I went on a 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise for $4,200. Here's what it was like and why it was worth every penny.
In:The opportunity to take my family on a Norwegian fjords cruise was too good to pass up, even if it's not the cheapest cruise fare.
I booked a 7-night Royal Caribbean cruise through Norway that cost $2,103.22 per person.
We were already coming to Europe for a Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise, but that sailing was going to cities in northern Europe. Norway seemed like the perfect way to top the trip.
Not only would we get to see marvelous cities, but we could check off another must-see list item by going to the fjords too.
The seven-day cruise departed from Southampton, England. It was particularly easy because I was doing a back-to-back cruise and was already on the ship.
It cost $4,206.44 for two people in connecting oceanview balcony rooms, including taxes, fees, and gratuities.
Here's what my cruise experience was like, and why I would do it again in a heartbeat.
My 199-square-foot balcony cabin had more than enough space for two people
My wife and I stayed in a balcony cabin on deck 8, and it served as our home base throughout this cruise and the one before it.
Cruise ship rooms get knocked for being tiny, but our 199-square-foot cabin with a 65-square-foot balcony felt spacious and suitable for two people.
It had a king size bed, plenty of storage space for everything we packed, a small safe, a seating area with a sofa, a hairdryer, a small refrigerator, and complimentary toiletries.
It helped we booked connecting cabins so my kids had their own space, and we had ours. It's a must-do family booking strategy, in my opinion.
There were 4 ports of call built into our nine-day itinerary, but one was cancelled
Before our cruise began, the plans had to change.
Due to an issue with one of the ship's generators, Independence of the Seas had to sail at a reduced speed and our itinerary was altered to drop a visit to Alesund.
We were disappointed with the change, but Royal Caribbean gave us $200 per cabin for the last-minute change. Plus, we were scheduled to be there from 4pm-11pm, so it was a difficult day to plan around anyway.
I've cruised long enough to know that any itinerary is subject to change, and you have to roll with the punches. Being flexible when cruising is so important, and I wasn't going to let a port cancellation ruin my trip.
All of the ports — Hagesund, Molde, and Olden — were very different and offered one-of-a-kind experiences
Our cruise would take us to three very different Norwegian ports.
Our first port of call was Molde, a town near the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. Its picturesque harbor, public art, colorful streets, and surrounding hills made it a postcard-perfect introduction to the country.
We attempted to hike up to Varden Molde Panorama, a picturesque vantage point overlooking the city. The grade of the hike was too difficult for us, but we shared in a good laugh after how difficult it was.
Stop two brought us to Olden, a village so beautiful that it ended up being my favorite of all the stops.
I actually booked two different shore excursions, because I wanted to maximize our time.
We got off the ship early and took the LOEN Skylift up to the top of Mount Hoven, where we enjoyed amazing views 1,011 meters above the Nordfjord.
After lunch, we booked a panoramic bus tour of Nordfjord. It wasn't exciting, but it did stop at a number of beautiful spots to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.
And Haugesund rounded out our visit. This is a proper city, and it was far more bustling than any of the other stops. We shopped, had lunch in the city, and even took a short walk to a Viking memorial.
It's worth noting we also visited the capital of the country, Oslo, on the previous sailing. The biggest city in Norway, it offered more history and culture than we could fit into our visit.
Because we cruised in summer, I didn't see the Northern Lights. But, I did experience Norway's midnight sun
A few people on my cruise ship asked if we'd be able to see the Northern Lights, but it's practically impossible in June or July (November through March are the months travelers are most likely to see them in Norway).
I did get to experience midnight sun, though. This is when the sun barely sets during the summer months, and it's still very much light out at midnight.
This is because of the earth's tilt, and how far north Norway is located.
During our cruise, the sun would start to set around 11pm, but it wouldn't get truly dark until closer to 1am. And then the sun would rise again around 4am.
It made sleeping a challenge, as I'm used to relying on any natural light seeping into my room as a sign it's close to the time to wake up.
But it was very strange to have dinner or see a show on Independence and walk out of the venue to see sunshine at 10pm.
The weather was unpredictable, but we got very lucky overall
It seemed like everyday was a guessing game as to whether it would be sunny, cloudy, rainy, or windy.
In general, the weather forecasts were pretty useless. When comparing forecasts across different sites, each had its own view, and there was never any consistency.
Luckily, we encountered very little rain and comfortable conditions overall.
It rained a little in Olden and Oslo, but in both cases it was short lived. Most of the time we were dry, and the sun was present much more than I expected.
Just like an Alaska cruise, you have to be flexible in your planning and employ the layering strategy for packing.
Most importantly, don't take the weather forecasts as the gospel truth.
Independence had lots of onboard activities to keep us entertained during days at sea
When we weren't in port, I kept myself busy on sea days with the various things to do onboard.
Royal Caribbean is well-known for offering lots of fun things to do on any of its ships.
My daughters loved going to the free skate sessions in the ice skating rink, where Royal Caribbean provided all the equipment to try ice skating.
I gravitated towards the live entertainment onboard, particularly the Pub and band in Star Lounge. "Rock-aroke" was a really fun take on karaoke, where the guests singing had a band performing instead of a recorded track.
Many of our friends were competitive in the different trivia events onboard too.
The ship's dining options were impressive as well
We mostly ate at the Main Dining Room on Independence of the Seas, but sprinkled in specialty dining too.
There are four specialty restaurants I ate at during my sailing:
I took advantage of a a 3-night dining package that I purchased before the cruise began to help augment our dining plans.
This allowed us to enjoy the fantastic service in the Main Dining Room, but change things up with specialty restaurants later without paying full price.
The Nordic voyage was the perfect trip for a family group seeking adventure
We ended our cruise in Southampton, making it convenient to get back to London and catch a flight home.
In retrospect, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to bring my wife and kids to Norway and explore it together. As my girls grow up, family vacations seemingly become more and more important. Plus, I think even the jaded teenager found it a fun trip.
My kids were able to have time for themselves onboard and meet other teens their age, while my wife and I enjoyed the casino, entertainment, and chatting with friends.
Giving each person the freedom to fill their days as they desired — and spending quality time together at night — was essential to the trip's success.
