Norwegian Fjords cruise trips

Hi.

We’re sailing on Queen Victoria 3rd-17th August to the Norwegian Fjords. The cruise is stopping at Stavanger, Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Honningsvaag, Tromso, Andalsnes, Olden and Bergen.

Has anyone got any advice regarding where you should definitely do a trip/ if it is possible to explore these ports independently?

Thanks for your help!

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

As we don't know your interests, limitations, budgets or anything else about you, it would probably be better if you read down the board. All those ports are discussed here regularly. Then when you find some activities that interest you, and have some specific questions, we can help you better.

Also check on your roll call, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1606181

and see what others on your cruise are doing.

Hi. We’re sailing on Queen Victoria 3rd-17th August to the Norwegian Fjords. The cruise is stopping at Stavanger, Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Honningsvaag, Tromso, Andalsnes, Olden and Bergen. Has anyone got any advice regarding where you should definitely do a trip/ if it is possible to explore these ports independently? Thanks for your help!

Welcome to these Cruise Critic boards. Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It is very helpful. In many of these great ports, you have many, many options. Tell us more about your personal interests, needs, travel style, past travel experiences in these nature-focused areas, etc. That helps us make better suggestions to fit your exact interests/needs. Below are some preview pictures to get you excited for what you will be seeing and enjoying.

From the below live/blog, you can see much more in details and visuals about what we did in Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Honningsvaag/North Cape, Tromso and Bergen. Check it for many more specifics and/or I can share more after hearing added details on your specific interests.

Reactions and questions?

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 74,603 views.

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

You go on these Norway Coast cruises for the spectacular fjords. From the journey to Flam, Gudvangen and Sognerfjord, here is one picture giving you a sampling of the skies and views for these beautiful internal coastlines of the fjords.

This is the dramatic overview of Tromso along the Norway Coast. The Arctic Cathedral is shown bottom right in this picture.:

Here is one view of the North Cape as we approached and the clouds started to clear and the sun broke through showing a great blue sky.:

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

At Flam, here is one examples of the fjord mountains, waterfalls in the background, etc. The Sognerfjord that is rated as the best in all of Norway for these views. This includes this spectacular Flam train ride up the mountain, seeing the valleys, waterfalls, etc.:

This is the dramatic overview of Alesund from the Aksla vantage point. This spot allows a nearly 360-degree view of this setting for this island city and the surrounding mountains and islands. It is at a 597’ height overlooking the five islands making up the scenic town.:

Stavanger - Definitely doable on your own. We did the Petrol museum - which is wonderful! The city is charming and very walkable. We did a ship excursion out of town to a Monastery. While that was pretty - after seeing the city, I wish we had just stayed in Stavanger and we could have explored a lot more there. I would not book a tour in retrospect.

Flam - We reserved 12 slots on the train up and back and I sold them to others on my CC group. That worked well as we had reserved seats. What's a mess is getting the tickets. If you can get a trip later in the day - it would be easier as you could avoid the initial rush to get tickets. They do not have a good system in place for this at all. Two of our group got off at the top and because it was a beautiful day, they rented bikes and rode down. This takes some time - they used 3 hours but stopped along the way. The first mile is very rocky, but after that it is better riding. Two others traveling with us booked a ship tour and continued on to Voss and were gone all day. That is a good option. We had planned to have lunch at the beer place (which is beautiful) - but they didn't start serving food until 4. We had also planned to watch the movie. The wires were broken and won't be fixed for several weeks (we were there last week). Unless you decide to hike, there truly is nothing else to do here. It's charming....but...

Honningsvag - We booked a ship tour to the north cape. I was disappointed. We stopped at a Sami village that was a joke. There was NO narration on the way. We also had to take everything with us off of the bus - which we did not know ahead of time - so for almost two hours we had to drag coats and things with us. The north cape does not have much. The movie is nice but also has no narration. There is a really cool grotto bar. We were there last Sunday - so it was closed. Four of our group booked the ship tour out to a bird watching boat tour. They really liked it - so that's likely a better option. We also went to the ice bar in town. Easy to do on your own - do not book a tour. It's not well run and it's pretty basic - but if you want to be able to say you did an ice bar - it works for that. Is close to where the ship docks.

