hallasm

8 hours ago, Mimiya11 said:

Our Baltic cruise is coming up in a few months

Which ports of call?

At Lofoten the Aurora Borealis was visible from 9:00 pm in 40 minutes while we were docked in Svolvær and again two hours later when sailing in the northern part of Raftsundet along Hinnøya. Two day later we saw the lights for 45 minutes when we approached Berlevåg at 10pm. The footage in the video is still photos from the bow and upper deck of MS Trollfjord.

Unfortunately I do not have any experience with Flåm in October - but personally I have always planned for the mid day departures from Flåm - expecting 'better and warmer' weather in the afternoon.

In high season most morning departures might be sold out anyway

IMO two very different experiences, routes and views.

Bus from Flåm via Aurland to the Stegastein Viewpoint 650 meters above the sea with a panorama view of the Fjord and the mountains.
Train is offering a beautiful views of the countryside, river and mountains and a short stop at a waterfall - and Myrdal 867 m above sea level.

I’ll suggest the view points at Geiranger Your other topic)  and the train in Flåm.

1 minute ago, xcal185 said:

Would we see mainly the same things on the sail in and out as the fjord cruise? 

Exact the same fjord views and water. I’ll defiantly recommend a tour to the view points with Fjord views from the top of the mountains.

1 hour ago, 2cruisecats said:

We are quite interested in Hurtigruten and will investigate that option.  Our only limitation is time -- we have 6 days before joining the Viking Sun on Sept 14th.  Any additional info would be appreciated.

Assuming 2019.  You might be able to take the 5 night Hurtigruten southbound from Kirkenes September 8 at 12:30 - arriving Bergen September 13th at 2:30 pm - then you'll have a day in Bergen before the Viking Sun Cruise.

it's a 2 hours flight from OSL to KKN - might need to go to KKN September 7 - first flight is in KKN at 11 am - doable the same day for a Hurtigruten 12:30 departure but tight.

26 minutes ago, Sallyandtex said:

Thanks again, lots of great tips!

I have been looking at a package thru 50 degrees North that includes land bookings and transfers. Thinking maybe I should try booking myself but worried I would put us in the wrong areas and worried about language barriers.

50 degrees North was founded by a Norwegian and the company is partnering with Hurtigruten - I do not know their pricing but always difficult to directly compare a packet price with just the price of the voyage. At the end most important to have a successful holiday. Please keep us updated on your progress.

4 hours ago, 2cruisecats said:

Question for HALLSAM -- Hope I'm asking this in the right thread. We will be in Bergen on September 13th, pre-cruise.  Last year we did the Viking Homelands cruise and enjoyed a few days post cruise in Bergen (wonderful, esp May 17th celebrations) before travelling to Oslo.  This year, I'm wondering about a Norwegian coastal experience previous to our transAtlantic sailing. As flights are not yet booked, we have flexibility, probably 6 or 7 days.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!

Certainly the right place - hope that others also will add their thoughts and ideas.

One obvious possibility is a Hurtigruten 7 days northbound voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes - departure each day. You can also do the 6 days southbound from Kirkenes to Bergen - or part of the journe. More details in the CC Hurtigruten Board.

i have just done a northbound voyage in January -  My review.

September is still a quite nice month - not any snow but chance for Northern Lights.

- another option might be ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ from Bergen by boat, bus, train and overnight stay at hotel  - visits to Hardangerfjord, Eidfjord, Sognefjord,  Aurlandsfjord and the narrow Nærøyfjord -including Flåm and Bergen Railway.
- it will require however require a lot of preparation to organize hotels trains, boats and busses - check This site for inspiration.

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

Fortunately, there were TV's that *did* have a Bridge Cam view.

Not all the cabin does have TV - only suites and Arctic Superior- all TV does have the same channels. In addition to the bridge camera also the actual route was on one of the channels.

The ship also has a port side camera, but not on the the TV set.

I have added the bow and port side camera to my blog - not live - picture updated every two minutes - Lint to web cam and route at my review

Can be a long discussion if northbound excursions are better than southbound or..

You’ll also have have Lofoten Islands northbound as well as Hjørundfjorden, Geiranger and Trollstigen Pass, Svartisen Glacier and Birdwatching safari at Gjesvær.

Also you’ll sail to Geiranger northbound. (During summer)

Are you sure about the two different terminals in ARN (Arlanda). I would expect terminal 5 for both arrival and departure if flying SAS to CPH - might be different concourses (arrival F gates).

