Norwegian Fjords cruise or Ireland land trip

[mousefan73]

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.

I have a friend who has RVd the past 2 weeks in June in Norway he loved it and could see so much.. But just keep in mind Norway is SUPER expensive. From a cost view, I am willing to bet a cruise is the cheapest way for a family to see Norway. Now if DCL with higher fares still is cheaper is a different calculus. Food and dining is super pricey. Worse than Switzerland IMO.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Our family would choose a land based vacation for anywhere in Europe. We enjoy the DCL cruises we've had in the Caribbean, but if I'm going all the way to Europe I would prefer to be somewhat more immersed in the area than to get a brief taste of it and then have to get back on the ship. Maybe if I've been a number of times and want to go for something different, or when I'm older and not allowed to rent a car anymore, then a cruise in Europe will be our thing. But for now, land is what we do.

 

[AquaDame]

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.

It's OK we didn't enjoy it; you have to do things to learn sometimes. It has saved me from making the mistake in other countries now, and there are far less scenic places to be "stuck" than the Norwegian Fjords!

I did not mean to give you the impression that as an American I was surprised about the long days - we're well traveled and know. My brother lives in Leiden and he smirks about their extra hour in the summer, I smirk in the winter. We just didn't think it'd matter, since it has never bothered us before. For the Norwegian Fjords though it mattered. The short port times we had were irksome.

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.

I am just weird all around I guess...! We preferred Alaska and the wildlife, hands down. If you remove the wildlife I would agree though. We went back and did Alaska a second time, and I want to go on a line that visits Glacier Bay as well. The second time we did make sure to add on some days at the end to tour around Anchorage and Denali - we went with a line that does one ways and also saw Hubbard which gave us our best view of calving until our recent cruise around the west and north shores of Svalbard.

I agree that food prices in Norway are a whole different level, and portions are smaller for what you buy to boot.

 

[mlayton14]

It's OK we didn't enjoy it; you have to do things to learn sometimes. It has saved me from making the mistake in other countries now, and there are far less scenic places to be "stuck" than the Norwegian Fjords!

I did not mean to give you the impression that as an American I was surprised about the long days - we're well traveled and know. My brother lives in Leiden and he smirks about their extra hour in the summer, I smirk in the winter. We just didn't think it'd matter, since it has never bothered us before. For the Norwegian Fjords though it mattered. The short port times we had were irksome.



I am just weird all around I guess...! We preferred Alaska and the wildlife, hands down. If you remove the wildlife I would agree though. We went back and did Alaska a second time, and I want to go on a line that visits Glacier Bay as well. The second time we did make sure to add on some days at the end to tour around Anchorage and Denali - we went with a line that does one ways and also saw Hubbard which gave us our best view of calving until our recent cruise around the west and north shores of Svalbard.

I agree that food prices in Norway are a whole different level, and portions are smaller for what you buy to boot.

Interesting Alaska vs Norway , we had the same tough decision with 2 teens - we chose Norway and can report back in 3 weeks. For us it boiled down to amazing scenery in both - but would we rather have a more exotic European culture between food ,architecture, history etc (being an American) or a rugged gold rush town vibe with Alaska , we chose the former (would still love to try Alaska maybe someday)

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

We did the Norway/Iceland/Scotland cruise in 2018 (kids were 8 and 10) and just got back from a 9 night land trip in Ireland. I was just saying to my husband that I think I preferred the cruise option. Ireland had us changing hotels every 1-2 nights and while the driving wasn't extensive, 2-3 hours per day took up a lot of time (and I was anxious in the car until my husband got the hang of driving there).

We saw a lot in Ireland but I still didn't feel "immersed". We had to choose a few things to do each day, just like on a cruise. I tend to over-plan things so it's nice on a cruise to have built in down time. The cruise felt like more of a vacation to me.

We very much enjoyed Ireland but it wasn't the all out amazing experience of the cruise in 2018. If you can tack on a few days in Iceland/Copenhagen before the cruise, you won't regret it.

