Norwegian fjords cruise. Which company?

[GordonBennett345]

Thinking of a fjords cruise in the summer. Fancy a cabin with picture window or balcony. Not too big a ship. We're early 60s. Which cruise lines should I be looking at?

We went with Thomson's and although the ships are a tad tired the food and shows are amazing and we had a lovely cruise with the bonus of good weather - late August

Hurtigruten is £3462 for an outside cabin for 14 days in September. Polar outside cabin on Classic Roundtrip at the end of May is £2838 for 12 days. Not sure where other pricing quoted above came from. However authentic Norway doesn’t cheap.

Has anyone done one of the Havila ones? Would be interested to know how this compares with Hurtigruten. The greener aspect certainly appeals.

I went on P&P Iona to Norway last September and it was fabulous. We had a balcony cabin on the front of the ship but if we sat on the balcony we couldn't see anything as it wasn't glass fronted. Not sure if cabins on the side are glass with a view. So be aware if you book this

@JennyTheDonkey
It certainly looks good! We are not going until August though. They are a new company but it’s a similar idea to Hurtigruten. I think the Hurtigruten Norway fleet might have fewer passengers. Years ago Hurtigruten was considered basic but not now! Obviously prices reflect this. Their ship “Fram” has just had a refit. Looks very good.

Fred Olsen is a Norwegian-based company too. Just done my first cruise with them, up to the far North - the ship Bolette has a retractable roof above the pool which means it's useable even in colder times, which is good. They did have 'entertainment' but also educational talks, quizzes, jigsaw puzzles... A Hurtigruten cruise is all about the activity & the learning, but the evenings can hang a bit heavy - basically dine, then lounge around in cabin/lounges until bedtime.

I went to Norway with p and o on Iona last June.

I took my two younger sons and my adult daughter. The free food is ok nothing outstanding and the paid for restaurants are nicer. especially the Indian.

It was too big for us but It was out first ever cruise so we didn't know what we wanted only that we wanted to go to Norway without flying.

Next time I will take my Dh who couldn't get out of working and we will choose something smaller.

I didn't get to try out the evening entertainment simply because it's just not my thing. I was quite happy watching a movie in the cabin though.

The pools are a bun fight as are the deck chairs so I couldn't be bothered with that. It was 11 degrees for the most part in June and only started to get hot the day before we got into England - didn't bother me much though as I like the cold weather.

Interesting thread - I'm looking at this for next year too. I would like to try the hurtigruten option but I'm a bit confused as they do a postal ship option which is basically a public ferry and has lots of stops and excursions and what looks like v basic cabins which I think has been described as more authentic or a more traditional cruise option as well . Has anyone been on either and have any insight into which may be best? For context I have never been on a cruise but fancy this to see the fjords and maybe the northern lights if we pick the right season.

We went this route with Hurtigruten. Stayed in an Artic Superior cabin which was lovely. The ship stops at numerous places - some just for 15 minutes to on load /off load items. Each day there is a full day stop for going a shore to explore the local town.

@Parker231
Thank you - I think that's the trip I was looking at Bergen to Kirkenes and back . Is it really basic like a cross channel ferry? Would you recommend?

@boredsolicitor - definitely not basic. Their website shows pictures of the cabins. It’s not one of the cruise lines with numerous bars and constant entertainment but it’s a perfect way to explore the fjords. We went in December and we’re lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on the last day in Kirkenes.

It really depends on what you are looking for. Cruise lines (other than Hurtigruten which you have lots of info on):

• big / medium ships - very in style, quite cheap but excludes drinks - P&O
• medium ships - mainly British, prices range from fairly low to high depending which 'class' you choose, formal dress - Cunard
• small / medium - almost all British, cheap - TUI
• small ships - elderly British, traditional style, quite expensive - Fred Olsen
• small ships that are heavily competing with Fred for custom so much cheaper - Ambience
• medium ships - mainly American - bit more expensive and slightly higher quality - Celebrity, HAL & Princess
• small ships - boutique hotel style - more expensive - Oceania, Seabourn, Regent, Azamara

@Parker231
Thank you / it sounds much more like the thing I had in mind . I just don't fancy entertainers etc but nor do I want to be in very basic accommodation. I need to have a good explore if the website
@Chewbecca thank you for that lowdown - I hadn't realised there were so many options and different styles . I think I'll stick with original plan and hurtigruten .

Hurtigruten was the postal and transport route for people along the coast and to a certain extent still is. It stops all along the coast and you will see local life as it really is. The ships also organize excursions on shore for tourists, and they have comfortable cabins and good food in the restaurant. But it isn't a cruise ship like you get in e.g. the Caribbean. There aren't multiple dining areas, casino, shopping mall, even entertainment etc. The entertainment is what you can see as you sail past. As the ships follow the coast, this is ever changing.

Hurtigruten, for sure.
I would never want to go on a standard cruise ship, but they were OK - you are still stuck on a boat with other people, but not too many of them, no "entertainment", no enforced socialising or dressing for dinner.

@Chewbecca so where does Hebridean Sky fit into your must? 130 passengers. Not cheap but a proper expedition ship with knowledgable guides and crew.

I’ve not been on Hebridean Sky but would think it is a totally different holiday to a cruise ship holiday.

@Chewbecca
I was trying to say there are smaller expedition ships that also visit Norway. A few go to the Arctic and Svalbard Peninsular. The experience couldn’t be further from a ship with 2000 passengers. They are not cheap but you learn a lot more! Try it.

Oh, I know. Definitely will try it one day.

Another vote for Celebrity. And make sure you go late spring/early summer. We went in August snd it was already autumnal with lots of fog. The ship (snd food!) was great though.
I also sat at lunch with someone who worked on the ship. He was behind the scenes IT guy (there's strict hierarchy on cruise ships but he worked overnight and was ranked so he could go on excursions).
He said Celebrity was one of the best cruise lines in how it treats its employees, which would really influence who I travelled with.

Celebrity ships are huge. If you can afford it, go small! These enormous ships are not really able to give you the experience of Norway.

I'm thinking of going next year feb / March as one of the main motivators is the chance to see the northern light which I think is more likely in the winter / early spring . Exciting!!!

Yes. That’s right. Will be very cold though. Late Sept onwards. We saw them mid October once.