Norwegian Fjords

[ladyariadne]

I'm hoping that those of you who are familiar with the fjords might be able to give me some advice.  Next June we are on the Queen Victoria with this itinerary.  Although I have tried researching and looking on this forum, I don't find a lot of information on these ports. I am finding the places we are visiting are not the ones that most ships call at, so I'm looking for advice on whether private tours are feasible and also what companies might offer them.  Thanks so much for any help. 

Date	Port of Call	Arrival	Departure
06/06/2023	Southampton	--	04:30 PM
06/07/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/08/2023	Haugesund	09:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/09/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/10/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/11/2023	Tromso	09:30 AM	06:00 PM
06/12/2023	Honningsvag	08:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/12/2023	North Cape	07:00 PM	08:00 PM
06/13/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/14/2023	Trondheim	09:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/15/2023	Geiranger	08:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/15/2023	Geirangerfjord	05:30 PM	06:30 PM
06/15/2023	Sunnylvsfjord	06:30 PM	07:30 PM
06/15/2023	Storfjord	07:30 PM	08:30 PM
06/16/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/17/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/18/2023	Southampton	06:30 AM

[drsel]

On 8/22/2022 at 5:53 PM, ladyariadne said:

I'm hoping that those of you who are familiar with the fjords might be able to give me some advice.  Next June we are on the Queen Victoria with this itinerary.  Although I have tried researching and looking on this forum, I don't find a lot of information on these ports. I am finding the places we are visiting are not the ones that most ships call at, so I'm looking for advice on whether private tours are feasible and also what companies might offer them.  Thanks so much for any help. 

Date	Port of Call	Arrival	Departure
06/06/2023	Southampton	--	04:30 PM
06/07/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/08/2023	Haugesund	09:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/09/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/10/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/11/2023	Tromso	09:30 AM	06:00 PM
06/12/2023	Honningsvag	08:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/12/2023	North Cape	07:00 PM	08:00 PM
06/13/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/14/2023	Trondheim	09:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/15/2023	Geiranger	08:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/15/2023	Geirangerfjord	05:30 PM	06:30 PM
06/15/2023	Sunnylvsfjord	06:30 PM	07:30 PM
06/15/2023	Storfjord	07:30 PM	08:30 PM
06/16/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/17/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/18/2023	Southampton	06:30 AM

Try Toms port guide and Whatsinport

[ladyariadne]

37 minutes ago, drsel said:

Try Toms port guide and Whatsinport

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately Tom’s only has Bergen and Kristiansand. What’sinport doesn’t have Norway ports as far as I can tell. 

[hallasm]

10 minutes ago, ladyariadne said:

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately Tom’s only has Bergen and Kristiansand. What’sinport doesn’t have Norway ports as far as I can tell. 

Toms port guide doesn’t cover Norway except for two ports - whatsinport has most Norwegian ports  

Here are some links With details on Norway ports

https://www.whatsinport.com/Norway.html

https://www.cruise-norway.no/

https://www.visitnorway.com/?lang=uk

https://www.norwayexcursions.com/en/#null

You should be a lope to find details on most ports in this forum - but as I said when you asked the same question in a separate post: 

the actual ports of call are: Haugesund, Tromsø, Honningsvåg (North Cape) Trondheim, and Geiranger.

The three fjords June 15 are scenic cruising only,

[babs135]

We have only just booked for the Queen Victoria cruise to Northern Norway in October and most of the excursions (or at least the ones that interest us) are sold out.  We are particularly keen on doing the Ofoten Railway trip out of Narvik but I have to confess that I don't completely understand the website, in particular the fact that we need to return to Narvik to get back on board the ship!!!!!!   Can anyone here help me with the intricacies of booking a train journey on a foreign website? 

[Anubi]

3 hours ago, babs135 said:

We have only just booked for the Queen Victoria cruise to Northern Norway in October and most of the excursions (or at least the ones that interest us) are sold out.  We are particularly keen on doing the Ofoten Railway trip out of Narvik but I have to confess that I don't completely understand the website, in particular the fact that we need to return to Narvik to get back on board the ship!!!!!!   Can anyone here help me with the intricacies of booking a train journey on a foreign website? 

Check out Man in Seat 61.  He is the best reference for train travel just about anywhere in the world.  

 

https://www.seat61.com/ 

[hallasm]

4 hours ago, babs135 said:

We are particularly keen on doing the Ofoten Railway trip out of Narvik but I have to confess that I don't completely understand the website, in particular the fact that we need to return to Narvik to get back on board the ship!!!!!! 

In October only few departures and not every day.

You can see time tables and book here Norways Best.
If you need further help more details required. Date of visit, earliest train departure, and when you need to be back in Narvik.

[drsel]

For those who have already experienced one or more Norwegian fjords Cruises, how is the weather from 15th May to 30 June, especially this year 2022?

