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Need Feedback to Understand/Evaluate a Norwegian Fjord Itinerary


CANJGirl
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Hello. We are looking to take a Norwegian Fjord cruise summer 2018 with my 22 and 24 year old children and their 88 year old grandfather. We have to balance interest and abilities. A Holland American Itinerary seems to show that two days are spent just cruising fjords. Does this get boring? I'm worried that two additional days just on the ship (besides the 2 seas days) could get boring for my young adult kids. Here's a sample itinerary. Thank you.

Eidfjord, 7-3

cruise Hardangerfjord

Alesund, 8 am - 11 pm

Geiranger, 7 - 5 tender

Cruise Geirangerfjord

Bergen, 8 -5

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Notice that both of these say Day 2. Hardangerfjord is where Eidfjord is located, so you cruise the fjord as you approach Eidfjord and as you leave. The same thing happens with Geiranger and Geirangerfjord. Both occur on Day 4.

 

Day 2:

 

June 04, 2018 Arrives 07:00 AM

Departs 03:00 PM

Eidfjord, Norway

Day 2:

 

June 04, 2018

Scenic cruising HardangerfjordCO

 

 

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Debbie,

Thanks for clarifying. I was totally misreading it.

Happy I could be of help. Sometimes, the itinerary can be confusing.

 

I did the 14 day Voyage of the Midnight Sun out of Amsterdam last summer and it was fantastic. The fjords are breathtakingly beautiful. I hope you find an itinerary that you like and go!

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We did that 7 day cruise on the Rotterdam last May. Or, you could do the same itinerary on the Konigsdam, a newer, larger ship.

We love the scenery in Norway, the fjords are beautiful. Alesund is an interesting town, it was rebuilt in the early 1900's (sorry can't remember the exact year) after a fire levelled most buildings. Bergen has an interesting fish market. We took the funicular up the "mount" and hiked down. Eidfjord is charming and very pretty. And the scenery around Geiranger was spectacular.

Our only complaint about the cruise was that it was only 7 days, next time, we'll do the 14 day cruise.

Hope you enjoy your Norway cruise.

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The scenery is wonderful! When you see those old farmsteads clinging to steep hills, you don't wonder any more why the Vikings took to the seas.

As to excursions, we did this cruise with our adult children. They did the bike/Segway/hiking/sled dog tours. We did mostly bus tours because of my knee. The bus tours went to wonderful view points, minimal walking. We also did our own thing in Bergen and Alesund.

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We've cruised the Fjords twice and the scenery is spectacular. Bergen is the wettest city in Europe, so, quite likely to rain if you want to go up on the funicular I would wait until you get there before buying tickets.

 

In Alesund we did the HOHO which stops in front of the ship's.

 

If you look at the Norwegian Tourist Board website there are lots of tours you can book. VisitNorway.com

 

 

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In Alesund we did the HOHO which stops in front of the ship's.

 

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We did that, too, because it went to a view point. But first we walked a bit in the city. The ship docks downtown. You can walk uphill or stay around the port.

 

In Bergen, we walked from the ship to the historic downtown and visited the small fish market. The tourist information center is in the modern building right there. We did not go inside since the sky cleared and we wanted to take the uphill tram before passengers from the tour busses arrived. The view was well worth it. No use in rain though!

 

Afterwards, we went to the Hanse Museum which is in the historic downtown. I liked that as well. Imagine how those teenage apprentice traders lived without light and heat in the wooden buildings. The kitchens are in a different building. We walked and used the museum bus for the three parts of the Hanse museum, but we could also have used the historic wooden boat from the downtown port area to the fishing museum which was the furthest away. That would have been more fun.

 

I thought that our Bergen and Alesund tours on our own were well worth it and only cost entrance fees and transport tickets. In both towns, go to the view points unless it is raining buckets. Their historic downtowns are so small that you cannot get lost - just in case your kids want to walk at a faster pace and explore more extensively.

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Floridiana

 

Both times we have been to Bergen it has been raining very heavily. As we live in London we are used to rain so went prepared with waterproof jackets and over trousers.

 

When we were in Alesund we were lucky as we had a sunny day and got some good photos high up.

 

We may return to Bergen for a few days as we like the city, but Norway is so expensive even compared to London prices.

