Questions on Ships sailing W. Norwegian Coast/Arctic Circle

[snoopysnake]

My husband and I (who are in our early 50's) are thinking about doing the west Norwegian coast especially for the fjords; he would like to go above the Arctic Circle too. We might be looking to be there around 6/6/2012 but the dates are flexible; we'd probably want 7-12 days. Maybe you can help us narrow down the cruise lines to consider. (did Caribbean and Alaska on RCCL but are considering other lines too due to limited number of sailings.)

 

We're not wealthy, don't drink or gamble, don't care about nightclubs, are friendly but like keeping to ourselves too, enjoy nice relaxing pools like RCCL's solarium, other than that don't care so much about sports availability. We love scenery (my husband's a photography buff and I do landscape painting) which makes this destination the next one we want to do.

 

I have some concerns about what I've read about various ships - if anyone can advise us about these (and please, comment on how other ships would be on these things too!) it would help us narrow down our choices.

 

Smoking - I've been looking into MSC, which apparently has a new restrictive smoking policy (I am VERY sensitive to second-hand smoke) but from what I've read, it might not be getting enforced that well. I've also read that previously, there was a lot of smoking all over the ship. This is a critical issue for us. It would also affect whether or not we'd want to try for a balcony cabin or not. We'd enjoy a balcony if it is a smoke-free atmosphere; otherwise it would be a waste of money for us.

 

Food - We both like to eat, and understand that it's often "you get what you pay for" on cruises. We don't drink but do enjoy alcohol-free wine, although that's certainly not a must. I do have a lot of food allergies (eggs, poultry, nuts, potatoes, shellfish, and chocolate) so menu alternatives are more important for me than many people. I can eat "regular" fish like salmon. I would be content with a burger or pasta or pizza if the regular dining food were chicken or something else I can't eat. This is one of my concerns about Hertigruten; their food options seem minimal.

 

Motion Sickness - Sometimes this is a problem for me. On our Alaska cruise we had about 1 day of rough sea which did get to me a bit despite sea bands and ginger tablets. Usually I am fairly seaworthy, but if there's a lot of rough water somewhere that might affect our choice. Car sickness is my real problem, especially on twisty, steep roads. What shore excursions would I need to look out for? Are there any particular ships that I should avoid?

 

Embarkation Port - What works well economically? We would be flying from Boston to the port. We can, of course, make a spreadsheet of all the possibilities and what the airfare might cost vs. the cost differences of various cruises, etc.

 

Searching for cruises - we like doing our own travel arrangements with the help of the internet. So far I'm finding that it's hard getting just the west Norway cruises; so many of the search menus seem to have "Europe" or "Baltics/Northern Europe" as the choice, generating a lot more voyages than the routes we're interested in. Can anyone recommend a site for comparing just west coast of Norway? Googling for "Norwegian cruise" gets all this overlap with NCL, so it's a little frustrating! I'll dig away at it if that's what it takes, but any advice is appreciated.

 

The skies! - My husband loves to view and photograph the skies; he loves weather and astronomy. Are there any particular ships that would be best for him on these interests?

 

Thanks all for your advice.

[uppitycats]

My husband and I (who are in our early 50's) are thinking about doing the west Norwegian coast especially for the fjords; he would like to go above the Arctic Circle too. We might be looking to be there around 6/6/2012 but the dates are flexible; we'd probably want 7-12 days. Maybe you can help us narrow down the cruise lines to consider. (did Caribbean and Alaska on RCCL but are considering other lines too due to limited number of sailings.)

 

We're not wealthy, don't drink or gamble, don't care about nightclubs, are friendly but like keeping to ourselves too, enjoy nice relaxing pools like RCCL's solarium, other than that don't care so much about sports availability. We love scenery (my husband's a photography buff and I do landscape painting) which makes this destination the next one we want to do.

 

I have some concerns about what I've read about various ships - if anyone can advise us about these (and please, comment on how other ships would be on these things too!) it would help us narrow down our choices.

 

Smoking - I've been looking into MSC, which apparently has a new restrictive smoking policy (I am VERY sensitive to second-hand smoke) but from what I've read, it might not be getting enforced that well. I've also read that previously, there was a lot of smoking all over the ship. This is a critical issue for us. It would also affect whether or not we'd want to try for a balcony cabin or not. We'd enjoy a balcony if it is a smoke-free atmosphere; otherwise it would be a waste of money for us.

