Quick help needed - Norweigan Fjords cruise

[phoenix_dream]

Need to make a quick decision on whether or not to book the Constellation Norwegian Fjords cruise (for reasons too long and boring to explain).  Unfortunately don't have a lot of time to research ahead of time, so thought I would reach out to my very helpful friends on Cruise Critic - I know I can put this on the ports of call boards but thought I might get some faster responses here from passengers who have been on similar cruises.

 

Very experienced with Celebrity cruises, so that is not in question.  What I am curious about is, are there lots of interesting things to do in the five Norway ports of call?  I'm sure the scenery itself is beautiful, but beyond that - what type of activities/excursions might I find in these cities? 

 

Thank you very much in advance for any input you can provide!!

[DebbieMacG]

There’s no cruise on constellation to Norway I can find so I don’t know which ports you are asking about sorry.

 

Lots of interesting things to do and lots of ports 😀

Edited April 28, 2019 by DebbieMacG

[Essiesmom]

Probably Reflection or Silhouette.  EM

[Mr. Click]

We did a 5 port Norweigan Fjords cruise on Royal last year and we loved it. Each port has things to see and do but the best part of the cruise was the scenery as we slowly sailed thorough the fjords.  Just spectacular.  If you go make sure you get up early and stay up late to see it all as the light changes.  If you have the time and interest here is the link to my photo book for that cruise.

https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/7641745/060951baaa90432f6df7c58700c9968171c6ef41

[phoenix_dream]

So sorry, I meant Silhouette.  Thanks for the feedback so far

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Lots to do in the ports.  Don't know what ports you're going to.  Flam Railway was a standout.  Also a bus trip to the top of Mt. Dalsnibba.  Opera house in Oslo.  Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo is amazing.

[WeBcruisingMN]

I would highly recommend booking the Norway fjords cruise, it is probably my favorite of the 14-15 cruises I have taken. My husband and I did the five-port itinerary (in and out of Southampton) in early May 2017. The scenery was breathtaking, both on land and while cruising on the ship (Eclipse). We had some adventures: Bergen (took funicular up to enjoy the view and there are about 10-12 hikes to choose from...we hiked for about 3-4 hours and enjoyed stunning views), Flåm (2-hour hike to a waterfall on our own and then a 3-hour ferry ride through the fjords), Geiranger (booked incredible snow-shoeing excursion on our own, one of the best days of my life with great views), Ålesund (walked around and hiked to viewpoint- a purposeful ‘down day’), and Stavanger (Celebrity excursion of hiking Preikestolen- Pulpit Rock=incredible). Norway is a stunning country!  

Edited April 29, 2019 by WeBcruisingMN

[chemmo]

We did this cruise on Eclipse 2017, wonderful!

 

If you look on YouTube someone on our cruise recorded some drone footage. I think the title was ‘Norway and Ireland on the Eclipse’...worth looking at. If you can fly in a few days early the New Forest area near Southampton is worth visiting too.

[harrywpb]

We’re on the Silhouette now and they are offering many excursions. Call the Captains Club and they’ll send you a link to the brochure. We’re arriving at Bergen ( first port ) today and are excited / glad to be here. 

Harry

[GastroGnome]

We did this on Silhouette in 2018.  Wonderful!  The ship excursions tend to be more around the nature / activity type than we've had elsewhere - lost of wildlife spotting, rib tours, segway, biking etc.  But also plenty for the less physically able.  Stunning scenery.  Really a cruise of a lifetime. We did Bergan and Alesund independently. Ships tours from Flam, Geiranger and Stavanger.  Highly recommended!

[jdacombe]

We are doing this cruise from Southampton on 25 August this year, everybody that I've spoken to say that this is a wonderful cruise.

We have booked the Flam railway trip through Celebrity, I believe that these trips gets booked up pretty quick, we could only get the straight up and back excursion.

The Lysefjord trip from Stavanger looks pretty good, for Alesund we have booked this independent tour if you are interested in Viking history

https://rollosfootsteps.no/viking-tours/

Would also like to try the Funicular railway in Bergen.

Hope that helps a bit

[villauk]

We’ve done Norway twice and it’s one of my DH’s favourite places. I think of it as being very tactile - you can virtually touch the edges as you pass down the fjords. Totally different from Alaska (where it’s more about the wildlife) and NZ (which is more panoramic fjords), only my opinion of course 😉.

[grayjay]

I looked up the cruise on "Silhouette". 7 days of Norway is better than nothing, but you should be aware that this cruise only scratches at the surface on what Norway really is and does not go ( for example) to Geiranger fjord or Oslo, If possible you might look into 10-14 day cruises ( for example  RCL's Serenade of the Seas offers 11 days at right now very competitive prices, as does Holland America with their brand_new Koningsdam and Statendam, or even MSC . To me Celebrity is not the cruise line of choice for THIS area. Northern Europe seems to be very "crowded" with cruise ships this year and prices are really good.

About the ports:

Bergen is beautiful and easy to explore. There's a HopOn directly when you leave the ship. The Bryggen area, the fish market, the funicular up Mt. Floien alsone are enough for a day of sights !

Alesund: Easy to explore on your own as well, very walkable, good museum. If you want to venture outside, the Trollstigen tour you can book with independent operators shows a lot of the beautiful countryside.

