a cruise like this, I would NOT book The Prima, She is too big for parts of this itinerary and does not have a lot of indoor space needed for cooler weather cruises.  I would book a smaller ship but not The Norwegian Star-- way too many issues that may or  may not be fixed by August of 2025.

 

(2) I would book as soon as can so that you can get the cabin that you want.  Check deck plans carefully so that there are no public spaces above or below your desired cabin.  I always book as close to the middle of the ship (top to bottom and front to back as possible).

 

Enjoy

What's wrong with the star?  I was on her 6 weeks ago for this exact same itinerary 

[DrSea]

Best time to sail is from June to August. Locals say it starts to snow in some places (Longyearbyen) in September. I was just there from July to August 2023 and it was a great trip!

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, DrSea said:

Best time to sail is from June to August. Locals say it starts to snow in some places (Longyearbyen) in September. I was just there from July to August 2023 and it was a great trip!

We also had for the most part good weather for our cruise in August. It poured in London on our pre-cruise day and it rained in Reykjavik on our departure day. Otherwise the weather was good. DW, however, would have liked it less cloudy in the morning when we sailed into Geiranger for her picture taking.

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, DrSea said:

What's wrong with the star?  I was on her 6 weeks ago for this exact same itinerary 

A friend of mine posted a long horror story of her cruise on The Star in July.  It is on page 8 written by YVRteacher.  She did a B2B cruise that went from bad to horrific.  She love the itinerary and the pots of call but she hated The Star.  You might want to read her review-- it is very long.

Over the Summer there have been a number of reviews with complaints about The Star: entertainment, cabin issues, staff issues and most importantly food issues.

[Asawi]

32 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

A friend of mine posted a long horror story of her cruise on The Star in July.  It is on page 8 written by YVRteacher.  She did a B2B cruise that went from bad to horrific.  She love the itinerary and the pots of call but she hated The Star.  You might want to read her review-- it is very long.

Over the Summer there have been a number of reviews with complaints about The Star: entertainment, cabin issues, staff issues and most importantly food issues.

I was on the first leg of her Cruise. I agree with some of her complaints and opinions. Some I strongly disagree with. Being a vegetarian and not getting decent food probably impacted her views on other things too. That would make me grumpy too! 

[DrSea]

1 hour ago, Asawi said:

I was on the first leg of her Cruise. I agree with some of her complaints and opinions. Some I strongly disagree with. Being a vegetarian and not getting decent food probably impacted her views on other things too. That would make me grumpy too! 

 

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

A friend of mine posted a long horror story of her cruise on The Star in July.  It is on page 8 written by YVRteacher.  She did a B2B cruise that went from bad to horrific.  She love the itinerary and the pots of call but she hated The Star.  You might want to read her review-- it is very long.

Over the Summer there have been a number of reviews with complaints about The Star: entertainment, cabin issues, staff issues and most importantly food issues.

Could you please post the link? Thanks. 

 

I know the cruise right before mine had to cancel 8 ports bc of weather.  Maybe that happened to her? 

[Asawi]

9 minutes ago, DrSea said:

 

Could you please post the link? Thanks. 

 

I know the cruise right before mine had to cancel 8 ports bc of weather.  Maybe that happened to her? 

No. Weather was great and we didn't miss any ports on the first leg of her B2B. I think they missed one  (Lerwick?) the second leg. 

[DrSea]

1 minute ago, Asawi said:

No. Weather was great and we didn't miss any ports on the first leg of her B2B. I think they missed one  (Lerwick?) the second leg. 

I think we were on the same cruise. I was on there from July 23 to Aug 15.

 

I would like to read their review. Can someone post it? 

 

The restaurant manager on the star is very nice (10/10). I was on the getaway immediately after the star, and the food is largely the same. I presume the food is pretty consistent across the line. 

[CCJack]

When to sail:   For both our Iceland cruise and Norway cruise, I booked as close to June 21 as I could.  I just think 24 hour daylight is something unique to experience.   If you cruise to the North coast of Iceland you will be very close to the arctic circle (close enough for daylight all night at the end of June), likely same for Norway depending on how far North your itinerary takes you.

 

When to book:  I agree with others.   Book now, then keep an eye on prices.  Unless we have another pandemic, cruise load is going to increase.   There will be some price drops but nothing big, except for the 2 weeks prior to cruise when they may try to unload empty cabins, but that is too late for my planning comfort zone.   

 

Ship size:  Both of our cruises were big ship (but not NCL) .   Big ships can get into Flam and Geiranger in Norway, make sure you see one or both of those.  Fjords are very deep by their nature.    I am tempted to try to book a small excursion type cruise in Norway, to see the smaller fjords, but so far not in my budget!

