Norwegian Fjords cruise or Ireland land trip

[jldcherry]

For those of you who may have done both, with kids (11) and (9) would you recommend the Disney Norwegian Fjords cruise or a self-guided land tour of Ireland?? With the Fjords cruise we would do 4 days in London.

We did Alaska cruise 2 years ago and loved it!! With the Ireland land tour we're concerned about the amount of car time and hotel transfers, but like the idea of being more immersed in a place and culture.

Also is it already too late to book the Fjords for August 2024 and get early dining?

Do the Fjords ports require a lot of travel time to hike once you stop?

Either way it would be the kids first trip to Europe.

 

[peig]

How long would you stay in Ireland if you were going with that option?

 

[Mags2002]

Cruise!!

 

[jldcherry]

9 or 10 days including travel (flying from the East Coast, so not terrible).

 

[jldcherry]

How long would you stay in Ireland if you were going with that option?

9 or 10 days including travel. Flying from the east coast so not terrible travel time.

 

[peig]

Both sound like amazing holiday experiences, though completely different vacation styles! I’d love to hear from a poster who has done the Norwegian Fjord cruise. Ireland is pretty small (the whole island is about the same size as South Carolina), so travel times may not be as bad as you fear. For the kids ages though - Ireland’s main attractions are the beautiful scenery, ancient ruins and castles, traditional music and eating/drinking experiences. Depends on your kids of course but I don’t think I was too interested in much of that as a preteen!
If you do ever visit Ireland I would suggest visiting as much of the West coast as possible, you could even fly into Shannon from Boston or JFK and avoid Dublin completely. Dublin is not a must-do IMO.

 

[AquaDame]

You know your kids the best; do you think they'd get much out of Ireland OYO..? It's hard to deny the ship and then a little history/nature off the ship wouldn't be better than an all land OYO without the Disney touch unless they are tepid about the kids clubs and such.

We went on a Norwegian Fjords cruise with Disney and I have to say I mostly ended up regretting seeing it that way. It is the only cruise of 13 I regret taking. We missed a port, the main one I was looking forward to which didn't help, to be fair. But far more so having to be back on the ship before dinner to sail away got very irksome when the sun was up so much later in the day. We could have seen and done so much more ashore had it been a traditional trip! AND there was the added price tag above going on another line as well, since it was DCL (DCL in Europe to boot which is even more expensive than a DCL cruise in the Caribbean). We don't have kids though, so our needs are a little different. If I could go back we would have done Norway on our own, and made it to Geiranger where we could have done a scenic sailing to see that view down the fjord as well.

 

[CamillaF]

You know your kids the best; do you think they'd get much out of Ireland OYO..? It's hard to deny the ship and then a little history/nature off the ship wouldn't be better than an all land OYO without the Disney touch unless they are tepid about the kids clubs and such.

We went on a Norwegian Fjords cruise with Disney and I have to say I mostly ended up regretting seeing it that way. It is the only cruise of 13 I regret taking. We missed a port, the main one I was looking forward to which didn't help, to be fair. But far more so having to be back on the ship before dinner to sail away got very irksome when the sun was up so much later in the day. We could have seen and done so much more ashore had it been a traditional trip! AND there was the added price tag above going on another line as well, since it was DCL (DCL in Europe to boot which is even more expensive than a DCL cruise in the Caribbean). We don't have kids though, so our needs are a little different. If I could go back we would have done Norway on our own, and made it to Geiranger where we could have done a scenic sailing to see that view down the fjord as well.

Thank you for that view point. We cancelled our Fjords cruise that would have left in a few weeks. We decided to do it on our own....... hopefully next year. a mixture of driving and taking a local company that does a ferry up the Fjords for the local population. Still trying to plan. However I was still second guessing my decision. I have 9 year old twins.

 

[jldcherry]

Both sound like amazing holiday experiences, though completely different vacation styles! I’d love to hear from a poster who has done the Norwegian Fjord cruise. Ireland is pretty small (the whole island is about the same size as South Carolina), so travel times may not be as bad as you fear. For the kids ages though - Ireland’s main attractions are the beautiful scenery, ancient ruins and castles, traditional music and eating/drinking experiences. Depends on your kids of course but I don’t think I was too interested in much of that as a preteen!
If you do ever visit Ireland I would suggest visiting as much of the West coast as possible, you could even fly into Shannon from Boston or JFK and avoid Dublin completely. Dublin is not a must-do IMO.

