Newbie considering Norwegian Fjords cruise

[Chairsin]

Edit: " we only ended up eating lunch out a couple of times."

[cruising kirby]

Thanks Chairsin! I am hoping that the weather will be kind to us. I am very keen to see the fjords and the only possible negative for me is the prospect of cold weather. It is 41C today where I live, with overnight temperature at 32C, and our winters are very mild, so I am not used to cold climates!

 

A big thank you to Miss W for sharing your blog, it is very interesting. What an adventurous life you lead. I thought my adult children were well travelled, but in comparison to you, they are novices!

 

Please write your "8 hours in........." stories too, I am sure they would be useful for all cruisers contemplating the Norwegian region.

[Thecat123]

Thank you for posting your blog Miss W and I can see from it how an organised trip like a cruise is the way to go

How do you reckon the Norway Fjords would compare to the Chilean Fjords trip you did last year?

I picked up from your blog you flew with Finnair and had trouble with your luggage. Looks like we are going to have the same trouble as we are also flying with them

[MrsWaldo]

Hi Cat :)

 

She's just gone to bed.

 

The trouble with luggage was with Wideroe (SAS). However, when we flew Finnair to Russia in 2013 Business, they lost a bag in HK and to took 2 weeks to get it back. I still believe it was the fact security had taken it off for a closer check and didn't put it back on.

 

The lounge in HK was terrible but the onboard service was excellent. When our flight was delayed out of Helsinki, they transferred us to Lufthansa and Singapore to make sure we got home on the same day. Finnair service was way better than Luft or Sing.

 

It was on that trip that Miss W discovered people thought she looked Finnish. The flight crew would come up to her and speak in Finnish and then to me in English! It happened every time a new crew member spoke to her, and at Immigration and in the Finnair Lounge!

[Roxburgh]

Roxburgh,

 

Miss W has just spent close to 8 weeks living in Norway and to entice you even more she said the Fjords are spectacular. She's keen to get me back so she can show me around.

 

If you do get on a trip i am sure she will be keen to give you some insider tips on Bergen and Tromso.

 

If anyone else is interested she has done a fairly interesting blog if you would like her to post. She has her own CC account now :)

 

I spent a lot of time working in Norway in the 1980s. Mainly Oslo but also Trondheim and Bergen. I really enjoyed the country but never had the time for serious sightseeing.

 

Don't know if we will do the fjords in 2016. That cruise will be in competition with the Amazon. But it is definitely on our bucket list.

 

But first things first ..... we board Sojourn today in Singapore .... Yay!!!

[MrsWaldo]

Jealous!!!!!!!!:D

 

That exact cruise was on my radar but the Boss declared no leave in Feb after I came back last year :(

Edited February 14, 2015 by MrsWaldo

[Miss W]

Cat,

 

Finnair are typically excellent and I am sure you will be fine. I had problems on Wideroe, which are SAS's budget line.

 

It's a little bit hard to compare the fjords at the moment as it is winter and the Chilean fjords were summer. The Norwegian fjords are definitely taller and there is a lot more of them. Further south they also appeared to be greener. On the other hand there aren't as many glaciers as there were in Chile. In terms of culture, there are definitely no cheap souvenirs or experiences in Norway. You will probably also come across a few more tourists. There is still a high chance of seeing seals, albeit a slightly different breed.

 

 

 

Cruising Kirby,

 

I have been in Norway Dec-Feb. The only clothes I get use out of are things that I didn't buy specifically for Antarctica such as my thermals. I did find the orange outer parker useful for hiking as there were 500mls of rain in Bergen in Jan and it is slightly more comprehensive in its coverage than a normal raincoat. Had to take my fair share of "we aren't getting lost on the mountain" jokes for that one though. Otherwise, definitely not the place to go with your Antarctica gear. Expect a Sydney winter in summer.

 

 

As Chairsin said, a cruise for Norway is definitely the way to go. Using the wonderfully universal McDonalds currency, a Big Mac in Norway will set you back 10USD. For the the burger, not the meal. Many tourists find themselves at ikea because it is the only affordable option. Even supermarkets are expensive ($6 for a loaf of bread). Not only is Norway full of towns that only need a day and are best accessed by boat, but a luxury cruise would still be cheaper than a standard land based holiday. Luxury hotels and fine dining are also scarce in Norway.

