kaisatsu

There is no taxi queue nearby, so you'd need to call for a taxi. I'd expect it to take around 15 minutes for one to get out there, or you could prebook a time in advance for a small additional surcharge. It's hard to guess the cost, since all the taxi companies have different rates, and it depends a lot on how much time the trip takes. If I had to guess, I'd expect it to be at least 300-400 NOK. The bus is around 15 minutes, plus 10 minutes walk to the pier. The bus runs every 10 minutes on a weekday, and you can find the details on the ruter.no website. Tickets are purchased through the Ruter app. The ferry runs once every 30 minutes, but I don't remember how long each leg of the trip takes. I haven't used it since it stopped being part of the transit network. Since they say that it's a 10-minute trip, I'm guessing that's the first leg from the city hall to the first stop, which means the other two legs would be a bit under 20? If you aim to head back around 14:00, you should be fine. If you're worried, go when the museum opens at 10:00, and you'll almost certainly be ready to head out well before that. Most people spend 1½ to 2 hours.

The day also matters, since Disney Dream will be using multiple ports during the season. But based on your 14:45 return time, I’m guessing you’re there on either 7 Aug or 7 Sep, which means you’d be docking at Akershus. That makes things easier as it has better transit connections. The museum opens at 10:00, so if you go early, you should have plenty of time for a visit. There is a cafe on site, or you can pack a lunch (“You are welcome to bring your own food. Picnic tables are available at the Festival Grounds.”). Most convenience stores, coffee shops, and bakeries in the city sell premade sandwiches. There are a few around the port area and Nationaltheatret bus stop. If you take the ferry over, be aware that the return trip is slightly longer as it is a loop with another stop before the return to the harbor. Also keep in mind that it’s an open-air museum with large grounds. The Norwegian saying is that there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. So be sure to pack some good rain gear or have a plan B! 😉

An established street food vendor will always take card. You just may need a chip-and-pin card as some of the less-expensive terminal solutions require it. I have no Swedish or Danish currency and never think twice about depending solely on my bank card when I visit either country.

What ship and day in port? The pier assignment will make a difference in how long it takes to get out there. I would typically spend 2-3 hours at a leisurely pace for an in-depth visit, so if you go in the morning, you should be fine. The bus from downtown takes around 20 minutes, so with max waiting time, that’s 30 each way.

This has been the case in Ushuaia, but it varies by season. When demand is low, this has been a possibility, but it was far less common in the years just before the pandemic when demand was through the roof. Now that there are a lot of larger newly-built ships, it could be the case again, but in the past few years we've also seen a handful of fantastic last-minute deals being published online.

You will be sailing in and out of port through the same waterways that are typically visited on the fjord cruises, so if you’re considering it for the scenery, that’s something to keep in mind. If you just want to take a ride on the boat, I have been on it as part of an evening event. It’s comfortable with plenty of seating and outside deck space, and the ride is smooth and quiet. I’m not sure what the food and drink options are like since our trip was catered and included an open bar. Though the boat is a somewhat interesting design, I’d personally choose to do something else with that time, since you’re cruising through the Oslofjord twice that day already.

There are multiple ports in Oslo. You can find the pier assignments here: https://www.oslohavn.no/globalassets/oslo-havn/dokumenter/cruise/20230506-cruiseanlop-.pdf If you’re at Akershuskai, you can take the tourist ferry to Bygdøy from nearby in front of the city hall. From the first stop, it’s about ten minutes straight up the road. Alternatively, you can walk past the city hall to the Nationaltheatret bus stop and take bus #30 towards Bygdøy. The bus runs every 10 minutes and has a stop right at the Folk Museum (Folkmuseet). From Revierkaia, walk along the waterfront towards the library and central station, and there’s a 30 bus stop on Tollbugata in front of the stock exchange (Borsen). Filipstadkaia is less convenient. There isn’t much in the area, and it’s hemmed in by the highway. The transit app suggests taking the pedestrian bridge over the highway and walking ~15 minutes to Solli to catch the 30 bus. I highly recommend downloading the Ruter transit app, as it lets you buy tickets, see real-time departure info, and plan routes. (Just be aware that the last time I used it abroad, it showed times in the local time zone, so you may need to convert - or temporarily change your device time zone).