Interesting to hear Dublin is not a must do! Our kids enjoy being outside. They enjoyed wandering the beach in Alaska and a biking tour through Vancouver. Our son still talks about the Alaska State Museum.
On our recent DCL Caribbean cruise they didn't visit the kids clubs at all. They prefer to stay with us for crafts, swimming, trivia, and midship detective agency.
They want to see a dungeon and visit a "real" castle. So in Ireland I'd envision a lot of time exploring outside with some museums thrown in.
I think the appeal of a cruise is not switching hotels, not driving. Also beautiful scenery. I felt Alaska was perfect as a cruise, but definitely disliked the time pressure.

 

[ldo]

We did dcl fjords with 15 yr olds. We enjoyed the ports and did hiking, kayaking, fjords/waterfall scenic boat ride, and Hanseatic museum in Bergen (pouring rain). We liked doing 1/2 to 3/4 days and back on ship for fun, movies, etc. We and our kids had a great time. We had a 3 day land trip before and week-long after. My kids would prefer 4 days London at cruise. At their ages, my kids also enjoyed Baltics with castles in some places. Tower of London and day trip to hampton court palace might interest them?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

For those of you who may have done both, with kids (11) and (9) would you recommend the Disney Norwegian Fjords cruise or a self-guided land tour of Ireland?? With the Fjords cruise we would do 4 days in London.

I am from Ireland, and have lived in various parts of the country and travelled extensively all over the island.

I have also done a Disney Norway Fjords cruise in 2022. I am currently writing my trip report here https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...2022-updated-alesund-norway-port-day.3926775/

We did Alaska cruise 2 years ago and loved it!! With the Ireland land tour we're concerned about the amount of car time and hotel transfers, but like the idea of being more immersed in a place and culture.

Depending on what you plan to do, you can base yourself in Dublin or Cork or Galway and within a 2 hour drive of each location see and do so much. Driving direct Dublin to Cork is approx 2 hours now, and the longest drive you might do could be Dublin to Kerryy or Cork to Galway which would be about 3 hours.

Also is it already too late to book the Fjords for August 2024 and get early dining?

No I would say not. You can request early dining on the App and you can also go to guest services on embarkation day and request a change. From my 2022 Norwegian Fjords cruise, early dining was not popular, most people wanted late dining to maximise their port days.

Do the Fjords ports require a lot of travel time to hike once you stop?

Some do some dont. I did DIY in all the Norway ports. The ship goes right into the most towns or villages, and the scenery, both the sail ins and just at the harbour , docking areas are stunning. You dont have to do big hikes. The big hike that most people talk about is Pulpit Rock, but thats just in one port and its not necessary to do to see waterfals and the mountains.

9 or 10 days including travel (flying from the East Coast, so not terrible).

Thats a good amount of time. Just remember your arrival day and departure day will be rest days, where you wont want to do anything.

Both sound like amazing holiday experiences, though completely different vacation styles! I’d love to hear from a poster who has done the Norwegian Fjord cruise.

Waves hand I am from Ireland and I was on the Disney Magic Norway Fjords cruise in 2022

Ireland is pretty small (the whole island is about the same size as South Carolina), so travel times may not be as bad as you fear.

I agree, for example Dublin to Galway, East coast to West coast is approx 3 hours. Its so very different to America, we dont have epic road trips of 10 plus hours

For the kids ages though - Ireland’s main attractions are the beautiful scenery, ancient ruins and castles, traditional music and eating/drinking experiences.

No necessarily. Theres a lot more tourist things to do than ancient ruins. We have museums, a theme park, a water park, beaches, national parks, and so much more family activities.

If you do ever visit Ireland I would suggest visiting as much of the West coast as possible, you could even fly into Shannon from Boston or JFK and avoid Dublin completely.

I agree, flying to Shannon is often overlooked by Americans

Dublin is not a must-do IMO.

Yes and no
I agree that Dublin is not Ireland. While Dublin has a lot to offer as the capital city, the history from the Vikings to The War of Independence and Civil War, as well so much museums and tourist attractions, just visiting Dublin does not give the full Irish experience.

You know your kids the best; do you think they'd get much out of Ireland OYO..? It's hard to deny the ship and then a little history/nature off the ship wouldn't be better than an all land OYO without the Disney touch unless they are tepid about the kids clubs and such.

I agree, for first time family visits to Europe, having the familiarity of an American base, with American food and customer service, as well as the Disney on board experience is a really good idea. Sometimes I wonder with American OYO European holidays, who is the trip really for, as many seem not aware children may not be able for the constant immersion into a different culture.

