Norway July 27 2026

We just got back from a cruise to Norway (on a different cruise line) and I just wanted to say that we found it super easy to explore on our own there. Very safe and friendly and everyone speaks English. My family hates being "herded around" and having to follow a schedule, so I always check out the other options. In Alesund we could take a taxi to the viewpoint with four people for a fraction of the cost of one excursion and had total control over when we came and left.

We also did a one day car rental at another stop and had complete freedom to explore the most beautiful scenery and visit a small stave church nearby. Again, the car rental plus half a tank of gas cost less than the least expensive organized excursion for one person. And when we drove past an adorable farm stand selling berries and jam we could just pull in and check it out like we could at home, no whipping past in a big bus.

At our last stop deep in the fjords I did a quick google search and booked a zodiac boat cruise with a company five minutes walk from the cruise dock. It turned out to be the same company the cruise company used, but instead of a big boat with 12 or more other people from the ship we got a smaller boat with only 3 other people. Again we paid less and had complete control over departure times.

Even if you don't usually do excursions on your own, I'd recommend checking out the options for Norway.
 
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Be aware that even if excursions for a port are listed on the DCL website, those are excursions that were offered in the past and may not be offered next year.

DCL hasn’t stopped at Molde and Bergen for several years, so when excursions are added to the DCL website for those ports (probably shortly before Concierge guests can book activities) the lists will be more reliable than the one for Alesund.
 
It IS a whole year away. . . A lot can change. Including stops in a specific port. I will say that the ship I was on docked very close to the charming old part of Bergen, so doing your own thing there would be easy to do.
 
We just got back from a cruise to Norway (on a different cruise line) and I just wanted to say that we found it super easy to explore on our own there. Very safe and friendly and everyone speaks English. My family hates being "herded around" and having to follow a schedule, so I always check out the other options. In Alesund we could take a taxi to the viewpoint with four people for a fraction of the cost of one excursion and had total control over when we came and left.

We also did a one day car rental at another stop and had complete freedom to explore the most beautiful scenery and visit a small stave church nearby. Again, the car rental plus half a tank of gas cost less than the least expensive organized excursion for one person. And when we drove past an adorable farm stand selling berries and jam we could just pull in and check it out like we could at home, no whipping past in a big bus.

At our last stop deep in the fjords I did a quick google search and booked a zodiac boat cruise with a company five minutes walk from the cruise dock. It turned out to be the same company the cruise company used, but instead of a big boat with 12 or more other people from the ship we got a smaller boat with only 3 other people. Again we paid less and had complete control over departure times.

Even if you don't usually do excursions on your own, I'd recommend checking out the options for Norway.
When renting a car in a foreign country, it's important to be aware that your personal U.S. auto insurance policy likely does not extend coverage to international rentals. Therefore, it is highly recommended to purchase the additional insurance offered by the rental company. Furthermore, please remember that if you participate in an independent, non-shipboard excursion, and experience delays, the cruise ship may depart without you.
 
When renting a car in a foreign country, it's important to be aware that your personal U.S. auto insurance policy likely does not extend coverage to international rentals. Therefore, it is highly recommended to purchase the additional insurance offered by the rental company. Furthermore, please remember that if you participate in an independent, non-shipboard excursion, and experience delays, the cruise ship may depart without you.
This is pretty much common knowledge, renting a car abroad always requires insurance.

And yes, even if you walk five minutes away from the ship to visit a shop, trip and break your leg and need to go to the hospital, the ship will sail away without you. The risk is never zero. But my point is that if you're ever going to break away from the cruise herd and explore a bit on your own, Norway is a very easy and safe place to do so. Taking a 15 minute taxi ride at a stop where the ship is docked for 9 hours is a very minimal risk. It seems a bit sad to me when people "visit" an amazing place as a cruise port and never actually touch the ground without a group and leader or have a single interaction with a local person outside the cruise port.
 
Also be warned on our Disney Norway Cruise 2 years ago one shore excursion was cancelled due to weather and poor guest behaviour and at the next port all excursions were cancelled by Disney (different reports but the common reason was protests from locals.
 
This is pretty much common knowledge, renting a car abroad always requires insurance.

And yes, even if you walk five minutes away from the ship to visit a shop, trip and break your leg and need to go to the hospital, the ship will sail away without you. The risk is never zero. But my point is that if you're ever going to break away from the cruise herd and explore a bit on your own, Norway is a very easy and safe place to do so. Taking a 15 minute taxi ride at a stop where the ship is docked for 9 hours is a very minimal risk. It seems a bit sad to me when people "visit" an amazing place as a cruise port and never actually touch the ground without a group and leader or have a single interaction with a local person outside the cruise port.
I posted my thoughts on this mostly for the travelers that may not realize some of the risks not to say that you were wrong. We have also done some excursions on own.
 

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