Small ship Norwegian fjord cruise

[SandyT99]

I want to book a Norway fjord cruise before they’re shut down! At this time I’m not especially interested in other countries but willing to embark anywhere nearby, not just Norway. About April or May 2024, on a small ship < 800 passengers or so. (Pulled that number out of my ear) The smaller the better. I’m all of a sudden getting anxious thinking time is running out and I have to book now. Any suggestions on cruise lines? 

[LHT28]

Ponant , Seabourn, Oceania, Windstar, Hurtigruten, Silversea, Atlas

 

Go to FIND A CRUISE  at the top of the page  & put in your dates of travel  then see what works for you budget & itinerary wise

 

All have ships that meet your pax count

 if you can go in June  you will have a better chance of getting into some of the fjords

 

Keep in mind smaller ships  - more $$

[wowzz]

Add Saga to your list as well. (As long as you are old enough to fit their age requirement - over 50 )

[hallasm]

When it comes to small ships, Hurtigruten might also be of interest to you - either the original coastal route or expedition cruises.
 

I suspect that you generally prefer smaller ships, but I just want to state that it is a general misunderstanding that a small ships are better when it comes to the Norwegian fjords. The deep Norwegian fjords can be navigated by ships of all sizes - no difference between itineraries. The only exception is Trollfjord, which is only sailed by smaller cruise ships.

 

It would be a good idea to visit the Heritage Fjords before 'Zero Emission' is expected to be introduced in 2026 - however, this only applies to Flåm and Geiranger. Other Norwegian fjord ports will not be affected. Furthermore, it is likely with a transitional arrangement where new LNG ships will be permitted before only electric propulsion becomes a requirement in 2030.

Some inspiration  short videos from deep fjords into Flåm and Geiranger as well as Trollfjord.

 

[Heidi13]

10 hours ago, SandyT99 said:

I want to book a Norway fjord cruise before they’re shut down! At this time I’m not especially interested in other countries but willing to embark anywhere nearby, not just Norway. About April or May 2024, on a small ship < 800 passengers or so. (Pulled that number out of my ear) The smaller the better. I’m all of a sudden getting anxious thinking time is running out and I have to book now. Any suggestions on cruise lines? 

 

The Norwegian Govt isn't shutting down all cruises from 2026. The Gairanger and Flam Fjords will be limited to zero emission cruise ships, but I'm not aware of similar restrictions in other fjords.

 

No zero emission cruise ships are operational at this time, but at least 1 cruise line has hydrogen fuel cell ships on order for delivery prior to 2026.

[StollyBolly]

We did Norway out of London on Silversea.  The added bonus is departing from Tower  Bridge.  A fabulous experience.   
 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by StollyBolly
My question on closure was answered above

[jsn55]

We did Cunard's Queen Victoria out of Kiel, Germany and had a great time.  QV is an average size ship but felt spacious and uncrowded.  Cunard has some odd ways of doing certain things, but we really liked QV.  

[hallasm]

13 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

The Gairanger and Flam Fjords will be limited to zero emission cruise ships, but I'm not aware of similar restrictions in other fjords.

Correct - only Flåm and Geiranger are located in the world heritage fjords - but not necessarily zero emission after 2026.

 

To give regional authorities and other affected parties a realistic opportunity to adjust and adapt to the new zero emissions requirements, a transitional arrangement is being proposed, permitting the use of Bio-LNG under certain circumstances.

This will help ensure that the world heritage fjords will remain ports of call beyond 2026.

I suspect that the LNG ships that are being built now can also sail on Bio-LNG, so that these ships will be able to sail to Flåm and Geiranger also after 2026. The transition period is expected to last until 2030.

 

Hurtigruten is expecting to have full electric ships by 2030

[SandyT99]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

Add Saga to your list as well. (As long as you are old enough to fit their age requirement - over 50 )

We’re well over 50! Thanks for the recommendation.

[SandyT99]

7 hours ago, hallasm said:

 

Some inspiration  short videos from deep fjords into Flåm and Geiranger as well as Trollfjord.

 

Beautiful videos. Thank you!

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, SandyT99 said:

We’re well over 50! Thanks for the recommendation.

Both their ships are slightly over your 800 pax figure - 554 cabins, all with balconies, 999 pax maximum..

[SandyT99]

17 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Correct - only Flåm and Geiranger are located in the world heritage fjords - but not necessarily zero emission after 2026.

Thank you for this level of detail. I’m no longer feeling pressured to get this cruise squeezed in next year.

