Cruising to Norway with Princess

[Cruisegroover]

On 10/8/2024 at 4:35 PM, Suzbluz said:

We have booked a cruise to Norway from Southhampton for April/May next year. This is our first cruise not departing from Australia. Would be grateful for any advice or tips. Thanks 

I did 14 nights to Norway as part of 28 night cruise on Sky Princess in June this year.

 

It was simply amazing and breathtaking scenery. What ports are you doing?

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, colourbird said:

 

That price would have bothered me before, but now, when I'm on holiday, it doesn't. That's why I book ship tours instead of private ones now.

That's cool. Money isn't everything, although some do like to know what the most economical option is. In my plans, I am not tossing up whether to pay $19 or $47 each for our tickets. Two prices for the same seats, I will do the extra 5 minutes work to keep $50+ in my pocket.

 

However, I am tossing-up between paying $19 each for train tickets or paying extras to book a town car for door to door service. I will sometimes pay extra for a treat or white glove service, but I also have an eye on setting a retirement date too.

[Suzbluz]

5 hours ago, vada_9 said:

I have cruised to Norway - round trip from Amsterdam on Azamara in 2016. Can give some advise re ports if that is what you are after.

 

 

1 hour ago, Cruisegroover said:

I did 14 nights to Norway as part of 28 night cruise on Sky Princess in June this year.

 

It was simply amazing and breathtaking scenery. What ports are you doing?

Yes please. These are our ports

[SinbadThePorter]

I'm disappointed that the Sky 2026 Summer Solstice cruise does not visit Flam. I love those sort of rail trips.

 

I don't have any actual facts, but I'm blaming the Norwegian government anyway due to its stuffing around the cruise lines over ship emissions in the fjords. 😒

[arxcards]

54 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

I'm disappointed that the Sky 2026 Summer Solstice cruise does not visit Flam. I love those sort of rail trips.

 

I don't have any actual facts, but I'm blaming the Norwegian government anyway due to its stuffing around the cruise lines over ship emissions in the fjords. 😒

They have around 20 visits a month over the summer - P&O UK, Celebrity, Norwegian. No Princess or others.

 

Here is ours. I had an inkling it may have had Flam changed to Olden at some stage.

[vada_9]

2 hours ago, Suzbluz said:

 

Yes please. These are our ports

In Bergen there were 4 cruise terminals. I have included a photo from the top of the funicular to show 3 of them - very near to Bryggen. The other one is somewhere else in the harbour - not sure where. L - R is Azamara Quest,( Old ) Pacific Princess (Now Azamara ), Aida Sol. Very easy to walk to Bryggen and down town area. We also caught the tram to Paridiso to see the Stave Church. The weather was not very kind to us for our overnight in Bergen

[vada_9]

In Olden, we were at the dock. I think Black Watch was at anchor and was tenderering. We were going to catch the public bus to the Glacier , but when we went ashore they were selling tours that were still way cheaper than ships tours but maybe twice cost of bus - so we went with them - had plenty of time to walk to Glacier and then a look around the village on our return.

 

Stavanger, we were docked on one side of harbour (No 3 on the Map) and Viking were the other (No 2 on map). Very close to the sentrum. We booked onto a Ronde cruise that went to the base of Pulpit Rock. Had enough time to also have a wander around. Petroleum museum was also very close. 

[colourbird]

4 hours ago, arxcards said:

That's cool. Money isn't everything, although some do like to know what the most economical option is. In my plans, I am not tossing up whether to pay $19 or $47 each for our tickets. Two prices for the same seats, I will do the extra 5 minutes work to keep $50+ in my pocket.

 

However, I am tossing-up between paying $19 each for train tickets or paying extras to book a town car for door to door service. I will sometimes pay extra for a treat or white glove service, but I also have an eye on setting a retirement date too.

 

I've started my countdown to retirement and am getting used to spending rather than saving now. We are also into some of those luxury experiences. First class flights and suites are a relaxing way to start and end overseas holidays (and help use up savings).

[Cruisegroover]

18 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

I'm disappointed that the Sky 2026 Summer Solstice cruise does not visit Flam. I love those sort of rail trips.

 

I don't have any actual facts, but I'm blaming the Norwegian government anyway due to its stuffing around the cruise lines over ship emissions in the fjords. 😒

Yes the new Norwegian Government regulations come into effect 1 Jan 2026. I was planning for 2026 and saw that and also looked at 2025 and noted not as many ports as 2024 so I madly booked June 2024 and went. 

 

Some of the tour operators we used thought that people would bussed (assume shorex) over to places like Flam and Geiranger from nearby ports. No details were known as at June this year on that.

[Cruisegroover]

19 hours ago, Suzbluz said:

 

Yes please. These are our ports

The only port from your itinerary we went is Olden.

 

Our port times were 7am to 4pm. I opted to do the Briskdal Glacier by Troll car through Princess and then Leon Skylift independently.

 

The reasoning was the glacier trip I did went at 7.30 and was back by 1130. The less expensive glacier trip left at 1030 so wouldn't be back by 2.30 not giving me enough time to the skylift. The skylift had a shuttle bus from the ship to the skylift and you could buy tickets on the dock. Getting and there and back was easy peasy. It was absolutely breathtaking at the top so well worth my fear of heights to do it. I might add if you fit there are plenty of walks up top which I would have loved to have done but I had a sore ankle so didn't do any. Plenty of others of all ages were certainly walking around.

 

Doing it independently is the way to go as when we arrived into port there was low cloud which burnt off during the day. I would not have been happy if I booked through the ship and saw nothing from the top.

 

You can see the ship in the first photo.

 

[SinbadThePorter]

56 minutes ago, Cruisegroover said:

Yes the new Norwegian Government regulations come into effect 1 Jan 2026.

 

Just recently the Norwegian government changed its mind and the introduction of the new regulations for cruise ships has been postponed to 1 Jan 2032.

 

That's what I meant about stuffing the cruise lines around. They forced Princess and others to move to different itineraries and then when it's too late to do anything about it, they change their mind. 😡

[Cruisegroover]

3 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Just recently the Norwegian government changed its mind and the introduction of the new regulations for cruise ships has been postponed to 1 Jan 2032.

 

That's what I meant about stuffing the cruise lines around. They forced Princess and others to move to different itineraries and then when it's too late to do anything about it, they change their mind. 😡

Ah ok I suppose once booked I didn't bother looking any further. 

 

That governments for you say one thing one day and another the next.

[joejoe 59]

We are doing a 28 day Scandinavia & land of the midnight sun cruise on Sky Princess leaving late May 2026. I hope to learn lots of info from those travelling before me.

I left from southampton in 1972 as a child & I'm very excited to be going back to the UK for the first time.

[joejoe 59]

On 10/8/2024 at 3:41 PM, SinbadThePorter said:

I've got no tips, but I do have the June 2026 solstice cruise lined up on Sky Princess.

I think we could be on the same cruise.  Can you see excursions yet for Norway? 

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, joejoe 59 said:

I think we could be on the same cruise.  Can you see excursions yet for Norway? 

 

Sorry haven't looked. I just assumed it was too early.

 

Now it will have to wait until we get back from Ovation. 😎

[joejoe 59]

2 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Sorry haven't looked. I just assumed it was too early.

 

Now it will have to wait until we get back from Ovation. 😎

I've just logged back in & excursions are now available 😃

 

Enjoy your Ovation cruise.