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If you’re planning a Norway cruise through Norway, one of the first questions you’ll probably ask is, “Which Norway Fjords cruise itinerary should I choose?”

That was exactly where we started. And exactly where I started to lose my mind. 

There are dozens of Norway cruise itineraries available, on a variety of cruise lines, and while many visit the same region, they don’t all include the same ports, scenic shore excursions, panoramic views and overall cruising experiences. 

After spending months researching, we finally settled on a 7-night Norway Fjords cruise itinerary that started and ended in Copenhagen and visited Flåm, Geiranger, Ålesund, and Kiel.

Looking back, I honestly don’t think we could have chosen a better itinerary for our family for our first Norway experience. Even though I do wish we would have done some things differently. 

Traveling with our 8-year-old daughter, we wanted a trip that balanced incredible scenery with exciting excursions, walkable towns, and enough flexibility that we never felt rushed. This Norwegian Fjords cruise delivered all of that and more.

In this guide, I’m sharing our exact day-by-day itinerary, what we loved, what we’d do differently, and tips to help you decide if a similar cruise is right for your family.

Quick Overview of Our Norway Fjords Cruise Itinerary

Explore Copenhagen Before Your Cruise

One of my biggest recommendations is to arrive at least a day or two before embarkation. We loved having a couple of days to enjoy the city, settle into the time zone and get excited for the natural beauty we were about to experience on the ship!

This was actually our second visit to Copenhagen, and we loved it during our first visit, so we knew we wanted to spend a few days enjoying the city before boarding our cruise. 

If you’ve never been, it’s an incredibly walkable city that’s easy to explore with kids.

The Copenhagen Card is a great way to see a lot of the city, and it includes transportation! Check out my full review, including details on how we used it!

One of our favorite experiences was spending the day at Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world- and the park that inspired Walt Disney when he created Disneyland.

It has rides, beautiful gardens, great restaurants, and a magical atmosphere that’s worth experiencing whether you’re traveling with kids or not.

We also loved wandering through Nyhavn, enjoying Danish pastries, and simply soaking in a slower pace before cruise embarkation day.

No matter what you do, give yourself at least one full day in Copenhagen (or wherever you embark from!) before your cruise. If your flight is delayed, you’ll have much less stress than flying in on the same day your ship departs.

A few things I would recommend if you are traveling with kids to Copenhagen: 

• Look up playgrounds near your hotel or places you plan to visit. They are all over the city and so unique! We spent several hours are various playgrounds around the city. 
• Visit the Danish Architecture Museum. I was a bit hesitant but all of us LOVED it! The open play area was fantastic for the whole family and the slide was a big hit as well. It’s also in the perfect location to grab lunch on the water afterwards. 
• Visit Nyhavn. It’s a must when in Copenhagen! Don’t plan to stay long, and I suggest eating elsewhere, but it’s worth seeing! 
• Take a boat tour around the canals. Seeing the city from this viewpoint was beautiful!

Day 1: Embarkation Day From Copenhagen

The time has arrived! We boarded the ship on a Sunday afternoon and it was a very smooth and easy process. 

We have cruised from Europe three times now and all three experiences have been amazing and so easy compared to sailing from the US. I don’t know if there is a rhyme or reason to this or if it’s just worked out that way, but it’s been great! 

On our first day we always do four things as quickly as possible once boarding: 

• Visit the muster station
• Head to the buffet 
• Check out the kids club
• Introduce ourselves to our room attendant and ask for robes if they aren’t already in the room

In this case, we also asked our room attendant for two extra blankets since I knew I would be sitting on the balcony many mornings. 

Another important first day (and every day thereafter) to-do when sailing MSC is to book your evening shows in the Delhi Theatre. They are free to attend but reservations are required if you want to ensure you have a seat. 

Day 2: At Sea

Our first full day at sea gave us time to settle into the vacation, explore the ship and attempt to rest a little before the midnight sun started and I didn’t want to sleep for the rest of the vacation. 

One thing that surprised us about cruising Norway was how scenic even the sea days could be. For a while we had views of the land, calmer waters and lots of time to enjoy the activities on the ship.

