Iona no show for Geiranger

[Selbourne]

3 hours ago, Britboys said:

Yes, sorry - i should have looked closer. Early and late season itineraries don't include Geiranger but some of the high season ones do.

To be fair, that was always the case so nothing has changed in that respect. We specifically booked our cruise because it was one of those that included Geiranger. 

[Selbourne]

3 hours ago, dalesmouse said:

 

We are currently on board Iona and were initially disappointed to be diverted to Hellesylt however decided to make the best of it .Went out on a RHIB tour down Geraingerfjord this morning and would thoroughly recommend.Not only was it a fantastic way to see the scenery from the fjord, our guide who was born and lives on a farm on the fjord side provided a fantastic commentary on the Fjord and it's history. Top notch survival suits were provided .Check out Bonseye RHIB tours website- they are easy to locate on the quayside.Hellesylt is a pretty little port and as the sun has just come out ,no complaints from me🌞

I’m pleased to hear that you are having a lovely time. Whilst this curtailment hasn’t been an issue for you, it will be for those of us who expected to see the cruise into Geiranger from our balcony and not from an additional cost excursion which, incidentally, people such as my wife are unable to do anyway. 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Denarius said:

I have read this thread and similar ones with interest and have picked up on a recurring theme; that nowadays P&O appear to regard changes in itinerary as a minor issue. Is this because in the brave new world of family big ship cruising the ship is now seen as the primary destination, and the ports mere diversions? A floating resort hotel which some passengers (sorry, guests!) will not leave during their holiday, like resort hotels such as  Sandals on land.

I think that’s a fair summation of P&O’s attitude. Sadly, they seem to ignore the fact that many customers don’t take that view and book cruises for maybe one specific port. I’m wondering if there are any other consumer markets where one product is advertised and sold yet a different product is delivered - with seemingly no comeback? Can’t think of any offhand. 

[BrianI]

Iona left Hellesylt about an hour ago heading for Geiranger so you get a scenic cruise. Will probably then just turn around and come back down the fjord.

We will be on board in four weeks time so presumably the same will happen.

Brian

 

 

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, BrianI said:

Iona left Hellesylt about an hour ago heading for Geiranger so you get a scenic cruise. Will probably then just turn around and come back down the fjord.

We will be on board in four weeks time so presumably the same will happen.

Brian

 

 

Well that would be a good compromise from our point of view. I wonder whether those who were fleeced for a P&O excursion down the fjord to Geiranger may now feel that they could have saved their money?

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Well that would be a good compromise from our point of view. I wonder whether those who were fleeced for a P&O excursion down the fjord to Geiranger may now feel that they could have saved their money?

Many folk like to book their own tours, or just get off the ship and wander. If you don't really know where you are going, if anywhere, that makes things difficult. Perhaps that's their cunning plan.

[gsmt47471015]

5 hours ago, dalesmouse said:

 

We are currently on board Iona and were initially disappointed to be diverted to Hellesylt however decided to make the best of it .Went out on a RHIB tour down Geraingerfjord this morning and would thoroughly recommend.Not only was it a fantastic way to see the scenery from the fjord, our guide who was born and lives on a farm on the fjord side provided a fantastic commentary on the Fjord and it's history. Top notch survival suits were provided .Check out Bonseye RHIB tours website- they are easy to locate on the quayside.Hellesylt is a pretty little port and as the sun has just come out ,no complaints from me🌞

Well even if the sun bakes us dry in Hellisylt I can guarantee that a town with a population of 300 will hold no interest for us at all. When we originally booked this cruise we knew that it was a stopping point and nothing more, spending a full day there is not what we envisaged

[Gettingwarmer]

15 minutes ago, gsmt47471015 said:

Well even if the sun bakes us dry in Hellisylt I can guarantee that a town with a population of 300 will hold no interest for us at all. When we originally booked this cruise we knew that it was a stopping point and nothing more, spending a full day there is not what we envisaged

The population of Geiranger is 250. Less than Hellisylt. 

[vitrocmax]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were told that we would be cruising as far as the Seven Sisters before turning round. 
We did that: 

 

 

We sailed a short way past so those on the port side could get a good look before we got the view on the return. 

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, vitrocmax said:

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were told that we would be cruising as far as the Seven Sisters before turning round. 
We did that: 

 

 

We sailed a short way past so those on the port side could get a good look before we got the view on the return. 

Thanks for the info. Hopefully P&O will do this for all cruises that were sold as calling at Geiranger in order to help reduce the negative impact of the curtailed route.
 

Out of interest, do you happen to know roughly what proportion of the Geiranger Fjord between Hellisylt and Geiranger is covered by cruising down to the Seven Sisters and back? I’m keen to understand what proportion of the fjord we would miss if we didn’t do an excursion. Thanks. 

[Saab4444]

4 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks for the info. Hopefully P&O will do this for all cruises that were sold as calling at Geiranger in order to help reduce the negative impact of the curtailed route.
 

Out of interest, do you happen to know roughly what proportion of the Geiranger Fjord between Hellisylt and Geiranger is covered by cruising down to the Seven Sisters and back? I’m keen to understand what proportion of the fjord we would miss if we didn’t do an excursion. Thanks. 

