Intensive Norway Fjords or North Cape?

[TomAndJane]

We are in the process of determining what type of Norway cruise we want to take. The two options that we are looking at is a 10 day intensive Norway Fjord cruise or a 12 cruise that goes to the North Cape and back. Which one would you choose? I really would like to spend a lot of time in the Fjords because of their beauty but is there something at the Cape that can not be missed?

 

Thanks of the input.

[Rickey 88]

Look at it this way....

 

All of Norway is beautiful each in its own way. The fjords which are mostly central Norway and south, are exceptionally beautiful and should not be missed.

 

After say, Trondheim and further north, the landscape becomes more barren with less and less trees. This continues the higher up the coast you go. By the time you reach Tromso, Hammerfest and Nordkapp there are few trees at all.

 

Fjords take time to visit - some of them are deep and might take hours to enter and exit, but the scenery is wonderful but don't expect large cities or towns....

 

You know best what you want to see - we have sailed up the Norwegian coast several times and have also spent land time visiting by train. It's an experience any way you do it!

[TLCOhio]

We are in the process of determining what type of Norway cruise we want to take. The two options that we are looking at is a 10 day intensive Norway Fjord cruise or a 12 cruise that goes to the North Cape and back. Which one would you choose? I really would like to spend a lot of time in the Fjords because of their beauty but is there something at the Cape that can not be missed?

 

For our Central Ohio neighbors to the south, here would be my reaction to your question of Norway fjords versus Arctic Circle/North Cape tours.

 

We are doing a July 1-16, 2010, cruise on Silversea that does . . . BOTH . . . of these two options. It departs from and returns to Copenhagen.

 

Here's the short version of this cruise: After departing Copenhagen, a sea day, then we do the Sognerfjord, stopping in Flam and nearby Gudvangen, then we do full days each in Alesund and Trondheim; have a sea day crossing Arctic Circle; then do full days each in Leknes on Lofoten Island, Tromso and Hammerfest. July 9-10 will be Honningsvag and cruising Nordkapp; goes back to Lofoten Island and Svolvaer, has a sea day crossing Arctic Circle going and then do more fjords: Helleysylt and Geiranger; have a full 7 am-11 pm day in Bergen and then finishes with a sea day before docking July 16 in Copenhagen.

 

Maybe this is a longer trip than we you are seeking. BUT, it shows that there are options for trips that can do both. Reactions on this option or the other factors to meet your needs on budget, type of ship, time period, etc.?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[TomAndJane]

Thanks for the help. By the way TLCOhio seems there are a lot of us Central Ohioans that love to cruise. We should start a Cruise Critic Club in Columbus and meet for drinks at a bar so we can share stories about our upcoming cruises...hahahahaha

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for the help. By the way TLCOhio seems there are a lot of us Central Ohioans that love to cruise. We should start a Cruise Critic Club in Columbus and meet for drinks at a bar so we can share stories about our upcoming cruises...hahahahaha

 

Great idea! As I re-call, you are the folks from Ashville, right? Not many great sailing experiences or ships using the Scioto River these days. It's a been a wonderful and mild fall, so far, in Ohio, but we know less than ideal times are coming. We need to have "escape" and hope from the gray winters.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[LHT28]

I agree with Rickey the fjords are spectacular.

We are doing an 18 day Norway cruise ..it only does 1 fjord but it does go to Lonyearbyen & Murmansk I think that is as far north as you can go ;)

Has a few sea days.

 

 

London (Dover)

Cruising the North Sea

Oslo

Stavanger

Hellesylt

Geiranger (Nordfjord)

Cruising the Norwegian Sea

Honningsvaag

Honningsvaag

Murmansk

Hammerfest

Cruising the Arctic Ocean

Cruising the Polar Ice Barrier

Cruise Magdalene Bay

Longyearbyen (Spitzbergen)

Cruising the Arctic Ocean

Harstad

Cruising the Norwegian Sea

Bergen

Kristiansand

Copenhagen

[as19111]

From the current issue of National Geographic Traveler:

 

133 Places Rated: Europe

Page [ 13 ] of 19 « Prev | Next »

 

Norway: Fjords Region

Score: 85

The Fjords, which topped the charts in our 2004 rankings, get even higher marks this year. "About as good as can be done,"says one panelist. The gorgeous scenery and the "well-preserved Norwegian rural life" are vigorously protected, plus "the local people seem to benefit." Should keep a wary eye on the growing cruise business.

 

So, I guess it best to get there before it really catches on!

[TomAndJane]

Great idea! As I re-call, you are the folks from Ashville, right? Not many great sailing experiences or ships using the Scioto River these days. It's a been a wonderful and mild fall, so far, in Ohio, but we know less than ideal times are coming. We need to have "escape" and hope from the gray winters.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Yep you are right about everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Globaliser]

... is there something at the Cape that can not be missed?

IMHO, no. North Cape is really one of those places that is more attractive in concept than in reality. (The Northern Hemisphere equivalent of Cape Agulhas, if you will.)