We went on a Norwegian Fjords cruise with Disney and I have to say I mostly ended up regretting seeing it that way. It is the only cruise of 13 I regret taking. We missed a port, the main one I was looking forward to which didn't help, to be fair. But far more so having to be back on the ship before dinner to sail away got very irksome when the sun was up so much later in the day. We could have seen and done so much more ashore had it been a traditional trip! AND there was the added price tag above going on another line as well, since it was DCL (DCL in Europe to boot which is even more expensive than a DCL cruise in the Caribbean). We don't have kids though, so our needs are a little different. If I could go back we would have done Norway on our own, and made it to Geiranger where we could have done a scenic sailing to see that view down the fjord as well.

I'm sorry your Norway cruise didnt live up to your expectations. For me the highlight was getting up for sunrise every morning and experiencing the sail ins to the ports. I really loved the stillness and peace and quiet of the early mornings.

Thats one thing many Americans dont realise, is that due to being so far north, sunset is far later than in America. Even in Ireland, sun set right now in August is around 9.30pm.

Interesting to hear Dublin is not a must do! Our kids enjoy being outside. They enjoyed wandering the beach in Alaska and a biking tour through Vancouver. Our son still talks about the Alaska State Museum.

Dublin is like any other modern city. We have a very high cost of living in Ireland and as a result as a tourist you will find that Dublin is very expensive. Yes you can go to the museums and bike around the city, you really need to venture further and explore the rest of the country.

On our recent DCL Caribbean cruise they didn't visit the kids clubs at all. They prefer to stay with us for crafts, swimming, trivia, and midship detective agency.
They want to see a dungeon and visit a "real" castle. So in Ireland I'd envision a lot of time exploring outside with some museums thrown in.

Castles are everywhere and honestly once you have seen one, you have seen it. If you want a lot of time exploring outside with some museums thrown in, then you really need to base in Galway or Cork, not Dublin.

I think the appeal of a cruise is not switching hotels, not driving. Also beautiful scenery. I felt Alaska was perfect as a cruise, but definitely disliked the time pressure.

Norway is not Alaska. Thats a big mistake many Americas make. Norway is all about the long sail ins to the ports, the mountains, the Viking history and tiny vilages. You wont see much wild life either in the sea or on land.

We did dcl fjords with 15 yr olds. We enjoyed the ports and did hiking, kayaking, fjords/waterfall scenic boat ride, and Hanseatic museum in Bergen (pouring rain). We liked doing 1/2 to 3/4 days and back on ship for fun, movies, etc. We and our kids had a great time. We had a 3 day land trip before and week-long after. My kids would prefer 4 days London at cruise. At their ages, my kids also enjoyed Baltics with castles in some places. Tower of London and day trip to hampton court palace might interest them?

This is also something to consider. Weather in Norway is not a guarantee. Ports can get changed or missed or the weather may not be pleasant if you do get a shore and some activates may be cancelled.

 

[jldcherry]

I am from Ireland, and have lived in various parts of the country and travelled extensively all over the island.

I have also done a Disney Norway Fjords cruise in 2022. I am currently writing my trip report here https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...2022-updated-alesund-norway-port-day.3926775/


Depending on what you plan to do, you can base yourself in Dublin or Cork or Galway and within a 2 hour drive of each location see and do so much. Driving direct Dublin to Cork is approx 2 hours now, and the longest drive you might do could be Dublin to Kerryy or Cork to Galway which would be about 3 hours.


No I would say not. You can request early dining on the App and you can also go to guest services on embarkation day and request a change. From my 2022 Norwegian Fjords cruise, early dining was not popular, most people wanted late dining to maximise their port days.


Some do some dont. I did DIY in all the Norway ports. The ship goes right into the most towns or villages, and the scenery, both the sail ins and just at the harbour , docking areas are stunning. You dont have to do big hikes. The big hike that most people talk about is Pulpit Rock, but thats just in one port and its not necessary to do to see waterfals and the mountains.



Thats a good amount of time. Just remember your arrival day and departure day will be rest days, where you wont want to do anything.

Waves hand I am from Ireland and I was on the Disney Magic Norway Fjords cruise in 2022


I agree, for example Dublin to Galway, East coast to West coast is approx 3 hours. Its so very different to America, we dont have epic road trips of 10 plus hours


No necessarily. Theres a lot more tourist things to do than ancient ruins. We have museums, a theme park, a water park, beaches, national parks, and so much more family activities.


