Queen Mary 2 - Norwegian Fjords from Southampton
The ocean liner Queen Mary 2 sails 11 nights from Southampton into the Norwegian fjords, calling at Bergen, Olden, and Alesund with two visits to Hamburg and a stop in Zeebrugge.
Price Range
$$
Mid-Range
*Prices vary by cabin type, sailing date, and availability. Confirm rates with Cunard before booking.
Ship Details — Queen Mary 2
View full Queen Mary 2 details
Year Built
2004
Tonnage
149,215 GT
Passengers
2,695
Crew
1,253
Decks
13
Class
Ocean Liner
Itinerary & Route Map
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Where this cruise calls, day by day
8 ports and 4 sea days over 11 Nights.
- Day 1Southampton port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Southampton
United KingdomDepart Day 2 · At sea
- Day 3
Hamburg
GermanyPortA working sea port, Germany's largest, and cruise ships use three different terminals - HafenCity, Altona and Steinwerder - so it is worth knowing which one before you plan a day. The city has turned its old bonded warehouse district into its main attraction, and the harbour still runs container traffic past the concert hall at all hours.
- The Elbphilharmonie and its free public plaza on top of the old warehouse base
- Speicherstadt's brick canals and Miniatur Wunderland's model railway
- The Sunday morning Fischmarkt, which opens at dawn
- A harbour barge tour through the container terminals, or the Reeperbahn after dark
- Getting ashore
- HafenCity berths are walkable to Speicherstadt; Altona and Steinwerder need a shuttle, ferry or taxi, so confirm the terminal in advance.
- Best months
- May-Sep; late Nov-Dec for the harbour-side Christmas markets
Day 4 · At sea
- Day 5
Bergen
NorwayPortThe usual start or finish of a Norwegian fjord itinerary, wedged between seven mountains and a deep harbour. Rain is the default - locals hand out umbrellas without comment. The draw is Bryggen, the row of leaning wooden Hanseatic trading houses on the north side of the Vågen inlet, and the funicular that climbs straight out of the old town to a mountain plateau.
- Bryggen wharf and the alleys behind its facades
- Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen, 8 minutes from the centre
- The fish market at the head of Vågen
- Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg's lakeside villa and composing hut
- Getting ashore
- Ships dock at Skolten, a 10-minute walk from Bryggen, or at Dokken/Jekteviken further south, which is 25-30 minutes on foot and usually shuttled.
- Best months
- May-Sep
- Day 6Olden port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Olden
NorwayPort - Day 7Ålesund port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Ålesund
NorwayPort Day 8 · At sea
- Day 9
Hamburg
GermanyPortA working sea port, Germany's largest, and cruise ships use three different terminals - HafenCity, Altona and Steinwerder - so it is worth knowing which one before you plan a day. The city has turned its old bonded warehouse district into its main attraction, and the harbour still runs container traffic past the concert hall at all hours.
- The Elbphilharmonie and its free public plaza on top of the old warehouse base
- Speicherstadt's brick canals and Miniatur Wunderland's model railway
- The Sunday morning Fischmarkt, which opens at dawn
- A harbour barge tour through the container terminals, or the Reeperbahn after dark
- Getting ashore
- HafenCity berths are walkable to Speicherstadt; Altona and Steinwerder need a shuttle, ferry or taxi, so confirm the terminal in advance.
- Best months
- May-Sep; late Nov-Dec for the harbour-side Christmas markets
Day 10 · At sea
- Day 11Bruges (Zeebrugge) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Bruges (Zeebrugge)
BelgiumPort - Day 12Southampton port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Southampton
United KingdomArrive
What to know about this sailing
Drawn from 36 traveler threads tagged to Queen Mary 2 on Northern Europe routes (2022–2025), most of them about the ship rather than the fjords, plus 50 route threads, the route data and the port notes above.
The two Hamburg calls are the tell. Cunard sells Queen Mary 2 voyages from Hamburg as well as Southampton - a 2022 thread has a poster booked on one that begins there - so the fjord section of this itinerary is effectively a Hamburg-to-Hamburg loop with a Southampton leg bolted on at each end. That explains the shape of the eleven nights: five are sea days, the three Norwegian calls at Bergen, Olden and Ålesund come in a single run, and the trip closes with a Bruges day out of Zeebrugge before the final crossing home. What is missing matters as much: no Geiranger and no Flåm, the two calls that route threads from 2023 to 2025 name first when asked which fjord itinerary to pick, and a 2025 poster who had sailed the fjords rated Olden's scenery a step below both. Anyone booking for the narrow-fjord sail-in that posters describe at Geiranger is on the wrong itinerary.