Tromso is a nice city. We docked outside of town, so we had to pay for ship shuttles and it was a pain - plus it only took you to one place. Some of the things are on the other side of the bridge. If there was an easy way to get to the Arctic Cathedral, the botanical gardens and the main city without such a hassle - this would be better. Kind of depends on the weather. A ship excursion is not needed - but these things are not all in the same place.

Bergen you can easily do on your own. We went and did the funicular pronto when the ship docked to beat the ship folks and long lines. Check out the troll park - up behind and to the left at the top. We also did the leprosy museum. There is a lot to do and it's all walkable.

Stavanger - Definitely doable on your own. We did the Petrol museum - which is wonderful! The city is charming and very walkable. We did a ship excursion out of town to a Monastery. While that was pretty - after seeing the city, I wish we had just stayed in Stavanger and we could have explored a lot more there. I would not book a tour in retrospect.

 

Flam - We reserved 12 slots on the train up and back and I sold them to others on my CC group. That worked well as we had reserved seats. What's a mess is getting the tickets. If you can get a trip later in the day - it would be easier as you could avoid the initial rush to get tickets. They do not have a good system in place for this at all. Two of our group got off at the top and because it was a beautiful day, they rented bikes and rode down. This takes some time - they used 3 hours but stopped along the way. The first mile is very rocky, but after that it is better riding. Two others traveling with us booked a ship tour and continued on to Voss and were gone all day. That is a good option. We had planned to have lunch at the beer place (which is beautiful) - but they didn't start serving food until 4. We had also planned to watch the movie. The wires were broken and won't be fixed for several weeks (we were there last week). Unless you decide to hike, there truly is nothing else to do here. It's charming....but...

 

Honningsvag - We booked a ship tour to the north cape. I was disappointed. We stopped at a Sami village that was a joke. There was NO narration on the way. We also had to take everything with us off of the bus - which we did not know ahead of time - so for almost two hours we had to drag coats and things with us. The north cape does not have much. The movie is nice but also has no narration. There is a really cool grotto bar. We were there last Sunday - so it was closed. Four of our group booked the ship tour out to a bird watching boat tour. They really liked it - so that's likely a better option. We also went to the ice bar in town. Easy to do on your own - do not book a tour. It's not well run and it's pretty basic - but if you want to be able to say you did an ice bar - it works for that. Is close to where the ship docks.

 

Tromso is a nice city. We docked outside of town, so we had to pay for ship shuttles and it was a pain - plus it only took you to one place. Some of the things are on the other side of the bridge. If there was an easy way to get to the Arctic Cathedral, the botanical gardens and the main city without such a hassle - this would be better. Kind of depends on the weather. A ship excursion is not needed - but these things are not all in the same place.

 

Bergen you can easily do on your own. We went and did the funicular pronto when the ship docked to beat the ship folks and long lines. Check out the troll park - up behind and to the left at the top. We also did the leprosy museum. There is a lot to do and it's all walkable.

Thanks for the great info, I have booked the North Cape what do u recommend, also for Tromso any recommends as I loved what you wrote.

Thanks

B

In Tromso, we had lunch at emmas drømmekjøkken. I highly recommend it. If you ask at the info center, they will direct you - it is not far from there. They opened at noon and were busy. We had the sampler type plate and it was very good. It's the cafe part - the regular restaurant only opens for dinner. They do take reservations if you want and you can find them online.

We went to the library - big white building with wings in the center of town - to use the internet. It's free and they have computers you can use.

We wandered all over on the streets on that side of the water - very cute city and very walkable. That was really all we did. The weather was not ideal and it took some time to queue for the shuttles. We didn't feel like walking all the way over the bridge to see the cathedral and take the cable car and we didn't feel like walking all the way over to the botanical garden. We had walked a lot in town. The botanical garden was across from where our ship docked - you walk across the parking lot - go under the street and it's over there. Two people with us went and said it was nice.

If the weather in previous ports had not allowed us to have good views - we may have been more interested in the cable car. But we had done similar things and had beautiful weather. This particular port was one of our coldest days. The information center where the shuttle drops you off is extremely helpful - so go armed with all of your questions and they will map them out for you.

In Tromso, we had lunch at emmas drømmekjøkken. I highly recommend it. If you ask at the info center, they will direct you - it is not far from there. They opened at noon and were busy. We had the sampler type plate and it was very good. It's the cafe part - the regular restaurant only opens for dinner. They do take reservations if you want and you can find them online.