 

BTW,  I think Norway is a much more beautiful cruise destination than Iceland.   In Iceland you will be driving or busing inland quite a bit from the coast to see the geological sights.   Norway is stunning from a cruise ship and beautiful along the coast.  We did spend quite a bit of time on the outdoor decks on the Norway cruise.   Some people recommend a Norway only cruise and a land cruise to Iceland on a separate trip. 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by CCJack

[www3traveler]

2 hours ago, DrSea said:

I think we were on the same cruise. I was on there from July 23 to Aug 15.

 

I would like to read their review. Can someone post it? 

 

The restaurant manager on the star is very nice (10/10). I was on the getaway immediately after the star, and the food is largely the same. I presume the food is pretty consistent across the line. 

The review is on Page 8 of this forum titled: "Live From The NCL Star July 23-August 15.  Will I Survive Without The Beverage Package".  It was written by YVRteacher

She had just been on The Jewel a few weeks before this cruise and had NO food issues at all.

Edited October 2, 2023 by www3traveler
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[BrianLo]

12 hours ago, www3traveler said:

A friend of mine posted a long horror story of her cruise on The Star in July.  It is on page 8 written by YVRteacher.  She did a B2B cruise that went from bad to horrific.  She love the itinerary and the pots of call but she hated The Star.  You might want to read her review-- it is very long.

Over the Summer there have been a number of reviews with complaints about The Star: entertainment, cabin issues, staff issues and most importantly food issues.

I read all the post too! Currently finishing up on the Star. Had very low expectations for food and it’s been surprisingly good. I wonder if there’s been sufficient crew turnover in the kitchen. Or just a function of not being vegetarian.

 

Like everything though the crew changeover probably makes or breaks the experience.

[dock]

@www3traveler, thanks for info re the YVRteacher review .I’ve read through it and I think the Star is a No for us. Ports were great but I think we will still keep Prima as a maybe and I’ll wait to see which ship  and route Celebrity   will be sailing there in 2025. 
 

Im really going for the ports this time , rather than the cruise line/ ship but I still want good food. 
Thanks all for the info. 

[PATRLR]

23 hours ago, dock said:

We’ve never cruised NCL. 
We’re looking at Prima August 2025.

I’ve looked at O ( not too keen on the Marina) and Celebrity ( waiting for 2025 and which ship), but for now Prima seems to be the one we are leaning towards.

 

Will there be specials around Thanksgiving or should I just go ahead and book if the price is acceptable? 

Thank you. 

 

 

We're looking at this itinerary for 2024.  We were leaning heavily to Prima, but the feedback and reviews is that she isn't well suited for cold weather.  We've rejected it and are looking at other options.

 

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, dock said:

Im really going for the ports this time , rather than the cruise line/ ship but I still want good food. 

One thing to be thinking about with Norway is whether or not you want the Artic Circle as part of it.  It basically adds 4 days to any itinerary (sea day to get there, couple days up there, sea day to get back).  We struggled with should we go up there, so long as we are so close.  We've ultimately decided to pass on the Artic Circle.  If you want it, Celebrity Apex for 2024 had a very nice looking itinerary (balconies are already sold out for 2024).

[dock]

@PATRLR,we won’t have the time to add the Arctic as I’m planning on 3 nights in Reykjavik precruise and 2 in London post.

 

We have booked Athens to Turkey on O for summer 2024  and Ascent for Feb  2024.

I’m looking for Iceland/Norway for 2025. As 2025 Norway will see changes in which ships allowed where I’d rather go in 2025. 
 

Do keep me posted if you come across a nice itinerary as I’m not brand loyal  to X anymore.

Thanks. 

[PATRLR]

35 minutes ago, dock said:

Do keep me posted if you come across a nice itinerary as I’m not brand loyal  to X anymore.

Thanks. 

Have you found the pinned "fjords" post over in the North Atlantic ports forums?  Lots of good information there.

I'm narrowed down to one of these three at the moment.  I really want to do the Apex, it has the two fjords that I want to hit, but at twice the cost of the Anthem, I'm just not there yet (price was for a standard balcony for 2, last time I checked).  It also swaps a Norway stop for Belgium which isn't great, IMO.  Still looking though.
 

