Norway in a Nutshell before Midnight Sun 25/6

Hello everyone. I'm wondering if anyone who's reading this might be taking the Norway in a Nutshell trip or have done it prior to boarding in Bergen? I have learned that there is a porter service that will take your large suitcases from Oslo to Bergen for you. However it's not clear whether they will drop off your bags at the port terminal especially if they have to keep them overnight. Does anyone know or have done this already? Thanks for your help/advice. Jan

We actually did the NinN last week before we boarded the Star in Bergen and we used Porter Service. It was a GREAT convenience. We stayed at the Radisson at the airport which is quite a long way from the city center so they met us right on the train platform the next AM exactly when they said they would and the luggage was waiting for us at our hotel in Bergen when we arrived the following day (we spent the night in Flam en route). It would have been a huge hassle to get luggage on and off ferry and up to bus in Gudvagen and not easy in a bunch of other places too.

In your case I am not certain there would be anyplace at the pier in Bergen for them to leave the luggage. If you had the bags tagged for Viking they might be able to hand them over directly to the Viking staff at the pier but that is something you would have to clarify with Viking. I'm thinking you might be better off having them delivered to a hotel near the port (Radisson Blu or Havnekontoret and Viking uses the Radisson for their Oslo-Bergen precruise extension) and pick them up there on your way to the ship.

Your best bet is to email the Porter Service people directly and see what arrangements they can offer. They will answer email very promptly. Contact them at porter service.no. Let us know what you find out.

Thanks for taking the time to give this really clear response.

We actually did the NinN last week before we boarded the Star in Bergen and we used Porter Service. It was a GREAT convenience. We stayed at the Radisson at the airport which is quite a long way from the city center so they met us right on the train platform the next AM exactly when they said they would and the luggage was waiting for us at our hotel in Bergen when we arrived the following day (we spent the night in Flam en route). It would have been a huge hassle to get luggage on and off ferry and up to bus in Gudvagen and not easy in a bunch of other places too.

 

In your case I am not certain there would be anyplace at the pier in Bergen for them to leave the luggage. If you had the bags tagged for Viking they might be able to hand them over directly to the Viking staff at the pier but that is something you would have to clarify with Viking. I'm thinking you might be better off having them delivered to a hotel near the port (Radisson Blu or Havnekontoret and Viking uses the Radisson for their Oslo-Bergen precruise extension) and pick them up there on your way to the ship.

Your best bet is to email the Porter Service people directly and see what arrangements they can offer. They will answer email very promptly. Contact them at porter service.no. Let us know what you find out.

We actually did the NinN last week before we boarded the Star in Bergen and we used Porter Service. It was a GREAT convenience. We stayed at the Radisson at the airport which is quite a long way from the city center so they met us right on the train platform the next AM exactly when they said they would and the luggage was waiting for us at our hotel in Bergen when we arrived the following day (we spent the night in Flam en route). It would have been a huge hassle to get luggage on and off ferry and up to bus in Gudvagen and not easy in a bunch of other places too.

 

In your case I am not certain there would be anyplace at the pier in Bergen for them to leave the luggage. If you had the bags tagged for Viking they might be able to hand them over directly to the Viking staff at the pier but that is something you would have to clarify with Viking. I'm thinking you might be better off having them delivered to a hotel near the port (Radisson Blu or Havnekontoret and Viking uses the Radisson for their Oslo-Bergen precruise extension) and pick them up there on your way to the ship.

Your best bet is to email the Porter Service people directly and see what arrangements they can offer. They will answer email very promptly. Contact them at porter service.no. Let us know what you find out.

Dear MHB: I was very excited to see your post. We are about to book a Bergen to Copenhagen cruise for June of 2018 and I am trying to figure out a way to include NinN before the Bergen sailing. I am most concerned about the best way to handle the air travel. This is our first Viking cruise, usually Regent before and they were very good at air deviations. It sounds like you flew into Oslo and I was happy to hear about Porter service. Did you do your own travel arrangements or use something people are calling Viking Plus? Also, if you give me your name would you get a benefit when I call Viking or your TA?

