As a person who lives in Stavanger and works in tourism, often with cruise ship passengers, this was really interesting to see/hear. Glad you liked my country though! But I have to add, despite of all that anti cruise ship propaganda you saw at some places, the attitude has changed significantly since the pandemic because the drop of income was a shock to the system at most places.

Stavanger tips ❤ - local traditional Norwegian pots - pottemakeriet - Local food products - Idsø -local souvenir shop - Bernina - local souvenir shop - Hand printed T-shirts - KANT - Norwegian coffee - Kokko - Norwegian beer - Gulating - Food lunch spot - Hverdagsgodt

Our last Norway cruise was blessed by the weather! It was so sunny we were wearing T-shirts and shorts everyday.

If you are taking a Hurtigruten cruise, do a little research regarding the local excursions and save a lot of money. There is a four hour stop in Trondheim. Take a cab when you get off the boat and have them take you to the main cathedral. Then walk by the old wharf area and on to the main city plaza. Grab a cab back to the boat. In Tromso with a four hour stop, grab a cab and have them take you across the bridge to the Arctic cathedral and on to the base station of the cable car. You might want to get the cab company's phone number so you can grab a return cab after you come down from the cable car view. Have them drop you off by the old main church on the main business street and walk around a bit. The boat is docked only one or two blocks away.

As a Norwegian I would highly recommend the north, also in the summer. It is very beautiful and will not be restricted yet.

Thank you very much for this very informative video. We did a Norwegian cruise just before lockdown and we all said it is the most beautiful place we have ever been and thoroughly recommend it

We loved Viking Ocean for our fjords trip. We took the train over the mountains from Oslo to Bergen. On the cruise (which started in Bergen) we went up as far as Honningsvag, above the Arctic circle. One of the highlights on the way back was kyaking in a fjord. I would hate to think that option wouldn’t be available in the future. It is important to care for the environment, so I hope cruising can continue with environmental precautions.

Last December we sailed on the Hurtigruten postal ship from Bergen all the way up to Kirkenes.. that was stunning.. not only for the scenery ( I love snow) but mainly for the breath taking northern lights. . we were lucky enough to witness them 4 nights in a row.. 🤩 It was veeeeeery cold but well worth

As a cruise ship passenger--I never want to go where I don't feel welcomed. I was concerned this summer when I read about protesters in Norway--but saw nothing--no people or signs on our 14 day Midnight Sun Cruise. The Norwegians are incredibly friendly and proud to have others see their country. Have rebooked again for this summer on a different Norway cruise that includes some of those fjords that will not allow current cruise ships in the future--ty for your informative videos.

In 2011, we took our adult daughter to Norway. Two goals. Fjords and family. We used Hurtigruten and traveled from Bergen to Trondheim with Geraingerfjord in between. Mostly rain in the fjord, but still beautiful. We flew back to Bergen from Trondheim and took the nearly daylong ferry through the Songnefjord in spectacular weather. We did see glaciers in the distance. We stayed two nights in Flam at an apartment right on the water. Then took the Flamsbana train up the fjord wall to catch the train to Oslo where we spent most of a week with family from my grandparents that emigrated to the US 110 years before. Best trip ever and linked our daughter, the next generation, to her Norwegian family?

We appreciate your channel and the information you provide.

A most informative video about the Norwegian fjords. The best I have seen here, great knowledge and good tips.

Hi Gary, totaly agree about what you have said in this video. One thing I can mention though is that in all ports there are local guides, the thing is buying tours onboard are expensive. If you are four to six people travling together it's cheaper, more personal and you get to decide what you want to see. One more thing, never more than three colours in a norwegian sweater, otherwise it get's tacky😉

We loved our cruise in 2012 with the “ Grand Princess “ - Bergen, Olden, Gerainger, Stavanger…. The people were lovely and the scenery spectacular… we loved Norway 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇬🇧🇬🇧

I’m glad we have our fjord trip booked for next summer!

Great video on Norway cruising, Gary! My wife and I are taking a 14 day Alaska cruise followed by a cruise to Iceland and Norway shortly after, so this was very helpful. My wife was unsure of traveling overseas because of Covid, but decided we should go to Norway this year before cruise ships are no longer allowed.

This trip wasn’t really on my list but you have me intrigued. Thanks!

Thanks so much Gary. Looks like I’ll be doing Norway very soon.

Thanks for another exceptional video Gary. We are off on our first Fjords cruise next month, having had one cancelled in 2020 due to COVID, and this video is incredibly helpful and interesting (as all your videos are 😊).

