Hi and thanks for taking the time to comment, I have to say that Norway is one of our favourite countries to visit on a cruise. Which was your favourite port if you don't mind answering? Darren
@@kcsnew It is so hard to choose a favourite port in Norway, but Alesund would be right up there for us. Beautiful scenery all around, a short stroll from the ship into town and even the steps up the mountain weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I did have to take a few breaks for a rest btu with the views, you would stop anyway! Darren
Hi Kathy and thank you for taking the time to ask about the fjords. It is a little bit tricky to answer your question in full without some more details, such as where you can set sail from and the type of line you prefer, but as I am based in the UK, I will focus on sailing from these shores. Geiranger is one of the more popular ports in Norway so there is plenty of choice when looking for a line. NCL, Holland America, P&O, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Ambassador and Oceania tend to be the lines to offer the most options but in our opinion P&O and Royal Caribbean tend to stick to the same main ports whilst Princess and Celebrity can often have a bit more variety, including going to the fjords and the Norwegian arctic on one trip. That is something we would recommend as you get the best of both worlds and can see the midnight sun (summer) or northern lights (winter). Hopefully that is of use, but if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. Darren
@@kathychua7449 No worries and thanks for getting back to me. Some smaller more expedition style ships will call in there throughout the winter but the main cruise season for mainstream lines is May to September. Your widest choice of trips will likely be in July and August but we prefer to avoid those months as you will often find 2-3 ships in port and many other visitors in a place such as Geiranger, which just isn't set up for that many people. Our own preference is for May trips to the fjords as there is still snow on the hills, the waterfalls are flowing and you can often get sunny weather, although it can be chilly and can often be wet and windy, so you are taking a chance. If you prefer warmer weather and calmer seas, June is probably the best month as you often get the sun but without the crowds. If you are doing the fjords and also heading further north, sailing during the summer solstice is always good. If you don't mind rough seas, cold weather and want to see the northern lights whilst enjoying the Christmas markets and traditions in Norway, a line such as Hurtigruten offers trips from the UK, but they will not usually head to an inland port such as Geiranger. Hopefully that all makes sense, Darren
@@cruisehols thanks so much for all your input. We are targetting Princes for May 2025. (via Southampton). What would you suggest for best balcony views - port or starboard side?
Hi and thanks for getting back in contact. Its another tough question to answer without knowing your itinerary but I have had a look at Princess’ schedules out of Southampton in May 2025, so have an idea of the sort of ports they will be visiting. I couldn’t see any visiting Geiranger (as you had mentioned visiting earlier) but for the entry into there, I would always recommend the top deck so you can see both the Seven Sisters waterfall and the Suitor waterfall. Aside from that, one of the great things about the fjords is that you do the same trip in and out, so you get to see both sides from your balcony. One thing to keep in mind is your arrival and leaving times, especially in May, as it does get dark relatively early and gets light later, in the more northern parts of the fjords. Many of the itineraries call into Haugesund and Stavanger where it really doesn’t matter too much as to which side you are on as they are both right on the coast and you dock centrally in the towns. If you are going to Olden, I would perhaps recommend been on the starboard side so that you can see Loen and the Skylift on your way out. If you are going to Alesund, you are probably better of on the port side, as that side often is the town side ad gives great views out over the whole of Alesund. Sorry I couldn’t give a fuller answer as there are just so many variables, Darren
Hi and thanks for taking the time to comment. How lucky are you! Norway is one of my wife's and I favourite cruise destinations. The fjords are just so stunning and the people are so friendly and welcoming. Out of interest, as a Norwegian, is a fjords cruise something commonly done by those living there (or the Hurtigruten coastal journey) or is it like a British Isles cruises for us in the UK and it gets overlooked?
Have you got a favourite cruise port in Norway? Tell us which in the comments below.
This was very helpful. Thank you.
Hi Robert and thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you like it.
Darren
Great recently had 7 night cruise having seen some of the listed ports, very beautiful. Cheers 👍
Hi and thanks for taking the time to comment, I have to say that Norway is one of our favourite countries to visit on a cruise.