Coljack

Dear MHB: I was very excited to see your post. We are about to book a Bergen to Copenhagen cruise for June of 2018 and I am trying to figure out a way to include NinN before the Bergen sailing. I am most concerned about the best way to handle the air travel. This is our first Viking cruise, usually Regent before and they were very good at air deviations. It sounds like you flew into Oslo and I was happy to hear about Porter service. Did you do your own travel arrangements or use something people are calling Viking Plus? Also, if you give me your name would you get a benefit when I call Viking or your TA?

 

Coljack

We did fly into Oslo. We had originally planned to use Viking Air (we have used them several times before and have always been happy with them) however before the flights were ticketed I found a really good proce on a nonstop into Oslo so it was cheaper to do our own air that time.

It was SO simple to do the Nutshell route. We overnighted at the airport (there is a Radisson Blu and a Park Inn right at the airport) so we walked right there and checked in. There is a train station right at the airport as well so it was about 20 minutes to the central station in Oslo. We met the Porter Service there on the platform and we boarded the train. We booked the train on our own online in advance. I would suggest you do the same. For a small extra fee you can ride "Komfort Class" to Myrdal (reserved seats, very nice and well worth the $10-11 extra it cost). At Myrdal you change to the Flamsbana -the scenic tourist train down to Flam (and you definitely want to buy those tickets online wellin advance).

We spent the night at the Fretheim Hotel in Flam. The hotel was a bit pricey but I would have paid 10x the price if I had known how incredibly beautiful it was in Flam. Spending the night there was awesome because it is a tiny village teeming with people all day but when the cruise ships leave at 5 or 6 you have the place almost to yourself Time to walk some trails or just sit by the fjord. The entire day from Oslo on was absolutely breathtaking. I cannot begin to tell you how spectacular it was from beginning to end. Then the next morning we took the ferry from Flam to Gudvagen. Again.... 3 hours of absolutely breathtaking scenery. Take a windbreaker so you can stay out on the deck and see it all. (I had purchased our ferry tickets in advance also, however it wasn't even close to full the day we went so I'm not sure that was essential).

We were there at the very beginning of June so the NinN bus wasn't running yet from Gudvangen to Voss so we walked up the road a ways and caught a local bus. We originally planned to take it to Voss and get back on the train into Bergen but the bus was going to Bergen and it was a beautiful ride so we just stayed on the bus. Once we arrived in Bergen we walked to our hotel. Wrangling suitcases thru all of that would have been a huge hassle. We were SO thankful we had sent our luggage ahead with the porter service

If I had it to do over again I would spend 2 nights in Flam. I would have loved to hike or rented bikes back up the river to explore the old town of Flam with its 16th century church

I would say the NinN trip is not to be missed. I think it was one of my favorite parts of our entire trip.

Hope this answers your questions but feel free to let me know if I can provide anymore info.

Dear MHB: Thank you so much for the extremely helpful reply. I appreciate the time you took to give us some great info. If I could intrude once more, did you have any favorite restaurants in Flam, Bergen, or Oslo? We usually look for nice places that have local food and flavor (decor) that are below Michelin level but still nice.

We didn't have much time in Oslo so no suggestions there. In Flam we ate late lunch at a lovely small cafe just up the hill from the Fretheim Hotel. Diners sat outside and the view was so spectacular they could have served kibble and I would have enjoyed it. But everything was made fresh and we had a delightful lunch there. Your dining options in Flam are quite limited. The Fretheim serves a huge dinner buffet that some fellow travelers raved about. We had such a nice late lunch at the cafe we opted for ice cream cones by the fjord at dinner time. There is a small grocery that sells sandwiches and such for lovely picnics by the water. In Bergen we had an excellent meal at a local place near the train station but neither of us can remember the name. It was recommended by the concierge at our hotel. We stayed at the Havnekontoret in Bergen. It was very close to the ship, right on the Bryggen. Rates included a nice breakfast and an evening buffet that was quite substantial. We ate dinner there one evening as we were really tired after a long day and we thought it was very good. I would ask at your hotel in Bergen for dining suggestions. We were warned that several of the places along the Bryggen were "just for tourists and not very good ". And prepare yourself for sticker shock. Dining in Norway is VERY pricey. But we did thoroughly enjoy the couple of nice meals we had before the cruise (and all of the nice ones we had after boarding!)