Pro tip: Do NOT bring cash to Norway, it's extremely unlikely you'll need it - instead, use a card, debet or credit. For Americans, make sure you have a card with a chip that needs a pin code entered, simply ask your bank for it if you don't already have it. You can use cards everywhere in Norway. Yes, EVERYWHERE - the only exception is small stands on fairs and such, and street vendors (not that common, though). As a Norwegian, I've never used cash the last 12-15 years. The exchange rate is super-easy right now - for most people, just divide everything by 10, and that's what it will cost in Euro or USD. (1 Euro = 10.14 NOK, 1 USD = 10.30 NOK). For Brits, divide by 12 (1 GBP = 11.82 NOK)

We did a 29 day cruise on Viking in June and went all the way up the coast of Norway to Northcape. It was by far the best trip we have ever had. While not an inexpensive trip we are already thinking about doing the trip again. It is life changing.

In 2019 I did the 11 day Alaskan cruise on the Silversea Muse and a 11 day Bergen - Bergen cruise with Hurtigruten. The Norway trip was far far more memorable. So the Muse has five star luxury and Hurtigruten maybe three. I am glad I seen coastal Norway on a Norwegian ship with a Norwegian crew. Hope to do it again next year.

We are thinking of taking our first ever ocean cruise to the fjords in 2024. This video, and your linked one, are extremely informative and have helped tremendously to highlight key points. Thank you !

I would highly recommend the Hurtigruten, running between Bergen and Kirkenes. It is basically a regular ferry line and goods transportation line for connecting different parts of Norway that are difficult to reach by train or road, with daily departures. But it is also at the same time a marvellous cruising line. Hurtigruten has really succeeded in combining regular transport and cruising. And in my opinion the northern part of the cruise is the most beautiful.

Hi Gary, many thanks for the heads up on the ship ban. I’ve bought forward my plan to return to the fijirds. Have just booked for June going to Geirangerfijord. I Chose Cunard for the particular itinerary and i enjoy enrichment speakers talking about the areas visited.

I love Norway in November & December. We’ve done the Hurtigruten coastal run a couple of times in those months. The ship isn’t usually very full, one time we had only 70 passengers! It was so relaxing :)

We went to the Fjords in 2015 and it was lovely. We are going again next summer different places. I hope cruises can continue there.

The weather in Norway is not bad, it's just different from what you are used to :)

Alaska on Princess was our first cruise for our 25th anniversary 21 years ago. We loved it and have done 5 more cruises going to Norway twice. We did the Norwegian fjord cruise with Celebrity in 2007, loving the fjords, culture and friendly people. My husband loves is 2 Norwegian sweaters, they last forever. A local recommended going to a thrift shop to buy the wool sweaters at a much lower price. In 2019 we went on a Holland America Northern isles cruise to Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Scotland. We went on fjord cruises both times, loving the scenery. The first time on the cruise ship tour, second on a local tour. We have also sailed the sounds in New Zealand, also beautiful! I recommend them all.

If you want to buy norwegian souvenirs I would suggest going to Husfliden, Christiania GlasMagasin or similar stores. They have many items that are made in Norway.

This was a great video. I am strongly considering Norway for next year and it wasn't on my radar before. We meant to go somewhere warm given we live in Northern Canada. Thanks!

Great show... thanks for sharing your knowledge...

Thank you for sharing a nice travel video with beautiful views of Norway.

Very well done video! I am extremely critical of KZfaq videos and you do a good job my friend. I like the narration behind the video and I also like that you have a good microphone. Also love that you do not play annoying music in the background.

Love your comments. We did southern route on Holland America. We loved it.

We are on the Hurtigruten 3-month Pole to Pole cruise., and I think their Hybrid ship will qualify.

All of Havila cruise ships can run 4 hours on battery power. This is the way to go. Beautiful ships with less than 500 beds and eco to boot. They run the same route as Hurtigruten. They’ll be allowed in the fjords he mentions.

Hurtigruten is great. We taxi drivers in Tromsø love working with them, they always bring us nice trips. And they usually have prime spots to dock their boats. Another company to consider is Havila, they have a handful of the 20ish coastal routes. but they are having a bit of fleet problems these days due to having loans in russian banks. But hurtigruten stepped up and picked up the slack. Hurtigruten also has a couple of hybrid ships that circumvent the rules for fjord cruising. One goes up to Svalbard, that I know of. Btw, toss me a line if your ship is ever in my city.

