Norway vs Mediterranean

[KGmomoftwins]

Hi looking for some insight to those who have been to Europe. I’m between 7 night Mediterranean out of Barcelona in July or the 8 night Norwegian fjords out of Southampton. We’ve never been to Europe, have twins who will be turning 13 that summer, and dh has some health issues so we might need a slower pace. Both right now cost the same for a 5b. I don’t really know a lot about the Norway ports and it seems dcl has not been to some of them before but it looks beautiful. Has anyone done Bruges Belgium, haugesund, nordfjordeid, or kristisnsand what did you do? Did I read correctly that this will be the last Norwegian fjords cruise?

As for the med this is kind of a dream of mine to go to Italy but I’d want extra time in Rome and to see ponza where my grandparents were raised. With it leaving and returning out of Barcelona it makes it difficult although dh said we could always do the cruise then take a quick flight to Rome and spend a week doing those things. Seems a bit exhausting and hot. Looking for Italy experience mid July even if it was a land only experience. Also in cittevichia if you didn’t go into Rome what did you do.

After that long winded question I guess I’m looking for which one will be the easiest in terms of flight travel, relaxation, and fun.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Hi looking for some insight to those who have been to Europe. I’m between 7 night Mediterranean out of Barcelona in July or the 8 night Norwegian fjords out of Southampton. We’ve never been to Europe, have twins who will be turning 13 that summer, and dh has some health issues so we might need a slower pace. Both right now cost the same for a 5b. I don’t really know a lot about the Norway ports and it seems dcl has not been to some of them before but it looks beautiful. Has anyone done Bruges Belgium, haugesund, nordfjordeid, or kristisnsand what did you do? Did I read correctly that this will be the last Norwegian fjords cruise?

As for the med this is kind of a dream of mine to go to Italy but I’d want extra time in Rome and to see ponza where my grandparents were raised. With it leaving and returning out of Barcelona it makes it difficult although dh said we could always do the cruise then take a quick flight to Rome and spend a week doing those things. Seems a bit exhausting and hot. Looking for Italy experience mid July even if it was a land only experience. Also in cittevichia if you didn’t go into Rome what did you do.

After that long winded question I guess I’m looking for which one will be the easiest in terms of flight travel, relaxation, and fun.

I am from Ireland and have done a land trip to Italy, Venice, Florence, Rome.

I have also done the 2022 Norwegian Fjords on The Magic.

I have also cruised out of Southampton in 2023 on The Dream.

Honestly I would never do a Mediterranean cruise in the summer. It peak tourist season, so not only do you have all the cruise passengers but also huge amounts of people doing land tours. All places get very crowded.

Italy in the summer is brutal. There is no air conditioning, and its long days, a lot of walking on uneven surfaces, high crowds.

Civitavecchia is a good 2 hours by bus from Rome, and the same by train if you do DIY.

For your party, with health issues needing a slower pace, I would pick the Norwegian Fjords.

Nordfjordeid was one of the ports on my Norwegian Fjords cruise, you can read my port day report here https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...updated-final-thoughts.3926775/#post-64972753

 

[tee11]

This will NOT be the last Norwegian Fjords cruise. The Norwegian government has imposed restrictions on fossil fuel using ships for their World Heritage designated fjords starting Jan 2026. Nordfjord is not designated world heritage, so DCL could use this port with existing ships in summer 2026. From Nordfjord excursions are offered to Geiranger fjord, which is one that is world heritage designated, or to Briksdal glacier. Several major cruise lines already have ships (or will have by 2026) that can switch to battery powered when they enter a fjord, and then back to Diesel. So I expect for operations to continue as before, especially since Diesel fuel cruise ships can still sail the many (!) other fjords and do excursions to nearby ones.

 

[Mommb]

I've done two Mediterranean cruises and one Northern Europe on DCL. The Med cruises were amazing, but the days were long because the interesting areas were a long drive from the port. If you want to spend time in Italy, you are probably better off doing land tours. There is not much to do in Civitavecchia. Post-cruise we spent a day going to Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli Gardens, but I wouldn't do those in place of Rome.

