Just back from inaugural Norwegian Fjords cruise 6/6/15

[Flossbolna]

So, I am sitting at airport on my way back home. It looks like there is no other thread started about our cruise and I know that people leaving next Saturday for the next Norwegian cruise will want to ask lots of questions. At least I would have loved this before our cruise.

I am happy to answer any questions and hope others who were on that cruise will chime in as well.

We had a fantastic time despite the cold weather. Temperatures were between 40s and 60s, the last sea day was 70 degrees. We had layers, cardigans, soft shell jacket, fleece, rain proof jacket and adjusted accordingly. Especially for the wind the rain proof jacket was valuable.

The only substantial rain was in Geiranger, but I think all days had some rain.

The ship docked very close to the city/village centre in every port, so it was easy to explore. Bergen was a bit further out, but only about a 15 minute walk. We just explored on our own in all ports with the exception of Ålesund, where we did the DCL excursion Path of the Trolls with Leisure Time. This was a very long bus ride, but through fantastic landscapes.

There was very cute Norwegian Fjords merchandise. Some was inaugural cruise specific, some was more general. There were special costumes for characters as well as for CMs.

ok, that's a few things, ask ahead!!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Hope you had a great cruise.

 

[Flossbolna]

Hope you had a great cruise.

Thanks! Yes, it was quite amazing all around, the itinerary as well as the ship and crew.

 

[DISGRL13]

Glad you had a great cruise! We are on a cruise next summer that goes to Oslo, Bergen and Kristiansand. Can you say the "must do/see" in these ports? (We were thinking of using the HOHO bus in each city to see the sights.)

Also as you sail in and out of these 3 ports can you see the fjords from the ship? Can you really get the feeling of the fjords from the ship or do you need to take a separate excursion on a smaller boat to get to see the fjords? Thanks in advance!!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Welcome back!! Looking forward to hearing and seeing your adventures We are in serious countdown mode for ours ~ woohoo!

Heather

 

[Miss_shortie5]

It was a fantastic (first) cruise for us! As for the HOHO bus, I was a little underwhelmed with the one in Bergen. We enjoyed the fenicular (apologies if spelt wrong) up mount floyen. We didn't go to the other ports mentioned. The HOHO in Copenhagen was brilliant.

 

[SuperDry]

Was there a Pirates night? Did it have fireworks?

 

[DISGRL13]

It was a fantastic (first) cruise for us! As for the HOHO bus, I was a little underwhelmed with the one in Bergen. We enjoyed the fenicular (apologies if spelt wrong) up mount floyen. We didn't go to the other ports mentioned. The HOHO in Copenhagen was brilliant.

Great to know about Bergen. We will definitely try the Copenhagen HOHO bus!! Can you recommend a hotel in Copenhagen? Thanks again!

 

[frozenmania]

Glad that you are back home safely. I bet you are exhausted.

How was the food on board? Any Nowrgian food?

Given the wet weather, did Disney provide you with ponchos?

I read from previous Baltic cruise trip report that Copenhagen airport is quite hectic and disorganized. Did you experience that?

Where did you stay in Copenhagen?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Flossbolna]

Glad you had a great cruise! We are on a cruise next summer that goes to Oslo, Bergen and Kristiansand. Can you say the "must do/see" in these ports? (We were thinking of using the HOHO bus in each city to see the sights.)

Also as you sail in and out of these 3 ports can you see the fjords from the ship? Can you really get the feeling of the fjords from the ship or do you need to take a separate excursion on a smaller boat to get to see the fjords? Thanks in advance!!

Our cruise went to Stavanger, Ålesund, Geiranger and Bergen, so I can only comment on Bergen. We got up early for sailing into Bergen and there is no fjord there, just islands around. It is pretty, but not as spectacular as Geiranger. That was the only port where you sailed into a fjord.

In Bergen we enjoyed Old Bergen, which is a museum of old wooden houses. We got there by city bus. We also went up to Mount Fløyen with the funicular. We did this in the afternoon when the lines had gotten shorter.

 

[Flossbolna]

Welcome back!! Looking forward to hearing and seeing your adventures We are in serious countdown mode for ours ~ woohoo!

Heather

Have a fantastic cruise!

