No Idea What to Wear on Scandinavian

[hellokitty49]

Sailing on the Grand in August going to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, etc. ANY suggestions on what to wear during the day. We are jeans people, excluding formal nights, do you think jeans will be too warm during the day for ports? We're from Florida and are used to 95 degrees in shorts.

 

My packing list right now consists of 2 pairs of jeans, a few long sleeve shirts, a few short sleeve shirts, vests (from ski resorts) and a light jacket. Will we need more than a light jacket for night time in ports and roaming around on the ship at night?

 

I am an extreme over packer trying to do better?

[cruisinmama0]

I think jeans would be needed. We were in Scandanavia many years ago in early September and it was COLD! I'm a southern girl and was not well prepared. I ended up buying a Dale of Norway wool sweater in Copenhagen and wore it almost the whole time. I also bought a pair of heavy leggings made out of a thick woven cotton/lycra blend. They were great under jeans as an added layer or worn alone with a long shirt over them. The only day that I remember being warm was a tour of Hamlet's castle in the Copenhagen area. I was wearing the leggings and a short sleeve tee shirt when a bird dropped poop on my arm. How can you forget that? Glad I didn't have my expensive Dale sweater on that day!

 

So my suggestion is layers.

[patwell]

Hellokitty.....I too will be doing Norway in August and having lived in Florida once I am sure you will feel the coolness of Scandinavia in the summer. No humidity like you are used to.

 

We are sailing on Queen Mary 2, first with a crossing to Hamburg and then on to Norway and I am planning layers both for the crossing which is windy on deck and cooler and also for the fjord country where we will be on much of the cruise. It can be cooler in the fjords and up in the mountains. I plan to take jeans as well as we will be doing hiking excursions and also boat trips deeper into the fjords. I'll have khakis along too for something a bit neater for days in a port city and I'll bring a couple of pair of shorts as it can get warm there too. One thing I plan to take is a light weight polar fleece jacket....it takes up little room but should cover any chilliness there might be during the day. Also some nice long sleeved tee type shirts and a couple of short sleeves. I think you'll see a lot of people dressed quite casually as it is summer there.

 

Unfortunately we have to fly back from Hamburg so I have to be cautious with weight. QM2 is very formal at night so we 'll have a good bit of formal wear to lug with us. I'd say to pick a main color or two and work around that with layers. But do bring a raincoat of some sort. Part of Norway can be rainy in summer, especially Bergen if you go there.

 

I hope you will enjoy your trip as much as I expect to enjoy mine. I'm a Norwegian American and this will be a special return for me.

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

July 30, 2009....transatlantic again...some “Affairs” just get better

 

August 7, 2009....the “Affair” goes on...this time “home” to Norway

[cruisegal101]

Penny is correct. When I cruised to this area several years ago we hit some very warm days--the trip was late August to early September. Layers are your best bet but I'd throw in a pair of shorts. Our time in Denmark and in Sweden was shirtsleeve weather but in some places jackets and long pants were needed.

[wlyrehc]

We cruise early May. It's warmer than Sept - I think. But still cool? Will I need any walking shorts/capri or all long pants for excursions?

[Andee]

We took a Scandinavian/Baltic cruise during the heat wave of 2003. We wore shorts as much as we could and were so glad to sleep on an air conditioned ship every night.

[Jane110]

We cruise early May. It's warmer than Sept - I think. But still cool? Will I need any walking shorts/capri or all long pants for excursions?

 

 

Our Baltic cruise was in the month of June, and some days it was too chilly to wear sandals. So, definitely bring long pants. Even on the warmest days, it won't be so hot that you're legs will sweat unless you're in shorts. (unless they have a highly unusual heat wave - just check the weather a few days before you go)

 

Oh and bring things to wear in case it rains. I brought a rain jacket and a pair of microfiber shoes and was very glad I did. We had a few days where it poured for a couple of hours mid-day.

[patwell]

Temperatures can vary greatly in Norway. I'd certainly consider layering and I'd pack a couple of pair of shorts in the event of warmer weather. Fjord trips can be cooler.

 

May can be quite a cool month in this area and if you go to the fjords you will no doubt still see a good bit of snow in the mountains.

 

The temperature chart on this page might give you an idea of what to expect...as you can see it's all over the place!

 

http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/norwa1/ss/weathernorway.htm

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

July 30, 2009....transatlantic again...some “Affairs” just get better

 

August 7, 2009....the “Affair” goes on...this time “home” to Norway

[GRITS56]

We cruise early May. It's warmer than Sept - I think. But still cool? Will I need any walking shorts/capri or all long pants for excursions?

I did this same cruise last year in May. Yes, you will deifnitely need jeans. Layers are the key here. I wore jeans, t-shirts, sweates, and jackets for the tours. Each day I shed a layer as the temperature rose. The warmest day we had was in Oslo (our final port before getting back to Copenhagen), and we were finally able to eat on deck when we returned from our tour.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!