Norway fjords/N. Cape Questions

We leave june 22 from Hamburg on a 12 day cruise through the fjords, and as far north as Leknes Islands, Tromso and Honningsvag.

Is it normally cold enough for fleece on a regular basis this time of year?

What type wildlife can we expect to encounter in the fjords and up north?

Many cruises that we have taken have included whale sightings. Do they inhabit these waters this time of year, and if so what kind?

You will need some warm clothes if you are heading that far north, particularly as it can be very windy. We did a similar trip some years ago in late June and used layers to allow us to cope with the cold of the north and the warmer weather by the time we got further south. Can't answer your questions about wildlife but I don't recall seeing anything other than birds.

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We leave june 22 from Hamburg on a 12 day cruise through the fjords, and as far north as Leknes Islands, Tromso and Honningsvag. Is it normally cold enough for fleece on a regular basis this time of year? What type wildlife can we expect to encounter in the fjords and up north? Many cruises that we have taken have included whale sightings. Do they inhabit these waters this time of year, and if so what kind?

AE&JH: You will need some warm clothes if you are heading that far north' date=' particularly as it can be very windy. We did a similar trip some years ago in late June and used layers to allow us to cope with the cold of the north and the warmer weather by the time we got further south. Can't answer your questions about wildlife but I don't recall seeing anything other than birds. [/quote']

 

Appreciate these good questions. Glad you are going up north to the "Top of Europe", etc. Agree with AE&JH that you need to be prepared for cooler weather, winds, etc. Be prepared for "layering" as it can be cooler in the mornings and evenings, versus during the days.

 

If you check out my live/blog connected below and a few of the pictures shown, there is much to see, experience and enjoy. From our experiences, we did see lots of different and interesting birds, but the "wildlife" was much more limited. Happy to share more. Just post on my live/blog any added questions and I will be happy to respond and share more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 205,260 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Going down into Gjesvaer, near the North Cape, here was a harbor scene/mountain scene. At the bottom right are some of the wooden fish drying racks.:

 

 

 

This is one of my many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks. We had a private boat from the harbor in Gjesvaer near the North Cape at the top of Norway.:

 

 

 

This shows a huge colony of sea gulls along the rocks and deep into the large opening in the side of the mountain that is this bird island.:

 

 

 

We found five seals on this rock. They slid off of the rock, into the water and then peaked their heads up to say "HI" to us.:

 

 

 

After getting our rental car in Honningvag, the store clerk mentioned in passing a warning of “watch out of the reindeer.” Just casually saying it. Sure. Maybe, we’ll see some in the distance. Two or three, maybe!? On the way to Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was a small part of the large herd of reindeer we discovered on the way to our boat charter. They believed that all of this territory, including the road, belong to them. The young baby reindeers were especially cute!:

 

 

 

Taking the cable car up to the top of Mt. Storsteinen at 1,260 feet provides great views of the town of Tromso, nearby islands, mountains and water. With our mid-day weather so sunny, it really helped enjoy this city in such a great setting. The Arctic Cathedral is shown bottom right in this picture.:

 

As far as weather goes, it's normal to need a fleece, it's normal to need rainwear, it's normal to wear t-shirts and shorts because it's warm and sunny. The weather varies widely.

Thank you to all for the replies. Don't want to overpack, but even though we live in Missouri, we are well stocked on fleece from past cruises to Canada & Alaska (6 of those). Was hoping to see more of those lucky whale flukes.

Terry, reading your posts (go UP NORTH) and viewing your pictures encouraged me to book this cruise, even though Hubby said he'd never go to Europe.

We are BOTH so excited about it, it's hard to concentrate on our Panama Canal cruise on the NCL Pearl leaving 3 weeks from tomorrow.

Thank you all for your help.

Thank you to all for the replies. Terry, reading your posts (go UP NORTH) and viewing your pictures encouraged me to book this cruise, even though Hubby said he'd never go to Europe. We are BOTH so excited about it, it's hard to concentrate on our Panama Canal cruise on the NCL Pearl leaving 3 weeks from tomorrow. Thank you all for your help.

Appreciate your nice follow-up and glad to hear that my pictures helped to encourage your upcoming Norway "adventure". Need to encourage that cruise line to send me a nice "commission" check.

On the Panama Canal, we are getting ready in late February 2017 to visit that part of the world for the first time. We will be on Princess, but we love to know if you will post details, loves, surprises, etc., regarding that time in three weeks. Will you share more and where?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 160,834 views for this posting.

Terry, will certainly be anxious to share experiences and favorite places that stand out on our Canal trip once we return. I will probably post on CC Panama Canal Forum, I am sure you are monitoring that one.

Our cruise is a partial, visiting Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Belize City, Roatan (Honduras), and Costa Maya (Mexico), round trip from Miami in 11 days.

We are in a suite on the very front of deck 10, and should have a great vantage point through the locks, we currently have four excursions booked that I will review.

Terry, will certainly be anxious to share experiences and favorite places that stand out on our Canal trip once we return. I will probably post on CC Panama Canal Forum, I am sure you are monitoring that one. Our cruise is a partial, visiting Cartagena (Colombia), Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Belize City, Roatan (Honduras), and Costa Maya (Mexico), round trip from Miami in 11 days. We are in a suite on the very front of deck 10, and should have a great vantage point through the locks, we currently have four excursions booked that I will review.

Appreciate this nice follow-up from our Missouri "neighbor". Yes, do checking at the CC Panama Canal Forum and will be looking for your follow-up reporting. Hope things work super well with your suite and trip.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 45,561 views for these postings.

What about a Norway cruise in May? Is it too cold then?

What about a Norway cruise in May? Is it too cold then?

Yes it can be cold and you might see snow in the mountains. On the other hand it can be nice and sunny, but certainly not warm. But like the weather in Seattle nobody can tell you what it will be like.

Terry,

As always, thanks for the great photos.

We plan to do the north cape cruise one day. NCL and RCI both have cruises that go there.