I can give you some insight from a Norwegian perspective: The argument against cruis ships is that they bring little to non value to the local communities. The passengers eat and sleep onboard the cruise ships and most passenger bring little to none money to the local businesses. In a way they are considered as "free riders" that exploits our hospitality who allow ships into our fjords, but gives almost nothing back. The second argument, and the one you bring up as well is pollution. All the "haze" that's in the air at 5:04 is smoke from cruise ships. One great thing by being in the deep fjords is that it's sheltered from the wind, and the same goes for the smoke from cruise ships that use heavy oil as fuel get trapped inside the fjords and often remains there long after the cruise ships have sailed. Another ting is our vulnerable nature. The vegetation grows slow here up north, and it grows slower the longer north in Norway you get. Until now there is no fee to use the nature in Norway and we have a law that is called "the freedom to roam" that gives you the right to hike everywhere in the Norwegian nature, whether it's private or public property. This law is very precious to us Norwegians, but what we se more and more often is nature that is worn down faster than it grows back, in addition to littering, etc. While we are proud of our fjords and want to share our nature with tourists, and the discussion to whether to allow cruise ships into Norwegian fjords or not has been debated for decades. but the operators of cruise ships not been willing to cooperate, so far. So yes, many Norwegians are tired of cruise ships and their passengers. We have tried to talk to the cruise operators about this in a polite way for many years, but they haven't listened and kept on exploiting our hospitality, and now the patience of many Norwegians is running out.

Just disembarked the hurtigruten ms vesteralen yesterday. What a beautyful country is. Had so much luck with weather and northern lights. Can only recommand to do it.

Thank you for sharing great tips

Love your videos, thank you so much for the latest information.

I did both Norway and Alaska cruises this year on Celebrity. You’re so right Gary, they are very different, but both beautiful! Norway was all about the scenery. We had mostly cloudy days in early May but it was still lovely. Alaska was in August and we had a bit of rain but it got better as we went on. Still beautiful scenery but much more wildlife and the glaciers were amazing!! Do both if you can!!

The Petroleum Museum in Stavanger was one of the most interesting museums I have ever seen. It was probably one of my top three ever, along with the Marine Museum in Reykjavik and the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D,C,

what an outstanding video. Thank you sir !

We found that even in the smaller places like Eidfjord and even Flam, there were some worthwhile 1-3 hour hikes with beautiful scenery that could be done without necessarily paying for an excursion. Though of course, this was dependent on the weather! Even though it was summer, I ended up wearing my single long-sleeved shirt for most of the cruise.

I took the Nordled ferry from Bergen to Flam. It was pretty awesome. Then I took the Flam railway train and the regular train to Oslo. It's a beautiful country

Excellent advice!

We have an autistic kid, so cruising allows us to avoid flying planes and actually do some things as a family. We and our children absolutely loved Norway: nature beauty, kids playground in Stavanger, Olden Loen Lift and Olden's farewell being the biggest highlights. We booked everything local. We also managed to enjoy the fjords beauty from our balcony with our special needs kid enjoying himself next to us. We would not be able to experience Norway other way.

Great information. I’ve done both and agree.

We are going in August next year...thank you for info....praying for N.Lights...my bucket list...

I've been dithering about booking a Bergen - Kirkenes - Bergen trip in February, so this video has given me a push - thanks!

this was a very good one, at the same time, nice to see there was a lot of pics from my hometown Aalesund ;) Very informative one :)

Excellent vlog, as always Gary. I would love to visit Norway. I follow several of their young musicians including Sigrid, Aurora and Moyka 🎤💃🎶

Really useful advice, thank you.

Thanks Gary for this very informative and concise video. I can imagine the changes in cruising access that Norway is implementing may well be a sign of what's to come in other ecologically sensitive regions.

Thank you for your explanation

Excellent video.

We saw the Northern Lights in the 1st week in September this year, and the cruise before which was the last week in August saw them better than we did.

Glad I visited twice on Disney cruise lines. Loved my visits that equalled the Alaskan fjords

thanks for this Gary - very interesting. We have been thinking about a fjords cruise for several years, but never taken the opportunity. Maybe now is the time..Terry

Thanks so much for info

So excited. I’m going in 24 with my family.

Just a tip to tourists that consider visiting Norway. Norway has so much to offer that you will not be able to see or experience from a boat. It is a bit like order an all inclusive at a hotel. You sleep on a boat. Eat your meals on a boat. Get your entertainment on a boat. The best experience you will get on land, maybe by renting a car and traveling around. Eat your meals at Norwegians restaurants and so on. You could easily make a bucket list that you will need several visits to work through.

