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Thanks for the further input.

We now think we may push the trip back 8-10 days (leaving here about 22 or 23 August) so that we can watch the Summer Olympics to their conclusion at home. So a couple of questions:

  • there are Baltic and Norway cruises in our time, but which is likely to have the better late-summer weather?
  • on the broader question, which of those two cruise options appeal more (about nine days)?
  • if our Portugal | Andalusia roadtrip is now pushed back to early to mid October, does that improve the weather or compromise it (not sure how late summer runs in say Seville)

Any further insights appreciated.

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I suggest you look at some weather info sites about Norway or the Baltic in late August/early September. That is an area where it is probably nicer in mid-summer, but I'm not competent. However, a few years ago we went to Portugal in October (Lisbon and then south from there) and had great weather. Not too hot, but lots of sunshine.

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I am not a cruise person but a cruise to Norway would appeal to me more because seeing the fjords from a boat must be quite unique.

As to the weather for your Spain/Portugal trip, the later you go the more unstable the weather 'can' be but generally you should be fine. I have travelled several times in (southern) Spain first half of October and have had a bit of everything but usually it was ok.
One of those 2 week trips started in Seville where the weather was great, after in the Aracena mountains the weather started changing and by the time we headed to the coast in Huelva and Cadiz provinces it became rainy and very windy, but that's the Atlantic.
Another 2 week trip around that time was in the south east, Almeria to Murcia and interior. While there had been extremely heavy rains and floods in the whole area just a couple of days before we left (still visible when we were there with damaged bridges and deviations), we couldn't have had better weather with temps around 28°and blue skies during 2 full weeks.

All in all i wouldn't hesitate for travelling to southern Spain first half of October again, but given the distances and the various regions you are going to cross, you better expect some variation in the weather as well. And one year is not the other. Also, your trip is mainly focused on cities and large towns where i think the weather is of less importance (except when they are too hot in summer) compared to the countryside/mountains/Natural Parks or if you would be heading to the beaches.

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Thanks ... yes the fjords are hugely appealing to me (Alaska was great), however it needs to be balanced against the exposure to open waters ... my partner isn't good with motion sickness. Still, I suppose the Baltic Sea gets rough on a bad day.

Thanks for the nuanced weather details for Spain as well.Our Mediterranean trip last April was simply outstanding weather-wise, so we're setting the bar pretty high for ourselves. And always better a bit cool than way too hot.

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