I agree, flying to Shannon is often overlooked by Americans


Yes and no
I agree that Dublin is not Ireland. While Dublin has a lot to offer as the capital city, the history from the Vikings to The War of Independence and Civil War, as well so much museums and tourist attractions, just visiting Dublin does not give the full Irish experience.


I agree, for first time family visits to Europe, having the familiarity of an American base, with American food and customer service, as well as the Disney on board experience is a really good idea. Sometimes I wonder with American OYO European holidays, who is the trip really for, as many seem not aware children may not be able for the constant immersion into a different culture.



I'm sorry your Norway cruise didnt live up to your expectations. For me the highlight was getting up for sunrise every morning and experiencing the sail ins to the ports. I really loved the stillness and peace and quiet of the early mornings.

Thats one thing many Americans dont realise, is that due to being so far north, sunset is far later than in America. Even in Ireland, sun set right now in August is around 9.30pm.


Dublin is like any other modern city. We have a very high cost of living in Ireland and as a result as a tourist you will find that Dublin is very expensive. Yes you can go to the museums and bike around the city, you really need to venture further and explore the rest of the country.


Castles are everywhere and honestly once you have seen one, you have seen it. If you want a lot of time exploring outside with some museums thrown in, then you really need to base in Galway or Cork, not Dublin.

Norway is not Alaska. Thats a big mistake many Americas make. Norway is all about the long sail ins to the ports, the mountains, the Viking history and tiny vilages. You wont see much wild life either in the sea or on land.


This is also something to consider. Weather in Norway is not a guarantee. Ports can get changed or missed or the weather may not be pleasant if you do get a shore and some activates may be cancelled.

Lots of great information! Thank you! I will definitely read the trip report. It is good to consider that Alaska cruises and Norway cruises are not the same. My husband and I would love sitting on the deck and watching the long sail in, but with kids who don't go to the kids area I don't know that we'll get to do enough of that. Our kids loved Alaska, but did not just hang out on deck watching the scenery.

Our Ireland plan has us beginning in Dublin doing a kid-focused city tour and viking museum(we have flight credit that makes this best) and then moving to Killarney, then Limerick, then finishing in Galway. It spreads the driving over time, but also requires switching hotels every couple days.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Lots of great information! Thank you! I will definitely read the trip report. It is good to consider that Alaska cruises and Norway cruises are not the same. My husband and I would love sitting on the deck and watching the long sail in, but with kids who don't go to the kids area I don't know that we'll get to do enough of that. Our kids loved Alaska, but did not just hang out on deck watching the scenery.

Our Ireland plan has us beginning in Dublin doing a kid-focused city tour and viking museum(we have flight credit that makes this best) and then moving to Killarney, then Limerick, then finishing in Galway. It spreads the driving over time, but also requires switching hotels every couple days.

You are welcome

Yes I heard a few comments from Americans who had been on Alaska cruises. They said that even without the wild life aspect , the Norway cruise was better than Alaska. While there were families on my cruise from many nationalities, you could defiantly feel the lower % of children on board.

 

[ldo]

We enjoyed the Norway cruise so much, we went back again last year (no kids) and plan to go again. The scenery is amazing and lots of wikes (walk/hike) to do for a few hours. We also loved Ireland and Scotland (British Isles cruise), so either trip will be fun. We did the move around every 2-3 days thru Europe (via train) and our kids much preferred the cruise for entertainment, home base, and fun dinners.

 

[jldcherry]

We did dcl fjords with 15 yr olds. We enjoyed the ports and did hiking, kayaking, fjords/waterfall scenic boat ride, and Hanseatic museum in Bergen (pouring rain). We liked doing 1/2 to 3/4 days and back on ship for fun, movies, etc. We and our kids had a great time. We had a 3 day land trip before and week-long after. My kids would prefer 4 days London at cruise. At their ages, my kids also enjoyed Baltics with castles in some places. Tower of London and day trip to hampton court palace might interest them?

The rhythm of time exploring off the ship then restful free time on the ship is definitely appealing. Left to my planning I will use every single minute to explore or do something else, so my husband appreciates that the cruise limits my ambitions for how much we can do in one day. My thought tends to be I can do Disney trivia in America, but he tends towards it's okay to mix in something familiar with the unfamiliar for the kids.

It's possible we'll do one of these trips summer 2024 and the next summer 2025.

