Norwegian cruise... any advice / experience welcome

[letsplanaholiday]

DH and I are thinking of booking a Norwegian fjords cruise next summer.

Neither of us have done any cruises before. Please can anyone offer advice on what we should consider when booking.

For example, it's more money for a room with a window, is it worth paying the extra for that? I'm assuming don't spend that much time in the room.

Which company to use (not P&O on principle). I've been looking at Cunard, are they good?

Basically I'm a cruising novice who want to see the fjords! Please tell me everything 😁

The cruise sounds perfect for you.

We didn't do the fjords but I'd still recommend a balcony. It's lovely in the evening to just sit and watch as you drift along while maximising your drinks package

We’ve been twice to the Fjords, both times end of June, with P&O, once on Aurora and once on Azura. We had balcony cabins as we like fresh air and sitting out on balcony with a cup of tea early in the morning as you sail through the Fjords is amazing. But saying that if you only want a cabin to sleep, book an inside and go out on deck to watch the sail ins and outs. We’ve never been with Cunard, but from what I hear where you dine depends on what type of cabin you have, so suite passengers eat together and inside cabins eat together somewhere else, I personally couldn’t be doing with this type of snobbery so will stick to P&O. We usually book a couple of excursions just to see a bit more of Norway, but most ports are easily accessible.

Watching fir tips! I'm booked on P &O Iona in April to do the fjords. Lots of people are not booking because they associate them with the ferries so there are lots of bargains to be had !

I know I'm out of kilter with everyone else but the fjords really aren't that stunning. They're all the same and it's just scrubby hillsides. The little villages at the ends of the fjords are touristy shops and a cafe.
However I accept that if you like walking or photography, they can be good places to visit. Norway has the most amazing blue skies. Somewhere I have a great picture I took of snowflakes falling against the bluest sky ever. Although that was further north. I've never seen snow in the fjords. Hence you hardly ever see waterfalls.
A balcony is always nice but often they are very small and the sun never seems to fall right. There are lots of places on the ship you can go to see the views, both inside and outside according to the weather.
Whatever you decide, cruising is great and you'll love it. I hope you really enjoy yourself.

I’m not bothered about entertainment, but I am bothered about food and the quality of the accommodation. How does Hartingruen differ from P and O and Cunard on that front?

Cruising is fun. I've mostly been with Cunard which is slightly more expensive and posher (you dress for dinner) but if smart dress isn't your thing there's other options that don't have dress codes

Disagree with v@LetitiaLeghorn re the fjords, I thought they were stunning and well worth the visit.

Can only comment on p&o as haven't done the others but we all thought that the food was wonderful (and plentiful!!). Our cabin was also lovely - fairly spacious and very comfortable. Don't know what the cabins without balconies are like though.

We did the Norwegian fjords end of April this year with Princess. It was absolutely stunning and we had fabulous weather- I got slightly sunburnt on 2 of the days. We went with Princess and the shop was nice but prefer Royal Carribean ships overall. If you stop in skolden then definitely do the Loen skylift (we didn't book with the cruise company) and the views were stunning from the top of the mountain. I'd recommend packing clothes for all weathers ☺️

Re dressing for dinner - P&O had a couple of posh dressing up nights and the rest was just normal. You could avoid the dressing up if you wanted by eating in one of the other venues on board, but we rather enjoyed it. Every day would have been too much for us though.

I don't know what ports you went to but the scenery was stunning in the fjords we went to in April. Beautiful blue sunshine all week and plenty of snow on top of the mountains. It was 2 metres dee at the top of the skylift we went up but I guess it's all different at various times of the year

We always book a balcony (sheltered balcony class) but I once had inside when I went with just dd and it was fine if you don't mind not having a view. I've not done the fjords, but it's all fun

Am a bit bemused by the waterfalls comment. I have a photo of a massive cruise ship completely dwarfed a huge waterfall (the ship was sailing past the waterfall, not through it ) in Geraingerfjord.

You may be surprised by the weather! I'm in Norway right now, in the fjords (on land, not a boat) and it's probably 28c!

