kaisatsu

I feel like visiting Antarctica on a luxury ship is like Douglas Adams’ “Restaurant at the End of the Universe.” People pay a lot of money to enjoy the spectacle of our own destruction in lavish comfort. I suppose we should enjoy it all while we can, because that ice is melting and may not be around beyond the current generations, which means that level of comfort probably won’t be either. Also, it’s such an incredible privilege to be able to visit in the first place that I guess we might as well take that privilege to the max!

Excellent beer made by a brewmaster from upstate New York! Mack is a Norwegian macrobrewery based in Tromsø, but they are affiliated with the Ølhallen pub in downtown Tromsø, next door to their former brewery. It’s a fantastic little place and carries several of Mack’s microbatch beers. One of my favorite beer bars in Norway, and if you saw my Untappd history, you’d know that‘s saying something! 😂 Recommended breweries by port: Geiranger - Geiranger Bryggeri Tromsø - Mack Flåm - Ægir, Voss (technically not in port, but close by and one of my favorites) Bergen - 7 Fjell (and an honorable mention to Hansa if you’re after a bog standard pils) I’d love to hear if anyone tries Olden Bryggeri, Tapp & Kork in Molde, or amplo Brew in Ålesund. None of them have made it to the beer festivals in Oslo, so I haven’t had a chance to try them.

We spent several days in Akureyri for midsummer, and there were usually some low-key and friendly locals at R5. Also, Akureyri Backpackers is quite lively in the evening, and the times we were there the crowd was quite mixed in demographics (not just backpackers).

I’ve only heard great things about Lindblad, from both past travelers and various expedition staff.

A lot of typical Norwegian dishes are seasonal and only available in the fall or at Christmastime. Fårikål, a lamb and cabbage stew, is typically a cold-weather dish served often in the autumn, but you may find some restaurants that serve it all year. Here are some other year-round options: Fiskesuppe - Creamy fish soup is a popular choice on the west coast, especially around Bergen. Lapskaus - A stew made from meat, potatoes, and root vegetables. Kjøttboller/kjøttkaker - Meat balls/patties are pretty common and often come served with brown sauce and lingonberries. Rømmegrøt - sour cream porridge Sursild - pickled herring Lefse - typical flat bread. For a sweet snack, groceries sell a packaged version with butter and cinnamon sugar Multe - Cloudberries find their way into jam or other sweet treats Vafler - you can have your waffle with brown cheese or top it with sour cream and jam.

(Worth noting that disembarkation usually uses the Filipstad port in Oslo, so you’d probably want to take a taxi, Uber, or bus to Oslo S as it’s a bit of a walk.)

There are luggage lockers at the Oslo S central train station. You could store it there and then pick it up before catching the train to the airport.

The first one (I think it used to just be called Ruter). RuterBillett (literally Ruter ticket) is an older version that’s being phased out.

You can buy multiple tickets in the app. It defaults to one adult, but you can change that and choose what you need. Senior prices apply from age 67, and child prices for 6-17. (Edit: since you’re traveling before 21 Aug, the kids travel free with an adult due to the summer holiday period, so you don’t need to add tickets for them if they’re under 18.) You don’t need to tick the option “Buy for others” if you just want to keep all the tickets on one phone, which is probably simplest.

To answer literally: No, because it doesn’t depart for another month! 😂 (If someone has a time machine, please send me a DM!) Less literally: Cruise schedules and port restrictions change every year in Norway, so it’s very unlikely that HAL has operated an identical itinerary in the past. Moreover, cruise traffic patterns have changed significantly in the past two years due to the war. A lot of cruiselines were still planned for the Baltic last summer, so Norway has had a huge increase in attention since the absence of St.Petersburg has taken a toll on the Baltic routes. However, as mentioned above, most of these are well-trafficked ports, so while people may not have been on this particular itinerary, many have visited these destinations on other cruises.

The 81 bus runs from the Filipstad port to Bjørvika, the new waterfront area by the Munch museum. You can buy tickets and see departure times on the Ruter transit app. (Note that it skips the port during rush hour, so you for a few hours on weekdays you’d need to walk a few minutes to another stop.)

