Best cruise-line for Norwegian Fjords?

[lynncarol]

My husband and I have cruised extensively over the years, but one bucket list remains: The Norwegian Fjords.  Been to Oslo several times and not interested in anything that leaves from South Hampton nor a mega-ship which, I suspect, can not access the fjords. Can anyone suggest a line that focuses on the Fjords themselves? Thank you,

[leaveitallbehind]

Viking Ocean cruises has extensive itineraries in that region.  I would also look at Silversea and Oceana - smaller ships. 

 

Not sure what your previous cruise line choices have been, but all of these companies, however, are premium cruise lines, which will have premium fares v the mass market lines.  Value comparisons would be in order IMO in determining resulting total budget. 

Edited February 7 by leaveitallbehind

[Essiesmom]

As a long time member, you are probably familiar with cruisetimetables.com.  I suggest you visit that site and choose ports in. Or way that you would like to visit.  Then the time you want to go.  It will show you who calls there and their itineraries.  That should give you a start in your search.  EM

[YourWorldWithBill]

You should also be aware that Norway will no longer allow cruise ships to go in the fjords that are UNESCO world heritage fjords, beginning in 2026. All of the premium (mid-size) cruise lines have itineraries to the fjords: Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, etc. So as was said, the best way is just to take a look at some of the lines' itineraries. I did that by looking at the websites of a few lines, and got a pretty good idea. HAL fit our budget and I liked where they cruised. 

[John Bull]

The best ship for the fjords is the ship with the best itinerary.

 

As @YourWorldWithBill has mentioned, in (?) 3 ( ?) major fjords there is an up-coming ban on ships over a certain size (and perhaps other criteria such as the maximum engine pollution).

So you need to research  the fjords affected, the date, and the ship limitations.

 

Even before that ban, mega-ships aren't ideal - I don't think there's a big problem with access, most fjords are steep-sided and very very deep but many destinations are small and can be over-whelmed. We've had that on a couple of Norwegian ports which we shared with a 5,500-pax ship

 

The season is quite short, unless you're keen on seeing the northern lights (northern Norway is the most likely for that) mid-summer is best for daylight hours and probably weather. Early (and late ?) in the season there will be limits on excursions to high ground such as the Troll Road due to snow & ice.

 

Sailings from Dover and Southampton (sp) involve an extra sea-day out and back.

 

Consider Hurtigruten - based in Norway, they're as much a ferry as a cruise ship but have the standards of a cruise ship  and are well-reviewed. Check the hours in port, some can be very short

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

You should also be aware that Norway will no longer allow cruise ships to go in the fjords that are UNESCO world heritage fjords, beginning in 2026. All of the premium (mid-size) cruise lines have itineraries to the fjords: Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, etc. So as was said, the best way is just to take a look at some of the lines' itineraries. I did that by looking at the websites of a few lines, and got a pretty good idea. HAL fit our budget and I liked where they cruised. 

 

Not quite correct, as not all cruise ships will be banned from the UNESCO World Heritage fjords. It is only cruise ships emitting greenhouse gases that will be banned.

 

Viking already has 2 ships with hydrogen fuel cells in operation, with a 3rd entering service this year. They just published 2026 itineraries and have their hydrogen fuel cell ships cruising the UNESCO fjords. Hurtigruten are also developing zero emission ships for this trade 

[hallasm]

6 hours ago, John Bull said:

major fjords there is an up-coming ban on ships over a certain size (and perhaps other criteria such as the maximum engine pollution).

So you need to research  the fjords affected, the date, and the ship limitations.

Which size is the best is a long discussion, but none of the current cruise ships, regardless of size, cannot sail to Flåm or Geiranger.

For cruise ships, the restriction to sailing in the UNESCO heritage fjords is not a matter of size - only emissions. There will probably be a transition period during which LNG-powered ships will also be allowed to sail in the fjord.

[hallasm]

On 2/7/2024 at 2:54 PM, lynncarol said:

I suspect, can not access the fjords. Can anyone suggest a line that focuses on the Fjords themselves?

Size doesn’t matter for the deep fjords.

Make sure at least two of the deep fjords are included - they are (prioritized) Geiranger, Flåm and Olden.

