Norway cruises from Southampton: how long they take and what each length reaches
A 7-night Norway cruise from Southampton reaches the fjords between Stavanger and Alesund, with one sea day each way. The Arctic Circle takes at least 12 nights, and the North Cape or Iceland usually 14. Fares for 7 nights started at US$839 per person on 2 November 2026.
By Andrew Budai · Last checked · Rates and opening hours change, so confirm before you travel.
A Norway cruise from Southampton usually lasts 7, 12 or 14 nights, and the length decides how far north you get. Seven nights reaches the fjords on the west coast. Twelve takes you past the Arctic Circle to Tromso or Narvik. Fourteen can reach Honningsvag for the North Cape, or Iceland.
The schedule lists 185 sailings in this group from 13 November 2026 to 16 October 2028, and 70 of them last 7 nights. One departure can appear twice, because some lines sell the same voyage at two lengths. Fares are starting fares per person in US dollars with taxes and fees included, from a booking partner that sells to North American buyers, read 2 November 2026. The line or a UK agent may quote you something different.
P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen also sail to Norway from Southampton, but their fares are not on this site. Every sailing we can price is in the table at the end of this guide, and you can also browse them on our Norway page.
How long is a Norway cruise from Southampton?
Most Norway cruises from Southampton last 7, 12 or 14 nights. This table shows what each length usually reaches, with the lowest fare at that length on 2 November 2026.
| Length | How far it goes | Full sea days | Ships that sail it | Fares from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 nights | The south-west fjords, usually four ports between Stavanger and Alesund | 2, one each way | Queen Anne, Sky Princess, MSC Meraviglia, Freedom of the Seas | US$839 |
| 8 or 9 nights | The same coast with a fifth or sixth port, often Geiranger or Flam | 2, one each way | Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, MSC Meraviglia | US$1,269 |
| 10 or 11 nights, one way | Zeebrugge, Amsterdam, the fjords and Iceland, ending in Reykjavik | 2 or 3 | Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Getaway | US$1,959 |
| 12 nights | Past the Arctic Circle to Tromso, Narvik or Alta | 4 to 7, often 2 on the way out | Queen Anne, Queen Mary 2, Norwegian Star, Celebrity Beyond | US$1,409 |
| 14 nights | Honningsvag for the North Cape, or Iceland | 4 to 7, up to 3 on the way home from Iceland | Celebrity Apex, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess, Queen Mary 2 | US$1,974 |
The sea days come from the day-by-day itineraries Cruisebound shows. Not every sailing at a length goes as far as the table says. Some 12-night trips stay south of the Arctic Circle, and some 14-night trips split their time between Norway and Oslo, Copenhagen or northern Spain. The lowest fare at a length can belong to one of those, so read the ports in the table at the end before you compare.
What can you see on a 7-night Norway cruise from Southampton?
A 7-night cruise gives you four port days on Norway's south-west coast, with a sea day at each end. You leave Southampton in the afternoon, spend the next day at sea and reach Norway on the third morning. The last port is followed by another sea day, and you are back in Southampton on the eighth morning.
Haugesund, Skjolden, Olden, Stavanger, Alesund and Bergen come up most often on these sailings. None of the 7-night sailings on our schedule calls above the Arctic Circle. MSC Meraviglia goes furthest, to Sandnessjoen on the Helgeland coast, which Visit Norway describes as just below the line.
Check the ports before you book, because a few 7-night sailings in this group are not fjord cruises. Queen Anne, Sky Princess and MSC Meraviglia each have trips around Oslo, Copenhagen and Skagen that never reach the west coast. If fjords are the point, look for Olden, Skjolden, Flam or Geiranger.
Which fjord ports do cruises from Southampton call at?
Alesund, Haugesund, Stavanger and Bergen appear on the most Norway sailings on our schedule, followed by Skjolden and Olden. Geiranger, the name most people know, appears far less often, and only on Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond and Norwegian Prima.
| Port | What to know |
|---|---|
| Alesund | The starting point for the Geirangerfjord, according to Visit Norway |
| Skjolden | At the head of the Sognefjord, which runs more than 200 km inland |
| Olden | The way into the Oldedalen valley and the Briksdal glacier, on Fjord Norway's page |
| Flam | On the Sognefjord. Its Naeroyfjord branch is on the UNESCO list |
| Geiranger | The innermost village on the 15 km Geirangerfjord, also UNESCO listed |
| Hardangerfjord | A 179 km fjord. Listings often name the fjord, so check the village your ship stops at |
| Stavanger | The base for a day trip to the Lysefjord, according to Visit Norway |
| Bergen | Visit Norway puts it at 200-odd days of rain a year, so pack for it |
Can a cruise from Southampton reach the Arctic Circle?
