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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Anyone done a fjords cruise and able to help?

41 replies

InsertSomethingMotivationalHere · 24/09/2022 19:19

DP and I have never been away together and would like to book a nice holiday for next August. We really would love to do a Fjords cruise but neither of us have never been on a cruise before and have no clue what is a good deal and who are the best companies. Has anyone been on a similar trip and care to advise? Just us, no kids, would like a balcony cabin and looking to go for 7-10 days. Budget pref no more than 1300 each...
Any recommendations gratefully received!

OP posts:
TeenDivided · 24/09/2022 19:23

www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ ??
My parents have used them, not for big all singing all dancing cruises but for quiet scenic ones.

Parker231 · 24/09/2022 19:26

Definitely Hurtigruten. No balcony cabins but smaller ships so can get it more fjords. We did from Bergen to Kirkenes.

No3No2No1 · 24/09/2022 19:27

My parents used to cruise. They always got a room on the back of the boat. That way they saw the shore line for the whole trip. If you’re on the side then for half of the trip you’re only looking at the sea

InsertSomethingMotivationalHere · 24/09/2022 19:33

Thank you so much! This is a helpful start and the tip about the back rooms I wouldn't have thought of!

OP posts:
BlueRidge · 24/09/2022 19:35

We did a P&O one a couple of years ago. Southampton > Stavanger >Flam> Olden > Bergen> Southampton.
I've since heard that loads of people do it. It was about a week I think, and we didn't have a balcony and was around the £1000 mark????
I'd never done a cruise before and wasn't sure if I'd like it but I really enjoyed it actually.

TizerorFizz · 25/09/2022 00:53

@BlueRidge
I did that one for my mums 90th birthday! I’m not a huge fan of cruising but it suited us on that occasion.

I really would not get a cabin near the stern. Ships are more stable in the centre! Any swell and you really feel it at the back and the exhaust fumes trail overhead! Definitely go mid ships.

Cruising in Norway on a big ship is pretty easy. Shore excursions add up though. Hurtigruten is a more authentic voyage where you stop a lot more and see a lot more. I’d rather do that.

No499 · 25/09/2022 01:34

We did a 5 day Hurtigruten cruise from Kirkenes to Bergen. Smaller ship, not your typical cruise ship but we saw some great sights and the food was delicious.

Charliebong · 25/09/2022 01:38

We did the Norwegian fjords from Southampton in August… it was amazing. We had a balcony cabin which was worth every penny. We were on the Iona with P&O I can’t recommend it highly enough.

caringcarer · 25/09/2022 01:43

We did the ffiords cruise about 10 years ago. We did P&O and at the time was £599 for a week. We went in August and it was chilly so take a few warmer clothes. We were given blankets on board for sitting on deck. Wonderful shore visits. We saw a frozen waterfall which was awesome. Amazing scenery and good shows on board ship. We loved it.

YumYummy · 25/09/2022 11:07

Princess, Celebrity and Cunard would all work for you and they offer balconies.

user1471548941 · 25/09/2022 11:10

We’ve done it several times with P&O, loved it!

The hype is all about Iona, but I would chose Britannia as she’s a little smaller so gets into more fjords, with a better itinerary!

A beautiful beautiful ship!

Dahliasrule · 25/09/2022 11:11

We have been twice with Fred Olsen. Smaller ships so can visit smaller fjords but not too small. We loved it.

Dahliasrule · 25/09/2022 11:12

Fred Olsen do balconies.

gogohmm · 25/09/2022 11:19

I would suggest looking at a cruise specialist travel agent. Bolsover cruise is excellent though I've used the online only planet cruise as well. Put in your dates, put in your chosen destination, and it will bring up all the companies offering that itinerary at that time of year. You can then filter by price range. I've used Cunard, p&o, marella, Disney and Norwegian ... all are good but have different price points, different dress codes etc. eg Norwegian super relaxed, Cunard dressier. All attract a variety of clients but saga is much older! (I'm not old enough to even book!)

gogohmm · 25/09/2022 11:22

Also think about the other activities you want eg Cunard offers a good programme of lectures plus classical recitals however their theatre shows were definitely lacking, good bands though, Disney had amazing shows but well it's Disney so overrun with kids. I'm told royal Caribbean has excellent evening entertainment. The British based lines offer ballroom dancing generally but I can't dance!

DifficultBloodyWoman · 25/09/2022 11:32

Another vote for calling Bolsover - I’ve used them in the past and they were very helpful and able to get us a great deal.

TizerorFizz · 25/09/2022 14:20

@gogohmm
Its a Norway cruise! Starting point is Southampton. Disney??? Hopefully not.

IThinkIMadeItWorse · 25/09/2022 14:32

We sailed from Southampton to Norway with Princess a few years ago and had a great time. We liked their approach to dining (not set times or tables). The excursions were expensive but we did our own thing in each port. Definitely recommend having a balcony for the fjords and Princess have loads of them!

Top tip is to look for a cabin with other cabins above and below if possible to avoid noise from restaurants/nightclubs etc. (Also Bergen is a lovely stop, we went up the funicular.)

FatCatSkinnyRat · 26/09/2022 09:35

We're looking to go next year as well. Someone has recently told me about discounts on vacationstogo.com for cruise discounts - at first glance looks promising but I have not used so can't qualify!

ItsRainingPens · 28/09/2022 11:06

We did the fjords from Rotterdam with Holland America Line and really enjoyed ourselves. We had an aft-facing balcony, which was amazing!

TizerorFizz · 28/09/2022 12:48

Cruises are often heavily discounted. They go via companies like Igloo and offer big discounts punts themselves. Filling cabins is important!

Justwingingit2005 · 01/10/2022 20:14

We did Royal Caribbean this August to Ffords.
It was amazing.
Stavanger and Bergan are lovely.
Flam was our favourite.
Kids age 11 to 16 and they all loved it.
Anthem of the seas is amazing for kids

DeltaAlphaDelta79 · 01/10/2022 20:16

Another vote for P&O. Really enjoyed our one, despite a few port visits being changed due to the weather.

ButtonSister · 01/10/2022 20:38

Definitely recommend Hurtigruten for a more relaxed experience on a (relatively) smaller ship.

Schiehallion · 01/10/2022 21:00

Have done fjord cruises from UK on both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean ships - both great fun.
Fred Olsen ships tend to attract more senior passengers.