 

Food - We both like to eat, and understand that it's often "you get what you pay for" on cruises. We don't drink but do enjoy alcohol-free wine, although that's certainly not a must. I do have a lot of food allergies (eggs, poultry, nuts, potatoes, shellfish, and chocolate) so menu alternatives are more important for me than many people. I can eat "regular" fish like salmon. I would be content with a burger or pasta or pizza if the regular dining food were chicken or something else I can't eat. This is one of my concerns about Hertigruten; their food options seem minimal.

 

Motion Sickness - Sometimes this is a problem for me. On our Alaska cruise we had about 1 day of rough sea which did get to me a bit despite sea bands and ginger tablets. Usually I am fairly seaworthy, but if there's a lot of rough water somewhere that might affect our choice. Car sickness is my real problem, especially on twisty, steep roads. What shore excursions would I need to look out for? Are there any particular ships that I should avoid?

 

Embarkation Port - What works well economically? We would be flying from Boston to the port. We can, of course, make a spreadsheet of all the possibilities and what the airfare might cost vs. the cost differences of various cruises, etc.

 

Searching for cruises - we like doing our own travel arrangements with the help of the internet. So far I'm finding that it's hard getting just the west Norway cruises; so many of the search menus seem to have "Europe" or "Baltics/Northern Europe" as the choice, generating a lot more voyages than the routes we're interested in. Can anyone recommend a site for comparing just west coast of Norway? Googling for "Norwegian cruise" gets all this overlap with NCL, so it's a little frustrating! I'll dig away at it if that's what it takes, but any advice is appreciated.

 

The skies! - My husband loves to view and photograph the skies; he loves weather and astronomy. Are there any particular ships that would be best for him on these interests?

 

Thanks all for your advice.

 

 

Do a search using "Norwegian Fjords" (rather than "cruise") and you might come up with more options. I know Holland America has a cruise there -- 8 days in June of this year, and I'm assuming next. So does Princess. When we were exploring our next vacation, these were the two that seemed to have the best itineraries of the main cruiselines.

 

The Hurtigruten line came to mind first (we're sailing on them next month) until you got to your food allergy /sensitivity issues. They do rely on a Norwegian food menu...lots of potatoes, lots of fish (not so much shellfish, though). They say they're willing to work with people with allergies, so you might want to check anyway, but their menus are more limited than what you'd find on a regular main-stream line. Their smoking policy is strictly enforced indoors -- no smoking -- but people can and do smoke on deck. Europe tends to have many more smokers than we do here, these days. They do get in closer to the fjords than main line ships can, and they do go all the way to the Arctic circle.

 

Good luck with your search!

[Dayenu]

Something is not right with this website today...

 

Anyhow, we are going on RCCL cruise in August, and it looks like windows and balconies are sold out.

 

If you get motion sickness, pick your cabin in the lower half of the ship, and in the middle. Also some people take ginger (a bottle of 100 capsules under $10 is sold in any Walgreens) - and for it works. For really bad days (doesn't happen on each cruise) I keep Bonine handy, just in case. You can also ask your doctor for advise.

 

As for your allergies, I know some people call the company, advise about allergies, and talk to the chef when they board the ship. I remember on one of the ships the chef would come to the dinner table to discuss the next day's menu.

[LHT28]

We are doing a cruise this year on Oceania they are also going in 2011 but it will probably be more than 10 days

Have a look though it may appeal to you

 

Limited smoking areas only 2 which can be avoided

No formal nights = less luggage:)

Usually they leave from Dover so flying into London would work well

 

Food allergies .if you contact special services & let them know ahead of time they can have food suitable for you

[TLCOhio]

My husband and I (who are in our early 50's) are thinking about doing the west Norwegian coast especially for the fjords; he would like to go above the Arctic Circle too. We might be looking to be there around 6/6/2012 but the dates are flexible; we'd probably want 7-12 days. Maybe you can help us narrow down the cruise lines to consider. (did Caribbean and Alaska on RCCL but are considering other lines too due to limited number of sailings.) We're not wealthy, don't drink or gamble, don't care about nightclubs, are friendly but like keeping to ourselves too, enjoy nice relaxing pools like RCCL's solarium, other than that don't care so much about sports availability. We love scenery (my husband's a photography buff and I do landscape painting) which makes this destination the next one we want to do. I have some concerns about what I've read about various ships - if anyone can advise us about these (and please, comment on how other ships would be on these things too!) it would help us narrow down our choices. Thanks all for your advice.