 

[Flossbolna]

Was there a Pirates night? Did it have fireworks?

No pirates night, just Frozen.

No fireworks, it really was never dark during normal hours. Sunset was between 10:15pm and 11:30pm depending on how far north we were and sunrise was 3am or 4am.

 

[Flossbolna]

Great to know about Bergen. We will definitely try the Copenhagen HOHO bus!! Can you recommend a hotel in Copenhagen? Thanks again!

We stayed at the First Hotel Mayfair, which is close to the main railway station. Not sure I would recommend it. It was fairly affordable (considering how expensive hotels are in Copenhagen), but not in the best shape. It was ok though and had a nice breakfast. It is in a bit of a seedy neighbourhood, but being from Europe, I am used to that as the areas around the train stations are often like that, a mixture of normal hotels and night clubs. It never felt unsafe. Especially compared to other European cities, it was actual far less in your face.

There are plenty of other hotels in that area in a similar rice range and a lot of them get good ratings on trip advisor. It is a centrally located area of Copenhagen with good transportation.

 

[Flossbolna]

Glad that you are back home safely. I bet you are exhausted.

How was the food on board? Any Nowrgian food?

Given the wet weather, did Disney provide you with ponchos?

I read from previous Baltic cruise trip report that Copenhagen airport is quite hectic and disorganized. Did you experience that?

Where did you stay in Copenhagen?

Thanks in advance!

The food was very good! After a bit of a disappointing experience last year on the Wonder, I was a bit afraid that the food would be a let down.

The standard menus (we had the three rotational ones, Prince and Princess, Captain's Gala, Til We Meet Again and of course Frozen) all had regional dishes added. Some of them appeared to be dishes that are usually on the menu as well, but maybe with a different twist to it. It usually was two each of the Appetizer section, the Soup and Salad section and the Entree section. We had quite a few of these and thought they were very well done. However, with Regional they definitely mean all of Scandinavia. I think they might use the same menus for the Baltic cruise.

Frozen menu is definitely very Scandinavian as well. We tried the charcuterie platter that I have read comments about that it is inedible. We liked it well enough, BUT we are from Germany and the meats on this platter are actually typical German sausage meats. We got a good laugh out of it. It is a slice of tongue sausage, a slice of garlic bologna sausage, some liverwurst and the something we call tea sausage, it is a spread, similar to liverwurst, but without liver.

We never saw ponchos being handed out nor did we see people with Disney ponchos. I think they expect you to come prepared if you cruise to a country which is home to the city that has the most rainy days in the world (Bergen).

Copenhagen airport appears to be too small for the traffic it has. However, we only waited 3 minutes for security. And once you are through security, there is lots of fantastic shopping. Danish Design and souvenirs. Even good food. So just get there early.

 

[DISGRL13]

Thank you for all the information Flossbolna!!!

 

[elena_n2o]

We were also on that cruise, it was really wonderful, I am so very jealous of those doing it next week... We all came back in love with Norway. And Copenhagen!

 

[Cruisingwiththefam]

Thank you so much for posting and for offering to answer questions. I've been waiting to read trip reports of this cruise to help with my own planning. My family and I are booked on the 6/2016 cruise! These are the port adventures I was considering:
Stavenger - Lysefjord Cruise
Alesund - Alesund Highlights or DIY
Geiranger - Dalsnibba Viewpoint and Fjord Center or Views of Norway
Bergen - DIY (Mt. Floien)
Any info or recommendations you can provide on these port adventures or opinions on DIY is appreciated.
Finally, I have to ask for the kids - are the pools/hot tubs open for use? If yes, was anyone in them??? You won't catch me in them but I know my kids might just get in! This is our first cold-weather cruise. Thank you in advance!

 

[DahliaRW]

I will be writing a trip report over the next couple of days, but to answer questions in this thread as well...

Weather - bring a rainproof jacket and lots of layers. It can be cold. We wore our winter jackets in most of the ports. A lot of people ended up buying overpriced coats in the ports because they were unprepared. A hat and gloves is not a bad idea either.

CPH airport - AWFUL! It was chaotic and difficult to figure out. Long lines for bag drop. Allow plenty of time departing. Then, once you get through security they don't announce the gate for your flight until an 1-2 hours beforehand. There is a nice play area (family area it is called) near the A gates if you have time to kill and small children. DD loved that.