Bruges, on the other hand, was not that far from the port of Zeebruges. We took the "Bruges on Your Own" excursion that brought us on a bus and provided some information about sites, then walked around on our own for several hours. Our stops in Norway were Oslo, which is walkable from the port, and Stanvanger, where our excursion stopped at 2 museums and had a short walking tour after a fairly short bus ride. Just looking out the windows as the ship passed through the fjords was interesting.

If you need a slow pace, the Norwegian cruise would be a better option. It won't have the wow factor of Rome, Florence, Naples, and Barcelona, but it also won't have the heat and exhaustion.

 

[msmama]

I've done Med from Barcelona and Norway/Iceland (when I did it, it was from Dover, but I have sailed from Southampton).

I am SO GLAD I did the Med cruise, but I would also have a hard time recommending it. It was pretty brutal and both my son and I had minor breakdowns on our day in Rome because it was just so hot and crowded and kind of miserable (keep in mind this was the day after we'd climbed Mt. Vesuvius so YMMV). If you need to take it slower, it's not the cruise for you.

I can't speak to your specific ports, but our Norway cruise was delightful. It was a much slower pace. There were a lot of people on board who did hiking/outdoorsy kind of excursions. We did not. We took a boat up a fjord, drank water directly from a waterfall and tossed apples to mountain goats. We also ate Norwegian pancakes in a cave and did a troll walk. It was much slower paced and actually felt like a vacation. Plus, 8 days is more than 7, and I believe longer cruise is always better.

Whichever you chose, I suggest a few days before or after to explore, if you can swing it. Barcelona was a lovely city. The pace was pretty slow for a large city and I could spend days just looking at the Sagrada Familia. If you go the Southhampton route, I'd suggest time in London. On the way to Southhampton, you can stop at Windsor Castle and/or Stonehenge (Stonehenge if you can only do one). There are private transfers that offer those kind of things from London.

 

[tee11]

Both of these cruises will be amazing, but the Barcelona one is easier to do anytime (there are cruises every week all year long), and the destinations are also quite easy to cover via a trip on land (likely at a more relaxing pace). Also, if you want to see Italy most of all, while not cruise FROM/TO Rome (or to/from Venice) or better yet, do a trip by land?? Italy is very easy to navigate by train, and there is so much to see, the cities and towns link together very nicely. For a slower pace, you can rent somewhere with a pool in Tuscany in between exploring the cities. Tuscany is also very easy to drive. But, yes, July in Italy will be very hot. We've been all over Italy in the summer, and it's much nicer by the ocean, or in the north, weather wise, vs. Florence or Rome. Earlier in the summer is better.

The excursions offered on this Norwegian cruise will be amazing, and Norway, especially the Western fjords are breathtaking (plan for up to $1000 for a family of 4 for many of the excursions by DCL, unless you do a simple bus tour etc.). Nordfjordeid is the northernmost point of this cruise. It is south of Alesund where they went last year, and north of Bergen. A lot offered on this cruise will be more active (kayaking the fjords, hiking), but the nice thing about cruising is that you can truly tailor it to each person. London is a must see city in Europe, so it's a great embarkation port for you.

However, for a very first trip to Europe.... please consider how many options you truly have, cruising or land-wise, especially with that large of a budget!! What do you want to see the most? How many weeks do you actually have? Are you planning to go to Europe many more times from here on out, or is this more of a once-in-a-lifetime occasion?

 

[o&smom]

I agree with everyone’s advice. We have done three long Mediterranean cruises and one Iceland/Norway. We loved them all. The Med cruise last summer was extremely hot and surprisingly humid and way more crowded than the previous two. Mediterranean cruises are amazing, but pretty exhausting even if you try to alternate between intense and relaxing days. Norway is way more laid back and cooler temps help. We also went to Stavanger and Bergen, so not the new ports. They were easily walkable right from the ship. For your situation right now I would do Norway and plan another trip to the Mediterranean in shoulder season at some point in the future.

