I’ve visited Norway four times, including three cruises through the Norwegian fjords. After sailing to Norway with my husband in June 2024 aboard Celebrity Apex, I convinced my parents and sister to book the same sailing this summer. In fact, I’ve convinced multiple family members to book this exact cruise because it’s become one of my favorite itineraries, even after 55+ sailings!
After two sailings to Norway on the same ship, I’ve learned many of the must-know tips and tricks for a smooth vacation. I’d argue that many of the lessons I learned during my first cruise on Celebrity Apex helped make my second Norway vacation much less stressful.
Both of my Celebrity Apex cruises departed from Southampton, England, on seven-night itineraries to Norway and Belgium. While some sailings are longer, seven nights is the standard length for Celebrity Apex’s Norway cruises during the summer.
My first itinerary visited Flåm, Olden, and Bergen, while this summer I visited Geiranger, Haugesund, and Flåm. For each sailing, I spent a few nights in London enjoying the city before heading to Southampton on the morning of the cruise.
I quickly learned that visiting Norway is nothing like sailing to the Caribbean. You’ll be dealing with completely different weather and likely spending long days ashore exploring everything Norway has to offer. But the payoff is worth it! The scenery is unlike anywhere else I’ve been, and Norway has become one of my all-time favorite places in the world.
If you’re heading to Norway aboard Celebrity Apex, here are 10 of my best tips that you need to know before setting sail.
1. Book Flåm Railway tickets on your own, but book early
One of my best tips for saving money during your cruise is booking Flåm Railway tickets on your own. I’ve taken the Flåm Railway a couple of times now, including on both of my Celebrity Apex cruises.
The first time we visited Flåm, I booked the railway through Celebrity Cruises, and it was nearly $250 per person. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I thought this was the safest option. However, I’m here to tell you that the Flåm Railway is extremely easy to do on your own, and it’s substantially cheaper!
We paid about $80 USD per person to book tickets directly through the railway on Norway’s Best website. The station is literally a five-minute walk from the cruise pier, so you can’t miss it. The excursions through Celebrity don’t even use buses, as guests just walk to the station from the ship.
There is one stop on the journey where you’ll get off the train for a few minutes and then reboard the same train back to the port. You can even book tickets that allow time at the Myrdal stop, where you can walk some of the trails.
However, you should definitely book your tickets as early as possible. We didn’t get tickets initially, as they sell out quickly. Luckily, a few weeks before our cruise, we saw a post in our Facebook sailing group that more tickets had become available. We jumped on them and snagged six seats, so check the website often for tickets.
Celebrity Apex is only docked from the morning until early afternoon, so you can only book some of the earlier departure times. Our train left at 10:30 and returned by 12:30, which gave us time to shop in the port.
2. Don’t miss entering and leaving the ports, as the fjords are amazing
Sailing through the fjords is one of the highlights of this itinerary, so you definitely don’t want to miss it. Celebrity Apex usually enters the fjords before docking around 5 a.m., so it’s an early morning if you decide to wake up for the sail-in.
Most people we met didn’t do this because it was too early for waking up on vacation! Luckily, you’ll take the same route out of the fjord, so you’ll see the same incredible scenery.
After visiting Flåm and Geiranger, we found spots on the top deck to enjoy the breathtaking views. Whether you decide to get up early or wait until the afternoon sailaway, you definitely won’t want to miss the scenery.
3. Get up on deck early if you want the best scenic sailing spot
Speaking of watching the sailaways, make sure you get up on deck early to snag the best spots.
For instance, the Sunset Bar was packed during our fjord sailaways with hardly any room left to watch the scenery. People also started camping out at Oceanview Café after lunch for the outdoor seating, as these aft-facing views are spectacular.
We ended up grabbing chairs near Rooftop Garden Grill and sitting along the side of the ship near the walking path. This was a great spot to watch the sailaways, so we did it in both Flåm and Geiranger.
I highly recommend being on the open deck so you can see both sides of the fjord as you’re sailing. Although your balcony will have great views, you’ll only see one side of the fjord, and seeing both sides is part of the captivating beauty.
4. Allocate plenty of time to get to Southampton from London
Most people will fly into London Heathrow for this cruise, although you could also fly into Southampton. Every time I’ve sailed from Southampton (six times now), I’ve traveled from London on the morning of the cruise. It’s about a 2.5-hour drive, depending on traffic, from central London, while the train is quicker at about 1.5 hours for a direct route.
I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to stay in Southampton the night before your sailing unless you want extra peace of mind. However, I would allocate plenty of time to get to Southampton from London to account for traffic or train delays.
Last summer, my husband and I booked an 11 a.m. train with an arrival time of 12:30 p.m. in Southampton, which felt like plenty of time. Unfortunately, there was a major delay with the trains due to an emergency on the tracks. I started getting nervous about what we would do if the train didn’t leave within the next hour or two. Luckily, we were only about 45 minutes delayed, but I won’t cut it that close again.