 

We are getting ready for a July 1-16, 2010, cruise on Silversea from Copenhagen that does the Norway Coast, fjords, above the Arctic Circle and the Land of the Midnight Sun. I am sure you would love all of these stops. As we do this cruise, our paths will cross some other, larger ships. This includes: Costa Magica, MSC Poesia and Crown Princess. These three ships are all much, much larger in the 2600-2800 passenger size.

 

This brings up two key questions. FIRST, both Costa and MSC are mostly Europe focused in the customer base and will have a much higher mix of their customers being smokers. Both are more "mass" in their audience. SECOND, bigger ships lessen some of the smaller ports you can visit, how well and complicates the unloading and loading process at each stop. I don't want to sound like a "snob" on the "MASS vs. CLASS" question, but . . . there are trade-offs to consider on cost, size of boat, style of cruise and those fellow passengers on it. You want to pay less, but also want the "best" experience. It's hard to have BOTH!! You might want to look at some of the smaller to medium-sized lines, such as Oceania, Seabourn, Crystal, Silversea, etc. If you book early enough, you might get a little better pricing. Our cruise has been sold out and wait-listed for some time. The offerings along this coast are fairly limited as the season is short and the customer interest is not as big as you find in the main Baltics going to Russia, etc. Good luck in your search.

 

Here is our cruise summary and the ports/schedule:

July 1-16, 2010 on Silversea’s Silver Cloud Cruise Ship, a 296-passenger ship that departs Copenhagen at 7 pm.; with July 2 as Sea Day

July 3, Saturday in Flam in Sognerfjord 8 am-Noon; and then to nearby Gudvangen, 2-6 pm.

Alesund for July 4, Sunday, 8 am-5 pm and Trondheim July 5, Monday, 7 am-7 pm

Crossing Arctic Circle going north July 6 as Sea Day and then Leknes, Lofoten Island, July 7, Wednesday, 8 am-5 pm

Tromsø, July 8, Thursday, 8 am-5 pm and then Hammerfest July 9, Friday, 7 am-Noon

Honningsvag (North Cape) July 9-10, Friday-Saturday, 7 pm-2 am and cruising Nordkapp 6 am-7 am on July 10

Svolvaer on Lofoten Island, July 11, Sunday, 1-7 pm; and then crossing Arctic Circle going south July 12 as a Sea Day.

More fjords: Helleysylt, 8-10 am, July 13, Tuesday and then Geiranger, 12:30-5 pm

Bergen: July 14, Wednesday, 8 am-11 pm

July 15, Thursday: Sea Day; heading to docking July 16, Friday in Copenhagen at 7 am.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[NancyIL]

 

Searching for cruises - we like doing our own travel arrangements with the help of the internet. So far I'm finding that it's hard getting just the west Norway cruises; so many of the search menus seem to have "Europe" or "Baltics/Northern Europe" as the choice, generating a lot more voyages than the routes we're interested in. Can anyone recommend a site for comparing just west coast of Norway? Googling for "Norwegian cruise" gets all this overlap with NCL, so it's a little frustrating! I'll dig away at it if that's what it takes, but any advice is appreciated.

 

 

I would do a search for northern Europe cruises on travel agent web sites. Yes, it also brings up Baltic cruises, but it isn't that difficult to get past those to find the Norway cruises. Princess has 7, 12, and 18-night options from Dover and Southampton on 3 ships in 2011.

 

As Terry mentioned, you aren't going to get a luxury-ship experience with gourmet dining on large, mass-market ships. If you want to sail on a smaller ship, you will probably pay considerably more.

[MissAlice]

Have you looked into Celebrity? the Constellation (will be freshly refurbished!) is sailing from Amsterdam up through the Norwegian fjords into the Arctic Circle. The cruise leaves on June 21 and returns on Jul. 3.

[kaisatsu]

If you're looking at summer 2012, you probably won't find a lot of listings yet. A lot of cruiselines don't publish their itineraries much more than a year out. However, you might be able to look at what the cruiselines are doing this summer to get an idea of what's out there. However, keep in mind that the offerings change a lot with the market and sales. Personally it seems like this year has a lot more Norway-focused sailings than the past few years, and who knows if they'll keep it up next year and the year after.