If you’re traveling with kids, don’t feel pressured to fill every minute with onboard activities. Some of our favorite memories came from the times we spent playing cards on the top deck, or doing arts and crafts with the crew members. 

Day 3: Hellesylt & Geiranger, Norway

On our first full port day, we dropped off some passengers in the town of Hellesylt and then continued through the fjords to Geiranger. Only guests with an MSC excursion were able to get off in Hellesylt, so it was a quick and easy process.

Those guests had tours booked through the mountains and ended their tour in Geiranger to board the ship again. 

We stayed on board so we could cruise through the fjords during the day and I am so glad we did. This was one of my favorite few hours of the entire trip!

At one point, we were standing on the top deck and even with the foggy weather, I was in awe over the beauty of the steep cliffs. Then suddenly, the clouds parted, the sun came out and I practically had to look straight up to see the mountain peaks. I think I shed a tear because it was just that incredible to see. 

We docked in Geiranger around 11:30am, it was planned for 12pm, and walked around the town for an hour before locating our excursion guide and boarding the bus for our first tour of the day. 

Pro Tip: Use the restroom before you get off the ship! It’s around $2 to use the public restroom in the town.

When planning our Norwegian Fjord cruise, there were two excursions I really wanted to do, and it just so happened that they would be in the same port. A half-day bus tour for incredible views and a RIB boat tour. Thankfully, because we were in port for so long, we were able to do both! 

I researched the best options and ended up booking this half-day tour and had a great time! I would absolutely book it again with or without kids. 

A tour I would love to try in the future is renting a fun little electric car because we saw them all over the place! Being able to go out on your own would be great, but it doesn’t work with three people unless we wanted to split up into two cars.

We boarded our bus tour right before 12pm and were back in the town by 4:45. 

Our next tour was initially scheduled for 6pm, but since we were back a little early, we asked the amazing team at the Fjord Guiding desk if we could board the 5pm boats and they were able to accomodate us!

We did the RIB boat tour and it was SO MUCH FUN! All three of us loved it. It’s a bit thrilling, full of interesting information and had some of the best views. 

When I was planning our trip, I didn’t think we would care too much about a boat ride since we were already seeing the views from the cruise ship- I was totally wrong! This was an amazing experience and one I would recommend! It was the best way to get up close to the waterfalls, including the Seven Sisters. 

We had the best time in Geiranger and I would highly recommend getting out and exploring when you are there! 

One thing to note about this port if you are considering a sailing in a few years- Geirangerfjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is starting to limit sailing into the town. So while there is currently easy access into this amazing port, it may not be available forever. 

Day 4: Ålesund

Ålesund offered a completely different experience than the previous ports. It was more of a viking village instead of a port to see deep into Norway’s Fjords and towering mountains. 

This town is known for its colorful Art Nouveau architecture and coastal charm. It reminded me of a New England coastal town, but with a Norwegian vibe of course. It was the perfect place to slow down and explore rather than plan out excursions and pack the itinerary for the day. 

Once we got off the ship, we decided to book a sightseeing train ride through the town, but at a later time so we could explore on our own for a little while. This worked out perfectly for us! 

We wandered the shops in the town, walked along the waterfront, and ducked into stores between raindrops. There was another cruise ship in port on the same day as us, so it was a bit busy, but not overwhelming. 

The train ride was a great tour through more of the town and to the Fjellstua viewpoint for a quick 15-minute stop for photos and a snack if you want it. Entrance to the upper deck is included with your train ticket, just be sure to ask your driver to open the gate for you if they aren’t there waiting upon arrival. 

If your family enjoys walkable cities that don’t require a packed itinerary, Ålesund is a wonderful stop. 

After a 5 hours we headed back to the ship as the sun was coming out to play board games on the top deck. The sail away was perfect since we could see more of the surrounding areas when the fog cleared.

Some of my favorite moments from this cruise were the times were we enjoyed the beautiful views while leaving the ports, Norway is just so beautiful and seeing it slightly from above was stunning. 

Day 5: Flåm

Flåm quickly became one of our favorite stops, which I could tell even before we got off the ship! 