This year, we booked a private transfer through Viator, and it was an excellent experience. I wanted to build in some extra buffer time, as the roads in England can become congested easily. We left our hotel in London at 9 a.m. and arrived shortly after 11 a.m. in Southampton to board. I was happy to have the extra time, and we ended up boarding the ship just before our scheduled time.
5. Norway’s weather forecast isn’t always accurate, so plan for all seasons with layers
Our Norway weather forecast showed cold, windy, and rainy weather for our sailing. As such, we prioritized packing our warmer clothes. For me, this included a few sweaters, leggings, a long raincoat, and a winter hat.
To our surprise, we never had a drop of rain the entire cruise. Each day was sunny and climbed into the 60s by the warmest part of the day. We still used our cooler weather attire, especially while visiting higher altitudes where it can be colder and windier, like the viewpoint in Geiranger.
Having layers was key, as the mornings could still be cool enough that we needed jackets. By the afternoon, the sun was out and we didn’t need our coats. However, by the time we got back onboard and watched sailaway from the ship, we were layering our coats and hats back on for the cooler temperatures. We were constantly shedding layers and adding them back throughout the day!
On the other hand, my cruise last summer was in early June, and we had cooler weather with more rain. One day was especially rainy when we hiked Briksdal in Olden, and my outfit was completely soaked! Flåm ended up being a little warmer during that sailing, while Bergen stayed on the cooler side.
I recommend bringing clothes that you can easily layer and preparing for all seasons, whether it’s warm summer sunshine or cool, rainy, and windy weather. And don’t always trust the forecast!
6. Bring a good eye mask for sleeping
The midnight sun is a real thing when cruising to Norway in the summer! The sun set very late each night, around 10 p.m. during our sailing. And by 3 a.m., the sun was already starting to rise again. Even during our stay in London, I was surprised by how bright it was early in the morning and how late the sun stayed out.
I was so glad I packed an eye mask for sleeping so I wasn’t woken up early by the sunrise. The blackout curtains in our Infinite Veranda cabin worked well, but I appreciated the extra darkness.
7. Excursions are overpriced through Celebrity
If you’re heading to Norway aboard Celebrity Apex and plan to book excursions, make sure to budget accordingly. Most of the popular excursions cost $200 to $300 USD per person, even for half-day tours.
For example, we booked the Skudeneshavn excursion through Celebrity in Haugesund, which cost $250 per person for just five hours. In Geiranger, we also booked Celebrity’s half-day excursion to the Dalsnibba viewpoint for another $200 per person.
If your budget is tight, I recommend booking excursions through Viator or Shore Excursions Group to save money. As I mentioned earlier, booking the Flåm Railway on your own is one of the easiest ways to save money on excursions. Booking this directly through the train company saved us hundreds of dollars!
8. If you need winter clothes, there are plenty of options ashore and onboard
Packing for Norway is difficult, as the weather is cooler in the fjords while London and Brugge can be warm and sunny. As we learned, even Norway can get warm during the heat of the day!
As such, you’ll need a variety of clothes for all seasons. Although we packed appropriately for cooler weather, there were also plenty of options ashore and onboard if needed.
All of the ports had coats, sweaters, hats, and other winter gear if you need to purchase something in a pinch. Even the ship’s onboard shops sold coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. Of course, you might pay a premium, but you’ll also have a fun Norway souvenir to take home.
All that to say, don’t panic if you underpack for the weather. There were plenty of options for shopping both onboard and ashore.
9. A balcony is worth it for the scenery
For both of my Celebrity Apex cruises to Norway, I booked a balcony cabin to enjoy the scenery. It was worth every penny!
The first time, I booked a Deluxe Porthole Balcony, while this time we had an Infinite Veranda. You won’t want to miss any of the fjord scenery during your cruise, so being able to enjoy the floor-to-ceiling windows from the comfort of your cabin is unmatched.
My parents had never tried the Infinite Veranda before, but they ended up loving it. They said their breath was taken away when they opened the shades and saw the Flåm fjord from their cabin. If your budget allows, definitely splurge on a balcony to enjoy the views.
10. Book early or late summer sailings to avoid kids onboard
Our recent cruise departed on July 4, while my first sailing to Norway was in early June. This summer, there were substantially more kids onboard compared to early June. I was truly shocked to see so many families aboard our sailing, as Celebrity typically attracts an older demographic.
If you’re looking for a more adult-focused sailing, I would absolutely recommend booking an early or late summer cruise and avoiding July. I don’t mind cruising with kids, but some of them were very disruptive and poorly behaved. We could hear kids running up and down the hall late into the evening. Many guests, including us, heard loud kids running around or playing in their cabins early in the morning, sometimes as early as 5 a.m.
Compared to my other Celebrity sailings with very few kids onboard, this was a huge change. However, if you’re a family considering this sailing and worried that you’ll be in the minority, I wouldn’t be concerned.
