Fjord Cruise - help please

[Lanzarotelady]

Always wanted to do one, but no idea where to start, any advice please

Look at the different cruise lines who go there and see which looks like it will best meet your parties requirements.

we enjoy P and O because the pace is about right for us and are trying Princess next year. Other people may prefer different things from there ships.

Recommend Hurtigruten - amazing!

Loads of clips on YouTube that give a variety of perspectives.

We did Norwegian Cruise Lines last summer. Southampton to Bruges, Amsterdam, Norway (Gerainger, Alesund, Bergen) and Iceland (Akureyri, Isafjordur, Reykjavik). First time we had done a cruise and I had my reservations but it was fabulous and the kids enjoyed every minute of it. The ship is enormous but the fjords are too so it doesn't dwarf the environment at all if you see what I mean? Restaurants and entertainment were all great, thankfully as very expensive to eat on shore otherwise.

What type of cruise do you want?
Large ship, lots of passengers, entertainment in the evenings, posh meals.... Don't ask me but there will be lots of other people to advise.
Smaller ship, under 500 passengers (or even fewer), no "entertainment" but lectures on the wildlife, geology and culture, informal meals - no dressing up, stops at quiet places rather than big towns or cities. Zodiac cruises and access to science programs then I would recommend HX Expedition cruises. So far we've been to the Norwegian Fjords, Iceland and West Africa. Off to Antarctica with a limit of 200 passengers in a few days.

Lots of options, first of all you need a budget - they come at different price points. Some lines include everything in your price but for the majority you will be paying for drinks on board, tips (semi compulsory, a contentious topic) and your excursions on land, most also have upgraded experiences on board like different restaurants.

As a starting point i would look at p&o which is mid range, fairly traditional, tips are included in the fare and the drinks are U.K. pub prices, my parents swear by them. I prefer Cunard, I like the guest speakers & posher dress code (though not as smart as in the past), but drinks are more, tips not included. The American lines are different in character I'm told, I've only done Disney but other people I know prefer the American ships as more casual.

Hurtigruten or Havila.

A cruise never appealed but I was dying to see the fjords so cruised on P&O Iona in September 2024. Loved it. We stopped in Alesund, Stavenger, Haugesund, and Olden.

Had a really fabulous time. Norway was stunning. The ship we were on was huge and, while busy, never felt packed.

While I don’t think I’ll be someone who cruises constantly, it was a different holiday for us and very enjoyable. You can do as much or as little as you want on the ship and there really is something for everyone. I’d definitely cruise again in another few years.

Have a look for some Facebook groups for inspiration and ideas.

We did Fred Olsen earlier this year. Their ships are smaller than most so they go places where the big ships can't. They cater for the more mature travellers rather than families as there are no kids activities etc.

We went with P&O on the Iona (me, husband, 8 year old and 2 year old) in August. It was amazing.

It was our first cruise so I was nervous as hell but we all loved it. The boys still ask to go back.

Who would be going on the cruise - just adults or children as well? I've been twice, with Princess Cruises and P&O. Both were great but different in terms of layout and facilities. One thing I would say is try and get a cabin with a balcony as the views obviously are incredible and in some fjords you are very close to waterfalls etc and it's lovely to be able to stay in your cabin sometimes.

Having done 14 cruises I wouldn't go with P&O low standards often grubby ships, other lines are better. Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean etc.
Plan a head when we went we drove a 5 or 6 hour round trip from the coast to Trolstigen it was great day out. Crusie critic forum is a great source of info and good tool for planning your own trips as you will save a fortune.
https://www.fjordnorway.com/en/attractions/trollstigen

Sad to hear this about P&O. Ours was super but unfortunately the ship (Oriana) is no longer a P&O ship.

OP - don’t go on a big cruise liner - they aren’t suitable for the ffords. Hurtigruten has small passenger ships which can get into the smallest ports. As they have small passenger numbers you’re not swamping the locals. This is the route we did. From Bergen right up to the Russian border.

We are on a Hurtigurten cruise currently and can definitely recommend them. Simply fantastic

Simple perfection.

This is the cruise we’re currently on

Enjoy - it’s amazing - particularly at this time of year

I went on a cruise to the Fjords in September. It was absolutely beautiful. We went with Ambassador, the ship had 1200 passengers I believe. So many different restaurants, bars, activities. Shows,, lectures, entertainment all of it. And the staff were wonderful and friendly.

but the beauty of the Fjords can’t be described, my photos don’t do it justice.

We went from Southampton with Cunard on the Queen Mary 2 last year. It was absolutely fabulous.

Have a look at Emma Cruises or Ben&Dave on you tube, then think about what you want facilities - wise, shows, kids clubs, things like drinks/wifi/gratuities included, tours, food etc. then I would look at award winner companies

We went with Ambassador last year, to the Norwegian fjords. They're a smaller cruise line with just 2 ships and a mostly UK customer based. The staff were amazing, the food was excellent and there were activities and entertainment every day. The ship stopped at 5 different ports and cruised the fjords, it was light until midnight and we saw dolphins 😀 The price point was also very competitive, I'd definitely sail with them again

I went on the Hurtigruten Bergen to Kirkenes and back trip. It should have been marvellous but they completely fucked up my flights joining and leaving so I lost a couple of days off the trip with very little compensation or support and a ton of stress. Useless.

We went with Fred Olsen in 2023, our first cruise - I'm not sure I'd bother doing one anywhere except the fjords but we'd do one there again. They sailed from Rosyth which is more convenient to us than Southampton and of course much shorter sea journey to Norway from there.

I'm curious about Hurtigruten - I've seen it recommended a lot but as far as I can see they go along the coast rather than right into many of the fjords? Maybe that's better in some ways (it seemed like there was more wildlife there) but might not be exactly a 'fjord cruise'?

I posted at 10.58 the route we went with Hurtigruten. They get into small places - they are a postal service as well as passenger ships which.