Norwegian Fjords Cruise: 28 Tips You NEED to Know

In June 2018, I took my first cruise around the Norwegian Fjords on P&O’s Britannia.  Since then, I have returned time and time again.

In this post, I’ll share with you things I wish I had known before my first cruise to Norway

This Includes:

• When to cruise to Norway
• What to pack on a Norwegian Fjords cruise
• What to do onboard
• What to do in: Bergen, Olden, Stavanger and Aldalsnes.

When is the best time to cruise the Norwegian Fjords?

The Norwegian Fjords cruising season runs from May until September.

Few other lines offer Norwegian Fjords cruises all year round. The cruises that run in the winter months are “In search of the Northern Lights” cruises from the UK or Norwegian companies like Hurtigruten or Havila.

Peak time tends to be in July and August, with this itinerary being particularly popular with families.

In the UK children are off school from mid-July until early September. Avoid travelling at this time if you can, not only will it be busier but it’ll be significantly more expensive!

Find out more details about when is best to book your Norwegian Cruise here:

When is The Best Time to Cruise to Norway? Seasons, Price, Weather and More

Top Tips For A Norwegian Fjord Cruise

#1 The Best Time To Book

• I would recommend cruising at the beginning or end of the summer season.
  • You’ll get the best deals at this time and the ships won’t be too busy.
  • May-June or September would be be my recommendation. You still have a good chance of some sunshine but more on that later in the post…

#2 There Is A Lot Of Daylight In Summer Months

Be aware that if you travel in the summer, it will be light a lot of the time. Sleeping is never a problem for me, but it is a bit confusing when you have been out for dinner, watched the show, come out and it is still daylight!

Gaynor

• In some parts of Norway they even have a ‘Midnight Sun’.
  • Cruise ship cabins usually have pretty thick curtains, so I don’t have any trouble sleeping, but if you are somebody who cannot tolerate even the smallest amount of light in the room when you sleep, then you might want to consider an inside cabin.
  • It’s great that you can make the most of long days – but it is still a bit odd if you aren’t used to it.

What is the weather like on a Norwegian Fjords cruise?

The weather in Norway is unpredictable and very often wet. The weather in Summer SHOULD be dry and can even be pretty warm.

We cruised in June 2018 and it rained every single day. I have a few friends who cruised two weeks earlier had glorious sunshine every day and temperatures reached 30c! (90f).

I would not base your decision on when to go around the weather. It’s extremely unpredictable!

The weather means that you need to remember to bring the following things:

What to bring

#3 What to bring

• Take sensible shoes, a waterproof jacket, jeans, and jumpers (sweaters).
  • As I mentioned above, it rained every single day in June 2018. Annoyingly, the UK was experiencing a heat wave at the time!
  • A waterproof jacket/coat is without a doubt the most important thing you should pack. I wore my red coat every single day.

#4 Pack clothes for all weathers

• Make sure you pack some dresses/shorts! This one might seem a bit silly given what I said above, but the weather can reach 30c (90f).
• It can also vary a lot between ports, so just because you have one rainy day doesn’t mean it will rain for the entire cruise.
• Layer up would be my advice.

#5 Pack Some Binoculars

Pack some small binoculars – I forgot mine. Obviously didn’t pay enough attention to the holiday packing spreadsheet in my excitement!

Gaynor

• The views are INCREDIBLE as you sail around the Norwegian Fjords.
  • I don’t really use binoculars, but Mum likes to, so if you’d like to spy on people as you go by, it can be worth packing binoculars.
  • A good camera with zoom capabilities can also work the same way.

#6 Take Photos

• Bring the best camera you have! (Or at least a phone with a good camera)
  • All of my photos were taken on my iPhone because, quite frankly, I have no idea how to use a decent DSLR camera. You’ll want to take SO many photos.

• Take as many photos of the ship as you can! There is NO better backdrop than that of the Norwegian Fjords.
  • Even in bad weather, the ships look amazing. I honestly think the clouds and fog add a little something which makes it seem mysterious.

#7 Put Your Phone in Airplane Mode

• Bring your phone and use it. I usually say you should keep your phone in airplane mode when you are at sea to avoid wracking up unwanted charges.
  • However, when cruising around the Norwegian Fjords, you’re often close enough to land to be able to pick up 4G from land.
  • If your mobile phone package includes free data, this is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends back home.

