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Choosing a Norwegian Cruise ( from Southhampton)


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Hi Everyone,

 

I am in the process of choosing a cruise to view the Norwegian Fjords next year July/Aug/Sept 2018 and am

quite confused with the various itineraries available.

 

Leaving cost considerations for the cruise aside, which are the ports/stops would you suggest are a must-see

on the cruise itinerary ?

Would a 7/8 day cruise be sufficient or a 12/14 day one much better ?

Are stops at Honningsvag (North Cape) and Gravdal (Lofoten Islands) worthwhile ?

 

Would love to read comments from those who have cruised in Norway before.

 

Many thanks in advance

Matthew

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Hi Matthew

 

If you think that this will be the only time you Cruise in Norway then the longer cruise would probably be worthwhile bearing in mind that you are likely to spend your firstcand last day at sea.

 

The must- see ports I would list are Flam and Gerainger. Both ports are to be found at the end of their respective Fjords and it's well worth being up on deck early to take advantage of the sail in. At Geiranger there is usually an option of getting off at Hellesylt ( at the sea end of the Fjord) and then travelling by road to rejoin the ship later in the day. Mynown preference is to stay on the ship and then take a half day excursion to Mount Dalsnibba (purchased from the local tourist office).

 

Whether it's worth going to Honingsvag depends on how keen you are to say you have been to the North Cape -- there's not a lot to do once you get there!

 

As to other ports much depends on your own preference -- the Cities of Trondheim and Kristiansund have interesting buildings. Other places will offer good walking or other activities.

 

Most cruises will go to Bergen, Stavanger or both and also to Alesund.

 

I have not been to Gravdal. My cruise this year included a stop at Leknes in Lofoten which could best be described as disappointing.

 

Your other decision is which cruise line and what size and style ship to choose. At places like Flam and Gereinger you might well have to tender and though the ships usually manage to run a pretty slick operation if you are on one of the larger ships it inevitably takes time to shuttle 2000+ passengers back and forth. The brochures might make clear whether you are indeed scheduled to tender.

 

 

 

 

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I have not been to Gravdal. My cruise this year included a stop at Leknes in Lofoten which could best be described as disappointing.

Gravdal and Leknes are only a few km apart, so the difference is, at most, just a matter of which pier is being used.

 

Out of curiosity, why was your stop disappointing? We cruised to Gravdal a few years ago, and I thought the scenery was just as stunning as people had led me to believe (many Norwegians say it's the most beautiful place in Norway, which is saying a lot).

 

I will admit that the logistics were a bit tricky, since you really need a way to get out of town to see the best of the scenery. We had hoped to rent a car, but for simplicity and cost savings, we ended up just booking an all-day ship excursion that covered the places we wanted to visit (Å i Lofoten, Reine, Nusfjord). Although I would have preferred the flexibility of exploring on our own, we still had a fantastic day, and it's at the top of my list of places to return.

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In general, I would suggest a longer cruise if you can, because the area in the north is so much different from the southwestern fjords. Among the fjord ports, I would say that having either Geiranger or Flåm is a must, since those are home to some of the most iconic fjord scenery. I don't think it's as crucial to do both, but you absolutely need to include one of them. After that, I would highly recommend Bergen (included on most itineraries anyway), because there's plenty to do, lots of history, and it's an easy port to visit. Since most of the fjord country is quite rural, this gives a nice change with a more populated location.

 

Farther north, Tromsø is a great city, and there's lots to do and see. Great scenery, some interesting museums, and an interesting vibe as a city home to plenty of "world's northernmost" locations. As mentioned above, I also love the Lofoten Islands and do think they're worth including if possible. As for Nordkapp, I've not been, mostly because I don't have much desire. I know plenty of people who've visited, and they always come back saying "meh." It's cool from a geography perspective, but otherwise there are more interesting Arctic destinations. And if the Arctic landscape and wildlife really appeal to you, take a look at sailings that go all the way up to Longyearbyen. That's a stunningly unique area!

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I was on the Jade this year from hamburg to the North Cape. It was great and i would do it again.

 

At Gravdal i was with a group and we rent a bus and we had a great day and enjoyed the landscape.

Tromso is a nice city and you can walk there in the city around.

Honninsvag i was with NCL at the North Cape, for me it is something special to been there once in a life.

And at this cruise you cross the Arctic circle what is a special event and will be celebrate.

 

i´m glad that i booked the one to the North cape.

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We have just done a 14 night cruise on Azamara Journey. Smaller ship so could go to places the big ships can't. I would say this was the most important aspect to choosing it for us. For example, we sailed into the Trollfjord, just 100 metres wide in places and a 360 degree turnround at the end of it. It was fabulous. We also had a Norwegian captain so he knew a lot of the local pilots so we got preferential treatment a times!

Not Southampton, though, but Hamburg as embarkation port. We would never have visited there, but fell in love with it! Finished in Copenhagen too, another lovely city. Would highly recommend this cruise.

 

 

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Gravdal and Leknes are only a few km apart, so the difference is, at most, just a matter of which pier is being used.

 

 

 

Out of curiosity, why was your stop disappointing? We cruised to Gravdal a few years ago, and I thought the scenery was just as stunning as people had led me to believe (many Norwegians say it's the most beautiful place in Norway, which is saying a lot).

 

 

 

I will admit that the logistics were a bit tricky, since you really need a way to get out of town to see the best of the scenery. We had hoped to rent a car, but for simplicity and cost savings, we ended up just booking an all-day ship excursion that covered the places we wanted to visit (Å i Lofoten, Reine, Nusfjord). Although I would have preferred the flexibility of exploring on our own, we still had a fantastic day, and it's at the top of my list of places to return.

 

 

 

You are right that the scenery sailing in and out of Leknes was good. We were not then helped by a two hour delay on the port of the ship/ port to provide a shuttle bus into Leknes itself which was about 3 miles away.

 

 

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  • 7 months later...
I was on the Jade this year from hamburg to the North Cape. It was great and i would do it again.

 

At Gravdal i was with a group and we rent a bus and we had a great day and enjoyed the landscape.

Tromso is a nice city and you can walk there in the city around.

Honninsvag i was with NCL at the North Cape, for me it is something special to been there once in a life.

And at this cruise you cross the Arctic circle what is a special event and will be celebrate.

 

i´m glad that i booked the one to the North cape.

 

do you remember who you booked the bus with?

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No problem, thanks for responding, do you remember how much it was per person?

 

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i looked in the forum for the discussion.

 

i found:

Nordland taxi, a coach with driver for max. 16 persons, every hour 1250 NOK ( 6 hours = 7.500 NOK / 16 = 470 NOK per Person about 50 EUR )

 

we booked for 6 hours a small coach for 16 persons and a driver. driver was friendly but didn´t talked that much, he didn´t tell you something. i think we were 15 persons so paid a little more per person. the organizer made a list with places we want to see and wrote our plan before to the nordland taxi and asked if this is ok in our time.

 

@dogs4fun: thank you

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