===================================================================

7 Nights, Anthem of the Seas Jul 12 -                       $3522

 

Fri, Jul 12, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND          --    5:00 pm

Sat, Jul 13, 2024 CRUISING                --          --

Sun, Jul 14, 2024 STAVANGER, NORWAY       7:00 am     5:00 pm

Mon, Jul 15, 2024 FLAM, NORWAY            8:00 am     5:00 pm

Tue, Jul 16, 2024 ALESUND, NORWAY         8:00 am     6:00 pm

Wed, Jul 17, 2024 BERGEN, NORWAY          7:00 am     2:00 pm

Thu, Jul 18, 2024 CRUISING                --          --

Fri, Jul 19, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    5:30 am     --

===================================================================

7 Nights, Sky Princess  July 13 -                      $4005

 

Sat, Jul 13, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    --    4:00 pm

Sun, Jul 14, 2024 AT SEA                        --          --

Mon, Jul 15, 2024 BERGEN, NORWAY                12:00 pm    8:00 pm

Tue, Jul 16, 2024 SKJOLDEN/SOGNEFJORD, NORWAY   8:00 am     4:00 pm

Wed, Jul 17, 2024 OLDEN, NORWAY                 8:00 am     5:00 pm

Thu, Jul 18, 2024 STAVANGER, NORWAY             10:00 am    5:00 pm

Fri, Jul 19, 2024 AT SEA                        --          --

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON), ENGLAND         7:00 am     --

===================================================================

7 Nights Celebrity Apex                                     $6584

 

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    --    4:00 pm

Sun, Jul 21, 2024 BRUGES,(ZEEBRUGGE),BELGIUM    7:00 am     3:00 pm

Mon, Jul 22, 2024 AT SEA      --    --

Tue, Jul 23, 2024 FLAM, NORWAY      7:00 am     4:00 pm

Wed, Jul 24, 2024 GEIRANGER, NORWAY 8:00 am     5:00 pm

Thu, Jul 25, 2024 BERGEN, NORWAY    7:00 am     2:00 pm

Fri, Jul 26, 2024 AT SEA      --    --

Sat, Jul 27, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    6:00 am     --

===================================================================

[dock]

@PATRLR, thank you will check these out. Appreciate the info. 
We were looking at Sky Princess on UTube last night.

[CCJack]

3 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Have you found the pinned "fjords" post over in the North Atlantic ports forums?  Lots of good information there.

I'm narrowed down to one of these three at the moment.  I really want to do the Apex, it has the two fjords that I want to hit, but at twice the cost of the Anthem, I'm just not there yet (price was for a standard balcony for 2, last time I checked).  It also swaps a Norway stop for Belgium which isn't great, IMO.  Still looking though.
 

===================================================================

7 Nights, Anthem of the Seas Jul 12 -                       $3522

 

Fri, Jul 12, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND          --    5:00 pm

Sat, Jul 13, 2024 CRUISING                --          --

Sun, Jul 14, 2024 STAVANGER, NORWAY       7:00 am     5:00 pm

Mon, Jul 15, 2024 FLAM, NORWAY            8:00 am     5:00 pm

Tue, Jul 16, 2024 ALESUND, NORWAY         8:00 am     6:00 pm

Wed, Jul 17, 2024 BERGEN, NORWAY          7:00 am     2:00 pm

Thu, Jul 18, 2024 CRUISING                --          --

Fri, Jul 19, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    5:30 am     --

===================================================================

7 Nights, Sky Princess  July 13 -                      $4005

 

Sat, Jul 13, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    --    4:00 pm

Sun, Jul 14, 2024 AT SEA                        --          --

Mon, Jul 15, 2024 BERGEN, NORWAY                12:00 pm    8:00 pm

Tue, Jul 16, 2024 SKJOLDEN/SOGNEFJORD, NORWAY   8:00 am     4:00 pm

Wed, Jul 17, 2024 OLDEN, NORWAY                 8:00 am     5:00 pm

Thu, Jul 18, 2024 STAVANGER, NORWAY             10:00 am    5:00 pm

Fri, Jul 19, 2024 AT SEA                        --          --

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON), ENGLAND         7:00 am     --

===================================================================

7 Nights Celebrity Apex                                     $6584

 

Sat, Jul 20, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    --    4:00 pm

Sun, Jul 21, 2024 BRUGES,(ZEEBRUGGE),BELGIUM    7:00 am     3:00 pm

Mon, Jul 22, 2024 AT SEA      --    --

Tue, Jul 23, 2024 FLAM, NORWAY      7:00 am     4:00 pm

Wed, Jul 24, 2024 GEIRANGER, NORWAY 8:00 am     5:00 pm

Thu, Jul 25, 2024 BERGEN, NORWAY    7:00 am     2:00 pm

Fri, Jul 26, 2024 AT SEA      --    --

Sat, Jul 27, 2024 SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND    6:00 am     --

===================================================================

Although the Apex is my favorite ship of those that we have been on, I vote for the Anthem here.    That is a huge price difference and Anthem is also a  big, newer ship.    Those ports for Anthem are the same ports that we went to and they are all very enjoyable.    Have you considered leaving from Amsterdam?   That may open up some more options..   

[PhillyTravelBug]

Just did the cruise in August. I would definitely wait until the Black Friday / cyber Monday offers. We booked when triple points were offered.

 

Ive attached my review if you’re interested.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2957368-prima-iceland-norway-august-2023/