I don't know what ports you went to but the scenery was stunning in the fjords we went to in April. Beautiful blue sunshine all week and plenty of snow on top of the mountains. It was 2 metres dee at the top of the skylift we went up but I guess it's all different at various times of the year

Earliest I've been is in March, latest October. I've seen snow when I gone on trips up in the mountains, but never seen snow on the fjords. I agree, gorgeous, blue sky as deep and as rich in colour as any sky near the equator. Can't remember port names. Different ports according to the size of the ship. And they were all quite similar. Sorry.
I know, I know, I accept I'm an outlier but I just don't know what is beautiful about the scrubby land. I was really disappointed. I was expecting glaciers, I think!

I did this cruise about 7 years ago. The scenery is stunning. Get a cabin with window as you can watch the scenery whilst in bed. Early morning when you wake up can look out to see where you are. Take warm clothes for Norway. I went end of August and it was chilly especially evenings on shore. Norway is very expensive. I bought my Mum a set of quite basic coaters and they were equivalent to about £25.

One thing to be aware of is that in some locations the ship can't always berth in a town and you therefore have to get into a tender boat which can be a bit daunting for some. Yes Norway is very expensive but all your food and entertainment is on the ship so apart from the odd coffee or beer we didn't spend much.

All the comments about the weather are filling me with fear 😆I booked a cruise to Norway for June next year and really don’t know what to expect now!
We’ll be cruising with Royal Caribbean, I like the relaxed vibe and not having to dress up for dinner.
I’ve cruised before quite a few times but never been to Norway. Can’t wait!

This all making me very excited! I need to start having a proper look at which company to go with! Love a bit of glamour and associate dressing up in my mind with cruising, so for my first one think will go for one that does the old posh dress for evenings!
We have to go during summer due to DH's work so that may limit us a bit.

There are better ways to see the fjords. Cruise ships are polluting and just look so big and ugly in the fjords. Hurtigruta and smaller boats much better. God I really hate cruise ships and hope Norway see sense and ban them at some point. I am Norwegian by the way and know lots of Norwegians feel this way.

Why not consider the rest of the Baltic? The Scandinavian Capitals are fabulous. We visited Stavanger too so got a taste of the fjords. I wonder if a fjords cruise would be a bit samey??

I am doing my second Baltic cruise next month, it’s for 10 days with a different port each day.
I think the Norwegian cruise is fab for a week long cruise. I’ll never forget the views as I was having breakfast.

@PandoraP a lot of Norwegians also do not feel that way and are very pleased with the income that cruise passengers bring to their towns and businesses.

OP we've done several fjords cruises, all absolutely brilliant and we were lucky with the weather.

Be aware that a cabin with a window will be a non-opening window or small porthole and even with aircon, in good weather they can be very stuffy. Whether a balcony is worth it causes huge debate on cruise forums.....I think it's worth it because sitting on the balcony, drink in hand, looking at stunning scenery or even just the sea is just amazing. Also waking up every day, pulling back the curtains to a new view - absolute bliss. The newer cruise ships tend not to have many window only cabins, they just have various grades of balcony/suite plus inside cabins (no window or balcony). Some people are very happy with the cheapest inside cabin saying they only sleep and shower in there.

Cruise pricing is complicated and very fluid. Sometimes the difference between a balcony and an inside cabin is hardly anything, maybe £100. On P&O the best deals are the 'saver' fares where you sign up for a particular grade of cabin and your actual cabin is assigned nearer the time. The 'select' fare, you can usually choose your exact cabin, and get other perks too like on-board spending money or free parking at Southampton.

I could go on and on! I'd recommend a specialist cruise agent like Bolsover Cruises who can talk you through all the options, different cruise lines etc.

I will summarise by saying the fjords cruises I've been on have been some of the best weeks of my life! You will have an amazing time.

I've done fjords on a Fred Olsen, and a couple of different Cunard ships. I love Cunard. But then I want good food, pratting about in a posh frock, a decent library and lecture programme, and the minimum of organised fun. It was only more recently that I had (could afford) a balcony room, but amazing for sailing in and out, and not missing photo opportunities whilst getting ready for dinner.

@Tinnedfruitwithevap , 😂
The struggling Norwegian economy?
You think they need cruise ships?