Can help with Ålesund & Norwegian Fjords:-)

[I-Cruiser]

We have found a very good deal on a Royal Caribbean cruise which is tempting us to take an extra holiday. Being an unplanned trip we won't have lots to spend in port. I also don't have much time to research before booking!

We like walking (hiking I suppose). Would there be a scenic route of up to 7 miles we could take from the cruise port or anything else low cost you could recommend to do for family of 3 (including 6yr old)?

 

If you ask about Ålesund you could walk the town and up the steps to Mt. Aksla then down again.

Also, the hop on/of is relatively low cost.

[cinnamon]

Thanks Lars.....that is what we will do. I found a web site that included a bus from the port area to the cable car. Sort of expensive but easy.

 

 

That looks like a great possibility. If the weather is fine this is something we would be very tempted to do.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[SumoChewie]

Hi - I am sorry to hear HAL has canceled the tour.

You can do the car rental but it will be a bit tight. Is it possible the car rental company can rent you the car at 630 am - 7 am so you make a head start?

 

BTW, it was snowing on the Path of the Trolls last week:) Its all melted now though.

 

 

Avis rental car in town opens at 8. We plan on being there when they open. I think we're going to do it. I'm not sure if I will ever make it back to your awesome country. :)

 

Any advice? It looks like just highway roads. Anything we need to consider?

 

Ahhh! :confused:

 

Thanks,

Camille

[I-Cruiser]

Avis rental car in town opens at 8. We plan on being there when they open. I think we're going to do it. I'm not sure if I will ever make it back to your awesome country. :)

 

Any advice? It looks like just highway roads. Anything we need to consider?

 

Ahhh! :confused:

 

Thanks,

Camille

 

The roads are pretty good and its an easy drive.

Probably a good idea to eliminate some photo stops but do stop at "Gudbrandsjuvet" gorge between Valldal and Path of the Trolls.

Ask if Avis can program a gps for you and if they can pick up the car at the pier so you don't have to go to the office. Also, ask if they can delver earlier. They do out of business ours delivery.

 

Enjoy as much as you can and I would love to hear all about it.

:):):)

[SumoChewie]

Lars I just wanted to quickly say thanks for all the advice. We made it to the troll road today and it was magnificent!! We're glad the tour was cancelled so we could do this on our own. I'll share my pics and review when I get back stateside.

 

Thanks again!! Norway is so awesome. :)

[I-Cruiser]

Lars I just wanted to quickly say thanks for all the advice. We made it to the troll road today and it was magnificent!! We're glad the tour was cancelled so we could do this on our own. I'll share my pics and review when I get back stateside.

 

Thanks again!! Norway is so awesome. :)

 

Thank you for letting me know. I am really happy you made it.

I passed your ship this morning on my way to work:)

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and I am looking forward to the pictures and review..

[jagger16]

Dear Lars, Thank you so much for all of your advice. Reading this thread has been on my To-Do List for some time. It was well worth the read! Thanks to all that have contributed. Now I have some questions for our cruise in August. Ports are Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde, Geiranger, Bergen.

 

1. You mentioned the choo choo train in Alesund. Do any other towns have them? We love the choo choo trains and will get on one in any town!

 

2. You also said that every town has a Hoho bus. Do you mean every port or just the big ones?

 

3. We are struggling a bit with Honningsvag. Wondering if the crab tour is worth it or perhaps take the excursion to the North Cape.

 

Looking forward to your reply.

[I-Cruiser]

Dear Lars, Thank you so much for all of your advice. Reading this thread has been on my To-Do List for some time. It was well worth the read! Thanks to all that have contributed. Now I have some questions for our cruise in August. Ports are Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde, Geiranger, Bergen.

 

1. You mentioned the choo choo train in Alesund. Do any other towns have them? We love the choo choo trains and will get on one in any town!

 

I am not sure if all of the other towns you are visiting have the choo choos but Bergen and Tromsø does.

 

2. You also said that every town has a Hoho bus. Do you mean every port or just the big ones?

 

I know Ålesund, Geiranger and Bergen has a hoho bus

 

 

3. We are struggling a bit with Honningsvag. Wondering if the crab tour is worth it or perhaps take the excursion to the North Cape.

 

Not familiar with Honningsvåg but both those tours a very weather permitting. The North Cape plateau in fog is not fun but at least you can say you have been there. Gotten the photo and a souvenir.

 

Looking forward to your reply.

 

Thank you for the kind words.

 

My replies to your questions in red:)

[pmjnh]

Hello I-cruiser. Thank you so much for providing such amazing information for this community. We have not yet booked but are thinking about the 14 day Land of the midnight sun cruise. The ports offered on this cruise are as follows:

 

Alesund

Trondheim

Tromso

Honningsvag

Molde

Geiranger

Flam

Bergen

 

We were hoping to include Stavenger and the North Cape in one cruise but Stavenger is not offered on this cruise I am looking at. That said, we want to visit jaw-dropping places. I am still searching but maybe you can give some input? I am about 2 pages into this 25 page thread so perhaps you have answered this already!

