What I need is .........

Fred Olsen? My friend speaks very highly of them and she is a lady on her own now.

We went with Royal Caribbean from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords.

I second fred Olsen. Not too many passengers compared to many other ships and they have special meetings for those on their own who wish to get to know each other.
Food excellent staff all speak English though most are from the Philippines. Drink prices very fair and they use sterling rather than dollars.
Avoid booking an inside cabin if you want a window or balcony you can see that on the pricing,
You are not asking too much. We had a few very enjoyable cruises with Fred one of which was to Norway.

I’ve heard very favourable reports of the cruise travel agency Bolsover Cruises. I understand that they’re very good at advising clients and getting good value for them. Could be worth a call.

Several Fred Olsen cruises cast off from North Shields/Tynemouth, if you’re in the North East Lucky.

Or Southampton and Dover if you are south

We’ve just booked with P&O for an April no fly cruise to the Fjords.
Price was very good.
They have a number of cabins without a single supplement.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I have emailed a local travel agent and she is ringing me today at 12 to talk about what might be possible. She said that they can arrange a coach to the ship pickup point in Southampton, so that is good to know - a lot will depend on the cost of course.

I am not sure about all this as I am not a cruise "type" - don't like posh food or entertainments or dressing up really - my ideal holiday (if I were not on my own or with my limited mobility) would be to go independently and stay somewhere in the middle of nowhere in peace and beauty. Don't misunderstand me, I am very gregarious and love meeting people, but also love the peace of nature. I sound like a snooty cow, but OH and I would never have chosen a cruise, but I would really like to see the fjords and cannot think how else I might do this.

Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know how I get on.

Lucky girl no one needs to dress up on ships and there is usually only one
Formal (Dress up )night generally anyway. There are alternative restaurants to eat that night.
Another option is hurtigren (sp) which stop at many places on the way as I think they take Mail etc. friends have enjoyed the more casual atmosphere less typicallycruisey but good food friendly people.

You will be able to sit quietly and absorb the peace and beauty of the fjords to your hearts content. No need to dress up or get involved in raucous shows etc. Smaller cruise lines like Fred Olsen sound like they'd be right up your street.
Let us know how you get on after your discussion with the travel agent

It’s probably best to avoid Cunard. IMO it’s a wonderful cruise line but they do have a lot of formal nights. As for the others a cruise is what you make of it. Join in or not. Eat in the restaurant or in the buffet. Chat to others or choose not to. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll enjoy it.

Feedback .....

I took the call from the local travel agent and it seems they organise their own escorted holidays. They do escorted no-fly cruises and have one to Norwegian fjords in June - when I am going on an art course unfortunately - or fortunately, as I know I will enjoy it.

She is sending me info on their other escorted cruises, which include coach to the port, and no need to do anything with luggage - it is all taken from coach to ship for you. She has been on these herself and knows them in detail and has no doubt I would be able to manage.

She is sending me all relevant details, so I will look through and see what might be on offer.

She has also put me in touch with someone in the village I already know who has been on their cruises.

So ..... we wait and see .......

This is great news.
I hope you find something suitable.

I hope the person in the village has given consent to be contacted.

🤞for you.

Interesting and hopeful for you Luckygirl. Enjoy your art course with the prospect of a cruise in the future.

I hope the person in the village has given consent to be contacted.

I was concerned about this too, but she said she was a friend of hers, so I guess that puts a different complexion on it. She didn't give me the contact details - I knew them already as she is an acquaintance of mine.