Are those your only ports? If so, it’s worth being aware that you’re not visiting any of the iconic fjords and almost none of the highlight ports. Haugesund and Narvik especially are not among the more interesting or picturesque cities, and Alta is more known as a base for chasing the Northern Lights later in the year. If “Thomson” is meant to be “Tromsø” that will at least bring a bit of Norway’s dramatic coastal scenery, but I definitely wouldn’t judge the country by this particular port lineup!

How much walking are you interested in? It’s possible to hike up to some of the lower viewpoints like Vesteråsfjellet from the cruise port. But it’s definitely worth getting some of the views from above. The water-level views are great during the sail-in/out, but the perspective above is quite different. If you’re traveling early in the season, Dalsnibba might still be inaccessible due to snow, and on a cloudy day the viewpoint can be in the cloud layer.

Nordfjordeid and Flåm are both fjord ports with plenty of scenery on the sail-in and sail-out. Skjolden has much of the same scenery as Flåm on the sail-in/out but it has far less infrastructure than Flåm and doesn’t have easy access to the Flåmsbana railroad or the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord (the two main highlights of Flåm). In general I’d consider Nordfjordeid and Skjolden to be comparable ports. Kriatiansand is completely different. It’s a coastal town on the North Sea and doesn’t really have as many draws as a lot of the other places in Norway. Usually it’s just thrown in as a stop when sailing from Oslo or the Baltic region around to the western coast. If you have a fjord-intensive itinerary for the other ports, it could be an interesting change of pace, but I’m not sure there’s a lot to recommend it on its own. Without knowing the other ports, it’s hard to make a call, but I would consider the new option a bit of a step down. If you’d still be visiting Bergen and Geiranger along with Skjolden and Kristiansand, then it would still be a great itinerary.

We flew in the evening of 5 April for a long Easter weekend. Baggage collection was crowded but not chaotic. However, there was signage for a carry-on only exit that led to nowhere, and everyone in the baggage hall was funneled into one narrow exit. That was a bit annoying, since there wasn’t a clear queue, and there seemed to be no point to it anyway. It wasn’t a luggage check - just a single door and lots of people with large luggage. No idea about immigration as we were arriving from within the Schengen.

What kinds of things would you normally enjoy? Hard to make recommendations without any idea what you’re looking for. Most people visit Bergen to see the UNESCO-listed historic waterfront, wander among the old Hanseatic buildings, and enjoy the charm of the city center. Oslo is a much bigger city and is similar to (but smaller than) the other Scandinavian capitals. It has a lot more variety of sights and activities, simply because it’s bigger. Choosing between them depends a lot on what you’re looking for. Also, what ports will you visit on your cruise? (Norway in a Nutshell may not be a great option if you’ve already visited Flåm.) If WWII history is the only thing that you’re interested in: Bergen has a Gestapo Museum, and there are some other locations in the region if you rent a car. I’ve never been to any of them, so I couldn’t say whether they’re worth visiting. I think t here are also some sites down around Haugesund. Oslo has a larger Resistance Museum than Bergen. You can also take a pleasant ferry trip down to the Oscarsborg Fortress, where a German ship was sunk in the Oslofjord at the beginning of the invasion (allegedly buying the royal family time to escape). There is a lot of history related to the occupation, but a lot of it is in how buildings were repurposed or how the local populace was impacted. There are some WWII-focused walking tours available via toursbylocals, viator, etc. And keep an eye out for the Stolpersteine around the city, remembering the Jewish residents who were deported.

It has been years, but we had lunch at the Olde Hansa and really enjoyed it. It was kitschy, but still fun and interesting, and when we were there the food was surprisingly good for such a touristy spot.

Just be aware that the walk up from the Hotel Union to Vesterås Farm is a steady uphill climb with a few uneven patches (where tree roots are exposed). It's not extremely challenging (I've done it with my moderately-active parents when they were in their early 70s) but it is a bit of exercise. From the farm, the walk over to the overlook is quite gentle.

In Norway public toilets in cities and train stations take card (often only cards with a chip). At museums, cafes, etc they are typically free for customers. In high traffic areas, places like McDonald’s may require a code that you can get from the staff.