Thank you so much for the information about Norway cruising possibly changing/decreasing/canceled in certain fjords. We may put it on our 2024 vacation list instead of leaving it until a year or two later.

We did the fjords with P&O a few years ago in early May. Be warned the Flam railway stops at a waterfall half way up. Because the melt was late, the beautiful waterfall was non existent! Also the train is only 50metres from the ship so don’t bother to book the train on the ship as they will charge you an extra £30 to have a reserved seat in a packed carriage

Ex South African, now living in Sweden, taking my first fjord experience in May. Like anywhere in the World, tourists are just dumb if they plan significant money for trips & have not researched the geography, weather, cost of food, etc. Norway has 70% of days that are rainy. So....don't expect beautiful clear, blue skied photos & stunning blue water. You WILL probably get moodful shots that are mostly tones of grey. Stunning if you like Scandinavian 'stilren' (clean style) photography & design. You gotta love it or you'll hate it. For me as a Swede now, 17⁰C is pleasantly warm. Windchill is a factor to consider. Bring something that will break the wind to your body, protects your ears & wear sports shoes which cover the feet & are good for walking anyhow. Scandinavians are supremely practical in their dress code. Wearing layers 'underneath' is impractical. You get too hot inside or when the sun comes out. Wear thin layers over yr basic jeans & T-shirt. 👌 Lighter to pack, easier on the day. Things you can roll up small & shove in small, lightweight rucksack. Norway is the highest rated country IN THE WORLD on the Gini-coefficient scale (salary vs standard of living). So ....for virtually ALL other tourists, Norway is extremely expensive comparatively. Cruises are hideously expensive. Prices soar along with crowds of noisy, unappreciative tourists during summer - 2nd week June to end July (school holidays). Bear in mind that Scandinavians ALL take the IDENTICAL 8 week period holidays, so staff to manage resorts, restaurants, museums, etc are stretched thin & are summer student temporary workers. They will typically not be able to give the same level of insight to your questions as the permanent staff. Hit & miss with that. I have researched & planned an 8 day holiday (as a 60 year old with a recent hip op & post cancer) so that I have a manageable & affordable 'bucket list' holiday. There are trains & ferries you can take which will give you a variety & options in terms of your own timing, requirements & independence. Research sightseeing that is accessible to yr abilities (Norwegians are in essence mountain goats, tough & physically active people - Vikings, you know.... 😉😅). Dashing 2,000m up a mountain is a weekend afternoon picnic for them. I fly into Bergen, spend 1 day near Bryggen just cruising the historic area & enjoying the cuisine. I take a train to Flåm (2 trains actually, there is a change at Myrdal) which takes passengers through one of the most spectacular sceneries in the World (if you love train journeys you may have your own favourites to be sure, but Bergen-Flåm is listed as a top train journey for scenery). I then spend 2 nights in Flåm - the day I have in the UNESCO Heritage area I take a 2hr 'cruise' (a Norwegian electric boat, smaller than those massive cruise liners) to Nærøjfjørd and on to Gudvangen. Lunch there. Cruise back to Flåm another 2 hours. Another option that is really much cheaper is the bus, but it goes through a long tunnel. Overnight in Flåm & then onto a normal local Norwegian ferry, which takes 5 hours back to Bergen. 3 more days in Bergen to sightsee, take the tram up the mountain (you can hike the mountain. There is another mountain with a cable car - I may do that too), visit a museum or 2, eat fish & local delicacies. Nothing too heavy for my physical abilities & age. I am travelling alone. Length of days & scenery differ VASTLY to the average day length most tourists are used to. I have chosen end of May 1st week June for the waterfalls (snowmelt after winter, so they are at their best), the weather is warm, flowers & Spring greenery everywhere. Sundown is around 22:30pm, I think, so coming into Bergen at 21:00 hours at the end of my ferry trip may be lovely still. If you want to see Northern Lights be aware of a couple of realities: 1) To see them you need complete darkness, preferably away from city lights. You need to be FAR north, not Oslo or Trondheim. 2) Winter days are short, dark and get supremely cold. Not great cruising weather, much. 3) Norwegian winter storms are a real force of nature. Arctic storm north of Tromsø can be expected. Which will close some ports & activities. 4) Northern Lights hit during high CME emissions & solar storms - you will not be able to plan this in advance. 5) Cloudy weather - 70% of most days/nights - will mean you may see nothing 6) Northern Lights can vary from a few minutes only or hours. Luck of the draw. You need to be prepared to sit out in the middle of nowhere all night & in sub zero conditions. 7) You cannot have warm summer weather & see the Northern Lights. You typically need to be very far north for best viewing & in Spring, Summer & Autumn the nights are short or have long twilight periods - lessens the opportunity for being able to see the Northern Lights at all. Mid-Summer, there is sun all night long - NO chance of seeing the Northern Lights. 8) The further north you can go the better, it will be Winter & sub-zero temperatures. Perhaps even winds around 8m/s to 17m/s (which my daughter experienced recently on the day she sailed on the Hurtigruten). Be aware the Jacuzzi is open air on the top deck....they insisted on having a jacuzzi & had to run barefoot on uneven ice to get in 🤣🤣 & tie their towels to the railing so they would not blow away.