 

[Flossbolna]

Some fantastic recommendations from previous posters already. I do absolutely agree that a Med cruise is exhausting. We did it in May last year, so cooler than July, and because we live in Europe we took it easy in some ports. But we were still often hot and tired and exhausted.

Our Norway cruise was far more relaxed! And Norway is beautiful! So is Bruges by the way.

The only thing to keep in mind: September in Norway will definitely not be summer! And even summer in Norway is never really hot.

 

[Flossbolna]

This will NOT be the last Norwegian Fjords cruise. The Norwegian government has imposed restrictions on fossil fuel using ships for their World Heritage designated fjords starting Jan 2026. Nordfjord is not designated world heritage, so DCL could use this port with existing ships in summer 2026. From Nordfjord excursions are offered to Geiranger fjord, which is one that is world heritage designated, or to Briksdal glacier. Several major cruise lines already have ships (or will have by 2026) that can switch to battery powered when they enter a fjord, and then back to Diesel. So I expect for operations to continue as before, especially since Diesel fuel cruise ships can still sail the many (!) other fjords and do excursions to nearby ones.

Thanks for explaining this so well! I might bookmark this post in order to send people here when the whole no more cruises to Norway topic comes up again!

 

[Lesverts]

My view is based on what interests me. For Southern Europe so much of what I want to see is away from the water. Whereas most of the best parts of Norway can be easily seen by water. I think you would get a better representation of the destination with Norway. I could easily spend 2 weeks in the Lazio region which includes Rome. The idea of spending a couple hours there is not attractive to me. But that is just my opinion

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I've done Med from Barcelona and Norway/Iceland (when I did it, it was from Dover, but I have sailed from Southampton).

I am SO GLAD I did the Med cruise, but I would also have a hard time recommending it. It was pretty brutal and both my son and I had minor breakdowns on our day in Rome because it was just so hot and crowded and kind of miserable (keep in mind this was the day after we'd climbed Mt. Vesuvius so YMMV). If you need to take it slower, it's not the cruise for you.

I can't speak to your specific ports, but our Norway cruise was delightful. It was a much slower pace. There were a lot of people on board who did hiking/outdoorsy kind of excursions. We did not. We took a boat up a fjord, drank water directly from a waterfall and tossed apples to mountain goats. We also ate Norwegian pancakes in a cave and did a troll walk. It was much slower paced and actually felt like a vacation. Plus, 8 days is more than 7, and I believe longer cruise is always better.

Whichever you chose, I suggest a few days before or after to explore, if you can swing it. Barcelona was a lovely city. The pace was pretty slow for a large city and I could spend days just looking at the Sagrada Familia. If you go the Southhampton route, I'd suggest time in London. On the way to Southhampton, you can stop at Windsor Castle and/or Stonehenge (Stonehenge if you can only do one). There are private transfers that offer those kind of things from London.

Thank you for this honesty! The heat with dh and all the walking around is what I worry about he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year which is pretty unusual. I think our girls would love London and we could swing 4 nights ahead of the cruise. Your Norway excursion sound amazing did you use outside tour guides or dcl?

 

[KGmomoftwins]

My view is based on what interests me. For Southern Europe so much of what I want to see is away from the water. Whereas most of the best parts of Norway can be easily seen by water. I think you would get a better representation of the destination with Norway. I could easily spend 2 weeks in the Lazio region which includes Rome. The idea of spending a couple hours there is not attractive to me. But that is just my opinion

I agree I think Italy would be better off in late spring or early fall as a land trip.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Both of these cruises will be amazing, but the Barcelona one is easier to do anytime (there are cruises every week all year long), and the destinations are also quite easy to cover via a trip on land (likely at a more relaxing pace). Also, if you want to see Italy most of all, while not cruise FROM/TO Rome (or to/from Venice) or better yet, do a trip by land?? Italy is very easy to navigate by train, and there is so much to see, the cities and towns link together very nicely. For a slower pace, you can rent somewhere with a pool in Tuscany in between exploring the cities. Tuscany is also very easy to drive. But, yes, July in Italy will be very hot. We've been all over Italy in the summer, and it's much nicer by the ocean, or in the north, weather wise, vs. Florence or Rome. Earlier in the summer is better.

