Norwegian Fjords Cruise, which of these itineraries?

[User364837]

Looking at August 2025, from Southampton.
me plus 3 Dc who will be between 10 and 17.

probably P&O as the price point suits us.

there are two different itineraries on Iona. Similar but different. One goes to Flam, one doesn’t.

any advice on pros and cons of each itinerary?

the first one you can’t quite see the bottom but it’s Day 8 Southampton, like the other one

Hmm seems like geraingerfjord is hailed as one of the most beautiful and not to be missed, but then Flam looks gorgeous too. So it seems like it’s a choice between those two really

Bump!

There's not a huge amount to do at Flam except for the Flam railway and the train times aren't always a good fit with the times that the ship docks/departs. Geiranger has more activities such as Kayaking, Rib safari, e bikes, hiking etc. Would you consider looking at other cruise lines? It just seems both itineraries have a lot of time at sea cruising and perhaps with teenagers they would prefer to be off ship exploring? The fjords offer so much for outdoor lovers - hiking, safaris, zip line, swimming, saunas, museums, I would look for itineraries where you can get off and explore more.

Geirangerfjord is stunning but the town itself is just a tourist trap really. I would want an itinerary that included time in port at places like Bergen and Alesund where there is much more to do.

We went on Iona recently but it must have been a different itinerary as we had Alesund (which we liked) rather than the 2 you're deciding between. I did dip a toe in some of the FB groups and sure I saw Flam getting raved about, but I'm sure it comes down to personal interests. They might be a good place to get some more advice though - lot of passionate people!

Thank you for the tips!

I have had a little look but others like Royal Caribbean seem quite a lot more expensive and the reviews of the ship are not all glowing.

take the point about activities - my 3 girls are fairly indoorsy to varying degrees and not big fans of very active holidays sadly, on our previous and only cruise which was just a 3 nighter to see if we liked it, they definitely were happiest on the ship and did get off at the ports because I insisted but didn’t want to have long action packed days

But perhaps I’ll double check the comparison sites to see what others go there from Southampton in August.

im sort of seeing it as a taster of the fjords and if I like it I’d like to return and see more probably without kids maybe on a hurtigruten ship

Any tips for which fb groups to look at? Was it a P&O specific one or a fjords specific one?

If the kids aren't great outdoor lovers, is a Norwegian cruise the right one for them?

Flam itself has nothing of note, but the train to Myrdal was great.

IMO, Flam itself was ruined by a great big cruise ship, moored right in the town. Totally ruined the beautiful scenery. There was a lovely small hotel right on the harbour, with great rooms with balconies, which (being Norway) people would have paid a lot of money for. All you could see from them was the side of a giant ship!

I thought it was quite a good idea for us:
they enjoyed the cruise we did before; one particularly likes the dining and “hotel” feel and it’s comparable or cheaper than an all inclusive.

two of them really don’t like flying and last time enjoyed chilling out on the boat and in the cabin

I think we all like sleeping on a boat and waking up somewhere different

their dad normally takes them somewhere hot in the summer

I thought we could get off at the ports and do our own thing, not do long hikes or massively adventurous excursiown

ive always wanted to see the fjords

I think there are more outdoorsy/active holidays!

"Iona P&O Cruises" was the one I used.

I think it could be a great compromise between indoors entertainment for your girls plus you getting to see the Fjords

Are you on Cruise critic forum? Lots of good info on there.

Flam is stunning.
There's not a huge amount to do but it's worth it for the views while sailing in /out.

I’ve been on a few Norwegian cruises. I’ve only done Flam once and I loved it. It’s quite a small pretty town. I know you want to do your own thing but I think we got a coach that took us on quite a windy road to view some famous waterfalls (not the most interesting thing to see!) but we also went to the Viking museum which is an outdoor area with tents and activities showing Viking life and some activities like throwing axes.

@ElaineMBenes is right about the fjord views sailing in and out of Flåm - great waterfalls. Personally I loved the train to Myrdal too. Lots of happy people, a proportion of train fanatics and chance to admire the Huldra by the waterfall at one of the stops: https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/dancing-waterfall-woman-of-flam-railway-in-norway/

Be warned, though. When people say Norway is eyewateringly expensive, they mean it.

Thanks all, I took the plunge and paid the deposit as there were surprisingly few cabins next door to each other left at this stage (a year in advance!) decided both itineraries had their plus points so decided to go on price/dates and happily it’s worked out we are doing a Flam one 😊
Kids and I are very excited
the Facebook groups were invaluable for checking out particular cabins so many thanks for that and the other suggestions.

flam railway sounds nice 😊

If you have the time, do the Flam Zipline & Cycle too! My tip is to get off the train quickly and power walk/get near the front of the zipline queue otherwise you have a long time to wait - only 2 people at a time. We didn't cruise but did a fortnight's DIY road trip so we had the luxury of time visiting less popular places and doing long hikes. Norway is truly beautiful and if you don't want to drive, it's definitely the ideal country for a cruise.

We went on a Norwegian fjords cruise this summer on Iona, and it was great. We did the Hellesylt agenda and loved it. Olden and Hellesylt are both very small places and we did an excursion in both places so we could see a bit more. I think Flam is similar but haven’t been.

My daughter is not very outdoorsy or sporty either and she really enjoyed the cruise - nice balance of time on and off the ship, nice food, and she really enjoyed the cinema and the stage shows. Enjoy!