Cruising to Norway with Princess

[Suzbluz]

We have booked a cruise to Norway from Southhampton for April/May next year. This is our first cruise not departing from Australia. Would be grateful for any advice or tips. Thanks 

[SinbadThePorter]

I've got no tips, but I do have the June 2026 solstice cruise lined up on Sky Princess.

[arxcards]

I am doing the midnight sun cruise to Norway on Emerald Princess in June '25. +1 on the tips, including the ones you discover on your trip.

 

I have rummaged through tips from here and from cruising friends in regards to London & Southampton, so have that part pretty much sorted. When it comes to tips, it looks like it is also the first time you will be paying them (as in daily gratuities).

[Cbtours]

13 minutes ago, Suzbluz said:

We have booked a cruise to Norway from Southhampton for April/May next year. This is our first cruise not departing from Australia. Would be grateful for any advice or tips. Thanks 

We’re not on same cruise but our first time not departing Australia too (b2b 5-26 April).

[Cbtours]

4 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I am doing the midnight sun cruise to Norway on Emerald Princess in June '25. +1 on the tips, including the ones you discover on your trip.

 

I have rummaged through tips from here and from cruising friends in regards to London & Southampton, so have that part pretty much sorted. When it comes to tips, it looks like it is also the first time you will be paying them (as in daily gratuities).

And the email today says up $1pppd from today. Is this as well as the recent rise do you know?

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, Cbtours said:

And the email today says up $1pppd from today. Is this as well as the recent rise do you know?

Not sure. I think the announcement about the rise was ahead of time, so it could be just that one taking effect.

[Cbtours]

Just now, arxcards said:

Not sure. I think the announcement about the rise was ahead of time, so it could be just that one taking effect.

Thanks. Be interested to hear your views on emerald. Was checking out all cruises for next year but ended up doing earlier now b2b Mediterranean on sky. Not been on either but emerald looked nice.

[arxcards]

Just now, Cbtours said:

Thanks. Be interested to hear your views on emerald. Was checking out all cruises for next year but ended up doing earlier now b2b Mediterranean on sky. Not been on either but emerald looked nice.

Emerald is much like you would have experienced on Ruby.

I love the layout of those ships already and would have preferred Diamond or Sapphire for the reduced passenger numbers, but not an option.

[Suzbluz]

15 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

We’re not on same cruise but our first time not departing Australia too (b2b 5-26 April).

We board 26 April!

[Cbtours]

1 minute ago, arxcards said:

Emerald is much like you would have experienced on Ruby.

I love the layout of those ships already and would have preferred Diamond or Sapphire for the reduced passenger numbers, but not an option.

We liked Ruby even though we were on THE ill fated journey. We loved Coral too. Always thought we wouldn’t go on anything bigger but after going on majestic earlier this year we were quite surprised it didn’t seem crowded as we thought bigger ships would be. Hence giving sky a go. It looks great on video, but it’s not til you get on.

 

very happily have a front obstructed balcony again for inside price. (M104)We loved it in majestic.

[mum and son]

46 minutes ago, Suzbluz said:

We board 26 April!

I'm actually considering the exact same cruise!

[Ozwoody]

56 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Emerald is much like you would have experienced on Ruby.

I love the layout of those ships already and would have preferred Diamond or Sapphire for the reduced passenger numbers, but not an option.

Isn't it funny how we see things, we always loved the Sun Class ships, and thought the Diamond and Sapphire were large ships. Now their considered small ships.😂

[mum and son]

1 hour ago, Cbtours said:

We liked Ruby even though we were on THE ill fated journey. We loved Coral too. Always thought we wouldn’t go on anything bigger but after going on majestic earlier this year we were quite surprised it didn’t seem crowded as we thought bigger ships would be. Hence giving sky a go. It looks great on video, but it’s not til you get on.

 

very happily have a front obstructed balcony again for inside price. (M104)We loved it in majestic.

The Majestic is my favourite ship so far (did B2B2B, one in L103 and then in B739 I think - from the very front to the very back), but did 15 nights Panama Canal on the Emerald in Dec/Jan this year. I thought she was very well maintained and she travelled well. Food was excellent too. In March I did B2B on the Royal Princess, also a lovely ship but only just pipped by the Majestic for me. 

I'm pretty keen to get on the Sun!

Edited October 8 by mum and son

[Cbtours]

13 minutes ago, mum and son said:

The Majestic is my favourite ship so far (did B2B2B, one in L103 and then in B739 I think - from the very front to the very back), but did 15 nights Panama Canal on the Emerald in Dec/Jan this year. I thought she was very well maintained and she travelled well. Food was excellent too. In March I did B2B on the Royal Princess, also a lovely ship but only just pipped by the Majestic for me. 

I'm pretty keen to get on the Sun!

