On Norway trip, did you use balcony?

[dgb281]

My husband’s family is from Norway, so we are planning a cruise of the fjords. To economize, we were thinking of getting an ocean view room. The weather seems cool even in summer (for reference, we are Floridians). We are assuming the views of the fjords can be enjoyed from the common areas. We generally book Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Any advice?

[hallasm]

You’re right - compared to Florida the summer temperature in Norway is much cooler. And in fact the views of the sceneries is much better from upper decks or common lounge areas.

 

[MAVIP]

No, we (used to a cooler climate than Florida...) did never use and will not book a verandah on a Fjord or other Norwegian cruise. Agree with advice hallasm. 

[dani negreanu]

We used our balcony on the fjords very much. AND, being from Israel, I'm not used to cold, but the scenery was worthwhile.

 

I just put the coat over my pj... which I couldn't do in "public areas". We entered Geiranger fjord at 6 AM....

 

[kaisatsu]

We've never booked a balcony room for the fjords, because the most dramatic fjords are very steep and it involves a lot of looking up. That makes the views best from the upper decks, where you can have a fully unobstructed panoramic view. Additionally, in places like Geirangerfjord where there are famous waterfalls on both sides of the fjord, it's convenient to be out on deck where you can move around.

[scubacruiserx2]

We booked a balcony and loved it .

[dani negreanu]

11 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

Additionally, in places like Geirangerfjord where there are famous waterfalls on both sides of the fjord, it's convenient to be out on deck where you can move around.

 

Well, the ships enters the Geirangerfjord and then leaves😁... Being on a balcony on deck 10 was not bad at all

[Paul S]

We had a rear facing balcony on Jade and made a lot of use of it in the fjords late August/early September. Somehow the experience was different on the balcony compared with the communal areas, quieter and more private. However we also spent plenty of time out on the public decks.

 

It’s down to the depth of your pocket. We would always prefer a balcony if we can afford it, whatever the itinerary.

Edited January 17, 2020 by Paul S
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[djwcruisejunkie]

We had a balcony last time we cruised the fjords. Tended to go on deck if wanted the panoramic effect, but it gets very crowded when majority of passengers up there! Used balcony for early morning sail in, and if we wanted peaceful sail out. Sat there in t shirt with coffee! We went in June and had temps in 20's c/high 70's. Walking around got too warm! Cool early and late, just add/subtract layers !

[Bowmanvilletravel]

We had a balcony last May and used it quite a bit as well. We saw a lot of wildlife and whales from the balcony so I would recommend it in a heartbeat. I understand folks are saying you can use upper decks but it's hard to get there quickly if there is in fact something outside in the water or on shore. 

[kaisatsu]

21 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Well, the ships enters the Geirangerfjord and then leaves😁... Being on a balcony on deck 10 was not bad at all

I think I’ve been in Norway too long, because I always try to take full advantage of a break in the clouds before the weather turns! Haha! (But apparently not long enough to fully believe that «ikke dårlig vær»!)
 

But seriously, I’d never turn down a free balcony! I’m just not wealthy enough to pay for one when I won’t use it more than a few hours.

[scubacruiserx2]

We spend the better part of day on the balcony eating and watching the scenery in Antarctica , Alaska , Iceland and Norway . Ans we lived taking photos like these from Norway .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Alesund

 

 

[GastroGnome]

We had a balcony on Celebrity Silhouette and used it extensively.  The main deks are too crowded - its far nicer to watch the view from your own (or the helipad!)    We also fixed a gopro on time lapse to the railings  so we have wonderful recordings.  Yes it can be cold.  Just wrap up warm.  The main desks won't be any warmer and your balcony will be a lot more peaceful!

[dogs4fun]

On 1/16/2020 at 4:15 AM, kaisatsu said:

We've never booked a balcony room for the fjords, because the most dramatic fjords are very steep and it involves a lot of looking up. That makes the views best from the upper decks, where you can have a fully unobstructed panoramic view. Additionally, in places like Geirangerfjord where there are famous waterfalls on both sides of the fjord, it's convenient to be out on deck where you can move around.

Agree - for panoramic views and photos, the upper decks/observation lounge offered the best views. We did, however, enjoy our balcony.

[Coral]

I wish I had a balcony but it was 2x as much.

 

I had an inside on Lido deck (on Princess) which allowed very quick access to outside and had no regrets. Sailing away from Gerianger, I was at the very front of the ship as you want views on both sides of the ship.

[Bama2georgia]

We didn’t sit out on our balcony for long periods of time, but we loved having all of the window space! 

[just_dont]

I wish I had a balcony but it was 2x as much.

 

I had an inside on Lido deck (on Princess) which allowed very quick access to outside and had no regrets. Sailing away from Gerianger, I was at the very front of the ship as you want views on both sides of the ship.

On our sail-away from Geiranger on Viking this past summer, the captain stopped the ship right between the 7 Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls, and then proceeded to spin the ship 360 degrees so passengers on both sides would be able to see all the waterfalls! It was awesome.

