Please your help with train in Flam

[lovelife64]

Dear friends

 

We ordered the Norwegian Fjords Cruise with costa

The ship will dock in Flam at 8:00 am

There are train tickets at 8:35

No tickets for later

Do you think we can get out of the ship and reach the train station on time

How far is it from the ship?

How can we be among the first to leave the ship in the morning?

 

Thanks for your wise advises.

[Eboracum_d]

You would be unwise to assume you could make the 8.35 departure. There are basically two berths one very near the station but the other 10 minutes walk away. Some ships don't dock but tender in which will certainly mean you miss that train.

 

Moreover docking times are also always approximate and you cannot rely on getting off the ship straight away.

 

Although there may be no tickets left for advance purchase, I suspect there will be tickets available for purchase on the day.

[lovelife64]

Thanks for your response

 

If we buy the 8:35 tickets and miss the train, do you think they will chance and replace it for later?

 

I do not want to miss it and hope to make it...

[Eboracum_d]

I think it unlikely they will swap on the day

[lovelife64]

Thank you all

 

We decided to purchase the tickets and hope to make it - promise to update.

I sent them an e-mail, they will not even change the time, if we are late, even though I'm with my mother 79-year-old woman (in good shape).

But - we do not want to miss the train!!

Question to you - Do we board the train with the tickets we got on e-mail directly or we have to to replace them at the visitor center or in the case?

If so, how long does it take?

 

hoping for the best

 

Thanks

[aquilegia]

I sent them an e-mail, they will not even change the time, if we are late, even though I'm with my mother 79-year-old woman (in good shape).

 

I'm sorry but I don't know why think your mother's age might have got you special treatment - a 79 year old in good shape?. She'll be sitting down in a train! There will be plenty of people in their 80s on it, plus people with mobility problems and some of them will have stood in a long line to get their tickets.

[phxbne]

We did the train a couple of weeks ago.

You use what they send you in the email - you print the attachment if I recall.

They checked ours before you get on the train, and then during the trip (both ways).

 

When we did it, people started lining up about 30 mins before departure time, and they let people on about 15-20 minutes prior. So my guess is that if your docking time sticks, you would walk right on the train. It varies by departure, but lots of seats might already be taken.

 

Have fun!

[lovelife64]

We did the train a couple of weeks ago.

 

 

 

Thank a lot for your reply

can you please tell me how much time is it from the port to the train ?

If we leave the ship at 8:10 or 8:15 can we make it to the 8:35 train?

Would iove to hear from you

best regards

[TLCOhio]

can you please tell me how much time is it from the port to the train ? If we leave the ship at 8:10 or 8:15 can we make it to the 8:35 train? Would iove to hear from you. best regards

 

As my picture below shows, the train boarding location is fairly close to where our ship docked. BUT, there are lots of other "variables" to consider. How many ships will be in port that morning? Will your ship be docked or tendered? These factors can affect your timing.

 

Are you doing a ship tour? Or, have you purchased the ticket on your own? Doing a ship tour is more costly, but then you are "protected" in case your ship arrives a little later, etc. Trade-offs? DIY is nice, but then you assume certain of the risks. Knowing how "busy" will be this port tends to be a major factor and a "wild-card" for planning your visit to Flam. Added questions?

 

Below is more on this rail adventure, its history, etc.:

Flam, with a population of about 500, is nestled in a tributary of the world's longest and deepest fjord. It is 128 miles long and has a maximum depth of 4,291 feet. On the question of how deep are these fjords, local say: “A mermaid could swim all the way to China.” The chief attraction here is the 70+-year-old Flam Railway. It includes twenty tunnels and eight stops as it goes up the mountain. This rail lines rises from Flam’s gingerbread rail station going up 2,835 feet to Myrdal and this "Roof of Norway" rail station. In 2010, this railway was chosen as one of the top ten most beautiful train journeys in Europe by National Geographic Traveler Magazine. In 2012, there was a new passenger record of 635,368 riders carried. That is a big jump up in ridership from 475K in 2005 and 380K in 1994.

Railroad website with more history and technical details for its construction, operations: http://www.flaamsbana.no/eng.

 

What other Norway ports are you visiting? More pictures and details on my full live/blog connected below.

 

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 201,460 views.

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

 

 

Here is a closer picture from our ship showing the rail/ticketing station and then the cars on the train tracks. It's all right there and nearby. Not a long walk! And, flat, too.:

 

 

 

From our early July 2010 visit to the highly-rated Sognerfjord, here are some added details and sights from Flam, riding the railroad there, etc. This includes showing the interior of the passenger cars, several views from the train going up and back, the view at the hotel deck of the nearby mountains, etc.::

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lovelife64]

BUT, there are lots of other "variables" to consider. How many ships will be in port that morning? Will your ship be docked or tendered? These factors can affect your timing.

 

Are you doing a ship tour? Or, have you purchased the ticket on your own? [/img]

 

 

 

Thanks for your response

No tours with the ship

We bought the tickets online

The tickets were only for 8:35 so we bought them

Where can we find information on Flam port?

How can we know how many ships will be there that day?

Do you have any idea.

 

Thanks again

[LondonTowner]

You can find out which ships will be in port by looking on the port authority website.

 

When we went to Flam we were the only ship there. Our ship docked about 200m flat walk to the station.

 

I had looked up to see what time the ship's tour left and booked our tickets for about an hour later, so it worked out well.

[TravelBugM]

We are in a similar situation for our upcoming Flam visit. Tendering at 8a with tickets for the 8:30a Flam Railway. Everything will be crossed and all hoping for all stars aligned that we make it!

[lovelife64]

Just come back from a great cruise.

We made it on time for the train, even before they open.

We were there at 8:05 first in line to go in.

Moreover they had meny tickets on site.

Thank you

[TLCOhio]

Just come back from a great cruise. We made it on time for the train, even before they open. We were there at 8:05 first in line to go in. Moreover they had meny tickets on site. Thank you

 

Appreciate your follow-up reporting and nice to hear that "things" all worked well. As noted earlier, each day is "different one" depending on the weather and number of ships in the port for that time period.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 153,955 views for this posting.

[kitkat343]

I'm so glad you made it, lovelife64! And best of luck TravelBugM.