Read my idiot’s guide to using your phone when you cruise here:

Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Using Your Phone on a Cruise – (Beginners Guide)

 What to do onboard

#8 Book a Balcony Cabin

• Book a balcony cabin!
  • This one might sound strange coming from me because I’m usually such an advocate for inside cabins but… book a balcony cabin if you can.
  • I am usually a massive fan of inside cabins but I do believe you’d miss out if you had an inside cabin for a Norwegian Fjords cruise. There are amazing views almost all the time and it would be a shame to miss even a second!
  • If you do book an inside cabin make sure you don’t spend too much time in your room. Inside cabins can be a great place to wash and sleep but aren’t really the best place to spend your days
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I am a great fan of an inside cabin, although I recommend a balcony if you are going to the Norwegian Fjords. Find out about the smallest inside cabins I have stayed in here:

#9 Book Tours Early

• Make sure you book whatever tours you’d like to do as early as possible.
  • We booked ours onboard and a lot of them were already sold out which limited our options. Ideally, you should book the tours before you travel.
  • It’s usually possible to do this on the website of most cruise lines. If not try and book the tours on the first day to avoid disappointment!

#10 Shops are shut on Sundays

• Be aware that a lot of things are closed on Sundays!
  • If you are docking on a Sunday don’t assume that shops will be open. It’s always best to do your research and check before you cruise.

#11 Buy some souvenirs

• Look out for weird things in the souvenir shops
  • I managed to find a whale sausage!
• You will find Troll related gifts wherever you go – but they are pricey.

#12 Get Up early to see the sail-ins

• Always get up early to see the sail in to port, the views are incredible.
  • Even if you do have to wear jeans, jacket, jumper, hat, gloves etc etc.

#13 Bring your quilt onto the Balcony

• Bring your quilt onto the balcony! (Duvet). I’m not kidding.
  • If you can also make yourself a cup of tea, that’ll make it even better!
• I mostly had to do this because I hadn’t planned for such cold weather, so I didn’t bring the right clothes.
  • Hopefully, by reading this post, you won’t make the same mistake that I did! I thought June would be okay, but you can never rely on the Norwegian weather.

#14 If you are booking last-minute excursions, check the weather forecast!

• If you decide to book some last-minute excursions, check the weather forecast first.
  • It is rather a waste of money to book an expensive trip up a mountain or to see the Troll Wall when everything is shrouded in fog, and you can’t see anything anyway!
  • When we got to the top of the funicular railway in Bergen this is the view that we were greeted with…
    

Port Tips

Bergen cruise port tips

#15 Bergen Port Tips

• Take the funicular railway! The number one attraction in Bergen is the funicular railway.
  • It is a gentle stroll to the bottom of the railway and is easy to pay by credit card – no Kroner is needed. It will cost approx £6.50 for an adult one way.
  • Once at the top it is a lovely walk back down the hill on a tarmacked road, through the wooded hillside. No need to pay for an excursion!
  • There is actually a large lake ten minutes at the top of the hill that you can walk around – and a forest. It is lovely on a sunny day.
• If you do take the funicular railway, go later in the day if possible. We went in the morning and couldn’t see a thing because of the fog! We could have been anywhere.
  • If you are physically able to, make sure you walk back down. The path is a winding road, and you’ll see some amazing sights along the way! It was really great for us to be able to get below the clouds and see the ships.
• On our first trip in 2018, we saw trees wearing jumpers as we walked down the hill! I have never seen them since.

#16 Be Prepared to leave port early

• Be aware that you may sail away from Bergen quite early.
  • I’m not too sure why they do this, but a sail away at 3 pm can be quite standard. It’s probably just because this is the last port on the itinerary for cruise lines like P&O and Princess.
  • The cruise line will let you know what time the ship is set to sail.

Stavanger Cruise Tips

#17 Visit the old town

• Visit the old town. It is easy to wander around is and genuinely just a lovely place!
  • There will be a lot of tourists here. I wonder what it would be like to live in one of these houses with thousands of tourists wandering up and down your street. No wonder they all have net curtains.

#18 Visit the Petroleum Museum!

