Cruising the Fjords

Q: We are very keen to have a holiday cruising the Fjords in the Scandanavian mid summer next year. We dislike the idea of huge ships with hundreds of passengers. Could you, therefore, recommend a smaller shipping line and give us an idea of the cost and best way to travel from South Africa . - Pat Dawson

A; Most of the cruises that visit the fjords seem to be the major operators such as Costa, MSC, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. However, there are two operators that specialise in smaller ships and more specialised cruises, Hurtigruten and Lindblad Expeditions. These operators offer expanded itineraries of this area, including Lindblad’s 16 night Norwegian fjords sailings between Bergen and Oslo . Hurtigruten (Norwegian for “fast route”) operates a fleet of 15 ships of varying types and sizes. The more modern ships have all the trappings of the big liners and take a large number of passengers, but they do have the smaller craft you would be interested in. For further information check the www.hurtigruten.us website. Lindblad Expeditions, founded in 1979, has earned a reputation for responsible tourism to out-of-the-way places. It operate a fleet of small expedition ships that can go where the other boats cannot go. It has teamed up with National Geographic to offer some fascinating cruises, one of which passes beyond the Norwegian mainland to Arctic Svalbard, into the land of the midnight sun, For further details, go to the www.expeditions.com website. If you don't find a cruise that suits you, try the www.smallships.travel website for a listing of other expeditions to the fjords. You can get to Scandanavia though most of the European airlines, so check British Airways, Lufthansa and other carriers for their best fares. Prices vary considerably for the cruises, with the "adventure-style" cruises more expensive than those on the big liners. (24/10/10)