 

We went to the library - big white building with wings in the center of town - to use the internet. It's free and they have computers you can use.

 

We wandered all over on the streets on that side of the water - very cute city and very walkable. That was really all we did. The weather was not ideal and it took some time to queue for the shuttles. We didn't feel like walking all the way over the bridge to see the cathedral and take the cable car and we didn't feel like walking all the way over to the botanical garden. We had walked a lot in town. The botanical garden was across from where our ship docked - you walk across the parking lot - go under the street and it's over there. Two people with us went and said it was nice.

 

If the weather in previous ports had not allowed us to have good views - we may have been more interested in the cable car. But we had done similar things and had beautiful weather. This particular port was one of our coldest days. The information center where the shuttle drops you off is extremely helpful - so go armed with all of your questions and they will map them out for you.

Thanks for the great info, the wife and I are very active and are not foodies since we eat enough on the ship, good information on the cathedral and cable, do u estimate a long walk?

Thanks again.

We went to the library - big white building with wings in the center of town - to use the internet. It's free and they have computers you can use. If the weather in previous ports had not allowed us to have good views - we may have been more interested in the cable car. But we had done similar things and had beautiful weather. This particular port was one of our coldest days. The information center where the shuttle drops you off is extremely helpful - so go armed with all of your questions and they will map them out for you.

YES! Great idea on stopping by a local library to use their Internet. Below is what that building looks like. Interesting design. Hard to miss.

It was asked: "on the cathedral and cable, do u estimate a long walk?" As you can see from one of my earlier pictures, both the cathedral and cable car are way across a long, long bridge that is very high. Don't think it is very practical and/or time efficient to try to walk there. Many don't like to spend money on shuttles and/or ship tours, BUT, to do and see more takes some "investment" that is well worth it, in my view.

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 75,419 views.

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

This is a view of the main part of Tromso’s central city, including the unique winged shape of its public library. The town has a 1000-car garage dug under the mountain for car parking.:

From the mountain top of Mt. Storsteinen, 1,260 feet above the sea, this is a wider shot of the area showing the dramatic setting of this island city of Tromso and its nearby airport, bridges, mountains, etc.:

We did tours through the ship in Flam, the North Cape and Olden. The rest we made our own arrangements. The following are my impressions.

There is nothing to do in the actual town of Olden, I highly recommend arranging some kind of tour from this port. We did a full day tour to Geiranger. There are also tours to the Glacier from this port. You cannot actually walk on the glacier for safety reasons, they never know when a big block of ice is going to break off or where there will be a crevasse, but people liked this excursion.

In Tromso we docked right in town and the TI office is right there. They recommended getting a full day bus pass. We took the local bus to the cable car, then walked to the Arctic Cathedral. After that we took the local bus (always interesting to travel like the locals) to the Botanical Gardens at the University, had a snack of waffles with cloudberries, then took the bus back to town (runs every half hour in the summer). We walked around town and had a locally brewed beer at the Brewery pub. We met a lovely, very friendly local law student at the bus stop who enlightened us on the local life in Tromso and the Arctic.

In Honningsvaag we took the ships tour to the North Cape. We had an excellent local guide who was of Sami origin who gave us much detail of life in barren Honningsvaag. We felt this trip was worthwhile. The stop at the Sami "village" was pretty hokey, but got a photo op with the local Sami and Rudolph. There is not much to do at the North Cape Hall, a movie, glass of champagne, and of course the view, which is the main reason to come here. Bring a hat, gloves, and warm jacket for this destination, it can be cold and windy. It was raining when we were in the actual town so did not venture too far.

In Flam - I'm not sure if the option is available through an independent tour, but we rode the train up and did a 3 hour hike down the valley, and then caught the train for the last 15 minutes or so back to Flam. The hike down was nothing less than spectacular, and views we got walking were so much better than on the way up during the train ride! It was a relatively easy hike, but we were pretty tired by the end so I'd only recommend it if you're very fit. This was the only ship's tour that we booked during the fjords cruise, but it ended up being one of the highlights for us!