• Visit the Petroleum Museum. Okay, this one is a little weird. I had no idea that there was a petroleum museum in Stavanger but SO many people have asked me if I went.
  • They all seem to love it! It has a 4.5/5 star rating on trip advisor so must be something special…

#19 Be Careful on the cobbles

• Be careful when walking around the roads. Even in the newer part of town, the roads can be a little difficult.
• If you are in a wheelchair, it may be a good idea to stick to the main streets and not venture up and down all of the little cobbled streets that I found myself wandering around.

#20 Go ship spotting

• Check out the other ships. There are usually multiple cruise ships docked in Stavanger at the same time. Make sure you get out and have a peek at the other ships!
  • This is always one of my favourite things to do in a port. We were docked beside the MSC Orchestra and the Viking Sun. (It’s a bit ironic since it rained every day on this cruise).

#21 Walk around Stavanger Park

• Wander around the lake at Stavanger Park. There is a lovely little park not too far from the cruise port.
• It is easy to walk there, and wandering around the lake is very pleasant.
• Even in the rain, it was lovely. The park is right beside a cathedral.

Watch what I did in Stavanger on my first cruise to Norway here:

Olden Cruise Tips

#22 Find a Troll

• Have your photo taken with a troll. Go on, you know you want to!

#23 Visit the Briksdal Glacier

• Visit the Briksdal glacier. I would 100% recommend doing this. The glacier is SO COOL (mind the pun), and there are lots of lovely paths to walk around near it.
• There are even a couple of toilets here, which I really appreciated. It takes around 45 minutes to get here from the cruise ship, but you’ll get to see some amazing views from there.

• Skip the Loen Skylift. We took the Loen Skylift, and I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.
  • The price of this is around £67 per person! (I know Norway is expensive, but that is mad).
• The skylift only goes up and down every 30 minutes, and 35 people fit in one skylift, meaning you can’t really see anything on the way up or down.
  • I really hate to be negative and tell people not to do things, but I honestly just thought this was a waste of money.
• The views are really good but I don’t think £67 worth of good.
  • Maybe it would have been better if it wasn’t so blooming cold!!

#25 Watch the sail away in Olden

• There is a cafe/pub close to the dock that plays music to serenade the ship as she sails away!
  • This has happened every time I have visited this port.
  • We were treated to “Sailing” by Rod Stewart, “Time to Say Goodbye” by Katherine Jenkins and “Rocking all over the world” by Status Quo.

Watch what we got up to in Olden in the video below:

Andalsnes Cruise Tips:

#26 Don’t go to the Troll Wall unless the weather is good

• If the weather is bad, you won’t see a thing. I hadn’t ever looked up the troll wall before so I had no idea what I was meant to be seeing!
• I made some friends on this cruise, and they told me that they had been up the troll wall and had amazing views from there.
  • If I went again, I would pick a tour that took you to the top of the wall, whereas ours just took us to the bottom, where we stared up at the clouds.

Other bonus tips!

#27 Put an App on your phone to convert Kroner

• Put a currency converter on your phone for Norwegian Kroner.
  • It’s pretty expensive in Norway, and you don’t want to get a nasty shock when you open your credit card bill!
  • Do you really need a wooden troll or reindeer sausages? I think not…

#28 Eat On the ship

• Eat as much food as you can on the ship so that you don’t have to eat in port.
  • Norway is really expensive, and I have no interest in paying for food when I have an unlimited supply on the ship!
  • Make sure you eat a big breakfast and you’ll be fine for a while. If you have kids, though, it may be worth bringing some snacks.

My cruise onboard Britannia

My first P&O cruise was on Britannia, and I was impressed with the food and service onboard.

Britannia is an amazing ship, but she is not as big as the two newest P&O ships, Iona and Arvia. They are great for families and offer a great, affordable option for new cruisers.

Find out what I thought of P&O’s Arvia in the video below:

Find out about my latest Norway cruise on Anthem of the Seas in the video below. I took my two nieces and we had a wonderful family holiday:

Before You Go

Find out what to pack in a summer cruise to Norway here:

I Took a Summer Cruise To Norway – Here’s What I Packed (Clothes, Accessories & More)

Find out about the winter Norway trip I took onboard the coast ferry Havila Polaris here:

I Took a Norwegian Coastal Cruise in Winter (21 Ports in 4 Days)