 

However, if you have a longer cruise that does go that far north, you may get other benefits with it. For example, if the cruise sails through the Lofoten islands, they are beautiful without being fjords. And if you're there at the right time of the year, you may get the experience of continuous daylight for days on end if you go further north; a more southerly cruise could see you missing out on that.

[TLCOhio]

IMHO, no. North Cape is really one of those places that is more attractive in concept than in reality. (The Northern Hemisphere equivalent of Cape Agulhas, if you will.) However, if you have a longer cruise that does go that far north, you may get other benefits with it. For example, if the cruise sails through the Lofoten islands, they are beautiful without being fjords. And if you're there at the right time of the year, you may get the experience of continuous daylight for days on end if you go further north; a more southerly cruise could see you missing out on that.

 

THANKS, as always, to our UK friend, for the added background and realism about what there along the Norway coast! We know this routing is a little different than what we enjoyed along the route of the Baltics capitals last summer. We'll hope for good to great weather as we have enjoyed during our many visits over the years in Europe. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[TomAndJane]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Although it will not be in 2010 here is a voyage that has caught our eye...It doesn't go that far north but it is really port and Fjord intensive:

Tue Jul6London (Dover), England 5:00pm

Wed Jul 7 At Sea

Thu Jul 8 Oslo, Norway 8:00am4:00pm

Fri Jul 9 Stavanger, Norway 9:30am5:30pm

Sat Jul 10 Flam, Norway 9:00am6:00pm

Sun Jul 11 Molde, Norway 1:00pm8:00pm

Mon Jul 12 Hellesylt, Norway 8:00am6:00pm

Tue Jul 13 Bergen, Norway 9:00am7:00pm

Wed Jul 14 Kristiansand, Norway 10:00am8:00pm

Thu Jul 15 At Sea

Fri Jul 16 Amsterdam, Holland 10:00am6:00pm

Sat Jul 17 London (Dover), England 9:00am

[TLCOhio]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Although it will not be in 2010 here is a voyage that has caught our eye...It doesn't go that far north but it is really port and Fjord intensive:

Tue Jul6London (Dover), England 5:00pm

Wed Jul 7 At Sea

Thu Jul 8 Oslo, Norway 8:00am4:00pm

Fri Jul 9 Stavanger, Norway 9:30am5:30pm

Sat Jul 10 Flam, Norway 9:00am6:00pm

Sun Jul 11 Molde, Norway 1:00pm8:00pm

Mon Jul 12 Hellesylt, Norway 8:00am6:00pm

Tue Jul 13 Bergen, Norway 9:00am7:00pm

Wed Jul 14 Kristiansand, Norway 10:00am8:00pm

Thu Jul 15 At Sea

Fri Jul 16 Amsterdam, Holland 10:00am6:00pm

Sat Jul 17 London (Dover), England 9:00am

 

YES, to our Central Ohio neighbor, this cruise does offer some good options and potentials. Here are some highlight notes on a couple of these key stops. We enjoyed Oslo last summer. If you like art, they have some great options with outdoor sculpture at Vigelands Park and the famed Munch ("Scream") paintings, etc. With luck, your ship will dock in the downtown/harbor area right next to the historic Akershus Fortress and near its City Hall.

 

FLAM: With a population of about 500, Flam is nestled deep in a tributary of the world's longest and deepest fjord. It is 128 miles long and has a maximum depth of 4,291 feet. On this route, you will pass many small villages and farms. This is where this emerald-green fjord meets the largest glacier and highest mountains in Norway. The fjords were dug out by successive ice ages. Steep mountainsides, roaring waterfalls and deep valleys, surround Flam. Its 66-year-old Flam Railway is widely known as one of the world's best railroad journeys. It includes twenty tunnels and eight stops as it goes up the mountain. This rail lines rises from Flam’s gingerbread rail station go up 2,835 feet to Myrdal and this "Roof of Norway" rail station. Railroad website: http://www.flaamsbana.no/eng

 

HELLEYSYLT: A small village with a population of about 600, Hellesylt lies at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord) and nearby to the famous Geirangerfjord. Mountains and valleys surround the village, the settings of Ibsen's play, Brand. Hellesylt is under constant threat from the mountain Åkerneset, which is about to erode into the Geirangerfjord. A collapse could cause a tsunami destroying most of downtown Hellesylt.

 

BERGEN: As the seat of Norway’s medieval kingdom of Norway for six centuries, Bergen is a former Viking stronghold encircled by deep fjords, towering mountains, and sweeping glaciers. Today's Bergen has much of the medieval flavor remaining around Bergen's harbor. Near its central harbor is its main Torgalmennignen square. Explore the cobblestone streets, see its pastel-color wooden houses and strike a bargain in one of the many artisans' workshops or visit the famous and always entertaining Fish Market. You can watch the locals haggling over today's catch and enjoy a quayside lunch of freshly caught salmon or fish and chips. Next to the fish market is a flea market, with loads of souvenirs, hand-knit sweaters, etc., with many merchants taking credit cards, Rated by Frommers as more scenic than Oslo, Bergen was the base of the medieval Hanseatic merchants. Those historic timbered houses are set around Bryggen or The Wharf, a center for crafts and workshops. Its prime row is mostly reconstructed 14th-century structures, some of which were originally destroyed by fire.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Globaliser]

Although it will not be in 2010 here is a voyage that has caught our eye...It doesn't go that far north but it is really port and Fjord intensive:

The one thing that I noticed on this is that, although it goes to Hellesylt, it does not go all the way to Geiranger. That last bit into Geiranger, and the experience of being anchored there, is something that I would not want to miss.

