Request Input for Norway Itinerary

[TiogaCruiser]

Any suggestions on books (ie: culture) to prepare?

[TiogaCruiser]

14 hours ago, grsnovi said:

Some eye-candy... 

Oh my!

[TiogaCruiser]

13 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

More eye candy from me. Hammerfest

Lovely 

[pmjnh]

On 11/14/2018 at 11:03 PM, TiogaCruiser said:

DH (finally has vacation time) and we are considering a cruise this coming summer to Norway. I'd like to request input from those who have gone before on these itineraries. 

 

We have never been to Europe, and my other cruises have been to Latin America/Antarctica. We have done Alaska 3 times, and would welcome another visit at some point in the future.

We like scenic cruising, colder climates, and wilderness over cities. We are Yosemite people. I like the smaller ships, and am pretty certain neither of us would relish the NA, E, K or

NS. (I'm not even keen on trying a Vista, but would consider it.) We've been on Amsterdam and Volendam, and I've done Veendam and Zaandam, and would like to meet Ms. Prinsendam before she leaves. He only has known Rs, and likes that size. We're not into the shows or casino. Just give us a good deck to walk on and a place outside to hang out.

 

Having said that, could I get input on these itineraries, please?      (I am starting on reading the other review/thread now with my list.)

Which are the must-see ports? Which give us the most/best scenic cruising?

• 14 Night Norway on Prinsendam:  Amsterdam, Cruising, Oslo, Oslofjord, Arendal, Eidfjord, Cruise Eidfjord, Flaam, Sognefjord, Cruising, Trondheim, Alesund,Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Bergen, Stavanger, Esbjerg, Cruising and Amsterdam
• 14 night Norway roundtrip  on Rotterdam: Rotterdam, Cruising, Stavanger, Flaam, Sognefjord, Alesund,Trondheim, Trondheimsfjord, Cruising, Hammerfest, Honningsvag,North Cape, Cruising, Cruising, Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Bergen, Cruising and Rotterdam
• 16 day Rotterdam to Amsterdam via Norway and Iceland on the Rotterdam. Rotterdam, Cruising, Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Alesund, Geiranger,Geirangerfjord, Bergen, Cruising, Seydisfjordur, Seydisfjordhur,Akureyri, Eyjafjordur, Isafjordur, Isafjordhur, Reykjavik, Cruising,Torshavn, Lerwick, Invergordon, Cruising and Amsterdam          

We have done the middle one, to North Cape. It was awesome. The coastline of Norway is breathtaking .

I have been to Iceland 3 times and love it there but since you are Yosemite people (so are we as well as Yellowstone) , I would save Iceland for a land tour or a circumnavigational cruise. We did Iceland on a separate circumnavigational trip with Iceland Pro-Cruises and it was awesome, very small ship, 200 passengers, expedition cruise, no glitz, no dressing up just pure nature with some fun surprises from the crew. 

 

Have fun planning!

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

22 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Then save your money and take the Voyage of  the Vikings to later get to Iceland, Greenland and other wonderful Nordic locations.  

 

 

If you're interested in the transatlantic option - I'm in the process of doing a review of the one we just did in Aug/Sept. 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2600192-review-of-visits-to-norwayicelandgreenland-on-fall-2018-cruise/

 

Due to weather, we did miss a port in both Iceland and Greenland, but we did get to see a couple other ports in each country which offered somewhat similar in sightseeing opportunities.

Edited November 16, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[OlsSalt]

9 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I remember your post a few years ago talking about Pulpit Rock. I really enjoyed reading it, and think about it frequently on the stairclimber.  

 

I have had VOV on my personal bucket list. We’re also considering Iceland might be a good one to do as a separate land trip at a future date, and just rent a car ( like relatives did). Maybe after the smaller HAL ships are gone. For now, while they still exist, I think I’ll cruise them.

 

I’m pretty sure we’re going to love which ever cruise we do.

 

We dd the Iceland Ring Road by car and that is the preferred way to see this country. At one time there was a package out of SFO  on Icelandic Airlines, rental car and B&B vouchers - fantastic. Offered  at a very attractive promotional package price in those days, so not sure if something like that is still available or if SFO still has those direct flights to Reykjavik Highly recommended to do this Ring Road by car, as many of the fantastic sites are the countryside and places and a pace that cruise ports simply cannot provide.

 

The rental car agency offers an Iceland Road Atlas (pricey but worth it) that provides many fascinating side trips as well as hints of the history and connections to the Icelandic Sagas that makes the trip by car even more enticing. We even found a spring with carbonated water way down a remote road and hike across some austere meadows and lava flows.  Plus you can do the Hot Baths at Myvatan at sunset when the vistas are most spectacular. Caution - food is extremely expensive but gas stations have hot dogs.