Yes, but it takes at least 12 nights. Nothing shorter on our schedule crosses the Arctic Circle. Tromso, Narvik and Alta are the usual ports above it, and most of these sailings reach Tromso on day 6 or 7.
Queen Victoria's 12-night trip from 9 November 2027 is a typical example. After two sea days it calls at Trondheim on day 4, Tromso on day 6 and Narvik on day 8, then stops only at Stavanger on the way home. That adds up to seven sea days, and it is why a longer cruise does not always mean more time ashore. Fred. Olsen's Balmoral, on a 14-night sailing from 28 February 2027, lists the crossing itself on day 5 as scenic cruising.
Which cruises from Southampton go to the North Cape?
Cruises to the North Cape call at Honningsvag and usually last 12 to 14 nights. Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, Sky Princess, Queen Mary 2, Explora IV and Majestic Princess all stop there, mostly from June to August.
The cape is a 307-metre cliff, and it is not at the quayside. Visit Norway puts Honningsvag's airport 32 km from it, so you need an excursion or road transport. Check what your line offers before you pay for the extra nights.
When can you see the midnight sun and northern lights on a cruise?
Midnight sun needs a sailing above the Arctic Circle between May and July. Northern lights need a dark night, so sail north between autumn and spring. A 7-night fjord cruise stays too far south for the midnight sun, and Visit Norway places the northern lights mainly in Northern Norway.
Visit Norway gives these midnight sun dates:
| Place | Midnight sun |
|---|---|
| The North Cape | 14 May to 29 July |
| Tromso | 20 May to 22 July |
| Harstad | 25 May to 18 July |
| The Arctic Circle | 12 June to 1 July |
A northbound sailing in August misses it, even at Honningsvag.
Visit Norway's northern lights season runs from late August to late March, with the highest activity in March and April and in September and October. It adds that the sky must be clear and dark, so no line can promise them.
On our schedule, the northern sailings outside summer are:
- February and March 2027. Queen Elizabeth, Majestic Princess and Queen Mary 2, 12 to 14 nights.
- October and November 2027. Norwegian Star, Queen Anne, Majestic Princess, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, 12 to 14 nights.
- February and March 2028. Queen Mary 2, Majestic Princess and Queen Victoria, 12 to 14 nights.
- October 2028. Queen Anne and Majestic Princess, 14 nights.
P&O's Aurora sails to Norway for 14 nights from 19 March 2027, on a sailing P&O sells around the aurora, and for 12 nights from 17 November 2027. Fred. Olsen has Balmoral for 14 nights from 28 February 2027 and Bolette for 11 nights from 7 November 2027. No ship on our schedule goes in December or January, and Visit Norway says the polar night covers Tromso from the end of November to the middle of January.
Can a Norway cruise from Southampton include Iceland or Greenland?
Yes. Iceland takes 14 nights on a round trip, and Greenland is rare. On Sky Princess's 14-night trip from 26 June 2027 you get four Norwegian ports, four in Iceland, then three sea days home.
- Round trips to Iceland. Sky Princess, Majestic Princess, Celebrity Beyond and Queen Victoria sail 14 nights, and Queen Victoria and Explora IV have 16. P&O's Aurora and Arcadia both have 14-night Norway and Iceland sailings in summer 2027.
- One way to Iceland. Norwegian Prima in 2027 and Norwegian Getaway in 2028 sail 10 or 11 nights and end in Reykjavik.
- Greenland. In this group, only Seven Seas Mariner goes, in June 2028, on 14 nights one way to Reykjavik or 24 nights round trip. Our transatlantic guide covers the voyages that pass Greenland on the way to Canada.
Do Norway cruises return to Southampton?
Most do. Of the 185 sailings in this group, 144 are round trips and 41 are one-way.
The one-way sailings nearly all end in Reykjavik or Copenhagen, so they need a flight home. Norwegian, Explora, Regent, Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn and some Princess voyages are in this group. If you want to avoid flying, check where your sailing finishes, and read our no-fly cruises guide.
