Queen Victoria 8 day Norwegian Fijords

Trying to find DIY excursions as cruise ship ones are sold out. Is it pretty simple to get off and do it yourself? We are retired couple but can walk somewhat. Ports:

Stavanger, Norway - Flam, Norway - Geiranger, Norway - Olden, Norway - Bergen, Norway

Thanks for any useful help. I really wanted to do the railway in Flam can this booked prior to visit do you know?

Come and join us on the roll call for that cruise. There are already some suggestions in there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1604127

I trust you know that we are anchored in Flam, Olden and Geiranger.

The railway website says individuals can't book in advance. There needs to be more than 9 people.

http://www.visitflam.com/flam-railway/booking/

http://www.flambooking.com/booking.aspx

I just checked my Voyage Personaliser and all the excursions have been put back on again:

Stavanger - 10 excursions

Flam - 9 excursions, including 3 for the railway

Geiranger - 6 excursions

Olden - 16 excursions

Bergen - 6 excursions

I was on an RCI Norwegian Fjord cruise last week, which called at two of your ports, Geiranger and Bergen.

Geiranger - is a very small village with not a great deal to do right by the tender area. You can get a hop on bus that visits the same view points as ship excursions, and is obviously cheaper. I think it will also drop you at the fjord centre, but I didn't visit that. There is also a sightseeing boat that goes up the fjord (which you will just have sailed down :)). I explored the village for a couple of hours - there's a little church worth seeing - and then took a three hour ship's excursion that took us to the two viewpoints and then up in to the mountains, above the snow line (but not to the top, the road was still closed last week).

Bergen - much better to do yourself. It's a large and busy port, with various museums and the fish market, as well as the world heritage Bryggen (old houses on the wharf), all in easy walking distance of either cruise terminal. There is also a funicular railway up to a fabulous view point (this gets busy with a long queue at the bottom - there were four ships in port when we were there). People who took a highlights tour felt they could just have easily done it themselves and they got no priority at the funicular. There are at least two hop on hop off bus companies and a little "train" that does the rounds, too.

I'm working on a photo review and will post here when I have put it up on the RCI board. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi fellow cruisers.

We looked at the Cunard excursions and decided they were all way too expensive so this is what we have decided to do:

Stavanger. AM. 10.00 Lysefjord and Pulpit Rock boat trip, through http://www.rodne.no. Wanted to do trip to Pulpit Rock itself but decided timings too risky (see http://www.tidereiser.com/Hikingtour-Pulpitrock). Would like to do guided walk around PM but need 8 people, then a 1-1.5 guided tour would cost 100NoKr each, anyone interested, otherwise will explore the place ourselves.

Flam. AM. 11.00 Boat, World Heritage Naeroyfjord Cruise to Gudvangen, bus back arrive Flam 14.00, through www.visitflam.com/sognefjorden/

Geiranger. AM. 09.30 Bus to Mt. Dalsnibba, back at 11.40. PM. 14.15 Gerirangerfjord Sightseeing Boat, back at 16.00, both through http://www.geirangerfjord.no/

Olden. Briksdalen Glacier 09.45 - can't pre-book but extra buses are provided so they give a seat guarantee, see http://www.fjord1.no

Bergen. Will be happy to do walk around and get the funicular railway.

The above excursions are still quite expensive, but still cheaper than Cunard.

traveltop

Trying to find DIY excursions as cruise ship ones are sold out. Is it pretty simple to get off and do it yourself? We are retired couple but can walk somewhat. Ports: Stavanger, Norway - Flam, Norway - Geiranger, Norway - Olden, Norway - Bergen, Norway Thanks for any useful help. I really wanted to do the railway in Flam can this booked prior to visit do you know?

It is good that your cruise is back up with more options posted through your ship. Much or most can be done on your own in charming, historic and very interesting Bergen. BUT, in small ports such as Flam and Geiranger, it is harder to do the best things on your own as the options are fairly limited. For Geiranger, I would try to get "up country" and see more than just what is there in that port.

You will enjoy the Flam. Getting your ticket through the ship is more costly, but it does lessen the risks of getting "shut out" and/or having bad timings, etc.