 

Continue to think if you want to see Norway, concentrate on as much Norway as possible. And Norway is by necessity a country to see primarily by sea.  Pulpit Rock about killed me, but my biggest problem was not having proper hiking boots. And not having run up and down all the ship's stairs cases for two hours straight each day ahead of time. (!) If you can beat both those two drawbacks, it was a spectacular adventure if they are still offering it as shore excursion - hard to arrange on your own since it takes multiple and precise ferry and bus connections to make it work. 

 

Thanks for taking us all back to our memories of Norway, as you dangle all these possibilities in front of us.

Edited November 16, 2018 by OlsSalt

[Storylady]

12 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I hadn’t included that one as it’s hitting the upper end of our price point, and going higher as it sells out. But with the additional information that the ship can do more inside places, and a captain who likes exploring and showing the land, we might put it back on the table for consideration. This all is insightful.

If the price is within your range, I would try to do the Prinsendam Cruise that you selected if you can’t do the last cruise on the Prinsendam. There are two ports of call on this itinerary that are not on the normal Norwegian Cruise. You also get to see Oslo and some of the best scenery in Norway. Also, you are sailing out of Amsterdam which is an incredible sail out of. If you are Yosemite people, I guarantee you will cruise again in the Norwegian waters. We are from Southern California and love Yosemite!

 

[TiogaCruiser]

6 hours ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

 

If you're interested in the transatlantic option - I'm in the process of doing a review of the one we just did in Aug/Sept. 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2600192-review-of-visits-to-norwayicelandgreenland-on-fall-2018-cruise/

 

Due to weather, we did miss a port in both Iceland and Greenland, but we did get to see a couple other ports in each country which offered somewhat similar in sightseeing opportunities.

I’ve been reading your thread ( just started last week) and decided I needed to list out our proposed ports, so I have a better idea of where you went, and if it’s a port we might be going to. I’m enjoying it.

[TiogaCruiser]

3 hours ago, Storylady said:

If the price is within your range, I would try to do the Prinsendam Cruise that you selected if you can’t do the last cruise on the Prinsendam. There are two ports of call on this itinerary that are not on the normal Norwegian Cruise. You also get to see Oslo and some of the best scenery in Norway. Also, you are sailing out of Amsterdam which is an incredible sail out of. If you are Yosemite people, I guarantee you will cruise again in the Norwegian waters. We are from Southern California and love Yosemite!

 

Which are the unusual ports, and what are the highlights?

[Storylady]

On 11/14/2018 at 8:03 PM, TiogaCruiser said:

DH (finally has vacation time) and we are considering a cruise this coming summer to Norway. I'd like to request input from those who have gone before on these itineraries. 

 

We have never been to Europe, and my other cruises have been to Latin America/Antarctica. We have done Alaska 3 times, and would welcome another visit at some point in the future.

We like scenic cruising, colder climates, and wilderness over cities. We are Yosemite people. I like the smaller ships, and am pretty certain neither of us would relish the NA, E, K or

NS. (I'm not even keen on trying a Vista, but would consider it.) We've been on Amsterdam and Volendam, and I've done Veendam and Zaandam, and would like to meet Ms. Prinsendam before she leaves. He only has known Rs, and likes that size. We're not into the shows or casino. Just give us a good deck to walk on and a place outside to hang out.

 

Having said that, could I get input on these itineraries, please?      (I am starting on reading the other review/thread now with my list.)

Which are the must-see ports? Which give us the most/best scenic cruising?

• 14 Night Norway on Prinsendam:  Amsterdam, Cruising, Oslo, Oslofjord, Arendal, Eidfjord, Cruise Eidfjord, Flaam, Sognefjord, Cruising, Trondheim, Alesund,Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Bergen, Stavanger, Esbjerg, Cruising and Amsterdam
• 14 night Norway roundtrip  on Rotterdam: Rotterdam, Cruising, Stavanger, Flaam, Sognefjord, Alesund,Trondheim, Trondheimsfjord, Cruising, Hammerfest, Honningsvag,North Cape, Cruising, Cruising, Geiranger, Geirangerfjord, Bergen, Cruising and Rotterdam
• 16 day Rotterdam to Amsterdam via Norway and Iceland on the Rotterdam. Rotterdam, Cruising, Eidfjord, Hardangerfjord, Alesund, Geiranger,Geirangerfjord, Bergen, Cruising, Seydisfjordur, Seydisfjordhur,Akureyri, Eyjafjordur, Isafjordur, Isafjordhur, Reykjavik, Cruising,Torshavn, Lerwick, Invergordon, Cruising and Amsterdam          

 

3 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Which are the unusual ports, and what are the highlights?

