Longyearbyen & Honningsvag: MSC or Princess?

[EllieR]

Hello!

 

I hope some of you who have travelled Princess or MSC, or neither but have gone to Longyearbyen, can provide some guidance.

 

My husband and I would like to do a cruise that includes Longyearbyen and Honningsvag. We like the Princess product and prefer to book with them, but the cost of this cruise is a bit rich for his blood (before anyone writes that "it's only money", know that he's doing a Master's degree, which means tuition fees :)). So, we started looking into other options and found a less expensive alternative with MSC.

 

There are three main differences: MSC's itinerary has three fewer ports than Princess' (Flaam, Aalesund, Trondheim), is in Honningsvag overnight, and is in the ports typically afternoon and late evening (i.e. 10pm). In contrast, Princess is in Honningvag one day and is typically in the ports for the morning and afternoon.

 

I am also unfamiliar with MSC's product.

 

So, here is where I would appreciate your guidance:

 

1) Is there an advantage to being in the ports for the afternoon and evening versus morning and afternoon?

2) Is there an advantage to being in Honningsvag overnight, other than just a longer stay?

3) Is there anything in Flaam, Aalesund, or Trondheim that makes them "must see" or "great to see if you can" ports as opposed to "not much there, take 'em or leave 'em"?

4) Would a Princess cruiser enjoy MSC's product?

a. If it helps, the ships are the Pacific Princess versus the MSC Meraviglia.

 

Thank you all in advance for your advice! I look forward to reading your thoughts.

 

Sincerely,

Ellie.

[TLCOhio]

I hope some of you who have travelled Princess or MSC, or neither but have gone to Longyearbyen, can provide some guidance. My husband and I would like to do a cruise that includes Longyearbyen and Honningsvag. We like the Princess product and prefer to book with them, but the cost of this cruise is a bit rich for his blood. There are three main differences: MSC's itinerary has three fewer ports than Princess' (Flaam, Aalesund, Trondheim), is in Honningsvag overnight, and is in the ports typically afternoon and late evening (i.e. 10pm). In contrast, Princess is in Honningvag one day and is typically in the ports for the morning and afternoon. I am also unfamiliar with MSC's product.

1) Is there an advantage to being in the ports for the afternoon and evening versus morning and afternoon?

2) Is there an advantage to being in Honningsvag overnight, other than just a longer stay?

3) Is there anything in Flaam, Aalesund, or Trondheim that makes them "must see" or "great to see if you can" ports as opposed to "not much there, take 'em or leave 'em"?

4) Would a Princess cruiser enjoy MSC's product? a. If it helps, the ships are the Pacific Princess versus the MSC Meraviglia.

Sincerely, Ellie.

 

Welcome to these Cruise Critic boards and appreciate these many good questions. While I have not sailed with either Princess or MSC, I know much about many of these ports and locations. Much is detailed below with many pictures and options in my live/blog connected below.

 

First, Norway tends to be rather expensive in general with their high wages and taxes, etc. It's a great, scenic area, but be prepared that food and tours in Norway are more costly than in many other parts of the world.

 

Second, as you go north of the Arctic Circle in the summer, the timing becomes very different as you are in the land of the Midnight Sun!! That offer more flexibility than what you might have experienced in other parts of the world where your evening and night options are more limited.

 

Third, on the MSC Meraviglia, I understand that this is a very new, new ship. That can be a plus. BUT, MSC is European with its customer-base, plus this ship hold up to 4500 passengers. That's lots and lots of people. BIG!! BIG!! Princess is more North American-focused with English as its main language. Yes, MSC could be cheaper, but will it be the type of "experience" that you really desire and will most enjoy?

 

Fourth, I would urge caution in missing or skipping Flam, Alesund and Trondheim. We really enjoyed our visiting each of these places in Norway. Below are a few quick visuals for these three areas. More on the live/blog.

 

Finally, my caution is that no one cruise can satisfy ALL of your wishes and desires. There are always trade-offs, pluses and minuses to consider.

 

Glad that you want to go farther north than just the lower fjords and Bergen. Below are some notes as to those factors. KEY NORWAY COAST CHALLENGE/QUESTION: A major question is whether to just focus on the lower Norway fjords, Bergen, etc. Nice and wonderful. BUT, there is the option of going up, UP farther north, above the Arctic Circle, seeing such great places as the Lofoten Islands, the North Cape, interesting cities such as Tromso and Trondheim, etc., in taking more time to go farther north. Only doing the lower portion requires less time, has more sailing/ship options and costs less. That’s very good! BUT, if you can take the added time, seeing farther up this Norway coast can be very special and unique. Especially, if you really love/seek nature, great scenery, wildlife, etc.

