Looking for info re fjord cruise,without Russia

2nd timers here, been a few years since out Med. cruise that was so wonderful.

Mostly interested in doing cruise encompassing Scandanavian countries and dream wish to leave from Amsterdam. My internet for surfing not great, as we are away on holiday, so a bit difficult checking Oceania's website, but from what I have been able to ascertain, most include Russia.

Also we would prefer 14 days. Any info would be appreciated, including from those who have cruised the fjords. Thanks.

Just for clarification

what Fjords are you thinking of ?

Norway or ???

Most cruises have Copenhagen & Stockholm will have Russia

The Nautica has Norway but it also has some Russian ports

Lyn and I were on a Norway cruise in 2010 (July? August? I forget) on Insignia which only had one Russian port, Murmansk. Rumors among passengers were that we only stopped there to refuel. But since then Murmansk has been on a number of itineraries.

We are booked on another Norway cruise in June/July which has a few more Russian ports (I could do without those myself) but there were changes in the Norwegian ports of call and we wanted to get back to Trondheim after many years.

In recent years Oceania has had itineraries similar to the one we did in 2010 (at least that's my impression). I'm not sure if they are doing that itinerary again in the next year or two however.

Mura

Lyn and I were on a Norway cruise in 2010 (July? August? I forget) on Insignia which only had one Russian port, Murmansk. Rumors among passengers were that we only stopped there to refuel. But since then Murmansk has been on a number of itineraries.

 

Mura

Ithink we covered both months as we did the B2B ;)

I did enjoy Murmansk once we got off the ship I think it is a lot quicker now since we were there

I would have liked to do the new itinerary even though some do not like the other Russian ports

It would still be interesting to us

Hope you will report back on those stops

Lyn

I promise, Lyn. One problem is that the most "popular" visits in those ports all appear to be of gulags. I think one will suffice for us! I nearly opted for a private tour with another couple but the agency expects you to get a visa (they do provide the invitation letter) but it's not worth it to us to spend the extra $$. Russia is now given single and dual entry visas, but even those as I recall cost $120. Cheaper than the regular visa but it still adds up. So we'll do ship's tours there. We're skipping Murmansk this time, just weren't that impressed last time.

Of course, we may still change our minds!!

Mura

Yes, fjords in Norway. Thank you for replies. More Russian ports, would not be for us, tho I am sure they are interesting. Will keep looking. Maybe we will have to make some compromises.

If you were to consider Crystal, the itinerary we are sailing in July is lovely. It is 14 days and leaves from Amsterdam.

I have done a previous fjord cruise which I loved. The 3 Norwegian ports on this cruise look great and there is the added plus of the Faroes, Shetlands and Iceland.

Yes, fjords in Norway. Thank you for replies. More Russian ports, would not be for us, tho I am sure they are interesting. Will keep looking. Maybe we will have to make some compromises.

Yes maybe check some cruises leaving from the UK & do some Norway ports

Or maybe O will do Norway in 2017 again

Norway is beautiful

Lyn

Oops... Photo came out badly.

Itinerary...

July 9 Overnight in Amsterdam

July 10- Amsterdam

July 11 Sea Day

July 12 Oslo

July 13 Stavanger, Norway

July 14 Flåm, Norway

July 15 Lerwick, Shetland

Islands

July 16 Klaksvik, Faroe Islands

July 17 Sea Day

July 18 Reykjavik, Iceland

July 19 Reykjavik, Iceland

July 20 Heiamey, Iceland

July 21 sea day

July 22 sea day

July 23 Tilbury ( London), England

Don't know your timetable, but Silversea has wonderful fjord cruises without Russia. This year, however, is waitlisted.

We are booked on Azamara Quest, round-trip from Amsterdam, all the way up the coast of Norway to the end of the world [but no Russia], August 11-26, 2016:

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/1470888000/15-night-norwegian-fjords-n-cape

We did a one week cruise in the Norway fjords, leaving from Rotterdam and stopping at Flam (fabulous experience), Stavanger which was very impressive, Christiansand and Oslo ( very interesting experiences). Our cruise ship was the Rotterdam from HAL and we enjoyed the food and service as well as Joanna and the HAL cats. We only did one week, butI know that this itinerary was done as a b2b by fellow cruisers. All and all, we have very found memory of that trip and would not hesitate to do it again! Good luck in choosing your cruise!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You are getting lots of advice (maybe too much?) but I thought I'd add a couple more comments.

That Crystal itinerary looks enticing. We did Iceland, the Faroes, a couple of Scottish and Irish ports 10 years ago on Insignia and it was a fabulous trip. But when I'm doing Norway (again, just my opinion) I prefer more of the Norwegian ports. Maybe it's because our first experience in Norway was when we were newlyweds on a 12 day cruise (that is B2B) on the old coastal steamer (now Hurtigruten) from Bergen to North Cape.