Customs will be in CPH. In ARN luggage will automatically be transferred to the CPH flight and should be picked-up at CPH.

However immigration and passport control is in ARN where you’ll enter the Schengen Area. There might also be additional security check in ARN.

3 hours ago, Sallyandtex said:

Thanks everyone, Sept sounds perfect, just also wondering if the round trip is better or should we dedicate the extra days on land?

 

Daniel - thank you for the update and correcting information on your web - however still not clear on this:

On 1/20/2019 at 7:40 PM, hallasm said:

also terms and condition at one page does refer to "Offer is not valid for port-to-port, group travel, or packages sold by a tour operator.". 

Is it only for cruises purchased through Hurtigruten or does it apply to all qualifying cruises wherever purchased?

Thank you for the update. Looks like a great trip. 

7 minutes ago, Bella0714 said:

Sorry if I'm thinking out loud. The more I research, the more our plans change

It’s important to plan the travel well and do a proper research. This will be a onvpce in a life time experience.

Thank you for the update and thoughts - any actual tunnel plan or just ‘dreamers’?

I have never sailed MS Nordstjernen and I doubt that many CC members have sailed that ship. But hope you’ll get some responses and answers to you very valid questions

Total of  76 cabins, of which 24 only have a washbasin and shared bathroom facilities. Most have upper and lower berths.
As I understand the deck plan no shared bathroom located on Deck A (lower deck) - only located on deck B (middle deck) - and only one shared bathroom area for the 24 cabins. So guests at deck A might go to bathroom at deck B - but do not know for sure and do not know details.

I’ll suggest you do ask for more detailed information by emailing Hurtigruten at booking@hurtigruten.com, or by calling the office in Norway at +47 81 03 00 00 - press 9 for English!

you might also want to check the price in NOK - I just checked - lowest price is NOK 9,975 which is USD 1,160  - cabin with private bath does start at USD 1,700 - let me have the dates you want to travel and I can check the price if you can’t access Hurtigruten.no - might be savings if booking in Norway rather than US.

The best time to see polar bears is between May and september.

45 minutes ago, peppajay said:

and the hjungerfjord (?) to Urke, which was beautiful and I think only done in September and October

Yes - Hjørundfjord (difficult spelling) only In September and October while Geiranger in June to August. Beautiful sailing In the fjords.

Very valid point - but only discount at available excursions - some excursions are sold out due to limited availability of spaces. 

For ‘our’ voyage  the Tromsø dog sledding was sold out.

13 hours ago, hallasm said:

RIP boat Fjord Safar

11 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

RIB (rigid inflatable boat) tours ... fast boats 

10 hours ago, hallasm said:

Captain - Thank you so much for the correction

I did refer to my 'RIP* and missing 'i'

Captain - Thank you so much for the correction

28 minutes ago, Capt_BJ said:

RIB (rigid inflatable boat) tours ... fast boats

Some inspiration - Find more inspiration at this link.

Bus from Flåm via Aurland to the Stegastein Viewpoint.
Boat trip to Nærøyfjord (UNESCO Heritage Site)
RIP boat Fjord Safar
 

43 minutes ago, readingfast said:

Hoping to do the Flam railway independently as I hear ship's tours are very expensive. My brother who has walking difficulties will be with me.

Can anyone tell me how to get from the dock after tendering, to the station where the railway departs from?

Also, is this very expensive?

Any information would be very welcome.

Thanks

Price is NOK 590 per person for a return. Book return ticket online from Flåm to Myrdal - no need to spend time in Myrdal - trains are sold out if many ships in port. 

It is a 5 minutes easy walk from the pier to the train station. Station nemt to the pier

Time table and Booking.

- at 0:40 In the video you can see the Cruise ship just behind the train platforms. Enjoy you Cruise and Flåm Railway,

Do you plan yo make Port-to-Port bookings available on other Hurtigruten sites than the Norwegian site?

£300 is also a sort of money. Helsinki is a small and convenient  airport - will make transfer easy and Finnsir a reliable airline. Do not change the fact that you’ll have two more starts and landings. I would personally go for the Finnsir offer.

Finnsir is also part of Oneworld Alliance with BA.

I have now completed the Hurtigruten Northbound review including 15 videos  - also added some 'food pictures'