Esbjerg, Denmark is the first one. This is Denmark’s 5th largest town. Haven’t seen this port on any itinerary. And the second one is Arendal, Norway. Only, small ships like the Prinsendam can visit this port. Also, we are the only ship in port. We haven’t been to either despite this being our sixth time in Northern Europe.

 

Nice thing about this cruise which we have already booked is that most of the ports don’t require booking shore excursions. If you haven’t done the Flam Cogwheel Railway, I would book a private tour or a HAL tour. This would be the only one that is necessary to book ahead of time.

 

Oslo is so small that you can easily walk around and see the sights. A couple of the attractions that are a bit of a distance from City Center are Vigeland Park, Viking Ship Museum and Kon-Tiki Museum. You can get to these by public bus and walking or taking a ferry.

 

Stavanger is small and it is easy to walk to most of the sights. Eidfjord has two interesting things you can do plus walking trails. One is a small train and the other is a bus that will take you to see the waterfall. Both can be booked at the last minute at the TI office. But since you love walking, I would just get the map from TI which shows the trails and you can walk to all the places the little train takes you. See link to map https://en.hardangerfjord.com/dbimgs/Eidfjord/Sentrumskart 2017.pdf

 

in Geiranger, you can also get a bus to take you up the Eagles Highway. It makes two stops if I remember correctly. There is also a bus that will take you to the overlook of Geiranger Fjord. But since you both enjoy walking, I would take the trail to the waterfall and walk up the steps alongside the waterfall. That is what we did last time. But then that was probably the third time we have been there. https://www.fjordnorway.com/dbimgs/Geiranger-CartoonMap-2016-1053x780-72 dpi.pdf

 

Tronheim is is definitely a walkable town. I would walk to the Cathedral where the Kings of Norway are buried and then walk along the river where the bicycle lift is. The link to a map of Tronheim includes some good walking routes. There is even one for those who want to hike up hill. https://trondheimhavn.no/uploads/dokumenter/english/Trondheim cruise map 2017.pdf

 

Alsesund is one of my most favorite towns in Norway. Be sure to read the history of this town before you go. And definitely walk around on your own. Since you like to climb, I would recommend taking the stairs to Aksla. It is 418 steps to the top. There is a restaurant at the top, but I have no idea how good it is. But the view is spectacular whether it is sunny or not. It is definitely worth the climb. We had friends that did the stairs both ways and then had lunch with beer in town. We took the train and the HOHO bus. The time we took the train, we walked down and forfeit the rest of the ride. The town of Alesund is know for its Jugenstile architecture. So be sure to walk around and view some of these beautiful buildings.

 

My other favorite town is Bergen. There are private and HAL tours to the tramway on top of the mountain overlooking Bergen. The line might be long, but if you get off early, you might avoid some of the line. Bergen is fun walking around and the most picturesque part of Bergen is the Bryggen, Hanseatic warehouses, a short walking distance from the ship.

 

So even if the Prinsendam is more expensive, you can save considerable amount of money just doing this trip with little of no tours. Doing it on your own will be even cheaper than a private tour. Hope thi helps.

 

 

 

 

[Storylady]

5 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Which are the unusual ports, and what are the highlights?

Forgot to add this link on Flam. Useful to those wanting to do some hiking. https://www.visitflam.com/globalassets/dokumenter/walking-in-flam-and-flamsdalen-valley_map-and-routes_norwegian-a.pdf

[TiogaCruiser]

On 11/16/2018 at 7:44 PM, Storylady said:

Forgot to add this link on Flam. Useful to those wanting to do some hiking. https://www.visitflam.com/globalassets/dokumenter/walking-in-flam-and-flamsdalen-valley_map-and-routes_norwegian-a.pdf

Thanks!

[TiogaCruiser]

Thank you all for your input. We’ve been mulling it over, and just booked one of the remaining cabins on Prinsendam’s final cruise ( which wasn’t in our sights at first). 

 

I guess I don’t need to say I’m excited.🙃

Now to figure out what we will do in Amsterdam, in ports, and join the RollCall. 

(Not in that order.)

[OlsSalt]

52 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Thank you all for your input. We’ve been mulling it over, and just booked one of the remaining cabins on Prinsendam’s final cruise ( which wasn’t in our sights at first). 

 

I guess I don’t need to say I’m excited.🙃

Now to figure out what we will do in Amsterdam, in ports, and join the RollCall. 

(Not in that order.)

 

Thanks for reporting back. Good call for lots of reasons. The rest will easily fall in place now.  Looking forward to your trip report.  

 

Now all you have to worry about is whether they still offer the Pulpit Rock hike in Stavanger and if you are ready to zip up and down that huge pile of rocks scramble, rain or shine. Hope you get to do it. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by OlsSalt