Flam: Of course the train journey would be my first choice. Either book with Celebrity ( your seat will be safe on the train but inflated prices) or rush out as soon as the ship docks to buy a ticket ( always got one if we were early enough) or book online. There's also a nice bus shuttle to a viewpoint which you can book in the tourist office ( bea there early, as well)

Stavanger: There's beautiful Lyse fjord to explore, as well as the city itself. The oil museum is very informative and absolutely stunning.

Hope this helps.

[crusingnut]

To those that have done the Norwegian Fjords; Is May or June the better month to cruise re weather (temperature, rain or sunny)? I realize the weather isn't easily predicted, just curious as to your experiences during those months.

[phoenix_dream]

Thanks so much to everyone for all the helpful advice!

[4774Papa]

We have only been to Bergen, Norway, but it was amazing.   We decided to go beyond the Celebrity Norwegian Fjords cruise and do the Royal Caribbean Arctic Circle cruise.  My grown kids and their families did that cruise on NCL and said it was one of their favorite cruises.  We go on Serenade of the Seas, 9 June.

[gerelmx]

I cruise the fjords in July 2000, aboard the RCCL Splendor OTS, it is still one of my favorites. The landscapes are beautiful, the weather was not cold in the glaciers, the foods of the best, etc. You will not regret it if you go in the Silhouette.

 

Splendour OTS @ Geiranger

 

Briksdal Glacier

 

A view of Bergen

[grayjay]

8 hours ago, crusingnut said:

To those that have done the Norwegian Fjords; Is May or June the better month to cruise re weather (temperature, rain or sunny)? I realize the weather isn't easily predicted, just curious as to your experiences during those months.

May is still rather cool regarding temperatures. It can be sunny and mild, of course, but you must be aware that it is still spring and there might still be snow on the mountains. Think of tulips and narcissi and cherry trees blooming. Some roads in the mountains ( for example the famous Trollstigen road) might still be closed.

But as the season is only beginning, it might be less crowded in the most famous tourist spots.

June is a lovely month and our favourite, but in Norway you never know. Last year, for example, the sea had been unusually warm in winter and so there was a lot of fog north of the polar circle - we were not able to see the famous North Cape because it was so foggy you didn't see 5 yards. And of course you didn't see the days of the midnight sun either - fog horns instead of midnight sun. Two weeks later friends of ours had hot summer days and the most beautiful weather imaginable and could see for miles during their trip to the North Cape. We had snowstorms on Mt. Dalsnibba (Geiranger fjord), so the trip up there was cancelled because the road was closed. A few days later we were able to sit in the sun in t-shirts.

Still June is a lovely month to go to Norway if you are prepared for dressing in layers - from shorts to gloves! We come back every year, if possible, because the scenery is so lovely.

[ghstudio]

If you are going to cruise the Norway Fjords, you really want a cruise that goes to the North Cape.  Celebrity doesn't go that far....Princess (and I think Holland America) does.  I suggest you do what we did....cruised on Princess for the itinerary and it was a great cruise.

[downsmead]

We have done the Princess 14 day cruise which went up to the Artic circle, fabulous cruise. Seven days is better than nothing and the ports all have something good to offer. There are usually excursions offered around the ports which we did (cheaper than the ship), though the ship's tend to book all tickets for the Flam railway. 

The scenery is spectacular though as others have said, you can get a wet day with poor visibility. It is certainly a cruise we would repeat.

[ghstudio]

we had no trouble booking the flam railroad ourselves but we booked far in advance.  You are right, you can't just walk up and buy a ticket when you get there.

[maggieq]

16 hours ago, GastroGnome said:

We did this on Silhouette in 2018.  Wonderful!  The ship excursions tend to be more around the nature / activity type than we've had elsewhere - lost of wildlife spotting, rib tours, segway, biking etc.  But also plenty for the less physically able.  Stunning scenery.  Really a cruise of a lifetime. We did Bergan and Alesund independently. Ships tours from Flam, Geiranger and Stavanger.  Highly recommended!

I have found two cruises on celebtity (7 nights)  for 2020 that have both flam and geiranger.  Are these the top ports? Thanks!

Edited April 29, 2019 by maggieq

[grayjay]

15 minutes ago, downsmead said:

We have done the Princess 14 day cruise which went up to the Artic circle, fabulous cruise. Seven days is better than nothing and the ports all have something good to offer. There are usually excursions offered around the ports which we did (cheaper than the ship), though the ship's tend to book all tickets for the Flam railway. 

The scenery is spectacular though as others have said, you can get a wet day with poor visibility. It is certainly a cruise we would repeat.

We have been to Flam four or five times in the last years and it is a myth that the ships buy up all the tickets for the Flam railway. They have got special wagons booked, but there are always tickets to be had, either booked online or even on the day in port - even if it is a zoo at the ticket shop and you must be really early to queue up for the tickets. It's a good idea ( if you are a couple or more) to split up and one buys the ticket and the other already queues up for the train, if you go with the first one available.

[grayjay]

4 minutes ago, maggieq said:

I have found two cruises on celebtity (7 nights)  for 2020 that have both flam and geiranger.  Are these the top ports? Thanks!

Absolutely!