80%

[vitrocmax]

Looking at Google maps, it looks to be just over halfway down the fjord 

 

I think we turned round in the wider part of the fjord. We could see the road snaking down to a few buildings but Geiranger was just out of sight 

Edited May 25, 2022 by vitrocmax
Added information

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, Saab4444 said:

80%

Thanks. After I posted I managed to work it out on Google Maps. Looks like Seven Sisters is just over half way along Geiranger Fjord but they probably go a bit further to turn around where the fjord widens. As I say, I just hope that this is the absolute minimum that they do on all cruises that were advertised to call at Geiranger.
 

Can I ask those who have cruised all the way to Geiranger to advise whether the remaining fjord between Seven Sisters and Geiranger is the real highlight of that fjord? In other words, how short changed will we be (in terms of scenery, rather than mileage) if the extent of our transit is Seven Sisters?

[Saab4444]

39 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. After I posted I managed to work it out on Google Maps. Looks like Seven Sisters is just over half way along Geiranger Fjord but they probably go a bit further to turn around where the fjord widens. As I say, I just hope that this is the absolute minimum that they do on all cruises that were advertised to call at Geiranger.
 

Can I ask those who have cruised all the way to Geiranger to advise whether the remaining fjord between Seven Sisters and Geiranger is the real highlight of that fjord? In other words, how short changed will we be (in terms of scenery, rather than mileage) if the extent of our transit is Seven Sisters?

You will miss the scenic view of the village of Geiranger and of course you will miss the option to walk around in this beautiful village with the waterfall and the great view point above Geiranger which provides the best photo spot of the Fjord. 

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

You will miss the scenic view of the village of Geiranger and of course you will miss the option to walk around in this beautiful village with the waterfall and the great view point above Geiranger which provides the best photo spot of the Fjord. 

Thanks. That’s a shame, but the view point sounds like somewhere that I might struggle to push the wheelchair up to 😂 

[Gettingwarmer]

22 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. That’s a shame, but the view point sounds like somewhere that I might struggle to push the wheelchair up to 😂 

You couldn’t push a wheelchair to the viewpoint. I don’t think you can walk to the lower viewpoint. We went by coach and then further up. If you cruise up the fjord past the seven sisters you have seen the best of that part of the that part of the  fjord. If you look at the view of Hellesylt in the post earlier you can see there is also a bubbling river down into the fjord the same as Geiranger. Hellesylt  is very far up the fjord so you have had a good voyage up the fjord. Although I can understand that people would be upset at missing the viewpoints you can reach by coach from Geiranger. 

[Selbourne]

16 minutes ago, Gettingwarmer said:

You couldn’t push a wheelchair to the viewpoint. I don’t think you can walk to the lower viewpoint. We went by coach and then further up. If you cruise up the fjord past the seven sisters you have seen the best of that part of the that part of the  fjord. If you look at the view of Hellesylt in the post earlier you can see there is also a bubbling river down into the fjord the same as Geiranger. Hellesylt  is very far up the fjord so you have had a good voyage up the fjord. Although I can understand that people would be upset at missing the viewpoints you can reach by coach from Geiranger. 

Thanks. Unfortunately my wife is unable to board a coach, so it was primarily the cruise to the end of the Geiranger fjord that attracted us to the cruise that we have booked. According to P&O we are still going there, but transparency has never been one of their strongpoints!

[terrierjohn]

57 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. That’s a shame, but the view point sounds like somewhere that I might struggle to push the wheelchair up to 😂 

There is a ho ho bus that goes to a viewing point, and most of these have roll on/off ramps, so I understand.

[Gettingwarmer]

34 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. Unfortunately my wife is unable to board a coach, so it was primarily the cruise to the end of the Geiranger fjord that attracted us to the cruise that we have booked. According to P&O we are still going there, but transparency has never been one of their strongpoints!

Exactly, your wife unfortunately can’t board a coach. Therefore going that bit further down the fjord to the village of Geiranger is not adding that much to the splendour of travelling down the Geiranger fjord, you will have already covered the majority of it especially if after Hellesylt they go past the Seven Sisters before travelling back. I know it is a compromise but look at the map, it is worth thinking about. Hellesylt would be easy to exit the ship with a wheelchair and view the village and fjord. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Gettingwarmer

[Saab4444]

7 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Exactly, your wife unfortunately can’t board a coach. Therefore going that bit further down the fjord to the village of Geiranger is not adding that much to the splendour of travelling down the Geiranger fjord, you will have already covered the majority of it especially if after Hellesylt they go past the Seven Sisters before travelling back. I know it is a compromise but look at the map, it is worth thinking about. Hellesylt would be easy to exit the ship with a wheelchair and view the village and fjord. 

Well, Hellesylt is tendering I believe..

[jaydee6969]

15 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

Well, Hellesylt is tendering I believe..

No, most definitely a dock.  Post #141 shows the dock from onboard.

 

  Screengrab from yesterday's visit.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by jaydee6969

[yorkshirephil]

59 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

Well, Hellesylt is tendering I believe..

It used to be and was the last couple of times we were there however the pier is quite new. 

[gsmt47471015]

12 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

The population of Geiranger is 250. Less than Hellisylt. 

That I didn't know , however all the excursions etc are in Geiranger, which makes staying in Hellisylt pointless.

[purplesea]

Here a few photos of Geiranger that were taken from the ship on our visit a few years back.

[majortom10]

We were told by a local guide on our last visit to Geiranger that all locals on fjord were building or had built houses higher up because they were all expecting due to global warming one day to be flooded due to higher sea levels. Don't know how true that is but seemed very genuine.