The environmental impact was one of the reasons I was previously against crusing and why I decided to cruise to Norway while I still could. I chose Iona because it's LNG so it's surprising to hear that LNG is to be banned too. I'm so glad I did it. We did Stavanger, Olden and Ålesund. We were supposed to do Hellesylt and Geiranger but it was too windy to dock. I'd love to move to Norway but the wealth differential with the UK is just too big now.

Thanks for this. I'm still upset that I had to cancel a Northern Lights trip in December 2013 on Hurtigruten from Kirkenes south and into Sweden due to urgent unexpected back surgery. Tbe surgeon's assistant (visiting from Finland) commiserated with me but also comforted me by telling me that there was a massive polar storm that had swept across the Atlantic. I still dream of trying to go there although I'm more limited physically. Thanks for the warning about grading of excursions. My cousins are half Norwegian half Irish and their father was I high demand in both the UK and Norway as he specialised in central heating!

I went to Voss in July 1962 for my honeymoon. It was a very quiet place then. We stayed in hotel Jaal. I loved everything about Norway. The people were so kind to us, we were only 21yrs so very young. We went to Sognefjord and Hardanger fjord. The ships were not for tourist but were taking essentials to little villages. What an amazing experience. Never forgotten. I hoped to go back this year but unfortunately health got in the way.

If you want to meet more Norwegians on your trip, and see more places, Hurtigruten is the choice. Just keep in mind that it is a "transport route" so many towns are visited at night-time.

This is a really great video. I've always wanted to visit the fjords ever since I first saw them in an old movie, but didn't have an idea of the "how." Your video definitely gave me great tips on that. I'm sorry the Norwegians feel that way about cruisers, but it's understandable. Some of us really love scenery like this and wouldn't dare be obnoxious or rude about a visit. I just hope I get a chance to visit the absolutely gorgeous Geiranger fjord before it's off limits.

Hadeland glasswear have Beautiful products that I buy for foreign friends. Also, all winterwear and hiking gear & backpacks, rainwear etc are good buys.

A cruise is probably the less proactive way to visit Norway. We went last June by car. And by our own legs up the Fjord slopes, like the Preikestolen.

Just put Norway Fjords on my travel wish list 🚢.

Hi Gary! Love your channel. We are cruising to the Norwegian fjords in early September. Any tips for us? We are Canadians but are very excited to be on the P and O Iona. Any advice on clothing, excursions etc? Once again, thank you for all your hard work in bringing interesting and very informative shows to us all.

Eek! I can't find the Norwegian Fjords video mentioned at the end. I searched for it in your playlist. I'll keep trying 😊

I live in the mountains in the eastern part of southern Norway, and last summer we had between 20 - 30 degrees all summer. It didn’t even rain, it was problematic actually. My parents live 30 minutes south of Oslo, and they had 25 - 32 degrees all summer. But on the west coast and further north it’s quite normal with rainy days, but the weather changes fast😊

Doing a Norwegian Fjord cruise with NCL in Sept. Visiting Geiranger, Olden and Stavanger. Pilgrim Rock is booked!

A little tip for those that want to renew their vows on the cruise to Norway as my parents did. Make sure you get them to do it on a day when you are in the fjords or picturesque locations. Cruise lines do like to do it on the sea days but you can specify you want it on days when in picturesque locations. On top of this cannot stress this enough especially with the long excursions make sure you have plenty of time to get back.

Thank You Very interesting. GREAT Channel.

On the bucket list for 2024. Doing Panama Canal in Feb 2023 with HAL. Hope HAL has a good program for sailing Norway.

