London vs. Amsterdam vs. Bergen for Pre-Cruise Stay

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My cruise to Norway is back on next summer! After my initial itinerary changed and no longer featured any fjords, I found another cruise to book. So naturally, my brain is happy to have a new trip to plan.

It will likely be just me and my daughter on this trip. I’d like to spend a few days in Europe before the cruise. I mean why not, if we’re already there? Our cruise sails out of Kiel, Germany. I’ve narrowed down our pre-cruise stay to a few choices:

London

I’ve been to London before, but it’s been many years. My daughter has never been. It would be fun to experience the Harry Potter film set with her, view the city from the London Eye, and travel to Dover and Stonehenge. London has so many iconic attractions that it would be easy to fill a few days there.

DFW has nonstop flights to London on AA and British Airways. Flying there would be easy.

On the down side, Heathrow Airport was a mess last summer. It had a lot of lost luggage and flight cancellations. In fact, my brother’s family almost missed their European cruise when their stopover in London went awry. Hopefully, those problems don’t continue every summer.

Amsterdam

I’ve never been to Amsterdam, but the city has always intrigued me. I’d love to visit the Anne Frank house and stroll along the canals. A day trip to Giethoorn also looks fantastic!

DFW has nonstop flights to Amsterdam on AA. We could also fly to Houston and book a nonstop flight from there on KLM using my Flying Blue miles. Amsterdam is just a 5-hour train ride to Hamburg, where we’d likely stay the night before our cruise.

Bergen

The cruise I booked does not sail to Bergen, Norway. I had always hoped I could see the fjords and Bergen on the same trip, but it was difficult to find a cruise itinerary that included everything I wanted.

We could spend a few days in Bergen before boarding our cruise in Germany. Bergen has the famous Bryggen wharf and the Mount Floyen funicular. We could also take the Ulriken cable car even higher for better views and hiking.

The downside to Bergen is that there are no direct flights from the U.S. However, it would be easy to fly there from Madrid (Iberia has nonstop from DFW to Madrid) or London. Also, there is a Hyatt hotel owned by composer Edward Grieg’s family where I’d love to burn my free night certificates.

Final Thoughts

It’s fun to think about the possibilities of this trip next summer. London, Amsterdam and Bergen are all good choices. I could also envision going on a separate trip to London and Amsterdam with my entire family in 2025. For next summer, it will likely come down to the award flights I end up booking and their convenience to these cities.

Which would you choose?

Author: Nancy

Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.