When is the best time for a Norway cruise from Southampton?
May to August has the most sailings, and June and July are the fullest months on our schedule. May is the driest of those months at Bergen, and July is the warmest. The 7-night fjord trips thin out in September, and the last on our schedule leave in the last week of that month.
These are the normal figures Yr shows for Bergen. Yr comes from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK, and its page does not say which years the normals cover.
| Month | Normal mean temperature | Normal rainfall |
|---|---|---|
| May | 10.7°C | 109 mm |
| June | 13.6°C | 132 mm |
| July | 15.6°C | 158 mm |
| August | 15.4°C | 208 mm |
| September | 12.6°C | 248 mm |
Rain more than doubles from May to September. We would pick May or June for the fjords on that basis, and October or March if the northern lights matter more than the weather. Compare the dates in the table at the end, or open a month on the schedule.
Which cruise lines sail to Norway from Southampton?
Cunard and Princess have the most Norway sailings on our schedule. Here is what each line runs.
| Line | Ships | What it sails |
|---|---|---|
| Cunard | Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 | Mostly 7-night fjord trips on Queen Anne, plus 12 and 14 nights to Tromso, Narvik and Honningsvag |
| Princess | Sky Princess, Majestic Princess, Regal Princess, Caribbean Princess | 7 and 14 nights, including Alta and Iceland |
| MSC | MSC Meraviglia | 7 nights, and 14 nights that add Spain and France |
| Royal Caribbean | Freedom of the Seas | 7 and 8 nights |
| Celebrity | Celebrity Apex in 2027, Celebrity Beyond in 2028 | 7 to 14 nights, including Geiranger, Flam and the North Cape |
| Norwegian | Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Jewel | One way to Reykjavik or Copenhagen, and Norwegian Star's 12-night round trips to Tromso and Alta |
| Disney | Disney Wish | 7 nights in summer 2027 |
| Explora, Regent, Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn | Several | A mix of round trips and one-way voyages, 7 to 24 nights |
| P&O Cruises | Iona, Aurora, Arcadia | 7 nights on Iona, 12 and 14 nights on Aurora and Arcadia. Fares not on this site |
| Fred. Olsen | Borealis, Balmoral, Bolette | 8 to 15 nights from Southampton on the sailings we checked. Fares not on this site |
Fred. Olsen's Norway page says its cruises typically last five to fourteen nights, and some leave from Newcastle or Rosyth, which may suit you better if you live further north. P&O and Fred. Olsen ships appear on the calendar.
Is Norway in the EU or Schengen for a cruise?
Norway is outside the EU but inside the Schengen area. The European Commission lists it as one of four non-EU Schengen countries, and gov.uk says Norway follows Schengen rules.
For a British passport, that means it must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and must expire at least 3 months after you leave. Several lines ask for more, so read the Norway and Iceland section of our documents guide before you book.
Which Southampton terminal do Norway cruises leave from?
No terminal is set aside for Norway. ABP's published schedule only runs to 31 March 2027, so the berth for a summer sailing is not public yet, and ships do change terminal. Go by your boarding pass, and use our terminals guide to find the right dock gate. Our parking and train and coach guides cover the journey to the port.
Sources
- Cruisebound: sailings, day-by-day itineraries and fares from Southampton
- ABP: cruise ship schedule, read 1 November 2026
- Visit Norway: the midnight sun
- Visit Norway: northern lights in Norway
- Visit Norway: the polar night
- Visit Norway: the North Cape
- Visit Norway: Narvik
- Visit Norway: the most famous fjords in Norway
- Visit Norway: Bergen in summer
- Visit Sognefjord: Skjolden
- Fjord Norway: cities and places, Olden and Oldedalen
- Visit Helgeland: Sandnessjoen
- Yr, from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK: weather statistics for Bergen, read 1 November 2026
- European Commission: Schengen area
- GOV.UK: Norway entry requirements
- P&O Cruises: G713 Norwegian Fjords on Iona, June 2027
- P&O Cruises: R702 Norway on Aurora, March 2027
- P&O Cruises: R721 Norway on Aurora, November 2027
- P&O Cruises: R710 Norway and Iceland on Aurora, June 2027
- P&O Cruises: J709 Norway and Iceland on Arcadia, July 2027
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: Norway cruises
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: L2705 In Search of the Northern Lights on Balmoral
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: T2733 Northern Lights cruise on Bolette
