Seabourn
Small, sociable, quietly luxurious ships, with a sister expedition fleet.
- Best for: Couples and adult groups who value calm, warmth and a small ship
- Not for: You are bringing children
- Included: all-suite accommodation; drinks and dining
Luxury cruises
Norwegian Fjords
No long flight, dramatic scenery from your terrace, and a season made for grandparents.
Luxury Norwegian fjord cruises from the UK or Copenhagen, with Geiranger, Flåm and the Lofoten islands, suited to travellers who want scenery without heat or long-haul flying.
The fjords are the cruise for people who do not want to fly far or sit in the sun. Ships leave from Southampton, Dover or Copenhagen, the scenery arrives at the balcony, and the summer light goes on until midnight. Grandparents who find the Mediterranean too hot love it; so do families with children who want kayaks, waterfalls and a mountain railway.
Choose a ship with an outdoor deck worth sitting on and a good observation lounge, because that is where you will spend your days.
Highlights
- Geirangerfjord and the Seven Sisters waterfalls
- Flåm railway up the mountain
- Bergen's wooden harbour
- Lofoten islands and the Arctic Circle on longer sailings
- No flights at all from Southampton or Dover
- Best time
- June to August for the light and the warmest weather; May and September are quieter.
- How long
- 7 to 10 nights round trip from Southampton or Copenhagen; 12 to reach the Lofoten islands and the North Cape.
- Guide price
- From £3,600 pp
Planning figure for a typical week in a veranda suite. Final price depends on sailing date, ship, suite and availability.
Start PlanningFor families
Ponant in the summer holidays for a small ship with a kids' club; Explora when it sails north.
For grandparents
Seabourn, Silversea, Regent and the adults-only Viking for calm ships with scenery from the suite.
Best cruise lines here
Who we'd shortlist for Norwegian Fjords
Silversea
Butler-served suites, serious destinations, and one of the strongest expedition fleets afloat.
- Best for: Couples and well-travelled grandparents, and families with teenagers on an expedition
- Not for: You need a kids' club or a big, lively pool scene
- Included: butler service in every suite; drinks and dining
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
The most inclusive fare at sea, on all-suite ships that take elegance seriously.
- Best for: Grandparents hosting adult children, and couples who want a fully inclusive, elegant week
- Not for: Your party includes young children or you want a casual atmosphere
- Included: all-suite accommodation; shore excursions in every port
Viking
Calm, adults-only ships with Scandinavian design and an excursion included in every port.
- Best for: Adults-only parties who want calm, culture and value
- Not for: Anyone in your party is under eighteen
- Included: veranda staterooms; one excursion in every port
Ponant
French small ships and a true polar icebreaker, with a children's programme in the summer holidays.
- Best for: Families and couples who want small-ship adventure with a French accent
- Not for: You want a large suite and a resort atmosphere
- Included: dining and drinks; wi-fi
How to choose
How to choose the right Norwegian Fjords cruise
Derived from our own ratings of the lines above, not from brochures.
Start with ship size
Seabourn, Silversea and Ponant are small-ship; Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Viking are mid-size. Smaller ships reach the smaller harbours in Norwegian Fjords; larger ones carry more for children and more dining choice.
Decide how formal you want it
Viking and Ponant keep it relaxed; Regent Seven Seas Cruises leans formal and traditional. Ask us which suits the party before anything else.
Match the ship to who's travelling
Ponant rates highest with us for families here; Seabourn and Viking are effectively adults-only. Children's facilities vary more than brochures suggest; we will say which ships really have them.
If the table matters most
Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Ponant lead on food in our experience of Norwegian Fjords sailings.
Cruise ideas
Norwegian Fjords sailings we like
Planning figures per person.
Seabourn Ovation: the Norwegian fjords from Dover
No flight, a small sociable ship, and scenery from the veranda from breakfast to midnight.
In pictures
Norwegian Fjords from the water
Licensed photographs of the ports and the ships we would put you on, not brochure renders.
A cruise ship dwarfed by the steep green walls of Geirangerfjord, Norway Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
Travelling with three generations?
Connecting suites, different activity levels, dining that works for everyone, and transfers that suit grandparents and toddlers alike. The best family suites go first, so start early.
Further reading
Before you decide on Norwegian Fjords
Our own planning notes: who a ship suits, how many cabins to book, when to go.
Seven luxury cruise myths, dispelled by people who sail them
Crowds, buffets, seasickness, feeling trapped, dressing for dinner, children underfoot and the price. What is true of a 3,000-guest ship is mostly untrue of a 300-guest one. Here is what we tell first-time guests.
Cruising with limited mobility: what to check before you book
The questions we ask a ship on behalf of a guest who uses a stick, a frame or a wheelchair, the ports that are kind and the ones that are not, and why the right cabin matters more than the right line.
Good to know
Norwegian Fjords cruise questions
Do we need to fly for a fjords cruise?
No. Several luxury lines sail from Southampton or Dover each summer, and others from Copenhagen, a short flight away. It is the easiest luxury cruise to reach from the UK.
Planning something specific? Tell us what you're looking for.
Don't spend thirty hours comparing forty ships, cabins, dates, flights and hotels. Give us five minutes and we'll narrow it down to what is worth considering.