Norway Is Beautiful and Brutally Expensive. Is a Cruise the Answer?
Bergen PortBrazil CountryMalta CountryNorway CountryUnited Kingdom CountryHolland America Line Cruise LineHolland America Group Cruise CompanyRotterdam PortVenice Port
Norwegian fjords cruise with Holland America: is it worth it, and is a cruise really the best way to see Norway, one of the most expensive countries on earth? We reached Norway entirely by ship, no flights, and sailed the fjords for a week to find out. Norway is beautiful, but it's brutally expensive. A pint in Bergen cost us over eleven pounds, a plain grilled cheese sandwich was twenty euros. So does a fjords cruise, where the food and drink are prepaid before you even arrive, actually make sense of a country this pricey? This is our honest answer, from a week sailing the Norwegian fjords: Eidfjord, Vøringsfossen, and Bergen. We're Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We sailed to Norway from Rotterdam with no flights, live aboard our narrowboat Serenissima, and slow travel the rest of the world by train, ferry and water. This is the second of two films from the Norwegian fjords. What we cover in this one: Eidfjord and Vøringsfossen: the most visited waterfall in Norway, why it was almost unknown until cruise ships found it around 1900, and the corkscrew road that tunnels straight up through a mountain to reach it. Getting there independently: why doing this without a cruise ship means the nearest airport is four hours away by one train and three buses, and what that tells you about how Norway is built for travel by water. Under the bridge: the suspension bridge our ship only just fits beneath, and why the bigger cruise ships can't reach this fjord at all. The Pinnacle Grill: Holland America's steakhouse put to the test against every other cruise line's, and whether a premium line finally gets it right. Bergen: the thousand-year-old wharf the whole city grew from, the funicular up the mountain, the free-roaming goats, and the most expensive beer we've ever bought anywhere in the world. Our honest verdict: whether a cruise really is the best way to see the Norwegian fjords, and why, for us, it isn't even close. If you're researching a Norwegian fjords cruise, how to see the fjords on a budget, whether Norway is worth the money, or a Holland America fjords itinerary, this is an honest account from two people who sailed it and did the sums. Missed part one? We booked the cheapest cabin on the ship, an inside cabin with no window, and lived in it for a week. That film is up now on the channel. Want the bits that didn't make the main film? Click the 'Join' button below to become a Nomads Club member and watch the exclusive B-Side. Original Soundtrack by Adam. All music in our films is original, composed and produced by Adam (PhD in audio-visual composition). Who are The Floating Nomads? We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We live a life of constant slow travel by train, ferry and water. When not on our UK narrowboat, Serenissima, we live abroad for months at a time. Whether spending 200+ days in Malta (and Venice) or travelling from Buxton to Brazil without flying (as seen on CNN). Support the Journey New Films: Every Friday evening (UK time). Channel Members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99/month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side videos. Click 'Join' under any video to help support our work. Chapters: 0:00 Is a Cruise the Best Way to See the Norwegian Fjords? 0:47 Eidfjord: The Corkscrew Road Through a Mountain 1:57 Vøringsfossen, Norway's Most Visited Waterfall 4:04 Why You Can't Do This Without a Cruise Ship 8:07 Sailing Under the Suspension Bridge 9:28 The Pinnacle Grill: Holland America's Steakhouse 16:13 Bergen: 24 Degrees and Not a Cloud 18:28 Bryggen, Where the City Began 20:04 The Most Expensive Beer We've Ever Bought 23:44 The Funicular and the Goats 26:29 The Verdict: Cruise or Fly In? #NorwegianFjords #Norway #FjordsCruise #HollandAmerica #Bergen #Eidfjord #Voringsfossen #SlowTravel #FloatingNomads #CruiseReview #NoFly #Fjords #CruiseTips #NorwayTravel #HollandAmericaLine