Tell me about taking a Norwegian cruise

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m pinin’ for the fjords, you betcha.

Anyway, my family of four (me, Mrs. Spiff, and two teen-agers) are thinking of joining forces with my parents and taking a cruise along the coast of Norway this June. We would not want to spend more than a week total, and are thinking about getting off about 1/2 way up the coast (but above the Arctic Circle, for bragging rights), and taking a train back to Oslo.

It was my father’s idea, and it’s all very early in the planning stages. So early, we are even still on the fence about whether we want to do it. Our children like active vacations – hiking, biking, swimming, snorkeling, skiing, etc. So I don’t know how keen they might be about being on a big boat, looking at the scenery, as majestic as it might be.

So, if any Dopers who have taken a cruise ship up and down the coast of Norway would like to post about their experiences, I would weclome it.

I’d love to hear opinions about:

Logistics – How convenient is it to make connections?
Value for the money
Must-see costal towns
Options to go exploring off of the ship
Quality of the accomodations, food, service, etc. (we don’t require 5-star service, but we want to be comfortable)
Suggested companies
Selecting a cruise ship: big, medium, small

Of course, I’d like to hear about anything else, too, even if it’s not on my list.

Thanks!

2

Sorry can’t help ya. However, there’s a commercial that airs frequently on DC area radio that ends with “Cruise… like a Norwegian~~~”

So I’m thinking it must be good.

3

That’s Norwegian Cruise Lines. We took one not to Norway but from Copenhagen around the Baltic and back. Not as good as sometimes.
Never cruised Norway, but our guide in Copenhagen was from Oslo, and she said that Copenhagen was cheap for her - so bring plenty of money. But it sounds plausible, assuming you can find a cruise that would drop you off. If not, given the number of ferries that run from Stockholm to Helsinki and Helsinki to Talinn, I bet there are nice “ferries” that go up the coast which would do just as well. The overnight ones have sleeping accommodations. Never been on one, but did lots of reading and they seem nice.

4

I’ve only been on one cruise, and it was over 20 years ago. I can tell you that they’re definitely not for everyone. I get motion sick so I was pretty miserable most of the time. The north Atlantic is notorious for its inhospitable waves so ask what the ocean conditions will probably be like.

Different cruise lines and different itineraries draw different clientele. For instance, Norwegian (which we sailed) drew a wealthy, older crowd, which we definitely were not. Royal Caribbean draws a younger, drunker crowd. So your first order of business is to pick the right cruise line. It’s going to be difficult appealing to all 3 generations, but my advice is to go with the less stuffy one if you have a choice.

My guess is that the itinerary you’re talking about doesn’t draw a lot of kids, so there may not be activities geared toward them. It also sounds cold, which will limit the things that you can do on the boat, other than (of course) eating. Given that there won’t be a lot of lounging around the pool, what will they do for the week that they’re couped up on the ship?

My advice is to call a cruise specialist and ask for their advice.

5

I’ve only done a half day, and it was a small boat, not anything like a cruise ship. Protip: if they tell you you’re going to go to Oslofjord, you most definitely won’t be seeing any true fjords, cliffs and all, so don’t get too disappointed. Just a bay, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable.

Personally, if stopping at Oslo or another major city, I’d prefer a cruise that doesn’t just drop you off for a couple hours, so you only have time to hit the duty-frees on the pier and no time to explore.

Yes, bring money. No, more than that.

6

I did a 14-day cruise from London Tilbury to Svalbard (though we didn’t get ashore - too much ice in the fiord) via North Norway, The Orkneys, Faroes and Shetland in 2011 and was blown away by it. I went with Cruise and Maritime Voyages on their flagship (they only have two ships in the fleet!) MS Marco Polo.

Described as a classic (i.e. old) ship, Marco Polo is small but comfortable. Built in 1965 as a transatlantic liner (USSR to Canada) she has been almost completely rebuilt since and converted for cruising. Passengers mostly British and Dutch with some Aussies and Canuks.