Although it’s a small village, it’s surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve ever experienced. From the mountaintops to the beautiful clear blue water, it’s such a beautiful stop and I am so glad we were able to spend a full day here! 

Our only planned excursion for this port day was riding the famous Flåm Railway– but was it worth it?

Initially, I booked the Flam Railway (Flamsbana) through the cruise line (MSC) and it was $200 per adult and $145 per child, but as I researched, I realized how close the train station was to the port, and how much cheaper it would be to book direct.

The only catch, the only time slots left were 7:10am and 6pm. Both were tight compared to our arrival and departure times. 

I booked the 7:10am round trip ticket and it ended up being perfect because we were able to get off the ship around 6:30am. We were some of the first people off of the ship and were in line by 6:45am. Our initial arrival time in port was 7am, and even if we would have disembarked at that time, I am confident we would have made it to the train in time.

The walk was around 5 minutes from getting off the ship to arriving to the train station. 

And the best part? I spent $175 for all three of us compared to $545, a $370 savings!

I’m not always against booking excursions through the cruise line, but for the plans we made in Norway, we were absolutely able to do them on our own! Which if you are thinking about girl math, it means I have even more money to spend on another vacation 😉 

This scenic train journey climbs through mountains, waterfalls, and valleys that honestly looked like something from a storybook. It’s one of Norway’s most popular excursions for good reason and something I’d absolutely recommend booking in advance.

There are a few options for booking through Norway’s Best:

• Round trip journey: you hop on the train going up to Myrdal and you ride it back down to Flåm. 
• Rail way, zip line and cycle trip: You can ride the train up to Vatnahalsen, zip line down the mountain and then cycle the rest of the way back to town. We were very close to booking this option but we weren’t sure our 8-year old could do the 13 mile bike ride just yet. 
• Rail way, hike and bike: This includes a train ride to the top, a 2.2 mile hike down, followed by a 10.5 mile bike ride. 
• Railway & boat tour: If you are hoping to see as many views as possible during your day in Flåm, this could be the perfect option! You start with a Fjord Cruise earlier in the morning (usually starting around 9/9:30), then take a bus to the Viking Village (optional add on), before hoping on the rail way for a round trip journey. 

Most of the above excursions are available late-April through Mid-October. 

After our excursion, we hopped around the town a little bit. There is a small playground by the water, so we hung out there for a while then walked down to the water. I loved seeing so many people basking in the sunshine at the beach area. 

Then, we spent time exploring the shopping and dining village, browsing local shops, and we grabbed some snacks and drinks to enjoy in the beer garden for a while before returning to the ship. 

A few things I would consider for next time: 

• Take a tour to the Viking village 
• Walked or grabbed transportation for the Flåm Winery. This looked so beautiful and I wish we would have prioritized it. 
• Zip-lining! We really did want to do this so we would be sure our daughter was ready if we ever find ourselves in this port again! 

Day 6: At Sea

We had our second sea day on our journey back from Northern Europe and we were excited for a day of hanging out in the sunshine on deck, except the weather had other plans and it rained almost all day. 

We ended up sleeping in a bit, playing some card games in the cafe on deck 6, and going to the craft time hosted by the MSC staff. 

I will say, I found the activities lacking on the ship, especially for a sea day. We would have loved more family activities besides the Lego game show, but we made it work. 

One thing that we were excited to try was the wine tasting experience, and while it was a very neat experience, it wasn’t perfect. Several wine bottles were empty, and out of the 6 we choose ended up only being able to use the virtual coaster experience for 3 of them.

If all bottles were full and available in the virtual experience, this would have been a 10/10 for us. It even came with snack pairings! 

Day 7: Kiel

Kiel was our final port before returning to Denmark. This port is an interesting one because it’s also an option on the itinerary for embarking and disembarking. 

When we boarded in Copenhagen, it was the first full day for many of the passengers, and once we got to Kiel, those passengers were disembarking. 

In my opinion, this isn’t worth the port day on the itinerary for those who board in Copenhagen. It’s 1 hour from Lübeck and Hamburg, and while you have plenty of time in port, it’s a pain to travel the distance to get to either city. 

Because of this, we stayed in Kiel and explored the city. It was pretty and we enjoyed the waterfront area, but we easily could have skipped this day. 