Also coastal cities as Bergen, Ålesund or Stavanger.

Then you’ll find a lot small and less interesting ports.

 

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, hallasm said:

Which size is the best is a long discussion, but none of the current cruise ships, regardless of size, cannot sail to Flåm or Geiranger.

For cruise ships, the restriction to sailing in the UNESCO heritage fjords is not a matter of size - only emissions. There will probably be a transition period during which LNG-powered ships will also be allowed to sail in the fjord.

 

Thanks for the correction.

That's what comes of repeating what others have said without checking. 🙄

 

JB 🙂

[clo]

15 hours ago, John Bull said:

Consider Hurtigruten - based in Norway, they're as much a ferry as a cruise ship but have the standards of a cruise ship  and are well-reviewed. Check the hours in port, some can be very short

 

https://global.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/

 

We did a coastal cruise a few years ago and it was outstanding. Can't recommend them highly enough>

 

15 hours ago, John Bull said:

The season is quite short, unless you're keen on seeing the northern lights (northern Norway is the most likely for that) mid-summer is best for daylight hours and probably weather. Early (and late ?) in the season there will be limits on excursions to high ground such as the Troll Road due to snow & ice.

 

Sorry but no. I'm almost positive that they sail year round. Not sure of the itinerary. We went in March. Our daughter is going on a ski trip there in March 🙂

[YourWorldWithBill]

16 hours ago, John Bull said:

The best ship for the fjords is the ship with the best itinerary.

 

The season is quite short, unless you're keen on seeing the northern lights (northern Norway is the most likely for that) mid-summer is best for daylight hours and probably weather. Early (and late ?) in the season there will be limits on excursions to high ground such as the Troll Road due to snow & ice.

 

Just a note to support this: Our cruise was in May, and we could not go all the way up to the Troll Road due to snow and ice. Same obstacles at another excursion.

[clo]

3 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Just a note to support this: Our cruise was in May, and we could not go all the way up to the Troll Road due to snow and ice. Same obstacles at another excursion.

I realized after posting that I was referencing the coastal trips and not the fjords. My apology.

[cruisemom42]

The large ships can cruise the fjords, not sure about the "jumbo" ones, but these are glacier-carved and very deep.

 

I started looking for a cruise that provides the best "sampler" for Summer 2024, given that starting in 2025 requirements for cruising some of the most scenic fjords will limit cruise ships (and no doubt increase cost).

 

I thought I had the perfect cruise chosen, with 2 of the 3 most scenic fjords and a variety of small towns including some listed above by @hallasm. Then Holland America went and changed the itinerary entirely. So I searched again and found another itinerary I like, though perhaps not quite as much as the first...😢 However, I can't afford to wait for something more "perfect" to come along, so....

 

The cruise is 14 days roundtrip from Rotterdam. It cruises Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord; visits Bergen; then Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord to Flåm; then Stavanger (with opportunity for a boat excursion along Lysefjord). It does not get as far north as Geiranger and Alesund. Then it turns and goes in other direction to include Copenhagen and Oslo, after which there is cruising the archipelago of the Hvaler Islands in Oslofjord (supposed to be very pretty) to reach Fredrickstad. Then we go to Farsund before returning to Rotterdam.

 

The other cruise did get to Geiranger and Alesund, but it didn't go back south, which I don't mind as I've never made it to Oslo and am interested in the last two calls as somewhat off the beaten path. The only pain is that there is a return to Rotterdam in the middle (I think HAL also sells it as 2 separate 7-day cruises.)

 

Hurtigruten is a good option if they have an itinerary you like. While they cruise all year round, some of the fjords are only on the itinerary in the summer months.

 

 

 

Edited February 9 by cruisemom42
typos

[lynncarol]

Much thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I have been making careful notes of various comments and suggestions.  Cruisemom42---would you mind divulging which line you ultimately chose?  Also, for those of you who have cruised Alaska, is the landscape similar to that in Norway? How about the fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand? Both of these we have done in the past.

[YourWorldWithBill]

4 hours ago, lynncarol said:

Much thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I have been making careful notes of various comments and suggestions.  Cruisemom42---would you mind divulging which line you ultimately chose?  Also, for those of you who have cruised Alaska, is the landscape similar to that in Norway? How about the fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand? Both of these we have done in the past.

