Northern Light Cruise + River cruise for 2021 prelim plan and suggestion please?

Chen,

You have picked two great travel possibilities.

Norway is amazing for its scenic fjords, snowy mountains and vistas. We had a wonderful Norway cruise with Royal Caribbean for 11 days that visited six ports going all the way to the North Cape. Even in mid-June some of the mountain areas had just recently opened up after being blocked by snow.

I researched the Hurtigruten cruise that goes up the Norway coast. It was more expensive than a mainline cruise and our cabin would not have been a balcony. Also, costs onboard would have added to the cost even more. The Hurtigruten cruise advantage is that it is a smaller ship that goes to many ports. The disadvantage is that it only has excursions for 3-4 ports.

A cruise line would have entertainment and far more to attract a passenger.

It is your choice, this is just my opinion.
Also, going on the cruise in March, the weather will be very cold and days will be short. Your cruise appears to focus on the Northern Lights. If the Northern Lights are that important, fine, but to me a cruise in June would offer so much more when you are on land.

Haven't been to Oslo, we didn't avoid going there, but it just didn't seem to be a place to go out of our way to see. We loved Stockholm. Flam is worth going to see.

On the river cruise, if you have been to Amsterdam, why did you pick this cruise to go back to that city. The Hague is good, but I would opt to visit other places.

Also, again, the weather will be cold I'm March. Other places to visit would be Copenhagen, if you haven't been there.

Frankly, going to Europe in March, I would pick a warmer place like Italy, Spain or Greece.

Hi geovagriffith

Thanks for the reply and thank you for the feedback and compliment
First of all, I have done alot of research and I am aware there are 2 voyage cruise. One is like the work ship that has been running for more than 100 years and the other one is the expedition cruise which is actually going to be new starting early next year. I had a comparison between the 2. The work ship was the original choice despite it is cheaper, but however, when I looked at the timetable, it seems like it is quite rush as they stop like 30ish port and I think the maximum is like 6 hours which like you said, it has only few excursions (and also the ship is old too) while the rest is 15-30 min. I prefer to have a major stop and get off the cruise in my own pace if you can understand why so that is why i think we are likely to choose this new cruise

We also did consider going for Royal Carribean cruise but starting from UK or US would kinda be wasting time as we want to fully focus and maximize on Norway plus we recently went to RC on Ovation of the sea and voyage of the sea so i think we want to go for a different one and I think this cruise would suit us? I know Hurtigruten is very expensive as it is like AU4500 for 12 days but I understand Norway is very expensive so I have to cop with that. I just returned from RC Oviation of the sea for 12 days exactly also is like AUD1200 and it is balcony.....but given this is a lifetime chance plus it is going to be a new cruise, I think I have to swallow the pill because I am quite frugal.

I also understand that going in March the days is short as it was a disadvantage when we went last year and the year before including to Amsterdam, Switzerland, Denmark etc but unfortunately, we only have March holiday so that is why plus it is not a bad thing too since it is considered off peak in Europe, no? I am not fussy about cold weather and in fact I thrive it when i am in Europe

I didn't intend to pick the cruise from Amsterdam because I have never done the river cruise and they said for first timers, it is best to go rhine river cruises and also within my budget too for a river cruise PLUS it is the cruise I want to take (since I have researched several river cruise and this one has the panoramic balcony suite that attract us). Amsterdam is really the only place we have been to out of the many stops for the river cruise, so I guess it is ok but mainly want to experience the authentic river cruise since I have been hearing that it is so different from ocean cruising in which we have came back from NZ cruising so that is why want to book it

At the same time, there is a special offer and it is still 1 year away, do you recommend it is worth waiting for further and bigger discount or booking now is just right? As they are currently offering $1000 discount per person. And like you said, if I had a choice, I would love to choose summer but my budget and time wouldn';t allow me but I will do so if I have a chance later in my life

I will reassess for Stockholm and The Flam then since you said it is good and also possibly Spain since you said it is warm in March. At the same time, I heard on the video that you need to get the Flam ticket very early in order to take the train as it is not easy to get or something unless you book through independent agent where there is actually no tour but give you the ticket, correct if i am wrong

Chan,
I wish you a great holiday.

By the way, in selecting river cruises, I always compare several cruise lines.

Avalon, Uniworld, AMA, Scenic, Emerald, Viking and more. All are great lines, but compare what you get for your money.

We have done 4 river cruises and love them. In Europe, the Douro River in Portugal and Rhone River in SE France are great.

Of course, the Danube and Rhine cruises are as well. We skipped the central Europe cruises, since we lived in Germany four years and have already been to all those places.

Also, one cruise line that is a budget line, but is excellent for your money is Gate 1.

Thanks for the feedback
I never knew about Gate 1, I am having a look now and no wonder it was not shown here because they don't have the travel agency that deals here in Australia hence it was not shown in Google result and looks like I have to purchase through US website or something. Still having a look at it and looks pretty good and seems like the french cabin is pretty similar to the Avalon Waterways though the outdoor isn't as luxurious nor does it have a pool/spa like AW, but if 12 days is the same price as 8 days, its really give and take. I suppose the scenery/excursions is really the same but the luxurious in terms of the look, comfort is different from AW, no?

Previously I compared like you said, Avalon, Uniworld, AMA, Scenic, Emerald, Viking (all on videos) AND also the budget river cruise CroisiEurope (except for this we didn't check thoroughly) but looks like it is not value for money in terms of the decor, interior and most are excluded for the excursion. Not sure if you have tried that before and if you think its worth while as well

Just 1 more thing, if we take the cruise on March, is there a risk for low/high water and chance of cancellation or escorted to bus excursion? because we wouldn't want that given we travel that far. If so, are we entitled for refund? Because we don't want to stay in bus excursions as that is not the purpose for it

It is hard to predict the possibility of high or low waters. The good companies cancel their river cruises, instead of turning them into bus tours.