Below are a few of my sample pictures on what you will see and enjoy. Many more details and pictures are available on my live/blog from exploring these great areas.

As the seat of Norway’s medieval kingdom of Norway for six centuries, Bergen is a former Viking stronghold encircled by deep fjords, towering mountains, and sweeping glaciers. Today's Bergen has much of the medieval flavor remaining around Bergen's harbor. We explored the cobblestone streets, saw its pastel-color wooden houses, bargained in some of the many artisans' workshops and visited the famous and always-entertaining Fish Market. You can watch the locals haggling over today's catch and enjoy a quayside lunch of freshly caught salmon or fish and chips.

Rated by Frommers as more scenic than Oslo, Bergen was the base of the medieval Hanseatic merchants. Those historic timbered houses are set around Bryggen or The Wharf, a center for crafts and workshops. Its prime row is mostly reconstructed 14th-century structures, some of which were originally destroyed by fire. Det Hansseatiske Museum depicts commercial life on the wharf in the early 18th century and is highly rates with well-preserved wooden structure. Its art museums are highly-rated with religious icons, local art, etc.

In the afternoon, after some of the big crowds had lessened, we took the Floibanen funicular railway to the top of a 1050-foot high peak for scenic views. This cable car has been operating for over 80 years and was refurbished in 2002. The Funicular Lower Station is situated 150 meters from the Fish Market. At the top of the Mount Floyen, there are hiking trails and places for lunch or dinner. The trip takes seven minutes and both cars are on the same cable going up and down. Mariakirken or St. Mary’s Church is the most outstanding Romanesque church in Norway. Bergen is Norway’s largest port and has a population of 252,000. Scenic Bergen completed our voyage with its dramatic backdrop of seven rounded mountains and cobble-stoned streets. It entices you to take memories and photos cherishing the land of the Norsemen.

Their good and helpful Tourism Office can be accessed on the web at: http://www.visitbergen.com/en

We docked at the fairly handy Skoltegrunskaien Pier. This put us within about a 10-15 minute walk of the main attractions at the market and warehouse area.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 73,095 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. Here is this view, at a lower level, that provided a wonderful vista.:

After being tendered from Geiranger, we sailed out and passed by two super famous waterfalls. YES, yes, we saw lots and lots of waterfalls on this trip, but these two were among the “best of the best”. First is the “Seven Sisters”. Directly opposite in this narrow fjord, it is called several names, including “The Suitor”. The majesty for these feats of nature is pretty amazing.:

For Flam, here are a couple of samples from this spectacular train ride up the mountain, seeing the valleys, waterfalls, etc. First is the huge waterfall where the train stops and we got an "up close and personal" view.:

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background of this charming Norway coastal town with so much great history and architecture. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor.

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

Hi fellow cruisers.

We looked at the Cunard excursions and decided they were all way too expensive so this is what we have decided to do:

Stavanger. AM. 10.00 Lysefjord and Pulpit Rock boat trip, through http://www.rodne.no. Wanted to do trip to Pulpit Rock itself but decided timings too risky (see http://www.tidereiser.com/Hikingtour-Pulpitrock). Would like to do guided walk around PM but need 8 people, then a 1-1.5 guided tour would cost 100NoKr each, anyone interested, otherwise will explore the place ourselves.

Flam. AM. 11.00 Boat, World Heritage Naeroyfjord Cruise to Gudvangen, bus back arrive Flam 14.00, through www.visitflam.com/sognefjorden/

Geiranger. AM. 09.30 Bus to Mt. Dalsnibba, back at 11.40. PM. 14.15 Gerirangerfjord Sightseeing Boat, back at 16.00, both through http://www.geirangerfjord.no/

Olden. Briksdalen Glacier 09.45 - can't pre-book but extra buses are provided so they give a seat guarantee, see http://www.fjord1.no

Bergen. Will be happy to do walk around and get the funicular railway.

 

The above excursions are still quite expensive, but still cheaper than Cunard.

 

traveltop

Don't forget we are anchored at Geiranger, Olden and Flam. I don't know what time the ship is due to arrive at these ports but people who have booked tours through Cunard will be given priority to board the tenders.