Which was your favourite port if you don't mind answering?
Darren
@@cruisehols Our favorite port in our trip was Alesund. Cheers 👍
@@kcsnew It is so hard to choose a favourite port in Norway, but Alesund would be right up there for us.
Beautiful scenery all around, a short stroll from the ship into town and even the steps up the mountain weren't as bad as I thought they would be.
I did have to take a few breaks for a rest btu with the views, you would stop anyway!
Darren
which cruiseline goes to geiranger and which cruiseline would you recommend has the best port stops?
Hi Kathy and thank you for taking the time to ask about the fjords.
It is a little bit tricky to answer your question in full without some more details, such as where you can set sail from and the type of line you prefer, but as I am based in the UK, I will focus on sailing from these shores.
Geiranger is one of the more popular ports in Norway so there is plenty of choice when looking for a line.
NCL, Holland America, P&O, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Ambassador and Oceania tend to be the lines to offer the most options but in our opinion P&O and Royal Caribbean tend to stick to the same main ports whilst Princess and Celebrity can often have a bit more variety, including going to the fjords and the Norwegian arctic on one trip.
That is something we would recommend as you get the best of both worlds and can see the midnight sun (summer) or northern lights (winter).
Hopefully that is of use, but if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.
Darren
@@cruisehols what would be the best month to target? thanks so much for your input!
@@kathychua7449 No worries and thanks for getting back to me.
Some smaller more expedition style ships will call in there throughout the winter but the main cruise season for mainstream lines is May to September.
Your widest choice of trips will likely be in July and August but we prefer to avoid those months as you will often find 2-3 ships in port and many other visitors in a place such as Geiranger, which just isn't set up for that many people.
Our own preference is for May trips to the fjords as there is still snow on the hills, the waterfalls are flowing and you can often get sunny weather, although it can be chilly and can often be wet and windy, so you are taking a chance.
If you prefer warmer weather and calmer seas, June is probably the best month as you often get the sun but without the crowds.
If you are doing the fjords and also heading further north, sailing during the summer solstice is always good.
If you don't mind rough seas, cold weather and want to see the northern lights whilst enjoying the Christmas markets and traditions in Norway, a line such as Hurtigruten offers trips from the UK, but they will not usually head to an inland port such as Geiranger.
Hopefully that all makes sense,
Darren
@@cruisehols thanks so much for all your input. We are targetting Princes for May 2025. (via Southampton). What would you suggest for best balcony views - port or starboard side?
Hi and thanks for getting back in contact.
Its another tough question to answer without knowing your itinerary but I have had a look at Princess’ schedules out of Southampton in May 2025, so have an idea of the sort of ports they will be visiting.
I couldn’t see any visiting Geiranger (as you had mentioned visiting earlier) but for the entry into there, I would always recommend the top deck so you can see both the Seven Sisters waterfall and the Suitor waterfall.
Aside from that, one of the great things about the fjords is that you do the same trip in and out, so you get to see both sides from your balcony.
One thing to keep in mind is your arrival and leaving times, especially in May, as it does get dark relatively early and gets light later, in the more northern parts of the fjords.
Many of the itineraries call into Haugesund and Stavanger where it really doesn’t matter too much as to which side you are on as they are both right on the coast and you dock centrally in the towns.
If you are going to Olden, I would perhaps recommend been on the starboard side so that you can see Loen and the Skylift on your way out.
If you are going to Alesund, you are probably better of on the port side, as that side often is the town side ad gives great views out over the whole of Alesund.
Sorry I couldn’t give a fuller answer as there are just so many variables,
Darren
My Country is norway❤
Hi and thanks for taking the time to comment.
How lucky are you! Norway is one of my wife's and I favourite cruise destinations. The fjords are just so stunning and the people are so friendly and welcoming.
Out of interest, as a Norwegian, is a fjords cruise something commonly done by those living there (or the Hurtigruten coastal journey) or is it like a British Isles cruises for us in the UK and it gets overlooked?