I'm sure you will find the right cruise for you. I, too (as I said before) am not wild about the Russian ports. (If it were St. Petersburg it would be different.)

Mura

Thank you everyone. All have given me a few different options that I plan to pursue further when we get home. As for time frame, I was originally thinking 2016, but after looking over these new suggestions, we are going to work towards 2017.

Thanks again for all your information.

There also a couple on Viking Oceans. London start, Oslo ending. Into the Midnight Sun.

Happy,

Further to the recommendation of Viking, there's also Hurtigruten -- successor to the coastal steamer that we were on in 1975. The coastal steamer was basically a mail boat with passengers. Most of the accommodations were second class, and most passengers boarded to get from one coastal city to another. Few did the entire cruise. As I said, it was 12 days going from Bergen to North Cape and back. Our captain took us into the Trollfjord which is beyond spectacular -- the bigger ships just can't get in there.

In 1975 we had a ship's tour to the Russian border when we were at North Cape and it was fun (?) to see the Russian soldiers aiming their rifles at us in case we made a break for it ...

That was a very casual trip but we loved the ports. I don't think Hurtigruten stops at the tiny places we did back then -- and in checking their itineraries it doesn't appear so. We saw their ships in 2010 in Honningsvaag (North Cape) and I think Hammerfest. But their current itineraries seem more off the track.

I was attracted to their Arctic Adventure but that is 12 days (Bergen to Longyearbyen (Spitzbergen) which is in the middle of nowhere. (We very much enjoyed our day there!) They have a May 23rd departure for this cruise and I got nowhere when I tried to dummy up a reservation so I suspect it's sold out. And how you would get home (it doesn't look like they do the reverse direction but if they don't, where does the ship go?) ...

But it's worth considering.

Meanwhile, there were some complaints on CC a while back about having to pay for water in the restaurants ... which I believe has been resolved. But if you opt for Hurtigruten you might want to confirm that!

Mura

The Crystal itinerary is July 2016. We did a wonderful cruise on the Eurodam in a great Neptune Suite which included Alesund, Bergen, Skjolden , Oslo and Ireland/Scotland ...started in Copenhagen and ended in Amsterdam. A fabulous itinerary. I love the mix..but as Mura said, a total immersion in the fjords could be incredible too.

Happy planning...

Thank you all for those additional ideas. Will wait to see what Oceania offers for 2017, as this is our first choice, however, we are flexible in our thinking (I hope):)

2nd timers here, been a few years since out Med. cruise that was so wonderful.

 

Mostly interested in doing cruise encompassing Scandanavian countries and dream wish to leave from Amsterdam. My internet for surfing not great, as we are away on holiday, so a bit difficult checking Oceania's website, but from what I have been able to ascertain, most include Russia.

 

Also we would prefer 14 days. Any info would be appreciated, including from those who have cruised the fjords. Thanks.

Get yourself a good TA and they will do all the work for you. They should have all the answers at their fingertips. Good luck. :):):)

Thanks RJB, definitely need to do that too.:)

Just so you know, Azamara does the complete Norway cruise (sans Russia) every summer -- and one of their captains is Norwegian so he uses his local contacts to stop for fresh provisions (strawberries, goat cheese, fish):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=48640094&postcount=26

Thank you Jazz. Have not looked at Azamara. Will take a look at them as well. Sounds wonderful!

We are booked on the same cruise on Azamara Quest with Jazz this coming August visiting Norwegian fjords up to the North Cape which fits all your requirements: RT Amsterdam, 14 nights and no Russia. Come join us!

Hi CintiPam, your cruise looks wonderful. We are planning for 2017, so we can't join you, but I am sure you are are going to have a great time. Enjoy your cruise.

To update some information given above. Hurtigruten sails most days (misses some days in the middle of winter) from Bergen round trip to Kirkenes and back with 63 intervening port stops (2016 scheddule; I considered posting the port list, but decided it was probably more than most here wanted to see). Most of these are stops both North and Southbound, some are just long enough to exchange a few passengers and cargo in small towns, and many are in the middle of the night - except if you go in June it will still be light no matter the time of day. Larger towns will have stops of 3-4 hours, long enough to be able to take a tour. Most of the people on-board are in cabins doing either the trip from Bergen to Kirkenes (or vice-versa) or the full 11 night round trip, but there are some people merely using it as a ferry from their little town to get to an airport. Most cabins are fairly basic, but there are a few basic suites. Food in the Dining Room is fine, but still pretty basic.

It is a fantastic trip that had been on my bucket list for years until I took it in 2011, but Oceania it is not.