We took the ship's tour to Nordkapp in Honningvag, and I do recommend doing that. We saw unique reindeer on the way to the museum, and the scenery was beautiful. We discovered afterward that we could have gone through a tunnel to view a German ship destroyed during a battle just off the coast in World War II. (First trip to Europe, and I was so busy getting passports and air and hotel reservations and what to pack that I didn't do much advance research.)

From Alesund we took a shore excursion to Geiranger, which included a typical Norwegian buffet lunch. The scenery was beautiful, but lunch was the highlight of our trip, as it rained.

I agree about Olden. It is a small town, and there isn't much to do. That's another stop where the shore excursion is probably the best plan.

You can do Tromso on your own. We took the ship shuttle into town. Since it was Sunday there was limited or no bus service, so we walked over the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral and then to the cable cars. After we returned to the ship we discovered there was a Botanical Garden near the dock!

It's also possible to do Bergen on your own. We took the first shuttle to the Funicular which is a must. Crowds were forming when we came back down. From there we went to the Hanseatic Museum, which I loved, and also explored the fish market and waterfront shops. We did most of our shopping there.

I don't know how crowded the shore excursions get on HAL, but we couldn't get a reservation to go to Nordkapp ahead of time and had to do that one by waiting by the bus. We were lucky there were two no shows. If there are shore excursions you really want to do, be sure to make your reservation early. Nordkapp and Geiranger would be my top two.

We didn't go to your other ports.

Have a great time!

In Tromso we would recommend that you visit the Polaria museum (the one that looks like upturned icebergs)- easily walkable from the ship's shuttle. Its extremely interesting with a magnificent film display of Arctic animals and birds. You feel as is you are surrounded with the special effects - almost 3D like. The walk across the bridge would take you a while and the lift up the cable car is a waste of money if the weather is bad and there is low cloud. The botanical gardens are worth a visit and very near where the ship docks.

Trondheim is an interesting place with a lovely walk through the old town along the water. A lot of the old houses have been turned into cafes/museums/quaint shops etc. Cross the old bridge to access and you will also see the bicycle lift which is interesting. The maritime museum is good for a visit and very reasonable and there is a good fish market & restaurant. The new town is good for shopping (if you can cope with Norwegian prices!)

In Alesund there is a very good guided walk available from the tourist office - pay at the desk where you meet - very good value. I found this advertised on line and can recommend it. If I recall correctly we met at 1.00pm but you will need to check times & dates to be sure. Alesund is a beautiful town - built up in Art Nouveau style after a huge fire demolished many of the wooden buildings. It was one of our favourite visits.

Stavanger & Bergen as has been said are easily doable on your own too.

the cable car is a waste of money if the weather is bad and there is low cloud. The botanical gardens are worth a visit and very near where the ship docks. Trondheim is an interesting place with a lovely walk through the old town along the water. A lot of the old houses have been turned into cafes/museums/quaint shops etc. Cross the old bridge to access and you will also see the bicycle lift which is interesting. The maritime museum is good for a visit and very reasonable and there is a good fish market & restaurant. The new town is good for shopping (if you can cope with Norwegian prices!)

Super great point above about the important variable of the weather. I would strongly suggest having a "Plan A" for good weather, but you need to be prepared for back-up, Plan B ideas and options if things are not ideal for your weather condition.

On Trondheim, we liked the history, architecture, character and charm there. Below are a few preview pictures on what to consider there. We like its variety and interesting places.

Trondheim is Norway's third largest municipality. It has a population of 152,800 with major university-science-medical research facilities. It is considered Norway’s historical, cultural and religious capital. Its history goes back 997 and King Olav Tryggvason, who later was made a Saint. Its Nidaros Cathedral was built from 1070 and is the most important Gothic monument in Norway. The Norway King is still crowned here. In a town noted for timbered architecture, this is Scandinavia’s largest medieval building with a 321-foot-high tower. It was Northern Europe's most important Christian pilgrimage site during the middle Ages and has organ recitals in the summer. The town was Norway’s capital until 1217. Famed actress Liv Ullmann grew up here.

For the record/background, Trondheim is 425 miles north of Bergen. For our July 5 when there, it was sunrise: 3:15 am, Sunset: 11:24 pm on this day.

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 77,315 views.

