Prelim Research Question- Norwegian Fjords

[Autumnz]

I am just starting to think about a 2025 cruise to Nor. Fjords.  We have only cruised once before (Alaska) and loved it for the scenery.  We didn't love the ports/excursions- much too touristy and we were glad we spent 2 weeks on land with a rental car pre-cruise.  We do not want to drive in Europe, so thinking a Norwegian Fjords cruise will be very scenic and research shows very nature based vs touristy -so seems very much "us".

 

*We loved our Celebrity Millie experience (balcony) in Alaska and want to do a balcony in Norway.  But, the only Celebrity Option is Apex with Infinite Veranda and I am not sure that's "for us".  

 

*If we decided to go on the Apex there are 2 sailings.  Both have Geiranger (which I thought for us on limited research is a MUST).  One has Olden and the other Flam (and I think I'd prefer Flam).  The sailing with Flam also has Bergen.  The sailing with Olden also has Bergen AND Alesund.  I am leaning to Flam (skipping Alesund)- thoughts?

 

*Are there other ships we should consider that are "Celebrity" budget?  We love the solarium/indoor pool area and want a ship with lots of access to sit and take in beautiful scenery (waterparks/casino is not our jam).  We do prefer smaller vs mega cruise.  We do have sea sick concerns (loved deck 6 midship balcony in calm Alaska Waters= no issues).

 

Looking for all suggestions/tips/advice!

[hallasm]

I cannot comment on ship or type of balcony. Only that the size of the ship has no influence on the itinerary when it comes to the deep Norwegian fjords.
Interesting ports in the deep Norwegian fjords prioritized are Geiranger, Flåm and Olden. Coastal ports in priority order are Bergen, Stavanger and Ålesund.
Other ports may be smaller towns or less interesting places to visit.

It should be noted that the opportunities to visit Geiranger and Flåm will be severely limited from 2026 due to strict requirements for emissions from ships.

[Autumnz]

Thank you.  

 

It seems for our date, if we do Celebrity, that Geiranger/Flam/Bergen is the only option.  Unless, we do an Arctic Circle and it is obviously more expensive for 12 nts vs 7.

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Autumnz

[hallasm]

Geiranger/Flam/Bergen are three fine Norwegian ports.

[Autumnz]

Thank you so much!  We just started the "looking at this" today.  If you have any tips for a great trip to those 3 stops, we'd love to hear!

 

*Ship sails 4pm/Travel Overnight to Belgium

Belgium 7am-3pm

At Sea

Flam 8-4

Geiranger 8-4

Bergen 7-2

At Sea

Depart (Dock 6am)

[janetcbl]

22 hours ago, Autumnz said:

Thank you so much!  We just started the "looking at this" today.  If you have any tips for a great trip to those 3 stops, we'd love to hear!

 

 

*Ship sails 4pm/Travel Overnight to Belgium

Belgium 7am-3pm

At Sea

Flam 8-4

Geiranger 8-4

Bergen 7-2

At Sea

Depart (Dock 6am)

Flam: Flambana (train) up the mountain to Myrdal and back). Reservations usually necessary.

Bergen: Floyen, up the mountain by funicular, lunch/ coffee on top. Funicular back down or an easy hike back down on a well marked path. Good museums: Bryggens, Kode (Art), Hanseatic ( may be closed), Troldhaugen (Composer Edvard Grieg’s home, studio and museum) and more.

[canadianjovigirl]

We are doing this one so hoping it covers it all. 

[hallasm]

3 hours ago, canadianjovigirl said:

We are doing this one so hoping it covers it all. 

Good itinerary - Three deep Norwegian fjords, three Norwegian coastal towns and the North Cape.
However, two things are missing for it to be the perfect Norwegian fjord and Arctic Circle cruise. A visit to Bergen and cruising in June/July to experience the midnight sun. In mid-August there is no midnight sun at the North Cape

[sleepingcat]

On 12/5/2023 at 1:50 PM, Autumnz said:

*Are there other ships we should consider that are "Celebrity" budget?  We love the solarium/indoor pool area and want a ship with lots of access to sit and take in beautiful scenery (waterparks/casino is not our jam).  We do prefer smaller vs mega cruise.  We do have sea sick concerns (loved deck 6 midship balcony in calm Alaska Waters= no issues).

Well if you dont mind spending your cruise in the company of a mainly British set of fellow passengers, have a look at the British departure  cruise lines which do the fiords.  P and O UK has two new ships, which I havent been on btw, as we prefer smaller ships) which are regulars for fiord cruises. Smaller ships are Saga and Fred Olsen (UK departures but as you can tell, the Olsens are Norwegian).  There is also hurtigruten, Norwegian ferry company, which has new ships operating Fiord cruises from the UK.  I m now sure how any of these would compare price wise with Celebrity. Plenty of reviews and comment on these companies and itineraries on the relevant boards. Enjoy your planning...

[canadianjovigirl]

5 hours ago, hallasm said:

Good itinerary - Three deep Norwegian fjords, three Norwegian coastal towns and the North Cape.
However, two things are missing for it to be the perfect Norwegian fjord and Arctic Circle cruise. A visit to Bergen and cruising in June/July to experience the midnight sun. In mid-August there is no midnight sun at the North Cape

Thanks for the info. Picked what I gathered was best option after reading so much on here so not sure how I missed Bergen. Will have to see if we can make earlier date work if offered.  We choose August because of anniversary 🤷🏼‍♀️. First overseas cruise so all these stops are new and will need lots of research 

[kitkat343]

Olden - if your port time is long enough, you can do both the Loen skylift and Briskdal Glacier.  Loen Skylift is expensive but on a clear day an amazing view.  The Briskdal Glacier has been hit hard by global warming, but has a beautiful hike and drive to get to the glacier.  As long as you know to expect a diminished glacier, it is quite lovely.  There are troll cars you can rent if hiking is challenging for anyone in your party.  Olden adventures runs tours to both locations.