[TLCOhio]

The one thing that I noticed on this is that, although it goes to Hellesylt, it does not go all the way to Geiranger. That last bit into Geiranger, and the experience of being anchored there, is something that I would not want to miss.

 

THANKS to the UK's wise Globaliser! Our July 1-16, 2010 Silversea cruise does do this added visit to Geiranger. We appreciate his pointing out this special part of the trip. From all that I have read, there are lots of great options along this coastline and its fjords. It's hard for hit all of them on just one cruise.

 

Here are my highlight notes on Geiranger:

Geiranger is where Norwegians escape when they need a vacation. The most breathtaking attraction is the mighty Seven Sisters Waterfall, spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water from an incredible 5,000 feet. Sitting at the head of majestic Geiranger Fjord, the city is surrounded by towering snow-covered mountain peaks, lush, green vegetation and winding hiking trails often enjoyed by the ambitious vacationer. This location has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its fjord is ten miles long and 960-foot-deep. Population is approximately 300. Geiranger and Hellesylt were popular destinations from an early date. The first boatload of tourists from abroad arrived in 1896. Today the Geirangerfjord is the second most important cruise destination in Norway, with well over a hundred ships calling in the summer as well as the Coastal Steamer (Hurtigruten). The area is visited by approximately 1,000 000 summer tourists.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[kaisatsu]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Although it will not be in 2010 here is a voyage that has caught our eye...It doesn't go that far north but it is really port and Fjord intensive:

Tue Jul6London (Dover), England 5:00pm

Wed Jul 7 At Sea

Thu Jul 8 Oslo, Norway 8:00am4:00pm

Fri Jul 9 Stavanger, Norway 9:30am5:30pm

Sat Jul 10 Flam, Norway 9:00am6:00pm

Sun Jul 11 Molde, Norway 1:00pm8:00pm

Mon Jul 12 Hellesylt, Norway 8:00am6:00pm

Tue Jul 13 Bergen, Norway 9:00am7:00pm

Wed Jul 14 Kristiansand, Norway 10:00am8:00pm

Thu Jul 15 At Sea

Fri Jul 16 Amsterdam, Holland 10:00am6:00pm

Sat Jul 17 London (Dover), England 9:00am

 

That's a rather unusual itinerary. Obviously your choice of cruise depends on the places you yourself want to visit as well as cruiseline, departure dates, etc. but that's kind of a strange mix.

 

First of all, Oslo is kind of out of the way when visiting the coast. That's not to say I don't think it's a great city to visit (there's a reason I still live here despite the exorbitant cost of living), but it makes more sense on a Baltics itinerary than a Norwegian coastal trip. Ditto with Amsterdam.

 

For the fjords, the two UNESCO-listed fjords are Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord. Nærøyfjord is a small side fjord near Flåm (ending at Gudvangen) that may be available as an excursion. However, with limited time in port, most people opt for the Flåmsbana railroad instead. You'll see the Sognefjord on the sail-in/sail-out from Flåm, but the fjord is wider and a bit less dramatic than the Nærøyfjord arm.

 

Geirangerfjord is a stunning sail-in, but your ship is stopping at Hellesylt. Most sailings drop off overland excursions at Hellesylt before continuing through the fjord to Geiranger. Stopping only at Hellesylt will mean you'll need to take an excursion to see the dramatic waterfalls and scenery that are all beyond Hellesylt. Honestly, I would prefer a sail-in on the cruise ship (which can sail surprisingly easily through the fjord) and then spending the time at anchor getting another perspective. Either taking an excursion or hiking up to get a view of the fjord from above, which is a surprisingly different view compared to sailing through the fjord at sea level (both are definitely worth experiencing).

 

Bergen is a staple and a wonderful town to visit. Stavanger is a little less so but definitely has its draws. Kristiansand is usually just considered the Norwegians' southern summer seaside destination, since it has less rain than the coast. I wouldn't put it on a must-see list.

 

Honestly, If you do want variety, I would suggest taking the opportunity as the PPs mentioned of going farther up the coast. The fjords are the most famous of the Norwegian landscape, but the Lofoten Islands (Leknes or Gravdal are the usual cruise ports) are some of the most beautiful scenery in Norway. The water is crystal clear, and the rocky mountains come down almost directly to the sea. Spotted with the colorful wooden fishing huts, Lofoten is stunningly picturesque. I was also impressed with Tromsø, which has quite a bit to see and do, considering its size. It's kind of considered the gateway to the Arctic and has some great exhibitions about wildlife and exploration. And if you visit around the summer solstice, you have the unique experience (especially from the deck of a cruise ship) to see the midnight sun as it dips towards the horizon without actually touching it.