Help! Can't decide which cruise to book!!

[LesleyWootten]

I've been on about 15+ cruises. In the past 8-10 years Ive been trying to really focus on cruising Europe mostly. Right now im looking at several different itineraries in the Baltic/Nordic/Scandinavian regions. Im really struggling to decide which one to choose; they all are dream worthy. 😁

 

The 1st is on board the NCL Dawn and travels from Stockholm, Sweden to Oslo, Norway with stops in Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; Klaipida, Lithuania; Gdynia, Poland; Warnemunde, Germany; Kiel, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

2nd is on board Princess (Regal Princess) round trip from Southampton, England. Stops in Portland, England; Cork, Ireland; Dublin, Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; Invergordon, Scotland and LaHavre/Paris, France.

 

Last, is on board Costa Diadema round trip out of Copenhagen, Denmark. Stops in Hellesylt, Norway; Geiranger, Norway; Bergen, Norway; Stavanger, Norway and Kiel, Germany. 

 

I've sailed mostly NCL, MSC and Carnival. Never Costa or Princess. I enjoy the ship time but not so much that id sacrifice a great itinerary. Any thought on these 3? Favorites? Best time or worst time of year to sail there??

 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to give me your input.

 

Lesley 

[kaisatsu]

The Princess cruise isn’t Baltic, Nordic, or Scandinavian, so if that’s your aim, I’d rule that one out. Between the other two, it’s a question of whether you’re interested in the Baltic or the Norwegian fjords. Both are served by several cruiselines and itineraries, but they’re two very different regions. I’d recommend the Baltics if you’re after city sightseeing, historic architecture, museums, walking tours, etc. The Norwegian fjords focus largely on natural scenery.

[kitkat343]

Both the Baltics and the Norwegian fjords are spectacular, for the reasons Kaisatu correctly identified.  The only thing I would add is that please note that Norway is scheduled to restrict access to the heritage fjords (which include Geiranger and Flam) starting in 20205 to ships that are zero net emissions.  If you think you would be interested in visiting Norway, I'd do it next summer.  If you are looking for a 7 day, my favorite ports were Geiranger, Flam and Olden.  The one thing that's tricky about Norway is that the weather can be tough, and a lot of the ports are weather dependent in that the spectacular views are diminished if the weather isn't clear.

 

The other reason to choose Norway next summer is that it would give another year to see if St. Petersburg might reopen.  I definitely wouldn't bet on that, but if you went to Norway next summer to see the ports that will have limited access in the future, there's a better chance of St. Petersburg reopening in the summer of 2025 than in 2024, but again that's nothing you can expect to happen soon, since even if the war ended tomorrow they'd need time to ensure that Russia is stable before letting people visit again. 

[janetcbl]

Have you considered Viking Ocean Cruises? They are a bit different (smaller ships, no children, no casinos, emphasis on experiences and lectures,  etc.), but their specialty is this area, and they are a Norwegian company.

[LesleyWootten]

I haven't, but I'll look them up. Thank you!

[karatemom2]

We cruise primarily on Princess and really enjoy their ships and experience. We did the British Isles cruise you list last year and if you are looking for a great exposure to the UK, Scotland and Ireland it’s definitely a fantastic itinerary. 
 

This year we did a Western Med cruise in the Sky Princess which is a great ship. We are returning next summer to do a Land of the Midnight Sun cruise. If you are interested in seeing the Norwegian Fjords before they close to cruise ships it’s a great itinerary. It goes to Olden, Flam and Geiranger plus goes all the way up into the Arctic Circle to Honingsvag. If that interests you at all, you may want to check it out. It’s the Sky Princess - June 15 2024. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by karatemom2

[Islander500]

On 10/16/2023 at 3:37 AM, kitkat343 said:

Both the Baltics and the Norwegian fjords are spectacular, for the reasons Kaisatu correctly identified.  The only thing I would add is that please note that Norway is scheduled to restrict access to the heritage fjords (which include Geiranger and Flam) starting in 20205 to ships that are zero net emissions.  If you think you would be interested in visiting Norway, I'd do it next summer.  If you are looking for a 7 day, my favorite ports were Geiranger, Flam and Olden.  The one thing that's tricky about Norway is that the weather can be tough, and a lot of the ports are weather dependent in that the spectacular views are diminished if the weather isn't clear.

 

The other reason to choose Norway next summer is that it would give another year to see if St. Petersburg might reopen.  I definitely wouldn't bet on that, but if you went to Norway next summer to see the ports that will have limited access in the future, there's a better chance of St. Petersburg reopening in the summer of 2025 than in 2024, but again that's nothing you can expect to happen soon, since even if the war ended tomorrow they'd need time to ensure that Russia is stable before letting people visit again. 

Thank you.  We are planning to visit in 2025 and what I have found in reading is that the zero emissions standards are being put in place in 2026. Can you advise where you are seeing that it is in 2025? Maybe wishful thinking on my part? 

 

Appreciate OP's post and it actually made me laugh.  We are also thoroughly confused as to what line to book.  Thinking about going on a smaller ship, i.e. splurging (for us) on Viking or Oceania.  Just struggling with what itinerary to choose because some of the larger ships seem to go to the "must see" locations I've read about on Cruise Critic and I don't see those in the smaller ship's itinerary, such as Flam and Alesund. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

 

 

[Ulsteinvik]

The zero net emissions from 2026 in Norway have been adjusted. It is now also permitted to sail the two fjords Geiranger and Flam with bio LNG on a temporary basis for some years. Therefore, there are now 2026 port bookings in Geiranger from the LNG ships MSC Euribia, AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda, Iona and a Newbuild of TUI Cruises who can all use bio LNG.

[janetcbl]

2 hours ago, Islander500 said:

Thank you.  We are planning to visit in 2025 and what I have found in reading is that the zero emissions standards are being put in place in 2026. Can you advise where you are seeing that it is in 2025? Maybe wishful thinking on my part? 

 

Appreciate OP's post and it actually made me laugh.  We are also thoroughly confused as to what line to book.  Thinking about going on a smaller ship, i.e. splurging (for us) on Viking or Oceania.  Just struggling with what itinerary to choose because some of the larger ships seem to go to the "must see" locations I've read about on Cruise Critic and I don't see those in the smaller ship's itinerary, such as Flam and Alesund. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

 

 

  Viking has an all day excursion from Eidfjord to Flam, via bus, train, and  the Flambana on its Homelands cruise. You get to see a lot in a single day, including waterfalls, lunch at Voss on top of a mountain, and magnificent scenery.

[kitkat343]

 

15 hours ago, Islander500 said:

Thank you.  We are planning to visit in 2025 and what I have found in reading is that the zero emissions standards are being put in place in 2026. Can you advise where you are seeing that it is in 2025? Maybe wishful thinking on my part? 

 

Appreciate OP's post and it actually made me laugh.  We are also thoroughly confused as to what line to book.  Thinking about going on a smaller ship, i.e. splurging (for us) on Viking or Oceania.  Just struggling with what itinerary to choose because some of the larger ships seem to go to the "must see" locations I've read about on Cruise Critic and I don't see those in the smaller ship's itinerary, such as Flam and Alesund. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

 

 

Sorry - please ignore my dates, which are usually wrong - I think the general thing to note is that Norway may not always be accessible to cruise lines and I'd recommend seeing it sooner rather than later if that's something on your radar.  

Edited October 18, 2023 by kitkat343