 

I know there are many more fjords. Since you live there, I am hoping you might answer this question. We are into hiking and photography.

 

In your opinion,what are the must see fjords ,not necessarily what I have listed here?

 

Are they included on this list?

 

Which ones are missing that you love?

 

Thank you!

[Iluvcruising2]

Dear I-Cruiser,

 

Many thanks for all your help and advice. We were on the Adventure of the Sea earlier this month, sailing to Iceland and Norway.

 

We had lots of fun! Your advice also gave me the confidence to self-drive to Trollistigen from Alesund. A great road trip!

 

I have started a review on the cruise critic boards with many pictures, in case anybody is interested to see what we did.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058253

 

cheers

Edited June 28, 2014 by Iluvcruising2

[I-Cruiser]

Dear I-Cruiser,

 

Many thanks for all your help and advice. We were on the Adventure of the Sea earlier this month, sailing to Iceland and Norway.

 

We had lots of fun! Your advice also gave me the confidence to self-drive to Trollistigen from Alesund. A great road trip!

 

I have started a review on the cruise critic boards with many pictures, in case anybody is interested to see what we did.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058253

 

cheers

Thank you and thank you for the heads up regarding the review.

I am very much looking forward to be reading it.

[I-Cruiser]

Hello I-cruiser. Thank you so much for providing such amazing information for this community. We have not yet booked but are thinking about the 14 day Land of the midnight sun cruise. The ports offered on this cruise are as follows:

Alesund

Trondheim

Tromso

Honningsvag

Molde

Geiranger

Flam

Bergen

We were hoping to include Stavenger and the North Cape in one cruise but Stavenger is not offered on this cruise I am looking at. That said, we want to visit jaw-dropping places. I am still searching but maybe you can give some input? I am about 2 pages into this 25 page thread so perhaps you have answered this already!

 

I know there are many more fjords. Since you live there, I am hoping you might answer this question. We are into hiking and photography.

 

In your opinion,what are the must see fjords ,not necessarily what I have listed here?

 

Are they included on this list?

 

Which ones are missing that you love?

 

Thank you!

 

Hi there.

 

The fjords offered on your cruise are the "main" attractions in Norway.

Geirangerfjord is an arm of the larger Storfjord and Flåm is in Aurlandfjord which is part of the larger Sognefjord.

These fjords are among the prettiest on earth (no less:D) They are all jaw dropping.

 

My favorites are among these two also Nærøyfjord close to Flåm, Hjørundfjord which is an arm of the Storfjord.

Trollfjord in Northern Norway is also stunning.

I doubt any ships offer these fjords on their itinerary as they are very small.

 

 

There are of course other stunning places but as you cant have it all in one cruise the fjords in your itinerary are spectacular...

 

To get the best views, experience, itineraries I would choose one of the smaller cruise ships (Azamara/Oceania/Seabourn/Silversea...) they provide a more personal and up close experience. They will sail the "inland passage" as the larger ships can only sail out at sea when the leave the ports/fjords.

 

No matter what itinerary you choose the nature will be spectacular.

Edited June 28, 2014 by I-Cruiser

[jagger16]

Thank you, Lars for your information. Based on your recommendations we will do the Atlantic road excursion. One includes taking a Viking Ship to Haholmen Island. Do you recommend that? A review mentions that it is no fun on the ship if it's raining. The other excursion makes a stop in Bud with no ship trip. Any thoughts on that?

 

Unfortunately we probably won't do the Path of the Trolls because there would be no time to explore Alesund which looks so pleasant. We wouldn't want to miss that town.

 

Thanks again for your reply.

[I-Cruiser]

Thank you, Lars for your information. Based on your recommendations we will do the Atlantic road excursion. One includes taking a Viking Ship to Haholmen Island. Do you recommend that? A review mentions that it is no fun on the ship if it's raining. The other excursion makes a stop in Bud with no ship trip. Any thoughts on that?

 

Unfortunately we probably won't do the Path of the Trolls because there would be no time to explore Alesund which looks so pleasant. We wouldn't want to miss that town.

 

Thanks again for your reply.

 

I have not done the Viking ship but what I can recommend is to not do it if it rains. Then the Viking trip will be a very miserable experience as you will have nowhere to hide from the rain on board the boat.

Haholmen island is very quaint little fishing community in itself...

 

Link to webcam for Haholmen.

http://www.classicnorway.no/hotell/haholmen-havstuer/webkamera-varstasjon#webkamera

 

Bud is also a very picturesque fishing community all the way out in the ocean.

