Floridastorm Posted November 10, 2018 #1 Share Posted November 10, 2018 I notice that there are mostly two or three cruise lines that do cruises to Norway. MSC Costa P&O Pulmanter A couple of Royal Caribbean & Holland America What are opinions on these lines specifically for the Norway itinerary? The good, the bad, the ugly. I have read a lot of not so scintillating reviews about MSC and Costa, mostly due to the type of passengers they cater to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted November 10, 2018 #2 Share Posted November 10, 2018 I'll recommend to stay with RCCL, Azamara, Celebrity, HAL, or P&O -(might be others) - Cruise lines like MSC and Costa might be too 'Italien' and AIDA too 'German'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturelovergirl Posted November 10, 2018 #3 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Cunard and Princess also do Norway cruises 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturelovergirl Posted November 10, 2018 #4 Share Posted November 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Floridastorm said: I notice that there are mostly two or three cruise lines that do cruises to Norway. MSC Costa P&O Pulmanter A couple of Royal Caribbean & Holland America What are opinions on these lines specifically for the Norway itinerary? The good, the bad, the ugly. I have read a lot of not so scintillating reviews about MSC and Costa, mostly due to the type of passengers they cater to. The main thing you want to look for in Norway cruises is paying attention to the places and things you want to see... Fjords are a huge draw and for good reason- they are outstandingly gorgeous. Look at the itineraries on each cruise (paying close attention to making sure they spend a good deal of time on the Western coast and into the fjords if nature is your focus)... Oslo is interesting, mainly, in my opinion, because of the excellent museums in Bygdøy- but it is not the same kind of dramatic landscape as the Western Fjord area. Also if you want to go above the arctic circle, you will want to pay close attention to the itineraries as well. Not every boat or itinerary does that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_BJ Posted November 10, 2018 #5 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Viking Ocean does Norway too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted November 10, 2018 #6 Share Posted November 10, 2018 (edited) I did Princess last year and am booked again on her 14 night this year (same itinerary, one different port). I looked at other cruise lines and I really like the 14 night on the Sapphire in June. I do have to say everyone describes their itinerary separately. For example - someone earlier was comparing a HAL vs Princess cruise. HAL had listed a lot of viewing of fjords which we saw the same ones last year on Princess but it wasn't "listed on the itinerary" - so read the itineraries and areas thoroughly. While not a typical cruise - this company spends a ton of time in Norway: https://www.hurtigruten.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxKqyqObK3gIVF9NkCh3egwa5EAAYASAAEgLN8PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Edited November 10, 2018 by Coral 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted November 11, 2018 #7 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Smaller ships, like those of Azamara can get into fjords and ports that others can’t. we’re doing their North Cape cruise in July 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted November 11, 2018 #8 Share Posted November 11, 2018 6 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said: Smaller ships, like those of Azamara can get into fjords and ports that others can’t. we’re doing their North Cape cruise in July 2019 I was actually surprised - at least 3 of the ports we stopped at on Sapphire Princess had around a population of 250. No problems with ships getting in there. Norway really is setup for ship travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted November 11, 2018 #9 Share Posted November 11, 2018 26 minutes ago, Coral said: I was actually surprised - at least 3 of the ports we stopped at on Sapphire Princess had around a population of 250. No problems with ships getting in there. Norway really is setup for ship travel. Most fjords are deep enough for big cruis ships - some areas round Lofoten and Trollfjord are only accessible by small ships. Below some examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted November 11, 2018 #10 Share Posted November 11, 2018 (edited) 30 minutes ago, hallasm said: Most fjords are deep enough for big cruis ships - some areas round Lofoten and Trollfjord are only accessible by small ships. Below some examples. I actually did boat rides in both Lofoten and Trollsfjord as part of my excursions- so I didn't miss any of it. Edited November 11, 2018 by Coral 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted November 11, 2018 #11 Share Posted November 11, 2018 NCL and RCI both have great Norway cruises that go all the way to the Arctic Circle. We are booked on RCI for June 2019 (Serenade of the Seas). Celebrity does cruise to Norway, but don't go all the way to the Arctic Circle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chairsin Posted November 13, 2018 #12 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Don’t forget also Seabourn has cruises to Norway. On a smaller ship you can go into some of the fjords that the large ships are unable to cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted November 13, 2018 #13 Share Posted November 13, 2018 12 minutes ago, Chairsin said: Don’t forget also Seabourn has cruises to Norway. On a smaller ship you can go into some of the fjords that the large ships are unable to cruise. Just curious- which cruises and which Fjords? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted November 13, 2018 #14 Share Posted November 13, 2018 23 minutes ago, hallasm said: Just curious- which cruises and which Fjords? found it: 15-Day Scenic Fjords & North Cape - June 7 to June 22 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chairsin Posted November 13, 2018 #15 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Hallasm, Seabourn has a full summer schedule of cruises that include many ports in Norway (and the attendant fjords) on two ships - the Quest, which hold 450 passengers and the Ovation, which holds 600. When we were on our Norway cruise a few years ago since we had such s rough crossing from Copenhagen to Bergen our Captain secured permission to keep the pilot on board and instead of heading to Aelsund via the rough seas we went the scenic route inland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted November 13, 2018 #16 Share Posted November 13, 2018 5 hours ago, Chairsin said: Hallasm, Seabourn has a full summer schedule of cruises that include many ports in Norway (and the attendant fjords) on two ships - the Quest, which hold 450 passengers and the Ovation, which holds 600. When we were on our Norway cruise a few years ago since we had such s rough crossing from Copenhagen to Bergen our Captain secured permission to keep the pilot on board and instead of heading to Aelsund via the rough seas we went the scenic route inland. Chairsin Thank you for the update. I’ll look into the Seabourn offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinita415 Posted December 10, 2018 #17 Share Posted December 10, 2018 On 11/10/2018 at 8:08 AM, Floridastorm said: I have read a lot of not so scintillating reviews about MSC and Costa, mostly due to the type of passengers they cater to. I am likely going to choose a MSC cruise due to the itinerary and timing. I took an MSC Western Med several years ago and was worried about the same thing. It was not even an after thought. If you are well traveled and do not need to be surrounded by Americans, MSC is fine. It just feels like being in Italy and Spain and that people might not always queue up in orderly fashion. But then again I am Asian American so used to that from the Asian folks as well. I would not hesitate to book because of that concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkat343 Posted December 10, 2018 #18 Share Posted December 10, 2018 We were generally happy with Cunard which as the line we sailed to Norway, but I agree with all the previous posters that you should choose your cruise based upon itinerary. We've generally been happy with all the cruise lines we've sailed ( Princess, NCL, Cunard and Carnival) so we just generally chose vacations based upon itineraries. On the older NCL ship we sailed, we didn't love their food in the free dining room. But many people are happy with it, and if you aren't the specialty restaurants were very good and you can just eat there if you are picky like us. The mainstream lines are more similar than different. In Norway, Hurtigruten is the one exception, as this isn't a cruise ship, but more of a ferry line that would allow you to completely customize your itinerary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_BJ Posted December 10, 2018 #19 Share Posted December 10, 2018 here's the current visit schedule for Flam 2019 season https://aurlandhavn.no/cruise-2/ship-arrivals-2019/ it can give you an idea of who's playing and some dates. Of course there will be other ships, going other places too . .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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