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

Trondheim’s top and most historic attraction is their Cathedral. Nidaros Cathedral was built from 1070 and is the most important Gothic monument in Norway. The Norway King is still crowned here.:

This is the front of Trondheim’s Cathedral. This is Scandinavia’s largest medieval building and has a central, 321-foot-high tower.:

This is a close-up of the stone detailing on the front of Trondheim’s Cathedral.:

This is inside the museum for the Trondheim Cathedral. It features many architectural items from over the nearly 1000-year history of this structure. In this area is also a museum with the various Royal crowns, chairs, etc.:

Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim, originally constructed in 1774 with 144 rooms constituting 43,000 sq. ft. It is the largest wooden building in Northern Europe, has buttercup-yellow coloring, a Rococo style with Baroque details, is open 10 am-5 pm and has been used by royals and their guests since 1800.:

This Trondheim bridge leads to the Bakklandet district. This “Old Town Bridge” connects to the antique wooden house used by canning workers in the early 1900’s.:

Lovely photos! Brings it all back! Keep up the good work Terry.

Marge

Hi Crossedout

We are on the same cruise as you with just a few days until departure. Have you checked out the roll call yet? There are lots of ideas and plenty of information on the roll call from fellow passengers who will be joining us on the cruise. Have a wonderful time and rest assured, wherever you visit you will not be disappointed by the fabulous scenery in Norway. I recommend the Dalsnibba/Geirangerfjord excursion from Olden - Brilliant if the weather is kind on the day.

:)

Lovely photos! Brings it all back! Keep up the good work Terry. Marge

Appreciate, Marge, the nice comments on the pictures. We visited your town of Cambridge/UK in July 2006 after our first cruise and loved seeing the college, town, its great architecture, history, etc.

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 77,529 views.

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

Stavanger - Definitely doable on your own. We did the Petrol museum - which is wonderful! The city is charming and very walkable. We did a ship excursion out of town to a Monastery. While that was pretty - after seeing the city, I wish we had just stayed in Stavanger and we could have explored a lot more there. I would not book a tour in retrospect.

 

Flam - We reserved 12 slots on the train up and back and I sold them to others on my CC group. That worked well as we had reserved seats. What's a mess is getting the tickets. If you can get a trip later in the day - it would be easier as you could avoid the initial rush to get tickets. They do not have a good system in place for this at all. Two of our group got off at the top and because it was a beautiful day, they rented bikes and rode down. This takes some time - they used 3 hours but stopped along the way. The first mile is very rocky, but after that it is better riding. Two others traveling with us booked a ship tour and continued on to Voss and were gone all day. That is a good option. We had planned to have lunch at the beer place (which is beautiful) - but they didn't start serving food until 4. We had also planned to watch the movie. The wires were broken and won't be fixed for several weeks (we were there last week). Unless you decide to hike, there truly is nothing else to do here. It's charming....but...

 

Honningsvag - We booked a ship tour to the north cape. I was disappointed. We stopped at a Sami village that was a joke. There was NO narration on the way. We also had to take everything with us off of the bus - which we did not know ahead of time - so for almost two hours we had to drag coats and things with us. The north cape does not have much. The movie is nice but also has no narration. There is a really cool grotto bar. We were there last Sunday - so it was closed. Four of our group booked the ship tour out to a bird watching boat tour. They really liked it - so that's likely a better option. We also went to the ice bar in town. Easy to do on your own - do not book a tour. It's not well run and it's pretty basic - but if you want to be able to say you did an ice bar - it works for that. Is close to where the ship docks.

 

Tromso is a nice city. We docked outside of town, so we had to pay for ship shuttles and it was a pain - plus it only took you to one place. Some of the things are on the other side of the bridge. If there was an easy way to get to the Arctic Cathedral, the botanical gardens and the main city without such a hassle - this would be better. Kind of depends on the weather. A ship excursion is not needed - but these things are not all in the same place.

 

Bergen you can easily do on your own. We went and did the funicular pronto when the ship docked to beat the ship folks and long lines. Check out the troll park - up behind and to the left at the top. We also did the leprosy museum. There is a lot to do and it's all walkable.

Greetings planitohio,

I have been endlessly searching threads for someone who put together a CC Flam train reservation. I have done so for our June 2013 trip and am trying to figure out the logistics.

It appears that we dock rather than tender so I'm hoping getting off the ship (Caribbean Princess) will not be too difficult. We have reservations (group of 20) for the second train of the morning and as there are not a lot of seats left probably the first train to accommodate Princess passengers.