Edited September 6, 2022 by drsel

[wineoclock]

Will be back another time to look properly but if I can persuade husband I’m booking 29th May 23 on Celebrity 7 nights from Southampton. 7 nights is all we have time for so will have to do. Have an Mediterranean cruise booked this October as well. 

[Chris]

Great information 

thanks!

[wineoclock]

On 9/8/2022 at 8:47 AM, wineoclock said:

Will be back another time to look properly but if I can persuade husband I’m booking 29th May 23 on Celebrity 7 nights from Southampton. 7 nights is all we have time for so will have to do. Have an Mediterranean cruise booked this October as well. 

So I’ve booked it! Very excited but not all the parts that you knowledgeable people have mentioned. Any advice greatly appreciated. I’m limited mobility in that I use a walking stick but not a wheelchair. 
 

 

[ski ww]

What are the chances of watching the northern lights on a cruise to Honningsvag in July?

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

What are the chances of watching the northern lights on a cruise to Honningsvag in July?

Quite low. The sky will be too light. According to this site, between late September and late March it is dark enough for possible viewing.

https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/nature-attractions/northern-lights/

[Hezu]

37 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Quite low. The sky will be too light. According to this site, between late September and late March it is dark enough for possible viewing.

https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/nature-attractions/northern-lights/

I would say non-existent given that the midnight sun phenomenon lasts pretty much whole July on those latitudes and dark clear skies is the first requirement for seeing auroras. I would say the first times, when you might see any northern lights is in latter half of August and even then the better observation points might be slightly more southern locations than Honningsvåg.

[hallasm]

6 hours ago, ski ww said:

What are the chances of watching the northern lights on a cruise to Honningsvag in July?

Impossible - in July you’ll have midnight sun in Honningsvåg. - not possible to see the Aurora before end August at the earliest.

[sofienummer]

Very interesting thread, thank you for the tips and information.

 

I'm going on a Norse Legends tour with HAL msRotterdam in 8 days!! 😄 

We will be visiting: Eidfjord, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen.

It also says: scenic cruising Hardangerfjord and cruising Geirangerfjord. Since it's october and it's still dark before we arrive, I assume we can only see/experience scenic cruising once we leave a port of call? I'm in a starboard aft balcony; will I be able to see things well? 

And is there any chance at seeing the Northern Lights from any of these destinations when it's dark?

 

I'm planning on doing the Hæreid round walk (yellow route) in Eidfjord if the weather is decent. Has anyone done this before? Or does someone have another suggestion for Eidfjord? 

 

Any other suggestions, tips, or whatever are always very welcome 🙂 

 

 

[hallasm]

10 hours ago, sofienummer said:

Since it's october and it's still dark before we arrive, I assume we can only see/experience scenic cruising once we leave a port of call? I

You're right, scenic cruising doesn't really make sense when it's dark - sunrise 8am and sunset 6pm, however there is twilight from 6am in the morning and to 9 pm in the evening.  I would suggest you go for a walk on the upper deck early in the morning to enjoy the views if the weather is decent.  When entering Geiranger, you pass the Seven Sisters waterfall on the left.  

10 hours ago, sofienummer said:

And is there any chance at seeing the Northern Lights from any of these destinations when it's dark?

Normally, there are only Northern Lights inside the Arctic Circle, but this year there have been nights where the Northern Lights have been visible far south.

Northern lights are usually between 9pm and 2am. Ålesund is the most northerly on your cruise.  Check the Aurora forecast.

[Hezu]

9 hours ago, sofienummer said:

I'm going on a Norse Legends tour with HAL msRotterdam in 8 days!! 😄 

We will be visiting: Eidfjord, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen.

It also says: scenic cruising Hardangerfjord and cruising Geirangerfjord. Since it's october and it's still dark before we arrive, I assume we can only see/experience scenic cruising once we leave a port of call? I'm in a starboard aft balcony; will I be able to see things well? 

And is there any chance at seeing the Northern Lights from any of these destinations when it's dark?

If you are lucky, there is a small chance to see northern lights, but since these locations are still in quite southern latitudes, suitably strong auroras occur only occasionally and the colours can be more faint than further north. And of course, there still the premise that you don't have too many clouds in the sky when the phenomenon occurs as clouds sure will cover even the brightest auroras.

[wineoclock]

We saw Northern Lights & shooting stars on a Lapland trip one December. Magical - enjoy them if you get the chance. I’d like to do midnight Sun one time as well. 

[sofienummer]

11 hours ago, hallasm said:

I would suggest you go for a walk on the upper deck early in the morning to enjoy the views if the weather is decent.  When entering Geiranger, you pass the Seven Sisters waterfall on the left.  

 

Northern lights are usually between 9pm and 2am. Ålesund is the most northerly on your cruise.  Check the Aurora forecast.