 

If you have any questions I am happy to answer them :)

 

Also Roxburgh. I imagine Bergen has changed considerably since the 80's. Namely 2.5x the number of residents.

[Thecat123]

Miss W I must have got those airlines mixed up when I read your blog

We will be taking both of our parkers which Seabourn supplied for Antartica as I don't want to buy new ones just for Norway. They aren't heavy but will keep us dry even though we are cruising with Oceania this trip. Oceania might even give us their ones to replace them :)

Still a bit concerned as we will be comparing Oceania against Seabourn

I figured that a lot of ports we are going to would be like our Picton with just a cute little town with hills and a wharf

[MrsWaldo]

LOL Cat,

 

I bet she doesn't remember Picton.

 

It was just another PUKE stop ;) between Blenheim and Nelson…

 

Miss W, there were lots of signs for Mussels along the route, it was just after New years Day, and lots of cute little shacks/baches

[OctoberKat]

Thank you all for the references and blog suggestion. I've plenty of time to bone up.

 

It certainly will be an unusual Thanksgiving!

Edited February 17, 2015 by OctoberKat

[Emperor Norton]

....

 

Darn YouTube not cooperating.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Emperor Norton

[Baggywrinkle99]

I'd just like to endorse what everyone has said - the fjords are quite magnificent, especially in the perfect weather we were blessed with in July '14. Our cruise on Quest was the best we've ever enjoyed for many reasons, not least the lovely ship, wonderful staff and great fellow pax. The only problem was the smokers next door who made our verandah unuseable many times. If everything else hadn't been so good it might have ruined the experience. That's not to say we support the current anachronistic smoking policy.

[SKP946]

I'd just like to endorse what everyone has said - the fjords are quite magnificent, especially in the perfect weather we were blessed with in July '14. Our cruise on Quest was the best we've ever enjoyed for many reasons, not least the lovely ship, wonderful staff and great fellow pax. The only problem was the smokers next door who made our verandah unuseable many times. If everything else hadn't been so good it might have ruined the experience. That's not to say we support the current anachronistic smoking policy.

 

We had the same problem on Quest in the Med. in 2012 with a smoker next door. We could only use our veranda twice in 25 days, when the smoker was on tour.

We will only book an A1 now until Seabourn changes it's archaic smoking policy.

I hope that they are putting dedicated smoking rooms (like in some airports) on the new ships ( and they could easily retro-fit them to the existing ships) :)

[Marylebone37]

I was a die-hard and devoted SB fan, and really want to take this cruise. But I refuse to plunk down 20K given the current smoking policy and risk that someone on the adjacent balconies could make for an unpleasant 14 nights. It is just not right. So I've booked something with a (non-Carnival owned) competitor. Hope you are reading this SB!

[wripro]

I'm sure SB is well aware of how many of its passengers feel about smoking on balconies. It's just a matter of time before they evolve on the issue. At least I hope so.

[Emperor Norton]

After the fire on Princess from balcony smoking I was surprised that Carnivals insurance carrier didn't force their hand to nix balcony smoking on all their brands.

[TootyJane]

Thank you, Oregon50, enjoyed looking at Europa. And thanks, too, to other posters here.

 

Pulled the trigger and booked the 25 June 2016 Norwegian fjords cruise on Seabourn Quest, signature suite. Quite a chunk of change.

 

Just got off the Quest last Saturday. You are going to LOVE this cruise!! Norway is so beautiful. We were worried about the weather as it had been raining a lot prior to our cruise. Weather was definitely chilly -- averaging high 40's most days. Be sure to book the Zodiac excursion which goes into the Trollfjord. Unfortunately I missed out and kicked myself for not booking early. It is a bit pricey at $299 per person but would be well worth it. The fjord itself is breathtaking and while you're in the Zodiac you are lucky to watch the Quest enter the fjord, do a 360 turn, and then exit. You then catch up to re-board the Quest.

[OctoberKat]

Thanks, TootyJane. Good to know.