 

[msmama]

We did the Norway/Iceland cruise when my son was 10. He's 15 now and we're doing a Scotland/England land trip in the fall. I purposely waited until my son was older to do the land trips because he can get stressed easily and now he can handle himself better (though we are returning home on the transatlantic instead of flying home). I finally managed to plan things where the majority of hotel stays are at least 3 nights which was a major issue for both of us.

The good thing about Norway is that it somewhere I don't think I'd have picked to go otherwise. We took a beautiful boat ride in Stavanger and drank water directly from a waterfall and fed mountain goats from on board and ate norwegian waffles in a cave. It was delightful! The whole place just looked like someplace out of a fairy tale. But unlike the other poster, I was ready to get back on the ship after our port days. I'm not much of a hiker (and it did seem that those who were were the ones who wanted more time).

 

[ldo]

My thought tends to be I can do Disney trivia in America, but he tends towards it's okay to mix in something familiar with the unfamiliar for the kids.

It's possible we'll do one of these trips summer 2024 and the next summer 2025.

I'm the same. I want to see it all! Our 1st (land) trip was exhausting for our kids (9,13). Some land and a cruise is a good mix. We did 4-6 hour port days and kids came back on ship and watched movies, played trivia, characters, putt putt, etc. that week and had a ball. They did not go into the kids club except once.
Yes, you'll want to go back! Also, in Europe, we still love DCL, but have gone on others as well. For British Isles we did Princess and Royal C for Baltics with the kids and they were good trips also.

 

[Hubie]

On our trip to Ireland, we flew into Cork and drove to Killarney. The countryside is beautiful, and the Irish are wonderful. We did two-day tours of the West Coast.

We've also taken the DCL Norway Cruise. It was great and we both love cruising, but the big disadvantage of a cruise of course is that you get to spend so little time in the ports. Having said that, on all three of our European cruises with DCL, we spent a few days both before and after the cruises in Denmark.

Another thing to check out is if you fly with Iceland Air you can stopover in Iceland for up to seven days on your way to Europe or on your way back home. I also definitely recommend a land trip to Scotland. Edinburgh is amazing and so are the Highlands.

 

[holula]

I would absolutely pick the Norway cruise. To me that’s the second best cruise I’ve been on after Alaska, and I’m going again (not DCL) next year.

I’ve been to Ireland twice (I’m English) and Norway is 1000% more stunning IMO. Plus you get two chill days on the ship.

 

[mousefan73]

For those of you who may have done both, with kids (11) and (9) would you recommend the Disney Norwegian Fjords cruise or a self-guided land tour of Ireland?? With the Fjords cruise we would do 4 days in London.

We did Alaska cruise 2 years ago and loved it!! With the Ireland land tour we're concerned about the amount of car time and hotel transfers, but like the idea of being more immersed in a place and culture.

Also is it already too late to book the Fjords for August 2024 and get early dining?

Do the Fjords ports require a lot of travel time to hike once you stop?

Either way it would be the kids first trip to Europe.

Edit: OMG just now realized you wrote Ireland not Iceland lol.... in that case.. norwary and london.. Ireland is great but the other is more exciting for kids. I would say the cost difference would be big. Ireland takes literally 4-5 hours to drive across. to see highlights slowly you need max 5 days. if even.

Both countries are spectacular. Both are awesome choices. Is money an issue?? I would think the cruise plus london might be more than Iceland. but Iceland can be pricey too. Iceland to do right you need a car and there will be lots of hiking and driving. Some parts of Iceland reminded us driving out west Dakotas.. you can drive for a long time and just have a vastness of no towns but wide horizons and scenery. Norwary is also stunning.

It really is a toss-up. but here are my thoughts.
1. does the sailing include Geirangerfjord? if so do that. As starting in 2025 I believe only electrical powered are allowed in, so no more cruises for now.
2. sailing Norway only gives a glimpse of the country. My friend spent 4 weeks RVing the past two Junes there and still is not bored. But he is the hiker, nature type. But sailing is an easy way to see Norwary. getting from A to B via land is a zig zag over bridges and tunnes.
3. Not sure what you mean by hiking from port, but depending on what port things are relatively close. ( under 2 hours)
3. iceland is amazing and you need a car and time to see the highlights many are off the beaten path.
5. London- just amazing..
6. For you kids ages,I would think you get more out of london and the cruise as an age appropiate experience. London has many kids stuff and DCL
7. Iceland by land is really just tons of driving, hiking and nature. wonderful but for some 9 and 10 year olds maybe too boring.