 

For the smoke issue, I would look at the individual cruise companies' smoking policies. I think Royal Caribbean has improved in the past few years, but when we sailed with them out of Barcelona a few years ago on Voyager, there were no completely smoke-free indoor lounges, which was uncomfortable for us even though we're not particularly smoke-sensitive. I'm hoping they've improved on that point!

 

For the scenery, the Hurtigruten is expensive and not particularly luxurious, but since it's the coastal ferry, it really does hug the coast and you see a lot of the landscape. Unfortunately, this also means that you'll have very limited time in port, since even the largest cities only have a few hours for the port call. And as already mentioned, the food will be pretty standard Norwegian fare, and Norway isn't really known for its cuisine! ;)

 

If you opt for a traditional cruise, I would choose by itinerary rather than cruiseline. Geirangerfjord is the most famous of the fjords, and most people would consider it a must-see if you're only planning one trip to Norway. If you're sailing above the Arctic Circle, you'll probably also call at Tromsø, which is a nice port to visit. And my personal recommendation if you find an itinerary that includes it is the Lofoten Islands (usual port calls are at Leknes or Gravdal). The islands have some beautiful dramatic scenery with steep mountains that end right at the ocean, where the water is crystal clear. Many Norwegians consider it one of the most beautiful places in the country, and considering the competition, that's saying quite a bit.

 

When we decided to sail the coast, we ended up skipping Nordkapp, but our ship sailed all the way up to Svalbard. That was really an amazing experience, since it's so far north and the climate and lifestyle are so unique.

 

Since you're husband is a fan of the sky, might I suggest looking at a sailing a bit later in June? Even in early June, you can see the Midnight Sun if you get far enough above the Arctic Circle, but it would be a shame for a sky enthusiast to miss that phenomenon! And a cruise ship is a great vantage point for watching the sun dip to the horizon without crossing it (since there are no hills in the way). [This website has helpful graphs of the daylight in different parts of Norway throughout the year.]

[TLCOhio]

If you opt for a traditional cruise, I would choose by itinerary rather than cruiseline. Geirangerfjord is the most famous of the fjords, and most people would consider it a must-see if you're only planning one trip to Norway. If you're sailing above the Arctic Circle, you'll probably also call at Tromsø, which is a nice port to visit. And my personal recommendation if you find an itinerary that includes it is the Lofoten Islands (usual port calls are at Leknes or Gravdal). The islands have some beautiful dramatic scenery with steep mountains that end right at the ocean, where the water is crystal clear. Many Norwegians consider it one of the most beautiful places in the country, and considering the competition, that's saying quite a bit. When we decided to sail the coast, we ended up skipping Nordkapp, but our ship sailed all the way up to Svalbard. That was really an amazing experience, since it's so far north and the climate and lifestyle are so unique. Since you're husband is a fan of the sky, might I suggest looking at a sailing a bit later in June? Even in early June, you can see the Midnight Sun if you get far enough above the Arctic Circle, but it would be a shame for a sky enthusiast to miss that phenomenon! And a cruise ship is a great vantage point for watching the sun dip to the horizon without crossing it (since there are no hills in the way).

 

This is great and wise advice from Meg. Focus on the itinerary!!! That is what we did in picking our July 1-16, 2010 cruise. Later in the summer, as noted, can be better. Norway is costly and your budget will be challenged. BUT, this is a "once in a lifetime" cruise, so you want to do it well. Half-way will be frustrating. Consider all of your options, not just the first cruise you stumble across.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[alexandra cruiser]

If you look down the page you ll see I was also looking into similar cruises,,,,lots of good info there and photos.....

Found 2 that might fit your needs, less time than some,know I can only take 8 or 10 nites myself, along with a few days in first city,,,,

Try looking into Azamara,,,Journey some reviews under member review s s sound great...

Then try Seadream, little expensive, but its more upscale, small ship, great food,free drinks all day,etc...will be starting Fjiords cruises next year.Think both ships offer a lot, can compare and find whats best for you.Good luck.....;)

[Docjrs]

Hey Terry,

we'll see you there! I just reserved 3 days at the Nimb hotel before the cruise. We were in copenhagen 10 years ago and loved Tivoli gardens. Just yell out DRJIM and I'll try to find you.