I can comment a lot on Bergen. We spent 3 days there earlier in our trip.

The funicular is fantastic with great views. There is a great playground at the top. A great option if you have children!

My boys' favorite thing in Bergen was Hakon's Hall and Rosencranz Tower. There is a free tour in English (with admission), check their website for times. It's a short walk from the ship. Also in that area is Bryggens Museum which is fantastic about old Bergen. You also are really close to Bryggen and can walk there easily.

We didn't do the Iconic Norway excursion through DCL, but on our own (not during the cruise) we did Norway in a Nutshell which is similar. It's ok if you're into sitting on some form of transportation all day long looking at views out the window. I felt it was a waste of a day. I'd only do something like this if I could go to one place and stay overnight, etc. It is a long day. Plus, most of the train stations are very small. The weather was nasty the day we went and we couldn't get inside at two of the stations due to crowding, which was awful. It was not fun to be stuck outside with rain, hail, and wind in Flam.

As far as DCL excursions, we did the Ovre Eide Farm and LOVED it! This was the one excursion we thought would be fun for my daughter, but didn't think would be all that interested, but it was great. First we met the farmer who told us about the farm. Then there were pony rides, one of the horses being the horse breed from Frozen which dd LOVED! Then we got to go feed the sheep, pet rabbits, chickens, etc. around the farm. At this point it was kind if at your own pace. You could also walk out in the sheep paddock and the scenery across the lake was beautiful. Finally, we went inside and they had prepared some food for us, traditional porridge, cookies, apple juice from apples grown in the region, coffee, tea, and sausages. Really, really nice. It felt like you were invited to visit a family member's farm, not corporate or tour feeling at all. Really just wonderful.

Thank you so much for posting and for offering to answer questions. I've been waiting to read trip reports of this cruise to help with my own planning. My family and I are booked on the 6/2016 cruise! These are the port adventures I was considering:
Stavenger - Lysefjord Cruise
Alesund - Alesund Highlights or DIY
Geiranger - Dalsnibba Viewpoint and Fjord Center or Views of Norway
Bergen - DIY (Mt. Floien)
Any info or recommendations you can provide on these port adventures or opinions on DIY is appreciated.
Finally, I have to ask for the kids - are the pools/hot tubs open for use? If yes, was anyone in them??? You won't catch me in them but I know my kids might just get in! This is our first cold-weather cruise. Thank you in advance!

Mt. Floien is very easy to do yourself. Go early, though, it gets crowded later in the day. I'd recommend getting off the ship asap and going straight there. It's worth it to wait for the very front seat on the ride down as well.

As for as Geiranger, you can DIY there for a whole lot less money too. There are a couple of companies that do sightseeing buses to the viewpoints for about 1/4 the cost of what DCL charges. You can prebook or just buy your ticket day of. You can walk up to the Fjord Center via a beautiful waterfall walk (stairs that go alongside a waterfall). It takes about 20 minutes. You could also take a taxi if that is easier, again, for a lot less than DCL charges. I personally would not pay for a DCL excursion there, you have plenty of time to do your own thing.

Swimming, my dd swam nearly every day despite cold temperatures. The pools are heated. She was fine as long as she was in the water. When she got out I wrapped her in a towel and then a fleece blanket (they had the blankets available to use on the boat, in the same cabinets as the towels), and then would take her to our cabin, pop her in the shower to warm up, and have hot cocoa to drink after.

 

[frozenmania]

Sounds like you had fantastic time. Any special characters on board? Did you have to get tickets for Princess gathering and Elsa/ Anna meet and greet?

I would love to see your Navigators!

Thanks.

 

[Goofy4Disney99]

As for the Copenhagen airport, the international terminal was insanely crowded. Probably took us 2 hours from getting off the disney transfer bus to our gate after the Transatlantic cruise two weeks ago. It is very confusing. You have to get your own baggage claim tags. All we saw were signs for SAS airlines. We were flying Iceland Air. We eventually found out that we had to use the SAS lines anyway. As a previous poster mentioned, once you get through all of that and get past security to the gates, it is very nice with shops and decent places for food. Just plan on more time than normal for getting through the process and to your gate.