Land of the Midnight Sun

Cruising through the Norwegian Fjords was a bucket list item for the last ten years. We learned about it from a travel agent on our first cruises in the Tahitian Islands on Princess.

The Princess cruise brand is our second favorite behind Celebrity cruises, but the service, food, and ships are never a disappointment. We searched far and wide through all the cruise lines for the perfect itinerary and I can tell you without a doubt that no one does Norway like Princess Cruises.

This was a 17-day cruise (this cruise happens only one time a year) during the summer solstice, hence “Land of the Midnight Sun.” The stops include all of the most gorgeous places in Norway, to include cruising through small Fjords, sailing up to the Arctic Circle, and getting to spend the day in the Lofoten Islands (Check out my blog on these magical chain of islands).

Land of the Midnight Sun Itinerary

-Port starting point – Southampton, England

-Stravanger, Norway – This is where you can hike the famous Pulpit Rock

-Oden, Norway – Cruising through the Fjord

-Tromso, Norway – You can see the Northern lights all through winter here

-Alta, Norway – This stop was taken off due to rough seas

-Honninsvag, Norway – This is where you can eat giant snow crab legs

–Gravdal, Lofoten Islands – I have a whole separate blog on this because it was spectacular

-Trondheim, Norway

-Andalsnes, Norway – This is where the Troll bridge is located

-Bergen, Norway

-Bruges, Belgium

-Returns to Southampton, England

Hiking Pulpit Rock – Preikestolen, Norway (Stravanger Port)

Originally when I looked into arriving to Stravanger, I noticed multiple pictures on Pinterest of this rock that people took pictures on, so I booked a private car on Viator.com. There is a bus in Stravanger that you can book that takes you to the hike, but it was nice to have our own car and driver.

First of all, one thing I did not know was that this hike was not a doozy. I normally do a ton of research, but this was one I really did not do my homework on. Pulpit Rock is easily a five hour round trip hike and it starts off on a pretty steep incline for the first thirty minutes, which may discourage some hikers. There were some pretty steep rock areas that I would tell you were pretty challenging. Not to mention, I was given a bunch of flack from my other travel buddies who were also in shock at the difficulty of this hike.

When we finally made it to the top – the big scary rock I can say without a doubt was totally worth it and an amazing feeling to achieve this monumental hike. Thankfully it was not raining on this particular day. If you are fit and like a good hiking challenge, this is it.

Olden

Olden, Norway is one of the cruise stops that most travelers look forward to visiting. We booked a tour to hike the Briksdal Glacier through Viator.com. This hike is nothing like Pulpit Rock, in fact you can pay for a troll ride up to the glacier and down if you would like. We opted to take it up to the glacier, but then hiked down (We were still pretty sore from the hike at Pulpit Rock).

Tromso

A great stop for us to do some shopping and to get a Thai massage. We were so sore from the Pulpit Rock hike that a Thai massage was exactly what we thought sounded amazing. There were a few Thai massage parlors in Tromso. The massages on the cruise ship are always so pricey, so we opted for one in the city for half the price.

The shopping on this stop is amazing, lots of Norwegian made products. We brought back reindeer sausage, Viking hats, and wool sweaters. The locals told us that they see the Northern Lights all through the winter. So, if you ever want to make sure you see the Aurora Borealis, I would recommend visiting Tromso in the winter months. Check Out – Winter Northern Lights tours.

Alta

Due to the weather being so rough cruising through the Arctic Circle the Captain decided it was not safe to make it to Alta. I know it is always a disappointment when ports are canceled, but I always prefer the safety of our lives over sight seeing. Once we entered into the Arctic Sea it was a bit rougher cruising, but so as it goes in the Arctic Seas. No wonder many sailors do not try to sail her in rough seas.

Honningsvag

This is one of the most Northern cities in the Arctic Circle that you can visit besides Longyearbyyen in Svalbard. Honningsvag is a quaint fishing village with a few artist shops. I bought a beautiful pair of earrings made out of Forget-Me-Nots picked locally and preserved in acrylic from Frozen Summer Design.

Arctic Crab legs are also a delicious treat to have while in the town, but be warned they are expensive. Between four of us, we shared 2 lbs. of Arctic Crab legs and they were $150 USD. It definitely was not enough to fill us up and you would think there was a lot more meat in those large legs, but that was not the case in our experience. On this stop you can hike up the small hill, which is pretty steep so I would steer clear if it was raining and I would not recommend hiking it. Taking a tour up to the North Cape was also an option that we did not do.

Gravdal – Lofoten Islands

This was by far our favorite stop, but I must warn you that Gravdal is a very secluded area from any town and can ruin your whole visit. Which did happen to many of the other cruisers who planned to get off the ship and find their own adventure. You must book a tour or rent a car and have them deliver it to your port, otherwise I promise you will regret it. Check out my article on the Lofoten Islands and tips to make sure you get to see this breathtaking place.

Trondheim

A larger city in Norway that has a lot to offer. We rented scooters as soon as we got off of the ship. The city is very bicycle and scooter friendly. We scootered down to this adorable cafe alley in the center of the city and we stopped for coffee and pastries as we people watched. We didn’t have any major plans, so we were able to enjoy the city in with a fun scooter ride on a warm Norway day.

Andalsnes

Andalsnes is another spectacular stop that can’t be missed in Norway. There are too many amazing things to do, but do not wait too long to book a tour. You can book the troll road on the troll wall tour. There is also a golden train that takes you through the breathtaking scenery of Norway (We wanted to do this, but all tickets were sold out). Kayaking the Seven Sisters waterfalls is also another option on this stop. Check out all the amazing things to do here – Andalsnes Tours.

Because we waited until the last minute to book our excursions, we ended up taking the gondola located next to the port. It takes you all the way up to the mountain and you can buy tickets at the booth, no need to buy in advance. The ride up the mountain is spectacular. There is a lovely cafe with the most beautiful view at the top and some trails to hike. In fact, you can hike up the whole mountain if you would like.

Bergen

A classically beautiful city that has so much to offer. We opted for a walking tour on this stop. We walked down to the fish market, as we were told it was a must. I would say, it was the prettiest and most colorful fish market I have ever seen. We sat down for a cocktail and a dish from one of the vendors in the fish market. All of the food that we ordered was delicious. Bergen has lots of artists and souvenir shops, so it was fun to meaner through all of them. This would be our last city in Norway and then off to Belgium.

Bruges

I do love this timeless city. We have enjoyed this city before and were so exhausted from our adventures so we opted to rest in our room and enjoy the ship with small crowds for the last day of the cruise. The last time we were in Bruges we took the boat tour through the canal and had a lovely lunch in the city.

Lessons Learned and Tips

Everything I read about Norway was that you should be prepared to bring every kind of weather gear possible, especially traveling from South to North. Not lying, we took cold weather hats and coats, rain coats, shorts, pants, and everything else between. Some days you would put on all of those clothes.

Book your tours months early. Some of you may only ever get to these destinations one time in your life, so book it early. I never opt for buying tours with the cruise ship, it is also cheaper through Viator or Get Your Guide. You can download these apps on your phone and purchase tours. There were at least two times that I hadn’t booked anything and fortunately last minute I was able to book some tours on the app.

Was the Princess Land of the Midnight Sun cruise worth the price? Absolutely, we were blown away by its beauty and had quite a few firsts on this trip. We had never cruised through the Arctic Circle which was pretty wild. Playing Settlers of Catan in the wine bar on the fifth floor, while watching the waves cover the windows. Crazy, but also cool.

Don’t forget to book your cruise through the Norwegian Fjords.