Norwegian Fjords 2020

[blabadie]

What do you all think about the ports for the Norwegian Fjords 2020? Will it be possible to see any of the best fjords? Any idea about things to do from Nordfjordeid?

2020 Disney Magic 7-Night Norwegian Fjords Cruise from Dover:
Day 1: Dover, England
Day 2: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Day 3: At Sea
Day 4: Nordfjordeid, Norway
Day 5: Alesund, Norway
Day 6: Stavanger, Norway
Day 7: At Sea
Day 8: Dover, England

2019 Disney Magic 7-Night Norwegian Fjords Cruise from Dover:
Day 1: Dover, England
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Alesund
Day 4: Geiranger
Day 5: Olden
Day 6: Stavanger, Norway
Day 7: At Sea
Day 8: Dover, England

We are eager to do a Norwegian Fjords with Disney (love the Viking Village signature Disney excursion from Alesund) but I'm not sure if 2020 is a good itinerary or not. We are looking for great scenery (including a rib boat fjord ride) and interesting Viking history sites. We are open to Disney and non-Disney port excursions.

Thank you!

 

[DCL_Wonder]

We were on the Norwegian Fjords cruise out of Copenhagen in 2017. It was a magical adventure. We especially enjoyed Geiranger.

 

[DisneyHelen]

I think 2019 Norwegian Fjords to Geiranger is better.We did the rib boat ride and it was amazing.We also did hike to pulpit rock in Stavanger.

 

[DahliaRW]

Definitely do the one with Geiranger. The sail in and out is beautiful and you actually go into the fjords. Stavanger is a lovely town and completely walkable from the ship (very easy to do your own thing). Alesund is also walkable, if I remember right.

 

[chamberlain]

Any idea why Disney is not going to Bergen in 2020? Just curious.

 

[blabadie]

Thanks for the input! It seems like missing out on Geiranger is a definite drawback. I'm doubtful that gaining Nordfjordeid makes up for it, although I'm sure any Norwegian Fjords cruise would be a good experience.

We are currently booked for the British Isles cruise for 2019. I wish now that we had booked the 2019 Norwegian Fjords and saved the British Isles for 2020.

The 2020 BI drops the Belfast port but adds Cork, Ireland and Plymouth, England (losing one sea day). I could still switch the cruises without losing money and do the Fjords this year and BI next year--although changing at this point would be a bit difficult (mainly coordinating the change with a family that is *tentatively* going on the 2019 British Isles cruise with us) and I'm sure the rates are higher than if I had booked the 2019 Fjords earlier.

Curious for opinions, in this situation would you...?
A) Switch the cruises so we do 2019 Fjords and 2020 British Isles
B) Keep the already booked 2019 British Isles cruise and hope for a better Fjords cruise in 2021
C) Keep the 2019 British Isles cruise and book the 2020 Fjords cruise

Thank you!

 

[Intr3pid]

A Norwegian Fjord cruise not visiting either Geirangerjord (port of Geiranger/Hellesyt) or Naeroyfjord (port of Flam) would be a deal breaker for us. These are the only two UNESCO-designated fjords in Norway!

Here are your Disney options if you want to do the fjords right:

1. Switch your 2019 booking to the cruise heading to Geiranger. (We are on this one too.)
2. Switch your 2019 booking to the one visiting Bergen. You can then do a a full-day excursion from Bergen to Flam, which includes the Flambana train and a mini cruise on Naeroyfjord. The downside is, as there is no Disney excursion, you will run the risk of potentially missing the boat.

Now, don't discount the 2020 cruise too soon. Look out for the times in port for Nordfjordeid.

3. Nordfjordeid is a 2.5-hour drive from Geiranger, including the time for that signature ferry trip between Hellesylt and Geiranger. If the Magic is in port long enough, I think Disney might offer an excursion to see Geirangerfjord.

If not, you DIY it. You can drive to Geirnger and return the same day. You can also spend the night in Geiranger, and rejoin the ship next day in Alesund. Alesund is about 3 hours from Geiranger, and it's a breathtaking drive.

 

[clten]

When considering your plans (or changing your current plans) keep in mind that ships miss ports. We were on DCL Norwegian Fjords cruise in 2017 and were very much looking forward to Geiranger. It was very disappointing to find out we were not going to make it in. We were Alesund the day before and if I knew we weren't going to make it into Geiranger, we would have done something very different on our Alesund day. Just wanted to give a dose of reality before you change vacation plans for two years because of ports that are on this year's itinerary that aren't on next year's.

 

[FSU Girl]

I would switch and go to Norway this year and the British Isles next year. Adding a port and removing a sea day makes that cruise a lot better in my mind. I don't know much at all about Norway, but from other posts it seems that this years ports are better?

 

[blabadie]

Well, I discussed switching the 2019 BI cruise to the Fjords but the kids have their heart set on British Isles for this year and I'm sure DH would prefer no changes for simplicity. The kids would love to do the Fjords next year, but right now I'm leaning towards holding out for a better itinerary in 2021.