DRJIM

[TLCOhio]

Hey Terry, we'll see you there! I just reserved 3 days at the Nimb hotel before the cruise. We were in copenhagen 10 years ago and loved Tivoli gardens. Just yell out DRJIM and I'll try to find you. DRJIM

 

Hi, Dr. Jim! Glad to hear you'll be on this July 1-16 Norway Coast cruise in the Silver Cloud. You should go to the Silversea board and post that you're along. There's a thread for this specific cruise already started by Greg from Arizona. It look like you're fairly new to posting on these Cruise Critic boards. Don't be shy. Post there and let us know your questions, comments and reactions. You indicate that you've done Oceania cruises in the past to Asia, etc. We visited and super loved Copenhagen in 2008 when we visited there for a beautiful sunny Sunday in late July during a Dover to Stockholm cruise in the Baltics and to Russia. Lots of great pictures from all over that charming town, Tivoli, riding the canal tour, etc. Look forward to seeing you on the cruise.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[travelite]

We are getting ready for a July 1-16, 2010, cruise on Silversea from Copenhagen that does the Norway Coast, fjords, above the Arctic Circle and the Land of the Midnight Sun. I am sure you would love all of these stops. As we do this cruise, our paths will cross some other, larger ships. This includes: Costa Magica, MSC Poesia and Crown Princess. These three ships are all much, much larger in the 2600-2800 passenger size.

 

This brings up two key questions. FIRST, both Costa and MSC are mostly Europe focused in the customer base and will have a much higher mix of their customers being smokers. Both are more "mass" in their audience. SECOND, bigger ships lessen some of the smaller ports you can visit, how well and complicates the unloading and loading process at each stop. I don't want to sound like a "snob" on the "MASS vs. CLASS" question, but . . . there are trade-offs to consider on cost, size of boat, style of cruise and those fellow passengers on it. You want to pay less, but also want the "best" experience. It's hard to have BOTH!! You might want to look at some of the smaller to medium-sized lines, such as Oceania, Seabourn, Crystal, Silversea, etc. If you book early enough, you might get a little better pricing. Our cruise has been sold out and wait-listed for some time. The offerings along this coast are fairly limited as the season is short and the customer interest is not as big as you find in the main Baltics going to Russia, etc. Good luck in your search.

 

Here is our cruise summary and the ports/schedule:

July 1-16, 2010 on Silversea’s Silver Cloud Cruise Ship, a 296-passenger ship that departs Copenhagen at 7 pm.; with July 2 as Sea Day

July 3, Saturday in Flam in Sognerfjord 8 am-Noon; and then to nearby Gudvangen, 2-6 pm.

Alesund for July 4, Sunday, 8 am-5 pm and Trondheim July 5, Monday, 7 am-7 pm

Crossing Arctic Circle going north July 6 as Sea Day and then Leknes, Lofoten Island, July 7, Wednesday, 8 am-5 pm

Tromsø, July 8, Thursday, 8 am-5 pm and then Hammerfest July 9, Friday, 7 am-Noon

Honningsvag (North Cape) July 9-10, Friday-Saturday, 7 pm-2 am and cruising Nordkapp 6 am-7 am on July 10

Svolvaer on Lofoten Island, July 11, Sunday, 1-7 pm; and then crossing Arctic Circle going south July 12 as a Sea Day.

More fjords: Helleysylt, 8-10 am, July 13, Tuesday and then Geiranger, 12:30-5 pm

Bergen: July 14, Wednesday, 8 am-11 pm

July 15, Thursday: Sea Day; heading to docking July 16, Friday in Copenhagen at 7 am.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Terry, I do hope you are planning on taking the scenic train from Flam.

I have never forgiven our guide for causing us to miss this train....she was outside chatting on her cell phone and ignored us when we tried to interrupt and tell her a train had arrived at the station. As luck would have it, it was the last train of the day that would work with our time frame.

Flam is not a port on our up coming cruise. Guess we'll just have to go back again....not a bad plan.

[Lair Bear]

My husband and I (who are in our early 50's) are thinking about doing the west Norwegian coast especially for the fjords; he would like to go above the Arctic Circle too.

 

Look into HAL Top of the World cruise. I starts in London, then goes north to Edinburgh and the very tip of mainland Scotland, the Farroe Islands, Iceland and then all the way up to Spitsbergen. That will be as close as you want to get to the North Pole. From there it goes south along the Norwegian coast to Bergen, Oslo, and ends in Amsterdam.

