When you think of Norway, you might imagine a country with beautiful mountains, historic cities, and northern lights. It also has an updated travel advisory from the U.S. Department of State!
On February 3rd, 2025, the United States government reissued a level 1 travel advisory for the country of Norway, which is a popular country with multiple ports where cruise lines stop on a regular basis.
The U.S. Department of State has issued travel advisories since 1978, but the current 4-level ranking system was implemented in 2018. Every country is ranked on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being the safest and 4 being a no-travel zone.
So what is a level 1 travel advisory and why should you care if you are a US citizen traveling anywhere abroad via cruise ship? Level 1 means “exercise normal precautions,” so there is an extremely low risk to one’s safety and security.
Some other countries that cruise lines often stop in with level 1 advisories, including Finland, Estonia, Poland, Ireland, and Iceland, to name a few.
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Let’s get back to why you should care if you are a US citizen traveling abroad. While level 1 is considered low-risk, you may also be traveling to some countries that fall into level 2, meaning “exercise increased caution.”
Some cruises stop in level 2 zones like Sweden, Germany, and France. So will you be safe traveling to these countries?
Traveling anywhere has its risks, but your cruise stopping anywhere marked level 1 or level 2 means your chances of being in harm’s way is unlikely. Travel advisories can change at any time, to check the most recent updates you can find all information on the U.S. Department of State website. If you want to take it one step further, you can use the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to enroll your trip abroad so that the Department of State can contact you in case of any emergencies.
What Cruises Visit in Norway?
Norway being given a level 1 travel advisory is just the U.S. Department of State’s way of saying to be aware of your own safety while visiting the country in the same way you tell your friends to text you when they get home safely.
All of this actually means Norway is one of the safest places for US citizens to travel to, and there are no lack of cruises with Norway on their itinerary.
Currently, many cruise lines offer stops in Norway, including Royal Caribbean, Viking Ocean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Oceania Cruises, Hurtigruten, and Princess Cruises.
Cruise Ships Docked in Norway
The Hurtigruten’s Hanseatic Spirit set sail today (February 4th) out of Hamburg, Germany at 18:00 hours for its 15-days round-trip cruise to the Norwegian Fjords.
This itinerary is jam-packed with some of the most iconic stops in Norway, such as Tromso which is a prime location to witness the stunning beauty of the aurora borealis.
The Viking Vela will have its next 12-day Northern Lights-themed cruise departing on March 11th from Bergen, Norway.
The Sky Princess embarks on a 7-day round trip from Southampton, England on April 24th, 2025, with 4 stops in Norway including Haugesund, Skjolden, Olden, and Stavanger.
The Emerald Princess departs a few days later on April 29th for a 23-day cruise, its last stop being Kristiansand, Norway on May 20th before heading back to England.
You may have caught on by now, but major cruise lines tend to start sailing to Norway in the spring to avoid the winter weather and ocean conditions. That being said, it is the perfect time to plan your next Norwegian cruise if you want to go in 2025!
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com