 

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[Coral]

58 minutes ago, just_dont said:

On our sail-away from Geiranger on Viking this past summer, the captain stopped the ship right between the 7 Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls, and then proceeded to spin the ship 360 degrees so passengers on both sides would be able to see all the waterfalls! It was awesome.

 

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So cool! We stopped but didn't spin.

 

My issue was that I had so much sun into 7 Sisters that my pics turned out washed out but my Suiter turned out perfect.

[APDMOM]

On 1/16/2020 at 7:04 PM, Paul S said:

We had a rear facing balcony on Jade and made a lot of use of it in the fjords late August/early September. Somehow the experience was different on the balcony compared with the communal areas, quieter and more private. However we also spent plenty of time out on the public decks.

 

It’s down to the depth of your pocket. We would always prefer a balcony if we can afford it, whatever the itinerary.

Thank you for posting this!  We have an aft on Virtuosa for 2021, but I was afraid we would miss a lot... maybe it is just the thought that we will see everything last. 😂  If you had to do it again, would you opt for the aft for Norway, or one of the sides of the ship? 

[APDMOM]

On 1/16/2020 at 2:58 AM, dgb281 said:

My husband’s family is from Norway, so we are planning a cruise of the fjords. To economize, we were thinking of getting an ocean view room. The weather seems cool even in summer (for reference, we are Floridians). We are assuming the views of the fjords can be enjoyed from the common areas. We generally book Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Any advice?

From our Alaska experience, I would highly recommend a balcony for the very reason that it is colder.  We saw so much wild life from our balcony.  We would go outside bundled up, take pictures and enjoy the views, then step back inside to warm up.  On my review, so many other passengers on our same sailing said they never saw any wildlife...  On the upper decks, you not only have to deal with the crowds, but the often cold wind too.

 

 Also, we noticed the Celebrity and RCL cruises are very pricey in Norway.  MSC has great prices for balconies - about half the price of RCL.  We have been on 2 MSC cruises and the value is excellent. So, I would recommend you splurge on the balcony with a lower cost cruiseline. You can status match with MSC’s loyalty program too (e.g. if you are diamond on Royal Caribbean, you can match to gold on MSC).

[MAVIP]

On 1/22/2020 at 8:51 PM, just_dont said:

On our sail-away from Geiranger on Viking this past summer, the captain stopped the ship right between the 7 Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls, and then proceeded to spin the ship 360 degrees so passengers on both sides would be able to see all the waterfalls! It was awesome.

 

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ms Rotterdam?  Andrea Bocelli singing at the same time? Awesome, indeed.

[Paul S]

3 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Thank you for posting this!  We have an aft on Virtuosa for 2021, but I was afraid we would miss a lot... maybe it is just the thought that we will see everything last. 😂  If you had to do it again, would you opt for the aft for Norway, or one of the sides of the ship? 

Definitely the aft for me, and DW says same for her. There wasn’t much wildlife to see other than for the birds, which followed the rear of the ship and I got some great photos of them. However, we had expansive open views, you almost couldn’t see the rest of the ship, and sailing through the fjords we could see the land on both sides.

[just_dont]

Definitely the aft for me, and DW says same for her. There wasn’t much wildlife to see other than for the birds, which followed the rear of the ship and I got some great photos of them. However, we had expansive open views, you almost couldn’t see the rest of the ship, and sailing through the fjords we could see the land on both sides.

When in the Norwegian Sea we had Orcas swimming alongside the ship right outside our balcony and porpoising. Side balcony enables you to see what's coming ahead. Great views when sailing along the coast or through Norway's "Inside Passage."
Haven't been in an aft balcony, but the aft view from upper decks is impressive.

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[Paul S]

On 1/26/2020 at 1:00 AM, just_dont said:

When in the Norwegian Sea we had Orcas swimming alongside the ship right outside our balcony and porpoising. Side balcony enables you to see what's coming ahead. Great views when sailing along the coast or through Norway's "Inside Passage."
Haven't been in an aft balcony, but the aft view from upper decks is impressive.

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Maybe you got further north than us, we’ve now done two Norwegian fjord cruises and didn’t see Orcas. You do see ahead on a side balcony, but only what’s coming on that one side. Night view of the moon shimmering on the wake behind was awesome.

 

I guess we all have different preferences. However, I presume the aft balcony is considered by the cruise line to be a better location as it is charged at a premium price over other similar balcony cabins.

[kaisatsu]

8 hours ago, Paul S said:

Maybe you got further north than us, we’ve now done two Norwegian fjord cruises and didn’t see Orcas.

Orcas are present all along the Norwegian coast, but they're generally spotted more often up above the Arctic Circle, especially around Lofoten:

While it's certainly a possibility to see them from the ship, I would keep expectations in check, as it's not especially common (far less likely than seeing whales on an Alaska cruise). I've sailed the Lofoten area more than once and never seen them. (But no worries, since the amazing Lofoten scenery means there's always something worth seeing!)