 

[jldcherry]

We did the Norway/Iceland/Scotland cruise in 2018 (kids were 8 and 10) and just got back from a 9 night land trip in Ireland. I was just saying to my husband that I think I preferred the cruise option. Ireland had us changing hotels every 1-2 nights and while the driving wasn't extensive, 2-3 hours per day took up a lot of time (and I was anxious in the car until my husband got the hang of driving there).

We saw a lot in Ireland but I still didn't feel "immersed". We had to choose a few things to do each day, just like on a cruise. I tend to over-plan things so it's nice on a cruise to have built in down time. The cruise felt like more of a vacation to me.

We very much enjoyed Ireland but it wasn't the all out amazing experience of the cruise in 2018. If you can tack on a few days in Iceland/Copenhagen before the cruise, you won't regret it.

This is good information! We're very torn. Using this board plus lots of YouTube videos to help me decide. I do wish the Magic was still in Europe as we really want to sail on it. Rapunzel is my fav and I would love to see the show.
Is it too cold to want a verandah?
I definitely think the cruise portion would feel more like a vacation. After 4 or 5 days on land with museums etc we may want a sea day. The other attraction of a cruise is not having to think about food. With kids prearranged food is always a plus.

 

[AquaDame]

I don't think it was too cold to have a verandah; we loved ours in Norway! I also think it is worth noting a lot of folks who had a better time than we made sure to have land days in addition to the cruise. We had spent a couple nights in Copenhagen to see Tivoli, but otherwise we cruised and went home. That may have been part of the problem.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I don't think it was too cold to have a verandah; we loved ours in Norway! I also think it is worth noting a lot of folks who had a better time than we made sure to have land days in addition to the cruise. We had spent a couple nights in Copenhagen to see Tivoli, but otherwise we cruised and went home. That may have been part of the problem.

Even though I said land option, I do think a land+cruise combo sounds pretty good too, if you have enough time. That way you get the relaxation and broad overview of a cruise, but you get to be more immersed in an area also. I didn't read close enough and see that the cruise would also involve several days in London. When I look at European cruises (I like to just browse itineraries even if I have no plans to take one) I really like the ones that start in one port and end in another, so that I could get two areas in depth.

We saw a lot in Ireland but I still didn't feel "immersed". We had to choose a few things to do each day, just like on a cruise. I tend to over-plan things so it's nice on a cruise to have built in down time. The cruise felt like more of a vacation to me.

Yeah, immersed probably isn't the right term ... when I'm spending 2-3 nights in a place and hitting some tourist sites, and staying in the tourist area, that's not exactly immersion. I just know I really like strolling around in the evening, stumbling upon some hole in the wall restaurant, or learning about a place we should stop from someone in a hotel or a waiter, and being able to work that into the plans. And not have a time I need to be back anywhere. Shopping in the local grocery stores or markets to make picnic lunches, walking around in the early morning as shops are opening up. Also I think a huge part of experiencing an area is the food, but if I've already (effectively) paid for food on the cruise, I'm not going to be as excited about also paying for meals on shore. I want my breakfast, lunch, and dinner to be in the country I'm visiting.


Most all of our big vacations have us moving from place to place every 1-3 days. Usually the scenery on the drive between places is so spectacular that the drive is really part of the experience. I think that's just what I'm used to. So, the appeal of a single place to come back to each evening isn't a huge factor for me. We pack really light and it's usually pretty quick to get things packed up.

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

This is good information! We're very torn. Using this board plus lots of YouTube videos to help me decide. I do wish the Magic was still in Europe as we really want to sail on it. Rapunzel is my fav and I would love to see the show.
Is it too cold to want a verandah?
I definitely think the cruise portion would feel more like a vacation. After 4 or 5 days on land with museums etc we may want a sea day. The other attraction of a cruise is not having to think about food. With kids prearranged food is always a plus.