Quick note about Alaska and Norway: they are very different! Both strikingly beautiful in their own way. The glaciers and wildlife of Alaska, and the amazing fjords of Norway...... 

[YourWorldWithBill]

19 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

The cruise is 14 days roundtrip from Rotterdam. It cruises Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord; visits Bergen; then Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord to Flåm; then Stavanger (with opportunity for a boat excursion along Lysefjord). It does not get as far north as Geiranger and Alesund. Then it turns and goes in other direction to include Copenhagen and Oslo, after which there is cruising the archipelago of the Hvaler Islands in Oslofjord (supposed to be very pretty) to reach Fredrickstad. Then we go to Farsund before returning to Rotterdam.

It looks like you found a great itinerary! Last year we did HAL to Geiranger, Alesund, and Bergen, and if we could have gone 14 days we could have included Flam, which we may miss now.

[clo]

22 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Hurtigruten is a good option if they have an itinerary you like. While they cruise all year round, some of the fjords are only on the itinerary in the summer months.

 

We're so in love with Hurtigruten. I was just telling my husband we should look at a fjord cruise with them next year. And Bergen, Oslo and Copenhagen - and probably many others - have outstanding food.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, clo said:

We're so in love with Hurtigruten. I was just telling my husband we should look at a fjord cruise with them next year. And Bergen, Oslo and Copenhagen - and probably many others - have outstanding food.

 

With the situation murky, I wouldn't wait to cruise the fjords. At the moment, none of the major cruise lines meet the proposed criteria from Norway (and only a few of Hurtigruten's ships as well as some ships of their competitor, Havila, have the necessary requirements in place).

 

Although there have been attempts to create a "step up" plan that won't cause a full-out ban after 2025, it's uncertain whether that will be accepted. And if that's the case, I imagine those fjords cruises are going to skyrocket in price with increased demand and decreased capacity for a while....

 

Here's a take on the situation from Forbes:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2023/03/16/why-norwegian-fjords-cruises-will-soon-change/?sh=4ece2748341d

Edited February 10 by cruisemom42

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, lynncarol said:

Cruisemom42---would you mind divulging which line you ultimately chose? 

 

Sorry, it's a HAL cruise. Departs Rotterdam Aug 17 for 14 days.

 

I'm sure there are other options but I'm a solo traveler and most expedition and luxury lines are not in my budget/comfort level.

 

[lynncarol]

13 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Sorry, it's a HAL cruise. Departs Rotterdam Aug 17 for 14 days.

 

I'm sure there are other options but I'm a solo traveler and most expedition and luxury lines are not in my budget/comfort level.

 

Thank you.  We are not luxury lines cruisers either, nor are we big spenders on land travel. My  husband and I decided long ago that if we travel more cheaply, we can travel more often.

[Dancing Shoes]

On 2/9/2024 at 3:29 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

It looks like you found a great itinerary! Last year we did HAL to Geiranger, Alesund, and Bergen, and if we could have gone 14 days we could have included Flam, which we may miss now.

You forgot Ulvik, the one they swapped for Eidfjord.  You guys and us did eventually get that tour that we were waitlisted on.  Glad we went when we did.  Say hi to the Mrs.  

[YourWorldWithBill]

17 hours ago, Dancing Shoes said:

You forgot Ulvik, the one they swapped for Eidfjord.  You guys and us did eventually get that tour that we were waitlisted on.  Glad we went when we did.  Say hi to the Mrs.  

Great to hear from you again! How is everything these days?

[Dancing Shoes]

On 2/11/2024 at 2:26 PM, YourWorldWithBill said:

Great to hear from you again! How is everything these days?

Good.  HAL Volendam Boston to Montreal this August.  Flying into NYC for 2 nights.  

[Ashland]

We did an amazing Arctic Circle cruise with RCI on Jewel out of Amsterdam in 2022. A great itinerary.

[YourWorldWithBill]

19 hours ago, Dancing Shoes said:

Good.  HAL Volendam Boston to Montreal this August.  Flying into NYC for 2 nights.  

We're on the Nieuw Statendam from Rotterdam, "Jewels of the Baltics" in May. An east coast/Canada cruise might be next!