 

Thank you so much for your suggestions and information! I know the chances or seeing the Northern lights are very slim, but we can hope 🙂 

 

I also have a question about Eidfjord that you might know (or someone else!) since you are very knowledgeable about the Norwegian Fjords.

There is a yellow walking route (Hæreid round walk) which is 5,5km from the city center. Do you know if this route has directions with yellow direction arrows or something similair? I'm from the Netherlands and while walking 5,5km is perfectly fine for me: I'm used to FLAT levels hehe. Do you know how steep this route is? Basically how intense is this walk? 

 

[sofienummer]

5 hours ago, wineoclock said:

We saw Northern Lights & shooting stars on a Lapland trip one December. Magical - enjoy them if you get the chance. I’d like to do midnight Sun one time as well. 

 

That sounds amazing!! I would love to visit lapland one day, my greatgrandma was actually from Lapland, so it would be amazing to see that part of my roots one day.

 

I did visit Iceland once before and hoped to see the Northern Lights, but sadly I didn't (have to be honest and say that I fell asleep while staring at the sky 😅)

[Hezu]

21 minutes ago, sofienummer said:

I did visit Iceland once before and hoped to see the Northern Lights, but sadly I didn't (have to be honest and say that I fell asleep while staring at the sky 😅)

Of course that is one more challenge in northern lights observations that these are only visible once it gets dark and majority of people probably want to spend their nights sleeping. I managed to see (and photograph) my so far best auroras this March. But this light show did not start until middle of night, somewhere around 1:20 am, but I happened to be awake that late although I was already ready to go to bed, but once I got the aurora alerts and verified that I can see these with a naked eye from my home window in Helsinki, I sure wasn't yet going to bed! Granted, I was then still too lazy to head outdoors to find a better viewpoint. And regarding the darkness requirement: few weeks later there was prediction that space weather could be promising for auroras even in southern Finland and decided to check it I could capture these from Suomenlinna, which is known decent spotting place since there is fewer light pollution compared to most of Helsinki. Unfortunately no luck that night, the geomagnetic disturbances took place already few hours before sunset and once it got dark there was some cloud cover too. At least I heard an eagle owl howling somewhere in the vicinity of Suomenlinna dockyard that evening.

[wineoclock]

7 hours ago, sofienummer said:

 

That sounds amazing!! I would love to visit lapland one day, my greatgrandma was actually from Lapland, so it would be amazing to see that part of my roots one day.

 

I did visit Iceland once before and hoped to see the Northern Lights, but sadly I didn't (have to be honest and say that I fell asleep while staring at the sky 😅)

It’s a magical place Lapland. Maybe because the kids were little & so excited to meet the ‘real Father Christmas’ but a great holiday. We did 4 nights & only saw the lights on one of them on a trip into the forest on sledges. If you get the chance take it. You won’t regret it. 

[LargeNegroni]

On 8/22/2022 at 1:23 PM, ladyariadne said:

I'm hoping that those of you who are familiar with the fjords might be able to give me some advice.  Next June we are on the Queen Victoria with this itinerary.  Although I have tried researching and looking on this forum, I don't find a lot of information on these ports. I am finding the places we are visiting are not the ones that most ships call at, so I'm looking for advice on whether private tours are feasible and also what companies might offer them.  Thanks so much for any help. 

Date	Port of Call	Arrival	Departure
06/06/2023	Southampton	--	04:30 PM
06/07/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/08/2023	Haugesund	09:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/09/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/10/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/11/2023	Tromso	09:30 AM	06:00 PM
06/12/2023	Honningsvag	08:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/12/2023	North Cape	07:00 PM	08:00 PM
06/13/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/14/2023	Trondheim	09:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/15/2023	Geiranger	08:00 AM	05:00 PM
06/15/2023	Geirangerfjord	05:30 PM	06:30 PM
06/15/2023	Sunnylvsfjord	06:30 PM	07:30 PM
06/15/2023	Storfjord	07:30 PM	08:30 PM
06/16/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/17/2023	Cruising	--	--
06/18/2023	Southampton	06:30 AM

Hi we are also on this cruise and have just seen that you can now book excursions for the cruise on https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/manage-booking . It gives a bit more information on each of the ports too. 

I am interested to hear in any recommendations for excursions from previous Cunard passengers.

It’s our first cruise and there is a lot to learn!

 

[ladyariadne]

10 minutes ago, LargeNegroni said:

Hi we are also on this cruise and have just seen that you can now book excursions for the cruise on https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/manage-booking . It gives a bit more information on each of the ports too. 

I am interested to hear in any recommendations for excursions from previous Cunard passengers.

It’s our first cruise and there is a lot to learn!

 

Hi LargeNegroni:

I have started a roll call for this cruise.  There are currently three of us on it.  You might want to join.  Thanks for the information.  Looks like the two currently offered by Cunard are the tram in Trondheim and the North Cape coach in Honningsvag.  Will look at the cost if we buy separately on those.