 

What other questions and info needs? Happy to share more!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 207,639 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

This is the dramatic overview of Alesund from the Aksla vantage point along the western coast of Norway. This spot allows a nearly 360-degree view of this setting for this island city and the surrounding mountains and islands. It is at a 597’ height overlooking the five islands making up the scenic town. The canal or waterway in the middle of the town is called "Brosundet" (or the Bridge sound). That means Ale sund (sloping sound). Or, reflecting that the sound slopes through town. This is how Alesund got its name.:

 

 

 

This is one of my many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks. We had a private boat from the harbor in Gjesvaer near the North Cape at the top of Norway.:

 

 

 

Arriving at Flam, the Captain is right there directing this process. You can see here some of the fjord mountains, waterfalls in the background. Below are more pictures and highlights from this day in the Sognerfjord that is rated as the best in all of Norway for these views. This includes a spectacular train ride up the mountain, seeing the valleys, waterfalls, etc.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trondheim’s top and most historic attraction is their Cathedral. Nidaros Cathedral was built from 1070 and is the most important Gothic monument in Norway. The Norway King is still crowned here. This is the front of Trondheim’s Cathedral. This is Scandinavia’s largest medieval building and has a central, 321-foot-high tower.:

 

[kaisatsu]

Business hours in Norway end at 4pm, so closing time for a lot of museums is between 4pm and 6pm. This can have a big impact on what you can do in port in the evening. If you're just planning to walk around and don't mind that shops and museums are closed, there's enough daylight in the summer that you can still do that in the evening. However, I would definitely prefer to be in port in the morning and afternoon.

 

A lot of people love the Flåmsbana rail trip in Flåm. What are the other ports? I would never recommend a fjord cruise that didn't include either Geiranger or Flåm, so if you're not calling at Geiranger, do not miss Flåm. The sail-in and sail-out through Sognefjord is one of the best parts of a fjord cruise (second only to sailing through Geirangerfjord).

 

Ålesund is also a very popular port call, and Trondheim provides a bit of a different experience. The Nidaros cathedral feels much more continental-Europe than coastal-Norway!

 

I haven't cruised on MSC, but from veteran cruisers I know, they were disappointed. From what I've heard, MSC and Costa are somewhat comparable, but after my one Costa sailing, I definitely prefer an English-language cruiseline.

[EllieR]

Thank you both for your replies!

 

To answer your questions about the southern part of Norway / other ports, both lines will stop at Bergen, Stavanger, Tromso, and Hellesylt/Geiranger.

 

Kaisatsu, thank you for mentioning that businesses close in the late afternoon as that is definitely a consideration of mine. I don't mind strolling through a town, but I would hate to see something interesting I'd want to explore further... and I can't. That was my main concern about the later hours in the ports.

 

Here's a follow-up question for both of you, related to Terry's point about Meraviglia's size: Do either of you believe that a potential 4500 people getting off at these ports will cause significant enough logistical nightmares that one would have a lot of difficulty accessing the sights/activities?

 

The size of the Meraviglia doesn't concern me re: when being on the ship. However, what would concern me is if the passenger population is too large to truly enjoy the ports (i.e. long lines into museums, crowded hike up Pulpit Rock, difficulty getting tickets to attractions because of early sell-outs).

 

Thanks again,

Ellie.

[TLCOhio]

Thank you both for your replies! Here's a follow-up question for both of you, related to Terry's point about Meraviglia's size: Do either of you believe that a potential 4500 people getting off at these ports will cause significant enough logistical nightmares that one would have a lot of difficulty accessing the sights/activities? The size of the Meraviglia doesn't concern me re: when being on the ship. However, what would concern me is if the passenger population is too large to truly enjoy the ports (i.e. long lines into museums, crowded hike up Pulpit Rock, difficulty getting tickets to attractions because of early sell-outs). Thanks again, Ellie.

 

Appreciate this follow-up. YES, super great question on the potential impacts of these super large ship unloading in the ports of Norway.

 

Most of the Norway towns and village are fairly small with limited infrastructure and facilities to absorb thousands and thousands of people.

 

During our visit to Honningsvaag and the North Cape area, our Captain, for weather and dock competition reasons, got to this port about three hours early. He wanted to be there ahead of the 2600-passenger Adia German ship and its arrival. Yes, that was good for us!! Would not want to be in that small port when a ship with twice as many people had arrived. The goes for many of the other smaller ports along this Norway coast. Bergen is larger and much better equipped to handle these big, BIG numbers. Most of the others are not.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 220,251 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[SarniaLo]

I'm pretty sure that the reason for staying in Honningsvag overnight is so that passengers can get a chance to see the Midnight Sun from the North Cape, if that matters to you. For me it would really not be a deal-breaker (and what if the sky is cloudy and you don't see the sun at midnight?).

 

And yes I think that 4500 passengers on shore could be a problem in some cities, particularly when you want to organize the excursions by yourself and not through the ship. This I think would be true at least in Flam, and in Longyearbyen (there is the risk that most of the available tours will be sold through the ship and not accessible to individual bookings).

 

What are the other ports of the Princess cruise?