Northern Europe Cruise: A Popular Summer Route Through the Arctic Circle and Fjords, 11 Nights / 12 Days – Part 1

Date: 2019-09-01

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This year's cruise was an 11-night voyage to Norway's fjords and the Arctic Circle – something we had long dreamed of doing. It was our first time venturing into the Arctic Circle and the fjords. We'll be covering this cruise across four posts; here is the first.

① MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Itinerary and boarding process

② MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Inside the ship MSC Preziosa

③ MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Dining on board

④ MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Shore excursions (excluding Flam)

⑤ MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Shore excursion in Flam

What is the MSC Norway Summer Cruise?

This fjord itinerary is an extremely popular route, limited to Norway's brief warm season of just four months. When ice is drifting, there is a risk of damage to the ship, so in practice the route operates for only about two months at the warmest time of year. (Even at their warmest, local temperatures reach only around 15°C.)

There is also a one-week itinerary that covers only the fjords, without going into the Arctic Circle. As sailing frequency is low, individual bookings can be difficult to secure even a year in advance. We booked through the MSC UK website approximately a year and a half ahead of departure. (The system requires a deposit at the time of booking, with the full balance due no later than three months before sailing.)

There are four full days at sea with no port calls, offering ample time to enjoy the ship's activities and simply rest – a wonderfully indulgent itinerary. Gala nights, which typically occur once on a standard one-week cruise, were scheduled three times on this voyage.

About MSC Preziosa

MSC Preziosa (140,000 tonnes, Fantasia Class, mid-size ship) MSC Preziosa moored in Flam, on the Sognefjord

Launched: 2013. Gross tonnage: 139,072 t / Length: 333.30 m / Maximum beam: 37.92 m / Height: 67.69 m. Passenger capacity: 4,345 / Crew: 1,388. Cruising speed: 24.21 knots.

Departure port: Hamburg, Germany.

11-Night / 12-Day Itinerary

Day 1 – Hamburg, Germany: Departure at 10:00 PM

Day 2 – At sea

Day 3 – Ålesund, Norway: Arrive 10:00 AM – Depart 8:00 PM

Day 4 – At sea

Day 5 – Honningsvåg, Norway: Arrive 1:00 PM – Depart 2:00 AM

Day 6 – Tromsø, Norway: Arrive 12:30 PM – Depart 9:00 PM

Day 7 – At sea

Day 8 – Trondheim, Norway: Arrive 10:00 AM – Depart 7:00 PM

Day 9 – Molde, Norway: Arrive 7:00 AM – Depart 2:00 PM

Day 10 – Flam, Norway: Arrive 8:00 AM – Depart 7:00 PM

Day 11 – At sea

Day 12 – Hamburg, Germany: Arrive 7:00 AM

The voyage begins and ends in Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city – a major European metropolis home to one of the continent's busiest ports.

From London Heathrow to Hamburg

On departure day, we flew from London Heathrow on a BA (British Airways) flight departing at 13:20, arriving in Hamburg at 16:00 (Germany is one hour ahead of the UK). At Heathrow Terminal 5 – essentially a BA-dedicated terminal – check-in and baggage drop are handled entirely by self-service machines, similar to ATMs. It's remarkably fast with almost no waiting time.

Security checks are equally swift. Terminal 5 reportedly sets a target of completing the entire process from check-in to passing through security in under 10 minutes – among the fastest in the world.

After a 1-hour-40-minute flight, we took a taxi from Hamburg Airport to the cruise terminal – about 30 minutes, costing roughly €45 including tip. For this Hamburg journey, we used the local taxi-hailing app "mytaxi," which we had downloaded in advance. Very straightforward to use.

What is the cruise terminal like?

Hamburg has two cruise terminals; ours was the "Cruise Center Steinwerder."

Large luggage such as suitcases is handed in at the reception desk beside the entrance and delivered to your cabin later. Passengers enter through here.

The ship was departing at 10pm. We checked in around 5:30pm. This is where you complete check-in and receive your cruise card. Boarding the ship is generally possible from around 1pm.

After your carry-on luggage passes through the X-ray scanner, you go up an escalator to the second floor...

Before boarding, there's a photo opportunity in front of a large image of the Preziosa. Purchase isn't obligatory, but everyone gets a photo taken. The pictures go on display and sale at the photo shop from the following day.

At the top of the escalator, the Preziosa is right there waiting for you.

Like a towering skyscraper.

This gangway is the boarding bridge.

Before departure, enormous quantities of food, equipment, and supplies were being loaded onto the ship.

In July, the northern part of Norway above the Arctic Circle experiences the midnight sun – the sun neither rises nor sets, and it stays light outside around the clock. The Arctic Circle refers to all areas north of latitude 66°33'.

Of the ports we were visiting, the northernmost town was Honningsvåg (Day 5) – reportedly the northernmost inhabited town on Earth. The North Cape headland at the northern tip of Honningsvåg sits at 71°10'21" North.

How expensive is Norway?

Norway is said to be the most expensive of the three Nordic countries – themselves famous for high prices. Because the harsh climate means crops cannot grow, almost all consumer goods are imported, making Norway one of the priciest places in the world. Even compared with London – itself considered expensive – the same items typically cost 1.5 to 2 times more. When you're there, London suddenly feels cheap. People from Nordic countries actually come to London on shopping trips, saying prices are low!

For example, a drink at a 7-Eleven was 25 kroner (311 yen) – and that was already a sale price. (Summer 2019 exchange rates.)

At a regular supermarket, a 1.5-litre bottle of Coca-Cola was 36.90 kroner – 460 yen.

We tried McDonald's. We ordered a double-patty cheeseburger, sweet potato fries (an unusual option), and water.

It was actually quite delicious... but then:

The price was 102 kroner – around 1,270 yen!!

Norway is known for high taxes but also excellent welfare provisions. At these prices, everyone must be earning good salaries too – we would hope so, at least!