She is doing several trips to Norway this year starting in spring (northern lights) and going on well into the summer.

Places to see: Geirangerfjord

Tromso (Don’t miss the Arctic Cathedral)

Honningsvag for the North Cape (Not *quite *the most northery point of Europe :))

And you must at least cruise through the utterly beautiful Lofoten Islands - best seen in the light of the midnight sun.

Here is a link to my photographs: - Heading North.

7

The most obvious operator would be Hurtigruten. You can find a few hours of footage from that route here (comments in Norwegian only, sorry!)

8

We’ve been on five cruises - across the Atlantic on the QE2, Southern Caribbean, Alaska, Mediterranean, and Baltic. Cruises are a lot better than this. Modern large cruise ships are very stable.Unless you have a very sensitive stomach you will be fine. If this worries you, try to get staterooms on a lower deck, which are more stable than upper decks.
Most cruises have stuff for kids, though if your kids are old enough to like the stuff you say they like, they will be fine. All cruises I’ve been on except the QE2 had most days in a port and a day or two at sea. There are tons of activities, since the cruise lines don’t want you to be bored, but also time to relax. And if the Norwegian Coast is anything near as interesting as the Inner Passage in Alaska, just watching the shore go by is fascinating.
Internet is usually spotty and expensive,as is phone reception, so you will get to see your kids and not their phones.
As for shore excursions, check out what the review sites say, but be aware that some of the reviews are written by people who have done it eight times. On our last trip we only took the shore excursions to St. Petersburg, since that made the visa situation easier and took us to the Hermitage and other interesting places. The other ports we could walk into or take a bus or subway. I suspect almost anything you want to see in Norway is very near the coast.
We find cruising a way of surveying an area and deciding where we’d want to go back to.

BTW, our last two trips were on NCL, and I didn’t notice anyone particularly wealthy. I think you get more kids and more old people on the standard routes (upper Caribbean, Mexico) but not in exotic cruises like the last two we’ve been on. There was a good range of people. Definitely not swinging singles, though.

9

You couldn’t go on the cruise to the Arctic circle mrAru went on, it was on a submarine :smiley: but he does suggest that you try to find one that ends in Tromso, the Paris of the North! It has museums, and the British Embassy used to be above the Mak Ale brewery :smiley: And you can take a train south to Oslo.

10

check out www.cruisecritic.com

There are lots of forums there for different companies and locations.

11

Small point about the train:
The northernmost train in Norway is in Narvik, but that does not connect to the rest of the Norwegian train system (the train goes to Kiruna in Sweden). If you want to take the train to Oslo, the northernmost station is Bodø, just north of the Arctic Circle. The train tickets can be bought here for Bodø-Oslo, the train ride is about 18-19 hours and you have to change trains in Trondheim. (Full disclosure: I’ve worked as a developer on that site)

The Swedish train tickets can be bought from here. You can take an even longer train ride from Narvik via Sweden to Oslo or to Stockholm.

I have never taken a cruise along the coast myself, so can’t say anything specific. But I would recommend a stop in Bergen (I would guess every ship stops here).

When it comes to sightseeing in the fjords, I would recommend the Geirangerfjord, Hardangerfjord or the Sognefjord, these are the fjords which gave Slartibartfast his award. I’m guessing that any cruise are going to visit at least one of those.

12

There aren’t many comments anyway, but the scenery is breathtaking.

13

Thanks, everyone. Great tips so far, and I’ve already set out a list of websites to visit.

I was thinking Brodo would be where might we want to get off the ship and then head south by train back to Oslo. I will have to think about that 18-19 hour journey, though!

I’ll definitely check out that cruise forum posted by Chappachula.

Again, thanks, everyone. Please keep the advice coming!

14

If you get off in Bodø, you’ll miss Lofoten. I’d recommend taking the ship a wee bit further North, say, to Tromsø, then get off and hop on the southbound boat back to Bodø.

According to the Norwegian-language version of the Hurtigruten website, a trip from Trondheim to Tromsø will cost about 2000NOK.

15

Very good point.