Do you know when picking up tickets if its best to have all cash or can separate credit cards be used? Any hints or tips from your experience is appreciated. I like to be on top of things when I get there and prefer not to have any surprises.

Thanks for your help!

Let me see if I can help-but this is my opinion based on how I did things.

First-you sit in groups of six. Three facing three. If you have twenty you will have two people placed with four people and have no control over those 4. Also the train goes up and back-same track. I would suggest you try to get to 24. Then you have full "areas" and they should be across from each other. Then you can tell your group to switch sides at the top and you will see both sides. This should also prevent people pushing into your space to take pictures or see out-as they will see that on the return trip.

Your first issue will be getting money from everyone. I only had to collect from three couple as I was traveling with the other folks. So I told them to pay me at the beginning of the CC meet and greet-figuring if someone did not pay I would try to sell during the event. Big mistake. I reminded them all-even calling their rooms on the ship. One couple came to the m&g but forgot their money and said they would bring it down later (they did...but). Another couple said they would be there-but showed up very late as they had trouble getting their safe open to get the $$$ out. I was just ready to sell their tix. If doing again-I would tell them that they would have to bring their $$ to me in my cabin during a time window when I would plan to be there. On sail away day. Then if no show-I would sell at m&g (but don't tell them this or they will consider it an option).

I insisted on cash from all and was glad I did. Exact cash in kroner.

I had them all meet me at the red building at the foot of the tracks at a set time-like 10 min before you can board. Or a bit more. I would take a piece of paper and boldly write your group name on it and stand there. Make it clear you will not wait. The whole group needs to board together. There will be reserved signs and a separate line for your group to board train-so that works well.

Now the tix. It is bedlam. Your ship will dock and the train is right there. When released-a LOT of people take off running. They should have separate lines for reserved seats-they don't. They should also have an organized line up system-they don't. I was at the front and took off and it was bedlam but not too bad. A bit later the line stretched out the door and down the sidewalk. My recommendation-if you have one able bodied person - give them the printout about the reservation and a pile of cash to buy the tickets. Have them line up to leave the ship a bit early. Don't try to keep two people together. There are benches outside the station. Meet there. I have no idea if waiting a bit will help-but that long line was there for some time. I was glad to be done with it and have my tickets. When you exit the ship-head left. You can't miss it. The station is to the right of the little red building at the foot of the tracks.

It sounds crazy, but I would absolutely do it again. With the changes noted above. It was so nice having the reserved space and our whole group was delightful and had a blast. The ride was beautiful. You may want to make your group aware that they can rent bikes at the top if they want to ride down. You need to be fairly fit for the first mile. Hairpin turns and gravel. But my brother loved it and had amazing pictures. They would want to plan for what to bring, attire, etc. and they can decide at the top-but they don't have much time to decide then. I would still get the round trip ticket so it's an option.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi.

 

We’re sailing on Queen Victoria 3rd-17th August to the Norwegian Fjords. The cruise is stopping at Stavanger, Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Honningsvaag, Tromso, Andalsnes, Olden and Bergen.

 

Has anyone got any advice regarding where you should definitely do a trip/ if it is possible to explore these ports independently?

 

Thanks for your help!

Lots of great advice from other membres !

We did this cruise on the Grand Princess in June 2012.

Stavanger - no tour, walked around the town on our own, many pretty narrow back streets with lovely homes and immaculate gardens. Weather was overcast, cool, no rain.

Honnigsvaag- late morning ship's tour to the Cape with a touristy stop at a Sami 'camp'. We had 2 hours free time at the Cape which was plenty. Weather was sunny, warm, no wind. Very nice gift shop where you can mail a postcard. In the afternoon we walked around Honnigsvaag, nice harbor area, walked all the way to the end of town since the weather was so nice.

Tromso - no tours. Since the weather was cool, misty, overcast, we did not take the shuttle into town but visited the lovely botanical garden across the dock. It started to rain in the afternoon so we went back to the ship and stopped by a bakery in one of the terminal buildings and picked up some fresh Norwegian buns.

Bergen - 1/2 day stop. No tours as we have been there previously on a Tauck land tour. Took the ship's shuttle to town and walked to the open-air market and spend our last Norwegian Kroner on strawberries and cherries. Another lovely sunny and warm day so the lines for the funicular were very long !