I’ve never seen a great guidebook for Norway. Most guidebook formats are built around cities, and touring Norway is about visiting the countryside and small villages, and services in many of these places are seasonal. They have also changed a lot in the last ten years. The forums here will definitely provide more relevant information, so searching for each port will provide a wealth of information. The most popular options for your ports would probably be: Geiranger: Mt.Dalsnibba or another overlook if it’s not open or clouded over. Honninsvag: North Cape. Tromso: the Arctic Cathedral and the cable car are both pretty popular for cruise visitors. Flåm: the Flåmsbana mountain rail. Ålesund: art deco architecture. Olden: Loen skylift. Bergen: Bryggen historic waterfront

It also depends a bit on how recently. We were in Iceland last month, and it was much less windy than the last time we were there a few years before the pandemic. The Icelandic friend traveling with us said that the climate has indeed changed a bit, and the wind is actually a lot less intense than it used to be. But in Iceland, even “not as windy” is still pretty windy! This discussion came up in the context of whether tent was still a completely insane idea.

Do you tend to go out on deck before or after dinner? Thanks to climate controls, the interiors of the ships tend to be fairly similar regardless of the outside weather. If you’re concerned, you could pack lightweight long-sleeved dresses. I often wear a cotton knit or a light crepe dress in that weather, but I also wear some of my summer dresses with a cardigan and tights. (yes, we even dress in layers for dinner and work! 😂)

Just because a place expects tourists to hand over extra money does not mean it's required. I hate these little automated guilt trips, so it's worth reiterating that tipping in Scandinavia is NOT like tipping in the US. Everyone who works in the service industry should be earning a living wage, so you do not need to supplement that in any way. Unfortunately, there are some workers who are exploited in the service and tourism industry (not that tipping on a digital transactional will likely go to them), but it is an issue for the labor authorities - not the customer. In cases where an employer tries to make up for underpaying their workers by encouraging tips, it just perpetuates the problem. So no one should feel guilty for skipping the gratuity. These kinds of situations also make me feel pressured into adding a tip. I didn't realize how much of a drain it actually is until I was in Iceland a few weeks ago, where they don't even give you the option. It was a pleasant relief!

I don’t see a ship on the port list that’s scheduled for 8-16 on 24 July. I’m guessing your on the Rotterdam (listed as 8-18)? If so, you’ll be docking at Filipstad, west of the center. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of transit in the area, so your best option is probably to follow the pedestrian path along the highway to the Aker Brygge waterfront and catch the tram 12 from there to Vigelands Park (direction Majorstuen; stop Vigelandsparken). Since the park is open 24 hours, you could head straight there as soon as you’re off the ship. Consider picking up a sandwich for lunch at one of the bakeries or convenient store around Aker Brygge. You can buy tickets, see real-time departure estimates, and get detailed route planning using the Ruter transit app. Otherwise you need to buy a ticket from a convenience store before boarding. Tickets are good for one hour with unlimited transfers. A 24-hour pass costs about the same as three single tickets. From Vigelands Park to the Folk Museum, catch the 20 bus towards Skøyen and get down at Olav Kyres plass, where you’ll switch to the 30 towards Bygdøy. That bus stops at Folkmuseet, right outside the Folk Museum. Squeezing in the Fram might be tough, depending on how much time you spend exploring the others. If you do have time, the 30 bus continues on to the Bygdøynes stop in front of the Fram museum. Getting back is a bit more challenging, since the 30 bus doesn’t really come too close to Filipstad. You could take it to Solli plass, which is 15-20 minutes walk from the port. (Note that the bus stop by the Fram is one-way, so you’d need to take the bus two stops to Bygdøhus where you could switch to one going back the other direction). Alternatively, if you are returning from the Fram, there is a tourist ferry that runs directly to Aker Brygge, but it is not part of Ruter and requires a separate ticket.

“What’s the weather like” is a pretty meaningless question in Norway. We feel lucky when the morning weather forecast turns out to be accurate! 😂 Generally speaking, you won’t see snow on the ground at sea level. There will still be snow higher up in the mountains, so you may see snow above you, and if you travel up to higher elevations, you may find snow on the ground, road closures, etc. For example, if you were to do the Flåmsbana-Myrdal-Voss-Gudvangen-Flåm route, you would likely still see heavy snow cover on the Myrdal-Voss train ride. In general, I would expect temperatures between 0°C and 15°C with the chance of reaching 20°C if there’s a warm spell. Planning for wind and rain is essential at my time of the year. Basically, dress in layers and adjust according to conditions. Bring a hat, gloves, and scarf or neck gaiter, because it can be very chilly out on deck when the ship is moving, and it’s not something you want to miss.

In April, there’s a good chance it will still be brown. If it’s an early spring, you might get lucky and have the first days of green, but it’s a pretty big gamble. I just skimmed through my phone, and 26 April 2020 I have a photo where everything in my neighborhood is green and leafy, but on 12 April 2021 the trees didn’t even have buds, and it was snowing. If you really want green, I wouldn’t plan a visit before the second week of May.