The QM2 threads that touch this route say more about the ship than the fjords, which is itself a finding: people book this liner for the liner. The most useful is a 2024 reply from someone who did three consecutive weeks aboard - a crossing, this fjords loop, and the crossing back - and came away preferring the sea days, calling Norway nice but the crossing more relaxing. A 2023 first-timer booked on this route worried about a run of negative Cunard reviews and was told that a first cruise has no baseline to feel a decline against. Worth knowing for a Southampton departure: a 2022 poster watched a Southampton-Hamburg round trip apparently dropped at short notice, a crossing was cancelled for a technical fault in April 2023, and a 2023 comment noted the ship was skipping a 2025 world cruise to run Southampton-based itineraries like this one instead. A 2024 solo traveller was booked on a combined fjords, Iceland and New York voyage, so this loop is sometimes the first leg of something longer.
On price this sits in the middle of the Southampton fjord options and at the bottom on time in Norway. Cunard's own Queen Anne does a seven-night with Olden and Ålesund for roughly half this fare, and Queen Victoria an eight-night with Bergen for several hundred less; Sky Princess reaches Bergen and Olden in seven nights for less again. Norwegian Prima's ten-night adds Iceland for a bit more, though a 2025 route thread called Prima a poor ship for cold-weather sailings with too little indoor space. What the extra nights on Queen Mary 2 buy is Hamburg twice, Bruges once, and five sea days on a hull built for them. That makes this the pick for someone who wants the ocean-liner experience with a fjord sampler attached and a couple of North Sea cities thrown in - and a poor pick for anyone whose goal is Norway, who would get more fjord for less money on nearly every rival listed.
Questions about this sailing
Does the Queen Mary 2 Norwegian fjords cruise go to Geiranger or Flåm?
No. The Norwegian calls are Bergen, Olden and Ålesund, and the rest of the itinerary is Hamburg twice and Zeebrugge for Bruges. That matters because Geiranger is the port route threads from 2023 to 2025 consistently name as the highlight of a fjords cruise, with Flåm close behind, and a 2025 poster who had done Olden rated its fjord scenery a notch below both. If Geiranger is the point, the Celebrity and MSC sailings that route-thread posters discussed include it; this one does not.
Can I join this Queen Mary 2 cruise in Hamburg instead of Southampton?
Possibly - the double Hamburg call is there because Cunard also sells Queen Mary 2 voyages that begin in Hamburg, and a 2022 thread has a poster booked on a QM2 trip that started there. Whether this specific departure is sold that way is something to check with Cunard; the archive only confirms that Hamburg embarkations exist. For anyone flying in, note that the same 2022 poster was watching ship-tracking sites nervously after a Southampton-Hamburg round trip appeared to be dropped at short notice, so build a buffer day either side.
Onboard Amenities
Cruise Highlights
About the Ship
What Travelers Say About Queen Mary 2
Reviews of the ship itself — the same for every Queen Mary 2 sailing. Distilled from 208 traveler threads, passenger reviews and travel blogs.
Queen Mary 2 is not a cruise ship — she is the world's only true ocean liner in regular service, purpose-built to power across the North Atlantic on the historic Southampton-to-New York crossing. That heritage defines everything: a deeper, stronger hull that handles rough seas, a formal black-tie culture, white star service, and traditions like grand ballroom dancing and afternoon tea in the cavernous Queens Room. The vibe is elegant, civilized, and adult — a floating piece of Cunard history with the only planetarium at sea, a serious enrichment program, one of the largest libraries afloat, and even the only kennels at sea for guests crossing with their pets.
What People Love
- Genuine ocean liner built for the open Atlantic — far more stable in rough seas than a typical cruise ship, which makes the Southampton-to-New York crossing a bucket-list experience
- The only planetarium at sea (at Illuminations) plus a serious enrichment program with guest lecturers, a huge library, and a maritime history walk celebrating Cunard's legacy
- Princess Grill and Queens Grill dining are repeatedly called among the best food experiences at sea, with single-seating service and dedicated restaurants for suite guests
Common Complaints
- Technology lags badly — Wi-Fi is widely described as poor and expensive, there is no useful onboard app, and many cabins lack USB ports and adequate charging
- The Britannia main dining room and the Kings Court buffet get mixed-to-mediocre reviews, with complaints about limited variety and inconsistency compared to the excellent Grills
- The Grills 'ship-within-a-ship' concept feels weaker than rivals — lounges and deck space are dispersed rather than a cohesive exclusive enclave