 

We will be there this summer and I think it will be highly unusual and scenic. Hopefully our three days in Iceland will be ashless.

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I do hope you are planning on taking the scenic train from Flam.

I have never forgiven our guide for causing us to miss this train....she was outside chatting on her cell phone and ignored us when we tried to interrupt and tell her a train had arrived at the station. As luck would have it, it was the last train of the day that would work with our time frame.

Flam is not a port on our up coming cruise. Guess we'll just have to go back again....not a bad plan.

 

YES! Definitely going to be doing the Flam train. Already signed up with our ship. Looking forward to it. Sorry things didn't work for you, so far.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[travelite]

My husband and I (who are in our early 50's) are thinking about doing the west Norwegian coast especially for the fjords; he would like to go above the Arctic Circle too. We might be looking to be there around 6/6/2012 but the dates are flexible; we'd probably want 7-12 days. Maybe you can help us narrow down the cruise lines to consider. (did Caribbean and Alaska on RCCL but are considering other lines too due to limited number of sailings.)

 

We're not wealthy, don't drink or gamble, don't care about nightclubs, are friendly but like keeping to ourselves too, enjoy nice relaxing pools like RCCL's solarium, other than that don't care so much about sports availability. We love scenery (my husband's a photography buff and I do landscape painting) which makes this destination the next one we want to do.

 

I have some concerns about what I've read about various ships - if anyone can advise us about these (and please, comment on how other ships would be on these things too!) it would help us narrow down our choices.

 

Smoking - I've been looking into MSC, which apparently has a new restrictive smoking policy (I am VERY sensitive to second-hand smoke) but from what I've read, it might not be getting enforced that well. I've also read that previously, there was a lot of smoking all over the ship. This is a critical issue for us. It would also affect whether or not we'd want to try for a balcony cabin or not. We'd enjoy a balcony if it is a smoke-free atmosphere; otherwise it would be a waste of money for us.

 

Food - We both like to eat, and understand that it's often "you get what you pay for" on cruises. We don't drink but do enjoy alcohol-free wine, although that's certainly not a must. I do have a lot of food allergies (eggs, poultry, nuts, potatoes, shellfish, and chocolate) so menu alternatives are more important for me than many people. I can eat "regular" fish like salmon. I would be content with a burger or pasta or pizza if the regular dining food were chicken or something else I can't eat. This is one of my concerns about Hertigruten; their food options seem minimal.

 

Motion Sickness - Sometimes this is a problem for me. On our Alaska cruise we had about 1 day of rough sea which did get to me a bit despite sea bands and ginger tablets. Usually I am fairly seaworthy, but if there's a lot of rough water somewhere that might affect our choice. Car sickness is my real problem, especially on twisty, steep roads. What shore excursions would I need to look out for? Are there any particular ships that I should avoid?

 

Embarkation Port - What works well economically? We would be flying from Boston to the port. We can, of course, make a spreadsheet of all the possibilities and what the airfare might cost vs. the cost differences of various cruises, etc.

 

Searching for cruises - we like doing our own travel arrangements with the help of the internet. So far I'm finding that it's hard getting just the west Norway cruises; so many of the search menus seem to have "Europe" or "Baltics/Northern Europe" as the choice, generating a lot more voyages than the routes we're interested in. Can anyone recommend a site for comparing just west coast of Norway? Googling for "Norwegian cruise" gets all this overlap with NCL, so it's a little frustrating! I'll dig away at it if that's what it takes, but any advice is appreciated.

 

The skies! - My husband loves to view and photograph the skies; he loves weather and astronomy. Are there any particular ships that would be best for him on these interests?

 

Thanks all for your advice.

 

I think you would be pleased with any of the Holland America ships that do this itinerary....good value. They are more laid back, quieter, and less children than some other lines. Cunard ships are also a good choice.....they are more formal, but not overly formal....very nice atmosphere on Cunard...few children.

[DKNYC]

Like travelite, I would suggest you look into Cunard as well. They do both north cape and a shorter fjord itinerary on 2 different sizes of ship. Their smoking policy has recently been made more restrictive. Also the dining room staff will do their best to work with your food limitations if you let them know of your issues when you book. You'll get the menus a day early so they can customize something for you.

I am on the 7 day Norwegian Wonders cruise on Queen Mary 2 (The larger ship) this July.

 

Denise