That’s because card payments are assumed. Just as in other countries you would ask if a place can take card, in Norway you ask if you can pay in cash.

Bergen and Oslo are both pretty easy to explore on your own. In Bergen, if the weather is nice (cloud cover is not too low to block the view), I would start with the Fløibanen funicular to beat the cruise crowd. You can either ride it roundtrip or choose to walk back downhill on the forest paths. Then explore the UNESCO-listed Bryggen waterfront area. There are guided tours from the Bryggen Museum at 11 and 13 (that includes a ticket to the museum), but I’ve never gotten the timing to work and just did self-guided walks with the guided map from the museum. It’s also fun to walk through the super touristy Fisketorget (which now sells more souvenirs than fresh fish). And I like to pop over to the other side of the harbor to get the iconic view of the full Bryggen waterfront. (I also really like the Hanseatic Museum for understanding the history of how the city fit into the European trading routes, but the museum is under extensive restoration until 2027.) In Oslo, my recommendations depend a lot on personal preferences, since there aren’t just a few clear must-sees. These are my top suggestions in general: The open-air Folk Museum houses historic buildings from all around Norway, including an iconic stave church. It includes a lot of displays explaining Norwegian culture as well as live reenactors during peak season. Vigelands Sculpture Park is an entire park full of sculptures of the human form through all walks of life. The city of Oslo donated Vigelands workspace in exchange for his work, which was erected in the middle of Frognerpark. The Fram Museum is usually a surprise favorite of many visitors. It’s home to the Fram polar exploration ship that Amundsen used on his expedition that was the first to reach the South Pole. You can explore inside the ship as well as learn about other polar exploration activities. Lastly, the new National Museum is a great addition to the city, housing one edition of Munch’s famous “The Scream” as well as hundreds of other Norwegian and international paintings and design objects. It’s a huge place, so it’s not recommended to try to see it all in a single visit, but it’s very well curated. Getting around in Oslo is quite easy using the Ruter public transit system, which has an English language website and app.

@bookbabe & @Norwaylady I asked around today and found someone who has been to Viking Planet. She said that it was very well done, but she felt that it was a bit overpriced for what it was. She qualified this by adding that she personally prefers to see the actual historic artifacts rather than just a recreation, so she’s probably not the target audience to begin with. That also reminded me that it’s been a while since I’ve visited the Historisk Museum. Last time I was there, the displays were almost entirely in Norwegian, but they offered guided tours in English during the summer by graduate students from the university. They now have a translated narration of the highlights on the website, which gives some context to the objects. https://www.historiskmuseum.no/english/exhibitions/vikingr/index.html

I don’t know anyone who has been, because it looks very touristy from the outside, and I think most people are a bit skeptical. It’s also quite expensive from what I recall (unless they’ve lowered the price). I’d be interested to hear opinions! Maybe I should skim the reviews myself!

It’s unlikely that price will vary by port, but larger, more visited cities will probably have more variety. There are not really any “chains” aside from the actual designer shops. If you are looking specifically for something by Dale, Oleana, etc. you might check which ports have dedicated shops for those brands. Otherwise, the tourist sweater shops typically all carry a similar mix. Oslo and Bergen will probably have the biggest shops with the biggest range in a single place. Prices are pretty much the same. Unless an item has a clearance discount, the differences are marginal between shops. The biggest price differences are between sweaters designed and manufactured abroad, those designed in Norway but manufactured abroad, and those designed and manufactured domestically. You can also see differences based on yarn quality and pattern intricacy. And obviously, there is a huge difference between buying new and used.

Insider tip: We’re not that cool! 😂 Don’t tell anyone! 🤫

Guided tours in Oslo: https://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/sightseeing/sightseeing-tours/ I’ve never been on any of them, so I can’t make recommendations, but I’ve seen the Viking Biking tours around a lot in the summer. It looks like it could be a fun option if you like cycling. Otherwise, Oslo doesn’t really lend itself well to guided tours since the city is designed around public transit and walking/cycling. It’s difficult for buses to navigate easily and efficiently, so services like the HOHO bus tend to be slower and more time-consuming than the Ruter city transit network. If there are particular sights or museums you’d like to visit, search or post on the forum for suggestions, or try the Ruter website to find out how to get around. Also note that while there are a lot of boat tours on the Oslofjord, this may not be the best use of time since you will sail the same areas on your way in and out of port. Also, Oslofjord is not geologically a fjord and does not have the iconic, dramatic fjord scenery of the west coast.