We did a 12 day Norway cruise with the german Phoenix line in September. They have some routes which are rarely offered by other cruise lines, e.g. a stop at the Svartisen glacier. We were extremely lucky with the weather. On almost all scenic excursions, we had perfect weather, we even had sun in Bergen. And to top it off, on 3 nights, we could see northern lights (at the beginning of September!). Our ship, the MS Artania, is a smaller, „classic“ cruise ship with a promenade deck where you can completely walk around the ship.

Great info

Visited The Fjords earlier this year by cruise ship. It was spectacular and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery but don't feel I need to go back.

The new Havila ships are designed to run up to 4 hours on electricity, so they will be able to continue to go into the UNESCO designated fjords. They are alternating with the Hurtigurten ships for the trips from Bergen to Kirkenes.

I always think it ironic that Norway is seen as a very eco-focused country. If oil-related carbon footprint were attributed to those that extract and sell the stuff rather than those who actually consume it (which is an alternative but not unreasonable way of looking at things), Norway would be one of the world's biggest polluting countries per capita!

Why not fly somewhere in Norway, rent a car, and move around. You choose where to go, and there are few if any tourists. It is cheap also. You may also be interested in the Norwegian mountain routes for walking. They are all mapped and you walk 20-30 km, sometimes a bit more, per day from cabin to cabin. You have to become a member first, and you are supposed to carry your own food. This is how most Norwegians see the country. A trip across the high mountains of Central Norway, such as Hardangervidda or Jotunheimen, takes less than a week and is great fun. I have done it several times, even when the kids were small.

Regarding your question on what to cover on your Silversea cruise, we would appreciate comparisons with other similar cruise lines on value, food, differences, and which cruise line you prefer for similar value.

5:04 you can clearly see the reason for banning combustion ships, look at that exhaust cloud covering the entire place XD

Loved my Norwegian Fjords cruise on Holland America! Norway is so wealthy because of oil and petroleum exports.

This is so helpful Tim. With the rail strikes on Friday 1st sept I’m trying to work out which coach to get home. Do you know what time we can expect to have disembarked this fjords cruise?

We were there in September! ❤️

Thanks for all your great videos! I am waiting for ships that are running electric so ports are not polluted with the dirty bunker fuel.

Great video. I agree that the large cruise ships take away from the natural beauty and have HUGE ecological negative impact. I support local business at home and will when traveling to Norway 🇳🇴. I had thought about Seabourn but will now look at a land package and focus on the northern passage.

i was in norway in october with the aida prima but unfortunately we didn't see any northern lights and it was warmer than expected.

I am Norwegian, and I've lived in England since 1970. My husband and I went on a Hurtigruten trip in 2016. 12 days on a boat - he loved it, I groaned! American tourists occupied all the best seats inside, complaining it was cold outside (mid-summer,) while the German tourists were sunbathing on sun loungers at the back deck. And the rest wondering if we'd ever find somewhere to sit inside or out. Fortunately, we could get off the boat to feel mother earth under our feet - and in my case - meet up with relatives that took us on drives if they lived where the boat stayed in one place for any length of time. However, the Hurtigruten is a cargo ship, so be aware of goods being shipped on or off the boat - can be very noisy at times, particularly at night if you are a light sleeper.

I will be travelling to the fjords in August with MSC, can't wait :)

Spent a week in Norway back in the mid 90s, so my observations are a bit dated. That said, while I was wowed by the scenery and friendly people, the thing that made the biggest impression on me was how expensive everything was. It doesn't sound like that has changed much. I'm glad to have been there, and, if money is not a major issue, I really would encourage others to go. But it's easily one of the most expensive places I have ever been to in all my travels and there are other places I'd like to hit for the first time before I contemplate shelling out for a second Norway vacation.

Have you been to NZ and gone through Fiordland? Not just Mitre Peak, which a lot of cruise ships do go to, but spending time on a smaller boat through Doubtful Sound etc? I have been blessed enough to have done Mitre Peak on MSC Magnifica and it was amazing, but definitely not up to the amazing week I spent down in Fiordland around Doubtful Sound etc on a small tour. I think potentially it was the size of the ship which made the difference. A 16 storey Cruise Ship vs. an upgraded fishing vessel and sailing with NZ Dept of Conservation. Totally different experiences, but the Cruise Ship didn't let me really experience the height of the fiords etc where when we were in the little boat there was no question how small and insignificant we were