Norwegian fjords cruise early May

[chimichangaz]

I'm off cruising to the fjords for a week in early May - has anyone done it at that time of year? Will it be freezing or just cold?

What about on board - I'm assuming I will mainly be inside unless we are near stunning scenery, is it comfortable or cold on board? (It's P&O Iona)

I'm a chronic overpacker anyway but I feel I could get even worse if I'm unsure about weather and temperature - been stressing for weeks!!

We did this a few years ago
It was breezy !!
Not shorts weather ..no sitting on the deck reading a book lol
But the week after we'd been it was hot and people were in the outside pool !

On board it will be warm unless on the open decks/balcony. You do not need to go outside unless you want to.

Cabins are air conditioned and have heating controls so you can have it warmer or cooler.

Dress during the day casual wear e.g. jeans, leggings etc. cardigan/jumpers/hoodies you can pull on if you feel cold.

Going ashore - trainers, walking boots etc. jeans and layers. A woolly hat, gloves and waterproof coat.

Evenings usually 2 dressy nights - normal evening wear with a wrap. For 7 days I take 1 dress and 2 bolero jackets. Smart casual the other nights and a wrap, jacket or cardigan is sufficient.

Layers are your friend.

I've done over 10 different fjord cruises! From a week around the fjords to a two weeker up to the north!

In may it'll be cool, more a less similar to a mild day here. You'll likely get some rain but unless you go up into the mountains it'll not be freezing! A T-shirt and a thin fleece for time on the deck (where you can happily sit all day providing you're not nesh!) and perhaps a good quality anorak on top when out and about on trips etc.

Have always took swimming stuff with us too and never had an issue!

Thanks all - feel a bit more like I know what to pack now 😊

@chimichangaz No one overdressed in the evenings on any day. So I took a lace top with black swishy trousers. A satin top
is as far as I would go. If you go with sequins (for example) you might be overdressed.

Take layers. Take a waterproof coat. Having said that, we didn’t have a drop of rain all week in early May. I mostly wore a fleece jacket and jeans in the day and trainers. We did spend time on deck looking at the scenery and from our balcony. Take a warm hat and gloves.

One good thing about early May was lack of crowds and handy moorings for the ship. We walked quite a lot. Excursions are ok (expensive) but if they still offer the Flam railway, it’s worth it.

Thanks @TizerorFizz - was it Iona you were on?

I've bought a lovely sequin dress in the sales and was considering taking it but worried I might feel overdressed. On Azura I saw a few people wearing really sparkly evening wear though.

@chimichangaz a sequin dress sounds lovely for the formal nights and others will also be dressed up.

@chimichangaz
On our ship (it was P&O but cannot remember it’s name) virtually no one dressed up in sequins. A handful. It’s May in Norway. Not the Caribbean or Med. If someone was that dressed up, you noticed them. I prefer understated glam! Maybe black/navy sequins? P&O didn’t seem glam to me at all. Suited me though. Adding jewellery makes any evening wear look good. Would you wear the dress twice?

@chimichangaz clearly @TizerorFizz and I have had different experiences on P & O and are not helping your stress levels. 😭To be fair I haven’t sailed on Iona but have sailed Britannia, Azura and Ventura.

In my experience there is a wide range of clothes people wear on board and I like dressing up so notice others who do the same. You are only going for 7 nights, so 2 formal nights. Take the sequin dress plus one other slightly less dressy outfit which you wear the first formal night. You can then decide on the 2nd formal night which you feel more comfortable wearing.

You are sailing from Southampton so you don’t have to worry about the number of suitcases you take.

@Foreversearch this is true - no worrying about suitcase weight!!