It was pretty chilly when we cruised. We had an inside room on deck 2 and it worked out really well. It's the only time we have had an inside room actually, but I liked the extra storage and it was nice and dark even when it was still light outside so late. We ended up hanging out quite a bit at the Cove cafe and just outside of there.

 

[jldcherry]

Thank you to everyone for all the great advice! We decided against the Norway cruise, mostly because of the itinerary (it misses a couple places we'd like) and because it ties us to specific travel dates. Planning Ireland and waiting for summer 2025 Caribbean cruises to come out!

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have done both. It’s such a completely different experience, lots of outdoor things to do on both a cruise and a driving trip. If I were doing Ireland again, I definitely prefer the west coast. Driving from Dublin to the dingle peninsula, driving north and stopping at the spectacular cliffs of mohr, Staying in Dooley for the music (kids would love the pub), maybe taking a ferry over to the Aran islands, staying at the ashford castle. Driving on the narrow country roads and looking for sheep. But y are changing hotels frequently and there is a lot of driving time which yiur kids may or may not like. On a Norway cruise, yiu see spectacular scenery from the ship. If you Go to Oslo, there is a wonderful museum with Viking ships. If yiu go to Bergen, it’s a beautiful little village. If you combine Norway and Iceland on a cruise, you get la few extra sea days and you get to see Iceland which is one of the most beautiful countries with lots of waterfalls, hot springs, puffins, darling icelandic horses to ride. It’s a hard choice.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have done both. It’s such a completely different experience, lots of outdoor things to do on both a cruise and a driving trip. If I were doing Ireland again, I definitely prefer the west coast. Driving from Dublin to the dingle peninsula, driving north and stopping at the spectacular cliffs of mohr, Staying in Dooley for the music (kids would love the pub), maybe taking a ferry over to the Aran islands, staying at the ashford castle. Driving on the narrow country roads and looking for sheep. But y are changing hotels frequently and there is a lot of driving time which yiur kids may or may not like. On a Norway cruise, yiu see spectacular scenery from the ship. If you Go to Oslo, there is a wonderful museum with Viking ships. If yiu go to Bergen, it’s a beautiful little village. If you combine Norway and Iceland on a cruise, you get la few extra sea days and you get to see Iceland which is one of the most beautiful countries with lots of waterfalls, hot springs, puffins, darling icelandic horses to ride. It’s a hard choice.

 

[tidefan]

To throw another option out there for you...

This past May/June we did a British Isles cruise out of Southampton on Regal Princess. We all agreed it was one of the best cruises (along with our Disney Magic Greek Isles the prior year and our Disney Wonder DVC Member Cruise to Alaska) we've ever taken. We also did some land touring prior and after. We went to Paris/Reims before the cruise and London after.

The cruise was wonderful! As you won't be on the cruise too much (because you will be in a different port most every day) it is a great way to see everything as the distances are close, so we didn't have to be back on the ship until 7:00 or 8:00 many nights, which on Princess works out better because you can do anytime dining AND they have the buffet open for dinner (there's a novel concept, DCL!). Our DD and her friend (teens) loved the ship.

The itinerary was wonderful as well. We sailed from Southampton (quick train ride from London Waterloo) and stopped in Portland (for Weymouth), Guernsey (really liked Guernsey), Cobh (Cork), Dublin, Belfast, Greenock (Glasgow), Invergordon (I got to play golf here at Golspie Golf Club - a highlight of the trip), Edinburgh (which is amazing), and Le Havre, France (we did a full-day D-Day tour). To top it all off, we had 3/4 sail free, so the teens were much less. We all also did the "Princess Plus" for $60 per person/per day which included the drink package, Wifi (which is now starlink), and Gratuities. And the girls at 19 could use it because it was a European cruise (so just FYI on that). Even with all that, our fare for all 4 of us with the Plus package was around $6,000...

Amazing trip, I would love to do it again (that said, I'd love to do our Disney Magic Greek Isles again too!)