North Cape is it worth the shore excursion

[PvTraveler]

Hello ! I am headed on a fjords cruise aboard the QM2 and we will be visiting the North Cape. Is it a "must see" to take the bus out to the ice caps ? I really do not want to spend the $132.00 but is it something I will regret if I just stay around in the port area ?

 

What actually is at the North Cape and does it live up to the hype ? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

[TLCOhio]

Hello ! I am headed on a fjords cruise aboard the QM2 and we will be visiting the North Cape. Is it a "must see" to take the bus out to the ice caps ? I really do not want to spend the $132.00 but is it something I will regret if I just stay around in the port area? What actually is at the North Cape and does it live up to the hype ? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

For our LA friend, the North Cape and these Norway coastal areas can be very interesting and dramatic. BUT, much depends on your personal interests and that magic unknown of the weather. Below are a few samples of my pictures, plus lots more details and visuals can be seen by reviewing through from the live/blog that I did for being there and other places along this exciting region in July, 2010.

 

Tell us more on what you are seeking and needing, your past Europe experiences, your travel style, etc. Then, with more detailed information from you, we can make better, more specific suggestions on what best fits your specific needs and interests.

 

When we docked in this port, the wildlife, especially birds, was of strong personal interest to us. That's why we did an independent "adventure" to the bird island, seeing lots of puffins, reindeer, other birds and animals, etc. Then our cruise sailed past the North Cape to get some dramatic views from the water and seaside. Our weather went from sunny and super great to foggy during our driving. On our land trip, we didn't make it to the center as the fog moved in and made driving out there rather pointless. From talking with people who went there, there are things worth seeing, but weather can change from day-to-day and hour-by-hour. My view is to "do something" while in that part of the world. Just hanging around the small town or ship while there would be kind of boring and not very exciting.

 

Reactions and added questions?? What other ports are you visiting on your cruise??

 

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 73,302 views.

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

 

 

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.:

 

 

 

We found five seals on this rock. They slid off of the rock, into the water and then peaked their heads up to say hi to us.:

 

 

 

This shows a huge colony of sea gulls along the rocks and deep into the large opening in the side of the mountain.:

 

 

 

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!:

 

 

 

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

 

[edo4mayor]

hello!

 

we will be taking oceania midnight sun cruise next year. one of our stop is northcape. what lense did you use for the bird safari? how far were the birds,seals,etc.

 

thank you

[Hlitner]

Ahhhhh, the ole Nordkapp question. Having been to Honningsvag on 2 cruises (both on the Prinsendam) we can still not offer a recommendation. Some folks seemed to like the tour to Nordkapp, and others thought it was a waste of money. I should add that a few rented a car and drove themselves (this saves some money) and a few folks used the much less expensive regional bus (using this is dependent on your hours in port). We chose not to go. On our first visit the folks who went to Nordkapp saw nothing because the fog was so thick you could not see your own feet. Ironically, when our ship later left Honnigsvaag and passed Nordkapp....we had a perfect view of the clifftop.

 

Hank

[TLCOhio]

hello! we will be taking oceania midnight sun cruise next year. one of our stop is northcape. what lense did you use for the bird safari? how far were the birds,seals,etc. thank you

 

Hlitner: Ahhhhh' date=' the ole Nordkapp question. Having been to Honningsvag on 2 cruises (both on the Prinsendam) we can still not offer a recommendation. Some folks seemed to like the tour to Nordkapp, and others thought it was a waste of money. I should add that a few rented a car and drove themselves (this saves some money) and a few folks used the much less expensive regional bus (using this is dependent on your hours in port). We chose not to go. On our first visit the folks who went to Nordkapp saw nothing because the fog was so thick you could not see your own feet. Ironically, when our ship later left Honnigsvaag and passed Nordkapp....we had a perfect view of the cliff top. Hank [/quote']

 

As always, excellent comments and experienced insights from Hank. It's a mixed roll of the dice on weather, what fits your interests, etc. BUT, if you just sit on the ship and/or only walk around this small town, your chances of seeing good, interesting sights are slim and none. Do something!!! That's what we did and it paid off well.

 

On my camera lenses used on the bird safari, the longer lens was a Nikkor 70-300mm. Not high-end, but it got me closer on some of the pictures. Now, I am shooting with a better-quality Nikkor 55-300mm with vibration reduction. That lens, plus shooting RAW, would produce better visuals than what I got in July 2010. For some of the pictures, I also used my 18-55mm Nikkor lens. For us, the key secret was that we had a private charter boat for just the four of us. Our boat captain was very, very good at getting much closer, moving around in a smarter, more agile manner. By contrast, some from our ship were on their group tour with a larger 50-or-so passenger boat that didn't get as close to the action, nor being able to see the bird rock areas in the best manner That ship tour was "there", but only saw things at more of a distance. We got lots closer and had a totally better, more fun experience. Plus, as another factor, I took lots and lots of pictures. These birds were moving fast!! Auto focus wasn’t always perfect given the actions and speed. Right before our trip out there, our Captain had a photographer from Poland who had THE big, BIG lenses that the pro’s use. He took about 2000 pictures while going out there. I ask him if he got any good pictures. He said he would not know till have time to review all of the different pictures. After doing our trip out there, I could understand better why he described things in that manner.

 

Any other questions or info needs?

 

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 124,070 views.

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

[edo4mayor]

thank you so much. my husband is the photograper. i will pass on the info.

 

maria