This community is also a small place with only 765 inhabitants.

I think I would prefer to visit Bud as you do not need to row to get there.

Its much easier to seek shelter from the - most probably - rainy weather.

 

Enjoy Ålesund too. I am sure you will love the little town.

 

Happy cruising:)

[jagger16]

Thank you, Lars. With your help, we are pretty set on which excursions we will choose. We appreciate all of your advice. Thanks again.

[I-Cruiser]

Thank you, Lars. With your help, we are pretty set on which excursions we will choose. We appreciate all of your advice. Thanks again.

 

I am very happy to hear this.

Enjoy your cruise and tours.

[papcx]

Ålesund is stunning, even if it's a little overcast. This view: -

 

 

Is worth a (slightly) overpriced lunch.

[Queensland Girl]

We will be in Alesund on Adventure of the Seas on 8th September 2015. We thought we would take your advice and do the train or the hop off hop on bus. Will they be running in September, and if so which one would you suggest. Thanks Judy

[I-Cruiser]

We will be in Alesund on Adventure of the Seas on 8th September 2015. We thought we would take your advice and do the train or the hop off hop on bus. Will they be running in September, and if so which one would you suggest. Thanks Judy

 

Both are scheduled to run when there are ships in town.

 

The train and bus are very different. They take different routes and you can not get off the train but have to do a full circle. The only stop on the train is at the viewpoint.

 

It all depends what you would want to see. If you would want to visit the open air museum and the aquarium then the bus is for you.

Ålesund is a very small and compact town so you can easily do it by walking.

Most of the stops on the bus are within 5-10 minute walking distance.

[I-Cruiser]

Here follows a map of alternative walking routes to Aksla and the viewpoint as of August 15 when the stairs are closing for maintenance.

 

In the picture the stairs are marked in black from the town park.

 

Alternative routes are marked in green dots.

 

[Pekpot]

Help Dear I-Cruiser,

 

We will be on July 15 Andalsnes call from 14 to 18.30. Now all the excursions on our ship, MSC Magnifica, sold out. We would have liked to do the Rauma trip to Bjorli and then take the bus back to the terminal in Andalsnes. Is it possible to book this yourself somewhere or is there somewhere an alternative for hands. We must certainly be back on the ship in time. In Geiranger we would highlight the Mountain Bus Tour to Mt.Dalsnibba Geiranger. Is that alright? Sorry for my bad english ...

 

Very many thanks for helping us.....:);)

[I-Cruiser]

Help Dear I-Cruiser,

 

We will be on July 15 Andalsnes call from 14 to 18.30. Now all the excursions on our ship, MSC Magnifica, sold out. We would have liked to do the Rauma trip to Bjorli and then take the bus back to the terminal in Andalsnes. Is it possible to book this yourself somewhere or is there somewhere an alternative for hands. We must certainly be back on the ship in time. In Geiranger we would highlight the Mountain Bus Tour to Mt.Dalsnibba Geiranger. Is that alright? Sorry for my bad english ...

 

Very many thanks for helping us.....:);)

 

Your English is just great:)

 

You will not have enough time in Åndalsnes to do the train and back interdependently because of your short time in port.

You might be able to rent a car but honestly I would not recommend doing this with only 4 hrs in port.

 

What you can do is take a tour or rent a car to visit the Trollveggen or Trollwall. The mountain range is only a 20 minute drive from Åndalsnes. You can and should combine this with a trip to the Path of the Trolls/Trollstigen.

 

I think the tour you have planned for Geiranger sounds like a winner.

 

Enjoy your cruise and time in Norway.

[ptsaint]

Hi Lars

 

just a note to thank you for your time and advice

 

have been watching and reading your posts since we booked our 21 days departing 7.26

 

our new home is almost finished we move next weekend and leave the following weekend LOL life it seems is never dull

 

you are welcome to visit us here in Ecuador :)

 

best

Patrice & Dave

[I-Cruiser]

Hi Lars

 

just a note to thank you for your time and advice

 

have been watching and reading your posts since we booked our 21 days departing 7.26

 

our new home is almost finished we move next weekend and leave the following weekend LOL life it seems is never dull

 

you are welcome to visit us here in Ecuador :)

 

best

Patrice & Dave

 

Patrice and Dave - Thank you so much for your kind words. It sure makes it worthwhile to know its appreciated.:)

All the best in your new home. Safe journey to Europe and enjoy your cruise.

Thank you so much for the invite to Ecuador - thats very kind of you. You never know where I will pop up:)

 

Lars

[I-Cruiser]

Fjord Norway has compiled - according to them - the 10 best fjord cruises and sightseeing trips.

 

Its an interesting read and the pictures are stunning of course.

 

http://www.fjordnorway.com/en/WHAT-TO-DO/Sightseeing-day-cruises-fjord-norway/