Fjords itinerary help please

[CrystalTR]

Hi, can I ask experienced fjord cruisers which itinerary you would pick out of these two Royal Caribbean cruises ( I think the latter , but I would like to see what you think) both are from Southampton 

 

Haugesund, Flam, Molde, Stavanger 

 

Or 

 

Stavanger,flam, Alesund, Bergen 

 

 

can I also ask if the large Royal Caribbean ships are too large to give the best fjords holiday as I have read before that smaller ships are better, but I am very limited on dates and currently these two RC cruises work for my diary.

 

 

Thank you very much 
 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by CrystalTR
Added

[hallasm]

I definitely vote for option 2 - Haugesund and Molde are some of the least interesting Norwegian fjord ports.
Flåm and Bergen are some of my favorites. Stavanger and Ålesund are also nice ports.

If you consider the railway in Flåm book early - Train will sell out.

 

It is a general misunderstanding that the size of ships matters when sailing the fjords.  The experience is exactly the same regardless of the size of the ship in the deep Norwegian fjords.  

There are quite a few ports on the Lofoten islands that are only visited by smaller ships.

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by hallasm

[CrystalTR]

9 hours ago, hallasm said:

I definitely vote for option 2 - Haugesund and Molde are some of the least interesting Norwegian fjord ports.
Flåm and Bergen are some of my favorites. Stavanger and Ålesund are also nice ports.

If you consider the railway in Flåm book early - Train will sell out.

 

It is a general misunderstanding that the size of ships matters when sailing the fjords.  The experience is exactly the same regardless of the size of the ship in the deep Norwegian fjords.  

There are quite a few ports on the Lofoten islands that are only visited by smaller ships.

 

 

[CrystalTR]

Thank you, I have also found a third option which I think is the best - geiranger, flam, haugesund and Stavanger.

would I be right to choose this one over option two? 
 

excited now! And yes I will book the flam railway - direct?

[hallasm]

Yes, the third option has two deep fjords. For the fjord cruising be at the upper decks at sunrise (04:30 am) 
Haugesund is not that interesting - plan in advance. Missing Bergen.

Book the railway at Norway’s Best

 

[CCJack]

14 hours ago, hallasm said:

For the fjord cruising be at the upper decks at sunrise (04:30 am) 

 

Great Advice.... For our last Norway cruise in June (daylight plentiful) - I was on the deck at 5 am into Flam.   At first I was the only person on the deck, then one other person for a bit.    The other 2,998 passengers (including my wife) were sleeping and missed what I thought was the highlight of the week.   Of course you sail out as well, but weather can change, dinner plans, crowds, in the evening etc.   made the morning sail in more beautiful.   

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by CCJack

[Coral]

19 hours ago, CrystalTR said:

Thank you, I have also found a third option which I think is the best - geiranger, flam, haugesund and Stavanger.

would I be right to choose this one over option two? 
 

excited now! And yes I will book the flam railway - direct?

Which cruise is this?

[Tapi]

 

19 hours ago, CrystalTR said:

 I have also found a third option which I think is the best - geiranger, flam, haugesund and Stavanger.

Flam and Geiranger would do it for me. Geiranger is mentioned by many as the highlight of their Norwegian Fjord cruises. In fact, I’m kinda bummed that our upcoming cruise on P&O Britannia won’t go to Geiranger. 😞

 

Stavanger will be a great port as well. You can do a cruise down Lysefjord or hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)….if you dare. 

[Tapi]

19 hours ago, CrystalTR said:

 And yes I will book the flam railway - direct?

We did through Norway’s Best. Cheaper than going through the cruise line

[CrystalTR]

8 hours ago, Coral said:

Which cruise is this?

Celebrity. Cruises do some 

[Coral]

9 hours ago, Tapi said:

 

Flam and Geiranger would do it for me. Geiranger is mentioned by many as the highlight of their Norwegian Fjord cruises. In fact, I’m kinda bummed that our upcoming cruise on P&O Britannia won’t go to Geiranger. 😞

 

Stavanger will be a great port as well. You can do a cruise down Lysefjord or hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)….if you dare. 

Gerianger was the highlight of my 14 night cruise. I also loved Stavanger and the cruise down Lysefjord 🙂

[janetcbl]

For emphasis on fjords, either Hurtigruten or Viking (certain destinations and no children under 18 allowed) is the way to go. Main emphasis is on the coast of Norway and the fjords. Have sailed with both many times and have always been awestruck at the beauty, mountains, people, etc. Hurtigruten is the “coastal ferry” and some stops are less than an hour, but there are excursions at the longer stops and some that leave at one stop and catch up with the ship at another.

