Which Ship for first timers? - Norwegian Fjords

[zennor]

Hi,

 

am hoping that someone here can help me to choose our first cruise. Myself & husband (both just 50) plus mother-in-law (late 70s) & her sister-in-law (late 80s & limited mobility) are looking at booking a 7 night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords.

 

Having waded through brochures, websites & the reviews here, I think that the choice of line is between Cunard & P&O. I'm not too keen on massive formality so I think P&O probably sounds like a good compromise (ships on Hurtigruten, Discovery & Fred Olsen don't seem to be too comfortable). We normally stay in 4/5* hotels so prefer comfort, especially for the older ladies, but I would rather it wasn't too formal (my husband has accepted he will need a DJ for formal nights!) & would prefer a mixture of ages.

 

I'm looking at Oceana but I would welcome any advice & recommendations.

 

Thanks very much.:)

[humpy]

hi zennor.welcome to the cruise critic site,when it comes to your first cruise ship i think that oceana could be the right choice.it was our first ship and weve been on her 4 times since 2006,as well as arcadia and ventura.the crew are all so friendly and the ship has a great atmosphere,we havnt been upto the fjords yet only to the med and canaries but still have had a great time.i think the atrium on oceana beats all the other ships hands down.happy sailings and merry xmas..humpy..

[BrianI]

Ocean was designed for the Caribbean and has a lot of open decks, which is not very good if the weather is cold or inclement, which it can be in Norway. Arcadia (adult only), Oriana and Aurora all have a Crows Nest lounge at the front top of the ship with panaoramic windows, which makes for good viewing in the fjords. Ventura also has something simliar but at the the back of the ship. On Oceana the area used as the Crows nest on the other ships is used as a self service restaurant so you get good views whilst having your breakfast. There is also Artemis (adult only), which is a smaller ship and goes where others cant go. P&O have two formal nights, two semiformal, three smart casual per week.

Brian

[zennor]

Thanks Brian. That's useful to know - especially as the eldest lady may be staying on board when the ship is docked. I did look at Arcadia but wasn't so sure about the 'Adults only' as I got the impression that the majority of passengers on these ships were quite elderly.

 

How do Oriana & Aurora compare? It would be useful to see some sort of comparison matrix for all the ships. Does anything like that exist?

[BrianI]

Hi Zenner,

Oriana and Aurora are sister ships and are very similar. Oriana was built in 1995 and Aurora in 2000 and some "improvements" were done. The additions on Aurora are a sliding roof over one of the swimming pools and it has the Cafe Bordeaux, which is a lighter meal option to the main restaurants and open 24 hours. It becomes the Marco Piere White restaurant in the evening for a supplement but after 10:30 is open for late night snacks, horlicks, hot chocolate etc. Oriana has the Gary Rhodes restaurant with a supplement. Both have separate cinema, card room and good library. I dont think the age profile on Arcadia, Aurora, Oceana or Oriana would be much different. Whenever I have been on there have been people of all ages. If you go in school holidays it is likely to be younger than outside school holidays.

Brian

[zennor]

Oh dear - too much choice!:eek: Do you & others have a favourite or is that like asking how long is a piece of string!

 

Does anyone take any notice of the Berlitz ratings - for 2008 (I haven't seen the 2009 one) Aurora gets the higher rating.

[BrianI]

The Berlitz ratings are done by Americans and tend to favour the American ships. At the end of the day your choice of ship would depend on the date you want to go and the itinery. Look for one that includes Geiranger (think most do) as this is a very narrow fjord with high sides and waterfalls running down and is quite spectacular. The large ships still manage to get up there.

Brian

[BrianI]

Hi Zennor

Just had a look at cruises for next year. There are only three that take in Geiranger on 7 day cruises, two on Oceana and one on Oriana. These are

Oceana

E915 20 Jun

E918 18 Jul

Oriana

X914 23 Aug

 

We took our first cruise to Norway on Adonia (now Sea Princess), which is the exact same ship as Oceana and we enjoyed it. Nothing wrong with Oceana in warm climates, and is a litlle bit cheaper, but Oriana is just that little bit better for colder weather.

As you have not cruised before, don't book direct with P&O, even with the 5% discount as will will get a better price by booking through a cruise specialist travel agency. You should get up to another 10% off. Phone 2 or 3 for prices once you have decided. A list of these can be found on the P&O website

http://www.pocruises.com/TravelAgents.axd

Brian

[LibraLass41]

Great advice Brian. I have booked Oceana for fjords in late August, so will have to view from open decks or ss restaurant, hopefully weather won't be too bad in late August?

Zennor,

The passenger age maybe older anyway on a fjords cruise,compared to a hot cruise like med/canaries, and Arcadia maybe fine for you, the elderly relatives will be fine with the calmness of child free,cruising and a lot of other passengers are in the 50+ age range so it could be a ship to consider?

[Beckyfaye-2008]

We have also booked Oceana for a Fjords cruise E915 in June 2009, age wise, wife early sixties, me I am late sixties.

[BrianI]

I have booked Oceana for fjords in late August, so will have to view from open decks or ss restaurant, hopefully weather won't be too bad in late August?

Hi Sue, Well when we went at the end of June, we had snow so you can get virtually anything so take your winter woolies and be prepared for anything. Nevertheless the scenary is spectacular. We are going again in June on Aurora and going up to Spitzbergen, which is about as close as you can get to the north pole on a ship. A lot of people complained on our cruise that they could not sleep at night as the sun was shining all night. Obviously they had not thought about the midnight sun. We did not have that problem as we had an inside cabin. You wont have that problem in late August though as you will get darkness at that time of the year.

