Norway cruise next summer, tell me everything!

[WYorksTemp]

Chatting about where to go next August and suddenly DH said "I've always wanted to see the Norwegian fjords and we've never been on a cruise!" and neither of us know anything about both these things, so I am throwing myself on the mercy of MN.

• What are the must-see destinations/ must-do excursions in Norway?
• Can we set off from (say) Hull, or do they all depart from Southampton?
• What cruise line?
• Is there a family-sized cabin for 2 adults and 2 late teens, or do we need 2 cabins?
• Is the food nice and sufficient, or should we bring supplies?
• Most importantly, how much is it (roughly) for a week?

Many thanks in advance!

You are so wrong @samarrange! The towns/cities in Norway are fascinating and me and my young teen kids had a fabulous time.
Ok OP so my number one recommendation is don’t go in August! That’s when we went and it’s very much Autumn there with lots of fog - a few views were compromised due to this! Earlier in the summer or late Spring is better.
And I’d only go on Celebrity Cruises. We did a short one with P&O and the food was mediocre to poor and the ship was dirty, frankly. Anyway we weren’t there for the ship (didn’t do any of the shows etc, though my son did go to the gym), though on Celebrity the food was great.
We booked every day in port to do something different. Highlights were the walking tour of Bergen and Mt Dalsnibba (foggy but our bus broke down on the trip back down the mountain which provided some excitement - the brakes failed!!); visited a fascinating museum on one day and goodness know what else. Fabulous trip. Just not in August.

I’m so jealous!!! I’m headed to Oslo next year because a fjord cruise is out of reach for me right now! A sauna on the fjord is a must by all accounts

I’ve done the fjords on sky princess. I actually really recommend princess as if you get their premier package it adds to the costs but works out good value and makes it feel like luxury. It includes everything - we had onboard credit but didn’t spend it as literally everything was included in our package. This meant we could get drinks delivered to the room for no extra charge - I had a 7:30am champagne when sailing into Olden! - it includes all of their speciality dining which is excellent, it includes WiFi which is really expensive on cruises (and your teens may wish to have!)

I think P&O has a cheaper price when you book but doesn’t include as much. That’s fine if you don’t want WiFi or to drink very much, but if you want to go all out consider princess and their packages. Sky Princess is a beautiful ship - Iona is nice too, but less special in my opinion.

the main thing is whichever company you go with, get a balcony cabin. Sailing through the fjords is spectacular. You actually don’t get such good views from most of the public spaces on cruise ships, as they’re floor to ceiling glass.

You’ll have a wonderful time, whoever you go with!

You will have a great time in Oslo. The sauna by the fjord is great, definitely do it. You can also take a boat out the islands and further down the Oslo fjord if you want a watery trip. The underground takes you up behind the city so you can go walking in the woods if you want to get out of the city. Otherwise, there is lots of historical and cultural sights to see in the city.

Oslo is a good choice for a holiday. I am sure you will have a great time. :-)

Our cruise next year includes the fjords and Oslo (and a couple other places)! It will complete the set of Scandinavian capitals for me.

Just throwing in a non cruise idea. We flew to Copenhagen, trained to Stockholm, trained to Oslo and then through the Fjords to Bergen and flew home from Bergen.
Interrail is free for kids under 12. We stayed in Air B n Bs. Much preferred Sweden to Norway. Norway was full of cruises and Americans.

Sweden far more authentic. The people are just BEAUTIFUL.