 

 

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London Towner,

 

It's true that Bergen has a lot of rain. We were really lucky this time. And Norway is extremely expensive.

 

If it rains, I would still recommend the Hanse Museum to the 'kids'. The inside of those wooden houses at the port will be even gloomier then and give a good idea why the rich merchants did not send their own children but picked the apprentices from the poor in Luebeck and Bremen.

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We did that 7 day cruise on the Rotterdam last May. Or, you could do the same itinerary on the Konigsdam, a newer, larger ship.

We love the scenery in Norway, the fjords are beautiful. Alesund is an interesting town, it was rebuilt in the early 1900's (sorry can't remember the exact year) after a fire levelled most buildings. Bergen has an interesting fish market. We took the funicular up the "mount" and hiked down. Eidfjord is charming and very pretty. And the scenery around Geiranger was spectacular.

Our only complaint about the cruise was that it was only 7 days, next time, we'll do the 14 day cruise.

Hope you enjoy your Norway cruise.

 

Hi. Thanks for sharing your insights and experience. I love getting travel tips from others.

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The scenery is wonderful! When you see those old farmsteads clinging to steep hills, you don't wonder any more why the Vikings took to the seas.

As to excursions, we did this cruise with our adult children. They did the bike/Segway/hiking/sled dog tours. We did mostly bus tours because of my knee. The bus tours went to wonderful view points, minimal walking. We also did our own thing in Bergen and Alesund.

 

Great info. Thanks for taking the time to share.

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Floridiana

 

Both times we have been to Bergen it has been raining very heavily. As we live in London we are used to rain so went prepared with waterproof jackets and over trousers.

 

When we were in Alesund we were lucky as we had a sunny day and got some good photos high up.

 

We may return to Bergen for a few days as we like the city, but Norway is so expensive even compared to London prices.

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Thanks for the specific info. Love getting tips from folks. Appreciate your time.

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Local buses meet cruise ships at Geiranger for tours- about 1 1/2 hours, I think it was. We didn't go, but others on our cruise did, and loved it. They take €€ and $$, I seem to remember.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share this good info. It's definitely something we'll look to do.

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Local buses meet cruise ships at Geiranger for tours- about 1 1/2 hours, I think it was. We didn't go, but others on our cruise did, and loved it. They take €€ and $$, I seem to remember.

We did this and it was great. We took the bus to the top of Mt. Dalsnibba in the morning, had lunch at the grocery store (there is a deli in the back and I had the best sandwich!) and then did the RIB tour in the afternoon. If you use Geiranger Fjordservice, and you book two tours you get a discount on the second one. We booked in advance to make sure we had a seat on the bus and in the RIB. The Fjordservice offers a great variety of tours including renting electric cars, kayaking, hiking and other thrills!

 

For Bergen I did buy my ticket online in advance. I was glad I did as I got to bypass the rather long line to buy tickets. VisitNorway.com is a great resource.

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Have you looked at the Norweigen cruise line itineraries? I only ask because we did a 10 day cruise with them in summer this year to the Fjords and their itineraries have fjord cruising thats broken up with port stops on most days. We are age 30 and 31 if that helps some.

 

Not only that the Jade (who is also doing the same routes next year) has had a rather great refurb and we noticed that everyone 2-92years had a great time as the line caters for a wider demographic.

 

I think the Fjords are stunning and I am so glad we did it but some parts can be a bit 'samey' and expensive. I wouldn't do a Fjords cruise again. NCL really were top notch though as a line and we got an awesome deal with grats and drinks included.

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Have you looked at the Norweigen cruise line itineraries? I only ask because we did a 10 day cruise with them in summer this year to the Fjords and their itineraries have fjord cruising thats broken up with port stops on most days. We are age 30 and 31 if that helps some.

 

Not only that the Jade (who is also doing the same routes next year) has had a rather great refurb and we noticed that everyone 2-92years had a great time as the line caters for a wider demographic.

 

I think the Fjords are stunning and I am so glad we did it but some parts can be a bit 'samey' and expensive. I wouldn't do a Fjords cruise again. NCL really were top notch though as a line and we got an awesome deal with grats and drinks included.

 

This is helpful info. Thanks for taking the time to share.

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