QE to Norway: rough seas?

[Fattony]

We are considering taking the Elizabeth to Norway in July (wife was learning towards Emerald Princess from Copenhagen to St. Petersburg, but the Norway cruise sounds more scenic, and with better temps, espeically in July). I do realize that, of course, sea conditions are not guaranteed, but wonder if, in general, the North Sea would be rougher than the Baltic in July. I'm guessing yes, but also realize that the ship is quite big, and there are tradeoffs.

 

We have gone on two cruises in the past, both with Princess: Buenos Aires to Valparaiso (I wasn't on the ship when it went around Cape Horn-- long story), and Vancouver to Whittier in Alaska. I've been to Norway once, but nor on a cruise.

 

I have found two reivews of the QE to Norway on this site. One reivew gave rather average rating (though didn't talk much about the seas or ports) and the other (an ongoing blog) was more positive.

 

Thanks for any input.

[Classiccruiser777]

We took the QE2 to Iceland then Norway during July 2008. The entire voyage the seas were calm and the ship rocked gently. It was a fantastic cruise.

 

We have been to Norway twice by ship. Given the beauty of the fjords I think traveling there by ship is the best way to see the sights. So much so that we are going there again this July/August on the QM2.

 

I can't comment on the QE as we haven't been on her yet but on several of our QM2 cruises many of the staff told us they were trying to transfer to her due to it's smaller size. And I have read almost nothing but positive reviews of her.

[slhw]

Hi Classiccruiser777

 

We're going to Norway on the QM2, 13th July. As you've been twice before, have you any advice on any of the places we visit, particulary Bergen, Stavanger and Gereinger.

 

Thanks

 

Sandie

[Fattony]

Thanks for the feedback. Trip sounds great. The July 15 QE cruise to Norway interested me more than the July 13 QM2 cruise since it went to more places, but both sound interesting. The fact that the QE is a new ship could be a plus. Wife still likes Princess, but we'll see. Curiously, airfare to London from where we are (in Brazil) is higher than to Copenhagen, departure point for a Princess cruise (Baltic) we were considering.

[Classiccruiser777]

We haven't visited Bergen but have been to Stavanger and Gereinger. For Gereinger my advice is to get up very early and watch the spectacular scenery as the ship transits the fjord from the sea. It is incredible and the scale is difficult to comprehend.

 

In Gereinger there isn't much to do but there is a beautiful waterfall and, if you have strong legs, a nice road that goes up the mountain where there is a pretty church and, further up, a visitor's center. If you do climb up be sure to bring a camera. Also, if you have any interest in Norwegian woolens that is a good time of year to buy as the tourist season is winding down and many sweaters/jumpers are marked down.

 

Stavanger is a beautiful city and when we were there the QE2 tied up in town. There are lots of little art galleries, charming stores and sidewalk cafes. During our visit there was some kind of festival taking place so it was very busy with vintage cars, fire trucks and boats. We basically just walked around and took lots of pictures.

 

One thing to be aware of about Norway in general is that almost everthing is very expensive. For example, in Oslo at a Burger King a "value meal" of a whopper, fries and a drink was going for about $25. Also, public restrooms are sometime difficult to find.

[Ray66]

The North Sea was a bit choppy for us on the QE last week but only lasted a few hours. You could feel it but it was nowhere near as bad as the Bay of Biscay on the QM2.

 

Leaving Zeebrugge you could see the sea was choppy but we couldn't feel it at all.

 

Geiranger is an anchor port and you will need to take a tender to get ashore. We did the tour up Mount Dalsnibba.

 

There is plenty to do in Bergen including the funicular railway.

 

We were disappointed with Stavanger as it was quite dirty at the time with graffiti in places. We would like to try it again some time.

[Just2guys]

Hello, Fattony. Just got off the Victoria to Norway (May 29-June 05). QV very similar to QE. Seas a bit choppy first couple of nights out---nothing serious---but very smooth after that. Ship seemed to sway more than others we've been on in same type of seas, though. Great cruise...we think you'll like it. Similar to, yet different from, Alaska. We did the Baltics out of Copenhagen (on Cunard) several years back. And while there were no rough seas---and there were plenty of interesting ports---it is a rough cruise for someone flying in from the Americas. If you can, allow yourself a couple of days 'pre-cruise' in Copenhagen to compensate for the jet lag. Otherwise, you'll never catch up. Eastbound to St. Pete you lose an hour each night. That, and the very late "sunsets" leaving daylight far into the evening, make it rough on the body---particularly if you are trying to see as much in each port as possible. In the end, it was one of our best cruise experiences...but it took everything out of us by the time we got back home. :)

[LGC100]

We are going on the QM2 to Norway on 13th July 2013. It will be our 1st time to Norway.

 

We sailed on the QE in May but much prefer the QM2 as she is more spacious, the promenade deck is better and you can get forward in front of the bridge. We loved the observation deck. Fantastic views of her sailing under the bridge in Lisbon.

 

We did prefer the Lido to the Kings Court but apart from breakfast we took all meals in the restaurant to be waited on. This time though I want to try one of the speciality restaurants.

[Chunky2219]

We've done Norway twice in two years and both times the North Sea was like a millpond. A little fog last year, so the fog horn was going every 90 seconds but no worries. We did get a few lumps and bumps way up at North Cape but nothing to get excited about. It could be completely different when you sail, but July is probably going to be better than November.

 

I posted a review of our 14 days on QV in May so look that up for more information.

 

I can second the comment about watching the view into Gerainger (and out again). As for Bergen, get to the funicular railway early because after maybe 10am the queues can be long and there are so many people at the top it is difficult to get a decent photo.

 

I'm told by people who have done Alaska that Norway is similar but even better, because everything is closer and seems higher as you transit the fjords. You'll find out if this is correct or not, please post the results.

.

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[Ray66]

This is another old resurrected thread, Chunky. The OP will have done his/her Norway cruise by now.

[Chunky2219]

Oops!

 

That's frustrating. Maybe threads should have a "best before" date like the stuff in my fridge. :o