We were in L103 on majestic and loved it.

[arxcards]

34 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Isn't it funny how we see things, we always loved the Sun Class ships, and thought the Diamond and Sapphire were large ships. Now their considered small ships.😂

Love them Sun Class too. 

There is just something about those aft decks on the Grand ships. The progression from class to class isn't much more than 20% GRT, so there is a scale in place. Cabins are almost identical boxes from one to the next, there are just more of them.

 

[arxcards]

36 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

We were in L103 on majestic and loved it.

We have A102 on Discovery when she arrives. I see all those category of ships as rather cookie-cutter, but there always is something to make one more impressive than the others. We enjoyed our Pacific Dawn cruises, but loathed our only Pacific Jewel cruise - on paper, they were pretty much twin sisters.

 

We have been wanting to do a forward view for a while, and also have L106 on Crown in 2026.

[colourbird]

On 10/8/2024 at 4:35 PM, Suzbluz said:

We have booked a cruise to Norway from Southhampton for April/May next year. This is our first cruise not departing from Australia. Would be grateful for any advice or tips. Thanks 

 

Several years ago, we took a similar cruise on the Sapphire Princess, and Norway was one of the best destinations we’ve ever visited. Alesund was the highlight for me.

 

Getting to the cruise ship was easy. We caught a train from Waterloo Station to Southampton, a journey of about two hours. From the station, it was a short taxi ride to the cruise terminal (taxis were plentiful). I bought the train tickets at Waterloo Station just minutes before our train left.

[Suzbluz]

39 minutes ago, colourbird said:

 

Several years ago, we took a similar cruise on the Sapphire Princess, and Norway was one of the best destinations we’ve ever visited. Alesund was the highlight for me.

 

Getting to the cruise ship was easy. We caught a train from Waterloo Station to Southampton, a journey of about two hours. From the station, it was a short taxi ride to the cruise terminal (taxis were plentiful). I bought the train tickets at Waterloo Station just minutes before our train left.

Thanks, this is very helpful 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, colourbird said:

I bought the train tickets at Waterloo Station just minutes before our train left.

Much cheaper to pre-purchase.

[colourbird]

12 hours ago, arxcards said:

Much cheaper to pre-purchase.

 

When we were there in 2018 our return tickets were around half the price when purchased at the ticket window than if we had prepurchased them online.

[vada_9]

On 10/8/2024 at 3:35 PM, Suzbluz said:

  Would be grateful for any advice or tips. Thanks 

I have cruised to Norway - round trip from Amsterdam on Azamara in 2016. Can give some advise re ports if that is what you are after.

 

[arxcards]

14 minutes ago, colourbird said:

 

When we were there in 2018 our return tickets were around half the price when purchased at the ticket window than if we had prepurchased them online.

All advice I have been given by Londoners and my wife's English relos is to purchase advance tickets online and to avoid peak hour travel, for both price and comfort. They have a limited number of advance discount tickets for each off-peak train, usually available for purchase around 12 weeks in advance. Peak advance tickets can be more expensive than ticket window off peak pricing.

 

Apples with apples:

Today's price for the direct train service to Southampton, bought at Waterloo station is $AU47pp

Train for the same time on Thursday 28th Nov, advance purchase online is $AU19pp

[colourbird]

11 minutes ago, arxcards said:

All advice I have been given by Londoners and my wife's English relos is to purchase advance tickets online and to avoid peak hour travel, for both price and comfort. They have a limited number of advance discount tickets for each off-peak train, usually available for purchase around 12 weeks in advance. Peak advance tickets can be more expensive than ticket window off peak pricing.

 

Apples with apples:

Today's price for the direct train service to Southampton, bought at Waterloo station is $AU47pp

Train for the same time on Thursday 28th Nov, advance purchase online is $AU19pp

 

It was very cheap in 2018. If there had been any benefit to buying tickets in advance, I would have done so, as I had prepurchased everything else except for that and the taxis.

 

50 pounds return today is not a bad price for that distance.

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, colourbird said:

 

It was very cheap in 2018. If there had been any benefit to buying tickets in advance, I would have done so, as I had prepurchased everything else except for that and the taxis.

 

50 pounds return today is not a bad price for that distance.

That is 4 times the price of Newcastle to Sydney return, which is a longer trip on a similar level of intercity service. As long as you are committed to the time and date, 20 pounds is a much better price and a comparable value to NSW intercity services.

[colourbird]

22 minutes ago, arxcards said:

That is 4 times the price of Newcastle to Sydney return, which is a longer trip on a similar level of intercity service. As long as you are committed to the time and date, 20 pounds is a much better price and a comparable value to NSW intercity services.

 

That price would have bothered me before, but now, when I'm on holiday, it doesn't. That's why I book ship tours instead of private ones now.