Brian

[KarenR_UK]

Hi Sue, Well when we went at the end of June, we had snow so you can get virtually anything so take your winter woolies and be prepared for anything.

 

& when I went in June, I got a sun tan, so you are right about taking clothes for anything - it did get very cold on deck for sailaways, especially in the fjords when we lost the sun due to the steep sides.

 

Nevertheless the scenary is spectacular. We are going again in June on Aurora and going up to Spitzbergen, which is about as close as you can get to the north pole on a ship. A lot of people complained on our cruise that they could not sleep at night as the sun was shining all night. Obviously they had not thought about the midnight sun. We did not have that problem as we had an inside cabin. You wont have that problem in late August though as you will get darkness at that time of the year.

Brian

 

We are thinking of going again as well :), though I favour a trip including Iceland again (my partner hasn't been) - the late sun was quite weird - dancing in the nightclub (which on QE2 is at the stern with 3 sides of windows) at midnight was 'confusing':D

 

Iceland & Norway are great cruise destinations (photos at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/KarenRUK/QE2VoyageOfTheVikingsJun2007#).

Oceana & Aurora are great ships:) (Ventura's not bad either ;), but only had 2 days on her so far) I've been trying to decide which is my favourite for this or that type of cruise & can't! I'd go by ports visited (Geiranger is fantastic).

[zennor]

A lot of people complained on our cruise that they could not sleep at night as the sun was shining all night. Obviously they had not thought about the midnight sun.

 

This may be a stupid question but how much of Norway gets the midnight sun i.e. how far South, as the 7 day cruise does not go that far North (I thought!) & until what time of year? I have been to Oslo years ago for work but that was in April & it was covered in snow.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I would like to go to Gerainger fjord so I think the 3 suggested by Brian are possibles.

 

Next decisions will be cabins & dining option (for the Oceana). Can anyone comment on the set dining or freedom dining on that ship?

 

Re cabins, I've been advised to look for midships position as the most stable, below & above other cabins to lessen noise, outside cabin (for a view) & min. 200 sq ft which looks like a mini-suite which may start getting rather expensive! Any comments?

 

Thanks for the advice using a Travel Agent, I hadn't realised that they might be cheaper so I will shop around once we've decided.

[BrianI]

Hi Zennor,

To see the midnight sun you have, by definition, to be north of the Arctic circle, which is north of Trondheim. You are quite right that 7day cruises do not go that far north. However most of Norway is further north than the north coast of Scotland so you do get extensive twilight in June.

My preference on dining is club (i.e. same table, same time each day) rather than freedom. You then get to know your waiters and dining companions. There are two sittings, 6:30 & 8:30. However, I have never tried freedom. This only applies to dinner. All other meals in the restaurant (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea) you are seated as and when you turn up.

There is unlikely to be too much movement on the ship going to the fjords so cabin location is less important than going into the swells in the Atlantic. Just make sure you are not located above or below one of the lounges where there may be late night music.

My philosophy on cabins is that we only use it for sleeping and changing so an inside suits us fine. I presume you would be looking at two cabins but sharing a suite might be a good option as the 3rd & 4th persons pay considerably less, often around 20%, sometimes free. Once you have you have an idea what you want, get the price from the brochure/website, then phone around.

Brian

[Bearly Afloat]

Don't rule out Midnatsol and Trollfjord, which are the two most modern of the Hurtigruten ships. (Fram, agreed, is younger, but isn't used on the Coastal Steamer route)

 

Midnatsol has suites with a stern balcony, and a superb view from the front of the ship. The disadvantage is that you'll see less of each port as the stops are short, the advantage is that you'll see more of them.

 

They are both very comfortable, very informal and the food is good and plentiful, if a little unimaginative.

[Cap`n Jack Sparrow]

Right Zimmer here goes :D ..... the only ship you should go on first , in my humble opinion (None of that IMHO Rubbish) is ... wait for it ....... Artemis ....no ... no , don`t all start . Listen ... it`s nice and small , lovely food (When Andy Yuill is aboard) goes to the Top of the World and gets into ports the Massive beggars cant ... so there ! , it`s your only choice really !!

 

Tara Cap`n Jack xx;)

[Bearly Afloat]

Right Zimmer here goes :D ..... the only ship you should go on first , in my humble opinion (None of that IMHO Rubbish) is ... wait for it ....... Artemis ....no ... no , don`t all start . Listen ... it`s nice and small , lovely food (When Andy Yuill is aboard) goes to the Top of the World and gets into ports the Massive beggars cant ... so there ! , it`s your only choice really !!

 

Tara Cap`n Jack xx;)

 

All good reasons for Artemis.

 

But please don't forget Hurtigruten. You will see more with them than anyone else. And you'll be up close and personal. Midnatsol, their large ship, is 20,000 grt.

 

Super service too. Very Norwegian.

 

I've done Norway in a 70,327 grt ship - which was wonderful - as well as a c. 20,000 grt ship. I'd hate to come down on one side or the other. But someone wanting to see Norway rather than enjoy ships? Hurtigruten all the way. Indeed, I am planning on returning.

[Bearly Afloat]

goes to the Top of the World and gets into ports the Massive beggars cant ... so there ! , it`s your only choice really !!

 

Queen Victoria is going to Ny Alesund in 2009. You don't get more top of the world than that, or a smaller destination, in any conventional cruise.

 

And she is surely a massive beggar!

[jestella321]

We have also booked Oceana for a Fjords cruise E915 in June 2009, age wise, wife early sixties, me I am late sixties.

my husband and myself are booked on this cruise our first time on ventura and to the fjords so would welcome any advice thanks hazel