 

In Geiranger, there are buses that visit all of the beautiful sites.  Since you seem to be considering an earlier date, please note that the road to the highest point is seasonal and opens in Mid- may through early June, after the big annual avalanche.  We sailed on 5/18 (had to sail Cunard since we had a 2 year old who needed drop off daycare) and missed this by 2 days, so if you have more flexibility something else to consider.

 

In Flam, you'll need to buy your rail ticket early, but if you have. a long port day you can also do another activity (we took our kids to visit a goat farm) and there's also the Stegastein viewpoint.

 

[Autumnz]

Geiranger:

 

Has anyone rented an EV "car" instead of the bus tour?  I was looking at this instead of "stuck on a bus" but may bus is the way to go?

[oakridger]

19 hours ago, Autumnz said:

Geiranger:

 

Has anyone rented an EV "car" instead of the bus tour?  I was looking at this instead of "stuck on a bus" but may bus is the way to go?

 

I investigated those too.  The "eMobility" cars!  If I had enough time in Geiranger I would get one.  They look so fun, and I like being in control of my time more than on a bus.

 

[kaisatsu]

I always choose to hike in Geiranger, because it’s a chance to get completely away from the cruise masses. There’s a moderate-level uphill trail to Vesterås Farm that starts just beyond the Union Hotel, and from Vesterås there are further walks/hikes to various overlooks. It does mean I’ve never been up to Dalsnibba, but I have never been in port on a day that Dalsnibba wasn’t above the low cloud cover, so I don’t feel like I’ve missed much yet.

 

If you felt Alaskan ports were overly touristy, I’m not sure how much you’d enjoy Flåm as a port. The sail in and out are lovely and well worth it, but the town is very tourism-driven, given that it’s not only a popular cruise port but also a very popular spot for overland travelers between Oslo and Bergen. The area by the waterfront is all souvenir shops and kitsch, and the surrounding tourist spots are always crowded. That’s not to say that it’s not beautiful, and the Flåmsbana is fun every time I ride it, but Flåm is the one place in Norway that really reminds me of the Alaskan ports like Skagway.

 

If you are considering itineraries that include the Arctic, Tromsø and Lofoten (typical ports: Gravdal, Leknes, Svolvær) are among my favorites in Norway as a whole.

 

[Autumnz]

Thank you!

 

*Do you hike from port uphill to the Vesteras Farm?  The view of "up the mountain" seems daunting and we are not big fans of inclines.  I was thinking of maybe a private taxi tour that can be flexible to maybe take us on a scenic drive and drop us off somewhere Vesteras Farm? where we can hike and walk back to the ship downhill.

 

 *Flåm- We were thinking maybe a RIB boat tour here and/or take the scenic train.  Hopefully can find/research some walking trails/light hikes as well.

 

*There is a cruise with a Tromso stop on an Arctic Circle Itinerary, but it is almost twice the price (12  nts instead of 7) and with midnight sun, and seems no whales in summer, we just stuck to the Fjords.

[CCJack]

On 12/5/2023 at 8:50 AM, Autumnz said:

We do not want to drive in Europe, so thinking a Norwegian Fjords cruise will be very scenic and research shows very nature based vs touristy -so seems very much "us".

 

*We loved our Celebrity Millie experience (balcony) in Alaska and want to do a balcony in Norway.  But, the only Celebrity Option is Apex with Infinite Veranda and I am not sure that's "for us".  

 

 

You are correct, Norway is a beautiful cruising destination - very scenic.  I found even the most touristy ports in Norway were less touristy than all Alaska or Caribbean ports.  

 

Of the 20+ ships we have been on our favorite is Celebrity Apex.   Really beautiful ship.    Loved the infinite veranda - can be used as a normal balcony if you want. 

 

Have fun planning ! 

[kaisatsu]

On 12/9/2023 at 5:01 PM, Autumnz said:

Do you hike from port uphill to the Vesteras Farm?  The view of "up the mountain" seems daunting and we are not big fans of inclines.  I was thinking of maybe a private taxi tour that can be flexible to maybe take us on a scenic drive and drop us off somewhere Vesteras Farm? where we can hike and walk back to the ship downhill.

 

The Hotel Union is around 700 m from the waterfront and 80 m above sea level, so it's a fairly steady uphill route along the road and past the church. The trail itself gains around 250 m more elevation and is around 2 km, so more uphill. From the farm, there's a 1 km flat farm road over to the Vesteråsfjellet overlook (or a further uphill climb to Løsta). You can find the local hiking routes here.

 

Neither of these is the iconic viewpoints you see in photos, as those are most often from Flydalsjuvet. The view from Vesteråsfjellet and from Løsta are more of a side angle.

 

There aren't many taxis in the area, so if you're booking private transportation, you may be better served heading up to Flydalsjuvet where there's more infrastructure around the viewpoint. I don't think the walk down from Vesterås Farm is particularly worth it on its own, as it was enough downhill climbing to be a strain on my knees even when I was younger.

[Autumnz]

Thank you- I wanted to spend some time walking around (and reviews of llamas and goats at the farm seemed interesting to enjoy a nice walk).  But, maybe just a bus tour would be best and walk down from Norwegian Fjord Center (by water)?