Enjoy your trip.

First-you sit in groups of six. Three facing three. If you have twenty you will have two people placed with four people and have no control over those 4. Also the train goes up and back-same track. Now the tix. It is bedlam. Your ship will dock and the train is right there. It sounds crazy, but I would absolutely do it again. With the changes noted above. It was so nice having the reserved space and our whole group was delightful and had a blast. The ride was beautiful.

Good interesting background and details from our friend, Dawn, in Ann Arbor. As one of the pictures below show, the train ticket station and board areas are right close by. Much, however, depends on how many ships are in port that day. That can affect crowds, boarding, etc. It is good to save money and buy these tickets on your own, but there are the added hassles picking them up there, etc. We did ours by a ship tour. It cost a little more, but then we did not have to worry if the ship might be late getting in, dealing the payments, various logistics, etc. All a personal choice.

Below also shows how the interior of the train cabin looks. Plus a few visuals you will going up and/or coming back.

Flam, with a population of about 500, is nestled in a tributary of the world's longest and deepest fjord. It is 128 miles long and has a maximum depth of 4,291 feet. On the question of how deep are these fjords, local say: “A mermaid could swim all the way to China.” The chief attraction here is the 68-year-old Flam Railway. It is widely known as one of the world's best railroad journeys. It includes twenty tunnels and eight stops as it goes up the mountain. This rail lines rises from Flam’s gingerbread rail station going up 2,835 feet to Myrdal and this "Roof of Norway" rail station. Railroad website: http://www.flaamsbana.no/eng.

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 92,660 views.

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

Arriving at Flam, our Captain is right there directing this docking process. You can see here some of the fjord mountains, waterfalls in the background. This town is fairly small with the rail trip being the main attraction and activity here.:

Here is a view from where you stop in a stone tunnel to get out and then see this dramatic 305-foot-high Kjosfossen Waterfall half-way on this 12.4 mile trip. We then exit the train at the Vatnahalsen Hotel, to see the grounds, nearby mountains, etc. Lots of great views on this routing, up and down.:

From our early July 2010 visit to the highly-rated Sognerfjord, here are some added details and sights from Flam, riding the railroad there, etc. This includes showing the interior of the passenger cars, a view from the train going up and back.::

Here’s the Vatnahalsen Hotell that we did during our morning visit to Flam, riding the railroad there, etc. Note their spelling for Hotell. Below is also the interior for the small, charming hotel and dining place.:

Honnigsvaag- late morning ship's tour to the Cape with a touristy stop at a Sami 'camp'. We had 2 hours free time at the Cape which was plenty. Weather was sunny, warm, no wind. Very nice gift shop where you can mail a postcard. In the afternoon we walked around Honnigsvaag, nice harbor area, walked all the way to the end of town since the weather was so nice.

Tromso - no tours. Since the weather was cool, misty, overcast, we did not take the shuttle into town but visited the lovely botanical garden across the dock. It started to rain in the afternoon so we went back to the ship and stopped by a bakery in one of the terminal buildings and picked up some fresh Norwegian buns.

Bergen - 1/2 day stop. No tours as we have been there previously on a Tauck land tour. Took the ship's shuttle to town and walked to the open-air market and spend our last Norwegian Kroner on strawberries and cherries. Another lovely sunny and warm day so the lines for the funicular were very long ! Enjoy your trip.

As a follow-up to the above posting by our neighbor in Pennsylvania, here are some added notes, details and ideas for Bergen, Tromso and the North Cape. Weather can be a major "variable". Hopefully you will nice weather, as we mostly did, but fog, rain, etc., can make it important to have a "Plan B" as a back-up if you need to adjust on that day in certain of your ports along the Norway Coast. My full live/blog connected below gives added details for these ports and other, plus lots of visuals and other tips, ideas. Feel free to ask an added questions, make comments, etc.