You can walk up to Storseterfoss from the cruise pier. The local trail map is available to download here or at the tourist info office. Follow the road up towards Hotel Union (there are shortcut steps at the base of the churchyard), and the trailhead is just past the hotel. That trail (A) takes you up to Vesterås farm, and another trail (D) runs from the farm to Storseterfoss. However, I don’t think it’s a particularly scenic trail. Most of the route to the waterfall is mountain views, since the trail is on a bit of an inland plateau that blocks the view back down to sea level. The area is pretty enough, but it seems a shame not to enjoy the views of the iconic fjord. I did the Storseter hike several years ago, and while it’s a bit fun to pass behind the waterfall, if I’m hiking in the area, I prefer the views from the Vesteråsfjellet and Løsta overlooks much more.

A lot of public toilets in city centers and those in some shopping centers or transit stations may be pay toilets. They take bank cards with a chip. (I highly recommend having a chip-based card in Norway as several card readers are chip-only.) I do recall there was a coin-based toilet in Vigelands Park for a while. Even ten years ago, people were always scrambling to try to find someone who had a coin when they wanted to use it, so I would hope it’s been updated by now! All cafes and restaurants in Norway have toilets available for customers. Some (especially in busy central areas) require a code that can be obtained by asking the staff.

Doesn't that depend hugely on the teen? I would have loved the scenery and culture, but several of my friends would have been bored.

Norway uses its own currency (Norwegian kroner NOK), but most of us never carry cash anymore. Everything is paid by card, and anywhere tourist-oriented will definitely accept card. We don't really tip guides or drivers, since everyone earns a living wage, so there isn't a need for cash here at all.

I would treat it the same way as camera equipment. Bring the equipment you are comfortable with using. If you’re used to the higher magnification and you’re used to tracking birds in flight with that field of vision, you’ll probably appreciate having it for the seabirds when you’re underway.

I wouldn’t plan to find on-the-spot last-minute tour options in Norway. The tourist season is quite short and labor prices are very high, so the options are limited. If there’s something you’re particularly keen to do, it’s well worth researching and potentially booking ahead to ensure there’s a space.

In case you missed it in last season’s reports, IAATO guidelines now restrict visitors from sitting down on shore due to increased avian flu risk. I don’t know if it’s a temporary change or not. A little disappointing, but understandable.

I have never heard of a ship where they wash your boots for you. If that’s a concern, Antarctica might not be the best destination for you as visitors are expected to follow strict bio-protection protocols. I have been on a few different ships where the staff vacuumed the passengers’ landing gear, but that was more about ensuring the job was done thoroughly than about service. I’ve also been on a ship where everyone did their own vacuuming and the staff just did a control check after. Honestly, spraying down and brushing landing boots has never seemed to phase anyone on any of my trips. And while I do enjoy having a large mudroom, storing the boots and landing gear in the cabin turned out to be NBD when I was on a ship that used that model.

#4 is going to be a sticking point, especially if budget is a concern. Even my trip that included South Georgia and the Falklands was just barely 3 weeks. The longest peninsula-only trips are usually only around 2 weeks. Longer trips are typically special itineraries like the Argentina-New Zealand one-way crossings or Oceanwide‘s upcoming four-week tour of the Weddell Sea. But those all start at around €30K. There are a few ships that offer single cabins. I believe National Geographic Explorer does, and MV Ushuaia lists two on their deck plan. The latter could be a good option for a tighter budget. However, I’ve done a twin share on two of my trips, and I don’t regret it at all. As long as you’re considerate, rooming with a stranger can be fine, because Antarctica tends to attract very like-minded travelers. My most recent cabinmate ended up sharing the room with me for 40 nights (due to COVID a closures), and two years later we just met up again when she was in town. I’ve personally been down with GAdventures, Hurtigruten, and Oceanwide, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them.

What time does the ship leave Oslo? And how hard would it be to reach the next port if you missed it? The good thing is that there are several flights per day between the two cities, so you’re not so limited in flight times. I can’t really speak to the reliability of timings on the Stockholm side as I typically just connect through ARN. At OSL, the trains to the city take less than 25 minutes, and the express runs every 10 minutes during the day Mon-Sat and every 20 minutes on Sundays. A taxi from the central station to the pier would typically take another 10-20 minutes. Your biggest variable would be baggage claim, which can take anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes for luggage to show up. Usually I’d expect 15-20 minutes from arrival for a Stockholm connection, but I’ve run into long delays for short flights when the airport is understaffed