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, janetcbl said:

For emphasis on fjords, either Hurtigruten or …

I'm a big fan of Hurtigruten but always wary of recommending them (or Havila) when it comes to fjord cruises.  It is a somewhat different experience.  Sails in to Geiranger but otherwise exclusively between the many islands along the Norwegian west coast from Bergen to Kirkenes - 34 ports of call in 6 days.

[janetcbl]

4 hours ago, hallasm said:

I'm a big fan of Hurtigruten but always wary of recommending them (or Havila) when it comes to fjord cruises.  It is a somewhat different experience.  Sails in to Geiranger but otherwise exclusively between the many islands along the Norwegian west coast from Bergen to Kirkenes - 34 ports of call in 6 days.

I think you mean 34 ports in 12 days. What I enjoyed was getting off at one port and either taking a tour and boarding again at a different port and seeing some of the country without packing. Also I would get off at a port, spend a few days, and then get on a different ship and continue the journey.

[hallasm]

7 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

I think you mean 34 ports in 12 days.

No - it’s 34 port of call from Bergen to Kirkenes in 6 days - and 34 ports going back - a total of 68 ports in11 days. (Might be one or two ports less depending on time if year).

Many port stops are 10 to 15 minutes - also stops during night.

Link to sailing plan.

 

You can only leave/board at different ports at Hurtigruten organized excursions - not easy/possible to make it on your own.

 

You can get off at a port for some days and continue by another ship but it will have an impact on price. Not possible to purchase a return voyage for one ship and then change to another ship during the voyage.

Edited April 9, 2023 by hallasm

[kitkat343]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:53 AM, CrystalTR said:

Thank you, I have also found a third option which I think is the best - geiranger, flam, haugesund and Stavanger.

would I be right to choose this one over option two? 
 

excited now! And yes I will book the flam railway - direct?

Geiranger and Flam were two of my favorite places to visit on my Norwegian cruise, so I would also vote for this option if you are looking for a traditional cruise experience.  

 

In Flam, if you have a long port day, visit the Flam railroad first (that's the highlight) and then you can either visit the Stegastein Viewpoint, or see what options you might like through https://www.fjordsafari.com .  They took us on  a wonderful tour of a goat farm and local lunch, but have more adventurous tours too (we had a 2 and 6 year old with us so needed a less adventurous tour).

[janetcbl]

18 hours ago, hallasm said:

No - it’s 34 port of call from Bergen to Kirkenes in 6 days - and 34 ports going back - a total of 68 ports in11 days. (Might be one or two ports less depending on time if year).

Many port stops are 10 to 15 minutes - also stops during night.

Link to sailing plan.

 

You can only leave/board at different ports at Hurtigruten organized excursions - not easy/possible to make it on your own.

 

You can get off at a port for some days and continue by another ship but it will have an impact on price. Not possible to purchase a return voyage for one ship and then change to another ship during the voyage.

You are correct about the stops!  Sorry for the error. Also, surprised to hear you can now only leave the ship on organized excursions…part of the fun of traveling for me was exploring on my own, and returning to favorite art galleries, coffee shops. Guess this is called “progress”?

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, janetcbl said:

Also, surprised to hear you can now only leave the ship on organized excursions…part of the fun of traveling for me was exploring on my own, and returning to favorite art galleries, coffee shops. Guess this is called “progress”?

Sorry. I didn’t express myself clearly.  
Of course, you can leave the ship on your own in the ports of call.

What I was trying to say was that it cannot on your own leave the ship in one port and meet it again in a later port.  Not because it is not possible, but because it is difficult in practice without great costs.

Hurtigruten does offer excursions starting one port and meeting the ship in a later port but difficult to organize yourself.

[CrystalTR]

On 4/9/2023 at 3:31 PM, janetcbl said:

For emphasis on fjords, either Hurtigruten or Viking (certain destinations and no children under 18 allowed) is the way to go. Main emphasis is on the coast of Norway and the fjords. Have sailed with both many times and have always been awestruck at the beauty, mountains, people, etc. Hurtigruten is the “coastal ferry” and some stops are less than an hour, but there are excursions at the longer stops and some that leave at one stop and catch up with the ship at another.

Thank you for the suggestion I will take a look 

[CrystalTR]

On 4/9/2023 at 3:31 PM, janetcbl said:

For emphasis on fjords, either Hurtigruten or Viking (certain destinations and no children under 18 allowed) is the way to go. Main emphasis is on the coast of Norway and the fjords. Have sailed with both many times and have always been awestruck at the beauty, mountains, people, etc. Hurtigruten is the “coastal ferry” and some stops are less than an hour, but there are excursions at the longer stops and some that leave at one stop and catch up with the ship at another.

Thanks, but I think for Mei would like the cruising package that’s with entertainment etc - but I do appreciate your comment