[SandyT99]

35 minutes ago, StollyBolly said:

We did Norway out of London on Silversea.  The added bonus is departing from Tower  Bridge.  A fabulous experience.   

Sounds like a great time!

[SandyT99]

Thank you everyone! I’ve learned a lot from your replies, not just what ships to look into. I’ve learned June is a better time to go than spring, how to navigate this site (where to look for cruise info), seen two amazing videos, and learned not *all* fjords are closing to ships in 2026. Y’all are wonderful sources of information!

Edited May 6, 2023 by SandyT99
Typo

[hallasm]

You’re welcome - and you will find much more details here.

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

5 hours ago, SandyT99 said:

Thank you for this level of detail. I’m no longer feeling pressured to get this cruise squeezed in next year.

But... the two fjords that others mentioned will not be available for normal cruise lines after 2024, happen to be the two that everyone says you shouldn't miss! So, I think it's still worth trying to go by 2024. We're on a Holland America cruise next month departing and returning Amsterdam. It's a bit of a larger ship than you want. We chose it because it goes into Geiranger, and it's a ship that has received lots of good feedback.

[hallasm]

30 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

But... the two fjords that others mentioned will not be available for normal cruise lines after 2024,

Not correct. Zero emissions zone in the world heritage fjords is by 2026 -  It is possible that there will be a transition period during which ships powered by bio-LNG can sail the fjord until 2030. After that, zero emissions, which will mainly mean propulsion by electricity.

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Not correct. Zero emissions zone in the world heritage fjords is by 2026 -  It is possible that there will be a transition period during which ships powered by bio-LNG can sail the fjord until 2030. After that, zero emissions, which will mainly mean propulsion by electricity.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if the zero emissions restrictions started in 2025 or 2026.

[SandyT99]

1 hour ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

But... the two fjords that others mentioned will not be available for normal cruise lines after 2024, happen to be the two that everyone says you shouldn't miss! So, I think it's still worth trying to go by 2024. We're on a Holland America cruise next month departing and returning Amsterdam. It's a bit of a larger ship than you want. We chose it because it goes into Geiranger, and it's a ship that has received lots of good feedback.

The pressure for a second cruise in 2024 is back on! Thank you. I really don’t want to miss those 2 fjords. My cruise research has taken the front seat again!

[SandyT99]

1 hour ago, hallasm said:

Not correct. Zero emissions zone in the world heritage fjords is by 2026 -  It is possible that there will be a transition period during which ships powered by bio-LNG can sail the fjord until 2030. After that, zero emissions, which will mainly mean propulsion by electricity.

 

More research I have to do. Bringing Norwegian fjords cruises back to the top of my list of things to do.

[hallasm]

8 hours ago, SandyT99 said:

More research I have to do. Bringing Norwegian fjords cruises back to the top of my list of things to do.

No changes from information I provided in post #4, #8 and #17 - number of cruises available to Flåm and Geiranger are likely to be reduced in 2026 - You'll  still be able to cruise to deep fjords ports like Olden. Skjolden, Hellesylt, and more.

Edited May 7, 2023 by hallasm

[janetcbl]

Top choice for many:  Viking Ocean Cruises. The Nordic countries are their specialty…ships are 930 passengers, no children under 18, heavy emphasis on excursions and lectures, no dress up nights, no casinos. You can also visit Iceland and Greenland on some of the same cruises.

[YourWorldWithBill]

10 hours ago, janetcbl said:

Top choice for many:  Viking Ocean Cruises. The Nordic countries are their specialty…ships are 930 passengers, no children under 18, heavy emphasis on excursions and lectures, no dress up nights, no casinos. You can also visit Iceland and Greenland on some of the same cruises.

When I was researching for my fjord cruise that is in a couple of weeks, I first looked at Viking, since we had cruised with them a couple of times. But we went with Holland America because of the itinerary. They've been going there much longer.

[SandyT99]

On 5/6/2023 at 5:11 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

But... the two fjords that others mentioned will not be available for normal cruise lines after 2024, happen to be the two that everyone says you shouldn't miss! So, I think it's still worth trying to go by 2024. We're on a Holland America cruise next month departing and returning Amsterdam. It's a bit of a larger ship than you want. We chose it because it goes into Geiranger, and it's a ship that has received lots of good feedback.

We just booked a cruise this morning! We chose it because it goes to Geiranger and Flam. There weren’t many room choices available - I think others are scrambling to see those fjords too.

[hallasm]

37 minutes ago, SandyT99 said:

We just booked a cruise this morning! We chose it because it goes to Geiranger and Flam.

Which other Norwegian ports of call?