Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

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

Original poster

Norwegian fjords cruise?

15 replies

Aparecium · 09/03/2025 20:43

Anyone gone on one?

We're talking about our summer holiday this year. Left it a bit late, really. Will be dh and me, and probably two of our young adult dc. Wide range of interests and fitness levels. Approx 10 days in the second half of August.

Someone suggested a cruise up the Norwegian fjords. I think it was meant as a joke, but TBH there was a "Hmm... I wonder...?" moment around the table.

Can anyone recommend a provider?
What is it like?
What do you see/do?
Do you feel trapped on a ship going by somebody else's timetable?
Any tips?

OP posts:
DeltaAlphaDelta79 · 09/03/2025 20:45

We did it on P and O's Iona. Was a fantastic trip. Lots to do on the ship, and the scenery was fantastic.

Theirs are usually 7 days tho.

Acc0untant · 09/03/2025 20:46

I've got one booked for July having done various cruises with P&O.

I assume you'll be on Iona or Britannia, probably Iona?

Are you all going to be in one cabin? One thing to note is an inside cabin is quite a squeeze with 4 adult sized people. You might also find the inside cabins are all sold out by now, they go quite fast for the fjords cruises in which case you'll need to look at a window or balcony which is much more ££.

Any specific questions I can help with?

Soontobe60 · 09/03/2025 20:48

I’m going on Iona in May - can’t wait! Most fjord cruises are a week long.
@Acc0untant I hope I have a good cruise - my very first and I’ve had to persuade DH!

dottyp0104 · 09/03/2025 20:55

Went last year, Royal Carribean. First ever cruise. Wasn't sure about cruising but it was amazing. There was 4 adults and a 12 year old in our group. Was something for everyone

Acc0untant · 09/03/2025 21:53

Soontobe60 · 09/03/2025 20:48

I’m going on Iona in May - can’t wait! Most fjord cruises are a week long.
@Acc0untant I hope I have a good cruise - my very first and I’ve had to persuade DH!

Remember to pack for all weather. The fjords are funny like that, you could get all four seasons in a day!

Parkmama · 09/03/2025 22:04

Did P&O Iona on the Fjords and it was an amazing trip, highly recommend

Original poster
Aparecium · 10/03/2025 08:26

You're asking me questions I didn't even know to ask! 😂 It was literally a throwaway comment that made us all stop and think for a moment.

Inside cabin? I can't think of anything more horrible. Why would you go somewhere for views, and then not have any? Besides - eww, claustrophobic! Can you sleep with windows open on a cruise?

Actually, I can think of something more horrible - seasickness. I love being on, in or near water, but I am prone to motion sickness, so is a cruise a bad idea?

What about this notion of being trapped in someone else's itinerary? Is it really like that?

OP posts:
Pigeonqueen · 10/03/2025 08:29

Tons of blogs of the whole cruise on you tube if you type in Iona Norwegian fjords cruise. (There are a couple of variations of the ports but you’ll get the idea and be able to see what it’s like).

minnienono · 10/03/2025 08:31

P&o is a good option, sail out of Southampton but look at a specialist cruise travel agent and you can see all the lines, all the itineraries

Justwingingit2005 · 10/03/2025 08:32

We did Norway fjords with Royal Caribbean, our first cruise. It was amazing. We have been on a further 3 since.
Pack of all weather. We went August time and had temps of 20.
Flam was my favourite port.

ErrolTheDragon · 10/03/2025 08:34

You are inevitably bound by the ship's itinerary and may get less time in each port than you'd have liked.
Re seasickness, the fjords themselves are very sheltered, the coast (generally travelled at night) a bit less so. You might want to limit the amount of open sea, we did Fred Olsen from Rosyth which is the shortest from a U.K. port.

But perhaps you could consider Hurtigruten rather than a cruise ship per se - I've never done it but I think people construct their own trip with stays along the way using them. There's quite a few threads.

ViciousCurrentBun · 10/03/2025 08:36

We did this as our first cruise and loved it. DH was always unwilling, he is a keen yachtsman and has done all his yachting exams when young so was a bit snobby about it being the bucket and spade brigade of boating. I do get seasick so yachting is not for me though I have done it a little. A big boat like this was fine. I have messed up his plans to buy a boat and sail round the Caribbean. I have said he can do it with his sister when she retires.

Norway is really expensive though, so be aware of that. DH did a tour from the boat while DS and I did our own thing visiting an aquarium one day.

Acc0untant · 10/03/2025 08:41

Aparecium · 10/03/2025 08:26

You're asking me questions I didn't even know to ask! 😂 It was literally a throwaway comment that made us all stop and think for a moment.

Inside cabin? I can't think of anything more horrible. Why would you go somewhere for views, and then not have any? Besides - eww, claustrophobic! Can you sleep with windows open on a cruise?

Actually, I can think of something more horrible - seasickness. I love being on, in or near water, but I am prone to motion sickness, so is a cruise a bad idea?

What about this notion of being trapped in someone else's itinerary? Is it really like that?

Inside cabins have no windows. Sea view cabins have a porthole window that doesn't open. Even balcony cabins have rules that you can't leave the door open overnight or when you're not in the room.

Most who have an inside cabin spend a lot of time on the decks or in the restaurants/bars/pools and have views there, and only use the cabin for sleeping. We barely spend any time in the room at all. Plus the price difference, you'll be looking at more like £3/4k for 7 nights for a balcony room compared to 1.5k for an inside cabin. That price difference can pay for a lot of excursions on land! We're up early, having breakfast and then find a pool or somewhere relaxing to sit and watch the scenery as we sail.

In terms of someone else's itinerary, absolutely not. You'll have set days at sea and set days in ports. What you actually do on those days is entirely up to you. In port but don't want to get off the boat? Fine, the ship pools will be very quiet instead. Want to sit with a book in a quiet cocktail lounge all day on the sea day? Also fine. There's the spa, the gym, a multitude of restaurants and food places.
There are organised activities at set times (bingo, quizzes, live entertainment and shows) but you can choose to attend. Iona with P&O has 4 cinema screens at no extra cost too.

The bigger the ship the less likely you'll get motion sickness. On these big ones most of the time you can barely tell you're moving but it's always worth taking anti sickness tablets just in case.

A cruise is what you make it. We love the flexibility and seeing a glimpse of somewhere without having to pay over the odds. We've seen places we'd return to for a week and other places (like Bruges) where I was happy with the single day visit.

MidtoLon · 11/03/2025 22:20

Went with P&O from Southampton on Iona last August with daughter son in law and family. Going again end of May/June with slightly different ports and husband so expecting it to be a different experience. Grandchildren loved it last year as well. Balcony cabins are great for scenery. Swimming pools and hot tubs small but ok. Lots of entertainment for all ages. Various restaurants for food. Look at YouTube videos. Found them very helpful

CharlotteCChapel · 12/03/2025 21:29

An alternative is HX although they're pricy they do offer included activities like kayaking rather than dropping you off in a town.

We've considered this but I dint think I'd pass the medical. If you're young and fit there'd be no problem.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page