With 63,500 people, Tromso is the seventh largest city in Norway and the largest in its northern area. Some call it the “Paris of the North”. It is 186 miles north of the Arctic Circle and is located on an island. The city center of Tromsø contains the highest number of old wooden houses in northern Norway, the oldest house dating from 1789. The Arctic Cathedral, a modern church from 1965, is probably the most famous landmark in Tromsø. Its east wall is composed entirely of stained glass. The Polar Museum is situated in a wharf house from 1837, presents Tromsø's past as a center for Arctic hunting and starting point for many major Arctic expeditions. You are standing on a forest-covered island in a narrow sound, hemmed in by soaring mountains. A cable car travels up to the top of Mt. Storsteinen at 1,260 feet for views of the town, islands, mountains and water. The Polaria Arctic Center has sea life displays, an aquarium of marine life and trained seals. Its main street is Storgata with the town square opening onto the harbor. There is a daily open-air market selling flowers and crafts. Its two best dining places are Arctandria and Compagniet. Emm’a Drommekjokken get super high marks and is across from Tromso’s cathedral. For July 8, average high of 57F° and low of 47F°; record high of 69F° and record low of 42F° on this date. Twenty-four hours of daylight. Latitude: 69.7° N.

Port info: http://www.tromso.havn.no/en/shiptraffic/cruiseships

http://www.destinasjontromso.no/english/index.html

info@visittromso.no

We visited the small fishing village of Gjesvaer, about 22 miles NW of Honningsvaag. We had a rental car for the four of us and we traveled a route that was sunny, very dramatic and rising through this stark, but beautiful landscape. There are no trees to be seen this far north. We had packed a picnic lunch with us. We got there early, but our bird rock charter was doing a photo tour with a Polish photographer with 26” lens. He took about 1000 different pictures while on his trip out there. Before boarding, I asked our Captain if we would see any puffins. His reaction? “You’ll see 2.6 million there. There will be so many, it will seem like they are mosquitoes.” That sounded like hype, but it was true . . . and more! These pictures give you only a small sampling of what all we saw. It was birds, birds, birds!!! To do our boat charter, you can check this website: http://www.birdsafari-aurora.no/ or e-mail at ro71no@online.no.

Our Captain was super, excellent for doing a 90-minute tour. It was scheduled for only sixty minutes, but we got more. His boat had a capacity of eight persons, was a 27-feet size and was propelled by 222-horse power*engine with thrusters to get closer to the rocks of this protected island where humans are not allowed. For the four of us, it cost us a total of 2000 NOK for the boat charter. We had special “polar suits” to protect against the cold and wind. It was not too cold, but we needed these warmer suits they provided. To be honest, weather is a “crap shoot” here. We were lucky, very fortunate! And happy. We got our car rental through: lene@nordkappbilservice.no

What an experience!!!! Loved it! On larger boats, you cannot get as close to the birds as we did, being closer to water level, seeing the gull colony up front and personal, etc. It was great with super weather, until the fog set in hard as we were going back to port. Fortunately, he had a sophisticated GPS, depth screen to guide him back in this “soupy” setting.

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 92,660 views.

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

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor, plus nearby scenic areas, etc.

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.:

In Bergen’s Hanseatic warehouse area, this folk music group is entertaining as people sit outside, drink beer (at $13.25 each) and enjoy the great weather day.:

In the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was the harbor scene as we had our picnic at an open table before going on our charter boat to the bird rock areas. That tree trunk/limbs shown didn't actually grow there. It was brought in and placed there. This far north, nothing major grows and the land areas are very much a type of tundra. Extremely interesting and beautiful area!:

Sailing from the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape, this is the first of many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks.:

After getting our rental car in Honningvag, the store clerk mentioned in passing a warning of “Watch out of the reindeer.” Just casually saying it. Sure. Maybe, we’ll see some in the distance. Two or three, maybe!? On the way to Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was a small part of the large herd of reindeer we discovered on the way to our boat charter. They believed that all of this territory, including the road, belong to them. The young baby reindeer were especially cute!:

Vegas magic, in Flam did you buy a one way ticket on the flam train? After hiking down most of the way, did you have any problem boarding the train for the last 15 mins. Do you recall if there were any stops earlier that I could catch the train in case I got tired of hiking earlier? We will be in the Flam port next week. Thanks! Hope this finds it way to you!

Here is a short vide from the highlights of 7 nights cruise with Vision of the Seas from Copenhagen -

Link to the play list of videos

We will be visiting Olden and wondered if there is good walking into the countryside straight from where the ship will be docked?

Several people have recommended taking the local bus to the Briksdal glacier (sp?) and we might well give that a try but if not it would be good to have an alternative plan.