The excursions offered on this Norwegian cruise will be amazing, and Norway, especially the Western fjords are breathtaking (plan for up to $1000 for a family of 4 for many of the excursions by DCL, unless you do a simple bus tour etc.). Nordfjordeid is the northernmost point of this cruise. It is south of Alesund where they went last year, and north of Bergen. A lot offered on this cruise will be more active (kayaking the fjords, hiking), but the nice thing about cruising is that you can truly tailor it to each person. London is a must see city in Europe, so it's a great embarkation port for you.

However, for a very first trip to Europe.... please consider how many options you truly have, cruising or land-wise, especially with that large of a budget!! What do you want to see the most? How many weeks do you actually have? Are you planning to go to Europe many more times from here on out, or is this more of a once-in-a-lifetime occasion?

Thank you. Super awesome points. I think we would likely be going to Europe another time to land travel through Italy. We would spend 4-5 nights in London ahead of the cruise. London had been a city I’ve really wanted to go to forever. Did you do any excursions on your own in Norway? The girls also really want to go to Paris but I think that might be a cool high school graduation trip. I kind of feel like we are running out of time and lost last summer because dh had to have 2 surgeries and was newly diagnosed with t1 diabetes.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Some fantastic recommendations from previous posters already. I do absolutely agree that a Med cruise is exhausting. We did it in May last year, so cooler than July, and because we live in Europe we took it easy in some ports. But we were still often hot and tired and exhausted.

Our Norway cruise was far more relaxed! And Norway is beautiful! So is Bruges by the way.

The only thing to keep in mind: September in Norway will definitely not be summer! And even summer in Norway is never really hot.

The dates are August 10-18 so maybe like an upstate ny fall lol

 

[Flossbolna]

The dates are August 10-18 so maybe like an upstate ny fall lol

That should still be ok weatherwise. Not sure why thought September… I once spent two weeks of August in Stockholm and people there were talking about the record heat. It was highs of 78. Ultimately Norway is as far North as Alaska. Only the Gulf Stream keeps it (and all of Western Europe) warmer than the North American continent. E.g. New York City is as far south as Rome. But early fall seems to be a good way of thinking about it. Layers and good rain gear will be your best bet!

 

[holula]

I agree with everyone else here: pick Norway. Norway is so beautiful and will not be packed and a million degrees.

 

[auntlynne]

Agree with everyone! Our DCL Med cruise was in early May - and Rome already hot and humid (not the record heat of the last few years, even).

 

[shosh1530]

This thread is so making me wish that the Norway cruise was scheduled during our school break period (late May-July)

And I'm also rethinking the 2025 Med cruise I just booked (one-way Barcelona to Cittevichia) starting May 31. Will it be crowded and hot the first week of June?

 

[Flossbolna]

This thread is so making me wish that the Norway cruise was scheduled during our school break period (late May-July)

And I'm also rethinking the 2025 Med cruise I just booked (one-way Barcelona to Cittevichia) starting May 31. Will it be crowded and hot the first week of June?

We did the Med cruise in mid May. It was warm and busy, but not horribly so. Early June is still not really summer season in Europe. Most countries in Europe break for the summer in July/August. I think your week is still ok. But Rome never really is not busy anymore. Maybe second week of January??

I think first week of June is going to be much better than mid July!! But walking around cities you will get hot in the summer for sure even if it’s only 75 degrees.

 

[holula]

This thread is so making me wish that the Norway cruise was scheduled during our school break period (late May-July)

And I'm also rethinking the 2025 Med cruise I just booked (one-way Barcelona to Cittevichia) starting May 31. Will it be crowded and hot the first week of June?

I think you should be okay then although Rome is always busy now. But also as it’s a one way you don’t have to rush to Rome for 12 hours in port, you can take your time and enjoy it.