Next time, we should have strongly considered boarding the ship in Kiel rather than Copenhagen to avoid this as Copenhagen is an easier city to explore on a port day. However, we wanted to spend a few days in Sweden and Copenhagen before boarding, so it worked out for us to “risk” the Kiel stop. 

So what did we do? We took an Uber to the train station in the city center and walked around the city to see Kiel Opera House, Schrenvenpark, and the canals. Then we hopped on a bus to the aquarium to see the seals from the outside and walk around the waterfront to have lunch in the sunshine.  

Our favorite part of this port day was all of the fun restaurants along the water. I had been craving fish and chips and we found the perfect spot! 

Before ordering an uber back to the port, we realized we could hop on the ferry and it would drop us off a 5-minute walk to the port! 

For 1 euro each, we had an easy ride back, were close to the port and got to see some of the town from another angle. I highly recommend looking into the ferries as they go all over the harbor and it’s a great way to explore without spending a lot of money.

I will say though, most guests choose excursions to nearby cities as mentioned above, so it’s important to research the area before determining what you want to do. We heard great things from those who did this, we just weren’t prepared for the journey to the city to only have a 2-hours to explore before turning back.

In the end, it was a relaxing final day before disembarkation and a chance to pack up and talk about all the fun experiences we had throughout the week.

Day 7: Return to Copenhagen

Before we knew it, our Norway adventure had come to an end.

Like every great vacation, the week flew by.

As we sailed back into Copenhagen, I had already started thinking about which fjords we’d love to visit next.

Norway completely exceeded our expectations. And I can only imagine how incredible the Northern Lights and the Arctic circle would be in Northern Norway- so hopefully more to come for us and Fjord cruises. 

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Our Favorite Excursions

If you’re trying to decide what to book, these were our favorites:

• Flåm Railway Round Trip experience. The “red dress” surprise was unexpected and cool, despite also being a bit creepy.
• RIB Boat Safari in Geiranger
• Exploring Tivoli Gardens before the cruise- it was our second time and we would go back again! 

These three experiences are the ones we still talk about weeks after returning home.

Would We Choose This Norwegian Fjords Itinerary Again?

Possibly, yes, but we would do it differently.

The combination of Flåm and Geiranger gave us everything we hoped for: breathtaking scenery, memorable excursions, charming towns, and experiences that worked incredibly well for our family.

However, we would strongly consider embarking in Kiel rather than Copenhagen to take full advantage of the port days. 

Overall, if I could offer just one piece of advice, it would be this:

Choose your Norway cruise based on the itinerary and not the ship.

The fjords are the real attraction, and spending a little extra time researching your ports can completely change your experience.

One other thing to note, this was not our first European cruise, but it felt very different than the others. We previously sailed with the Holland America line on two separate southern European cruises, one around Portugal, Morocco and Spain and another from Italy to Greece, Croatia and Montenegro. 

Our experiences were very different between the Adriatic and Mediterranean compared to the Fjords of Norway. 

Considerations Before Booking Your Cruise

Before booking your excursions, it’s important to think through a few things because not every port is the same and not every excursion includes the same options. 

• Where will your ship dock when in the Fjord or port? If you are in a town like Alesund, you’ll likely want to take an excursion that goes deep into the fjords. This port also means that your sail in/out won’t be as picturesque. 
• How many sea days will you have? Two was by far our limit for this cruise, I would have loved to have only one, but that’s hard due to the distance to/from many of the ports. 
• What’s your ideal cruise length? We would have loved to book an 11 or 12-day cruise to see several more ports that looked exciting to us, but it didn’t work out with our PTO and travel plans for this year. 

More Norway Cruise Resources

Planning your own Norway cruise? These guides and videos can help:

• What to Pack for a Norway Cruise in Summer
• Norway Cruise with Kids: Everything We Learned
• Flåm Railway Review (coming soon) 
• Our Favorite Geiranger Excursion: Fjord Guiding RIB Boat Safari 

Have a question about our itinerary? Don’t hesitate to reach out, I’d love to help you plan your own unforgettable Norway fjords adventure!