Bergen Norway airport transfer service for a 6:00am flight ?

[SempreMare]

Could someone recommend a reliable Bergen airport transfer service for an early morning transfer? 
From: Bergen Havn 
To:  Bergen airport
?

 

Last weekend I saw fellow Viking passengers struggling with their luggage:

• in the rain
• in the early morning darkness
• outside of the Oslo airport

following the Viking post-cruise extension transport to the airport.   

That surprised me.   I thought I'd read that a Viking post-cruise extension or Viking Air benefit was:  "luggage porterage is included". 

Had I not I shipped my luggage due to rotator cuff tear repair surgery, I would have experienced significant problems at this point in the journey. 

 

Next up:  Stockholm to Bergen, Viking Homelands, in 2023.

• I do not plan on using Viking Air.  
• After Bergen debarkation, I will fly directly home.  
• Return flight from Bergen will likely be very early.  6:00 am flight departure.
   

My thoughts on how to deal with luggage are below.  

Could you please double check my thinking? 

 

1)  I should not ship my luggage since I won't be staying in a post cruise hotel, either on my own or part of a Viking extension.  

 

I did find information online about the Bergen cruise terminal luggage storage lockers. I'd guess those lockers advertised are probably not for big luggage.
I have emailed someone at Bergen Havn with the question: 
"Could I store 2 pieces of large luggage with you for a next day DHL pickup?"   
 

However my guess is:  

• Bergen Havn personnel is not used to doing this.  "this" = having DHL show up to retrieve a cruise passenger's luggage for shipment back home.
• Even if someone at Bergen Havn replies with, "Yes, it's possible", I'd guess trying to do this would create a situation at high risk for error.

 

2) I realize I'd need to personally request  and pay for additional help with luggage from any transfer service.

ex: I would request the transfer service to include luggage transport to the gate checkin counter.

Not just luggage dropoff at the curb as is standard with most airport checkins.

 

3) Pack 2 lighter suitcases instead of 1 heavy suitcase.  

 

4) I really really don't want to risk another rotator cuff tear.  This surgery's recovery has involved more pain than I ever thought I could endure.   Though I can tell it worked, so am thrilled about that. 

 

Key to preventing a re-tear: 

a) No more hot air balloon ride crash landings in Holland.  Or anywhere ;-).  From now on, I'll be happy just with watching hot air balloon ride YouTubes 🙂 ! 

 

b) Avoid sudden weight-bearing jerking movements - the kind that travel seems to require. 

ex:. I must carefully , with attention to angles of motion, move heavy luggage from floor to bed.

By Viking Homelands time in 2023,  I should be doing lots of weight-bearing exercises again, hopefully to include squats and military presses.  

The biggest chance for choosing to do something 'dumb' and risking injury: 
on debarkation day when sleep-deprived and exhausted from final packing wave the night before.

[janetcbl]

If I recall correctly,, from our trip a couple of years ago if you have the. Inking transfer, you put your luggage outside your cabin door the night before and it “magically” appears next to the bus that Viking has arranged for transfer to the airport. You identify it and put it on the bus. At the airport it is offloaded and then it is your responsibility to get it to the check in desk (fairly nearby, I think). We had no problem.

[SoDakPirate]

25 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

If I recall correctly,, from our trip a couple of years ago if you have the. Inking transfer, you put your luggage outside your cabin door the night before and it “magically” appears next to the bus that Viking has arranged for transfer to the airport. You identify it and put it on the bus. At the airport it is offloaded and then it is your responsibility to get it to the check in desk (fairly nearby, I think). We had no problem.

 

[SoDakPirate]

We had a 6:30 AM flight from Bergen on Delta this past July. We did not use Viking Air but towards the end of the cruise, Viking sent us a not asking id we wanted to purchase a transfer,  I believe it was $50.00 per person.  We left our luggage outside our stateroom at 10pm the previous night. We were told to meetn in the Atrium at 2:45AM. They called our group and we went to shore where we were met by a group of young men that each took a passenger and helped us find our luggage and took it to the bus.  We boarded the bus for 30-45 ride to the airport.  When we arrived another group unloaded the bags and helped us find them.  We then walked directly into the terminal and got in line.  We were on line at 4Am and was the first group.

Then the fun began.  Delta had only two agents to check in the passengers who did not have elite status.  One of the agents had computer problems and we had to manually write our name, passport number, address, etc on a piece of paper that she then typed into the computer to get us boarding passes.  Viking staff was very frustrated and tried to intervene to get the lines moving but were not successful. A long line through passport control and a very thorough TSA check had us scrambling. After TSA a long walk, including through a duty free store, had us at the gate and we were the third to last couple to board!

[TayanaLorna]

We have used Viking transfers with and without Viking extensions.

 

Viking picked them up outside our stateroom the night before

We find them in the cruise terminal and transfer them to the bus

Bus personnel load luggage

Bus arrives at airport

We identify our bags as they come off bus

 

It is at this point where service has differed:

 

One time our bags were put on a luggage cart and brought inside the airport to the check in counter or kiosk and then handed off to us

All other times we wheeled our bags into the airport check in area ourselves.

 

 

[CCWineLover]

48 minutes ago, SoDakPirate said:

We had a 6:30 AM flight from Bergen on Delta this past July. We did not use Viking Air but towards the end of the cruise, Viking sent us a not asking id we wanted to purchase a transfer,  I believe it was $50.00 per person.  We left our luggage outside our stateroom at 10pm the previous night. We were told to meetn in the Atrium at 2:45AM. They called our group and we went to shore where we were met by a group of young men that each took a passenger and helped us find our luggage and took it to the bus.  We boarded the bus for 30-45 ride to the airport.  When we arrived another group unloaded the bags and helped us find them.  We then walked directly into the terminal and got in line.  We were on line at 4Am and was the first group.

Then the fun began.  Delta had only two agents to check in the passengers who did not have elite status.  One of the agents had computer problems and we had to manually write our name, passport number, address, etc on a piece of paper that she then typed into the computer to get us boarding passes.  Viking staff was very frustrated and tried to intervene to get the lines moving but were not successful. A long line through passport control and a very thorough TSA check had us scrambling. After TSA a long walk, including through a duty free store, had us at the gate and we were the third to last couple to board!

Our friends on our July Midnight Sun cruise did exactly the same thing.  It was easy they said.  Same points - they were not on Viking Air.  They bought the transfers for $49 apiece while on board.  They put their luggage out early, went to the attrium, along with over hundred people, at 2:45 in the morning, and followed what you did to get to the airport.

They however, did not have Delta, and had no problems checking in and getting to the gate.  Again, it is a little bit of a walk to the gates from security - but not bad compared to some of the major US airports.

Also - there should be no expectation that Viking, upon arrival at the airport, will shlep your bags to the ticket counter line and hand hold you to your gate.   We've encountered so many people who mistakenly believed that Viking would take care of them to the plane.  Just set your expectations.  If you took a taxi to the airport, would the taxi driver take your bags through the airport to the ticket counter?  No.

[MSEm]

Our Trades Routes cruise ended in Berge.  We had booked our own flights. ATL is our home airport. We were booked on a Delta flight that departed about 10:30 am. We purchased Viking transfer to the airport.

Luggage was taken from the hall way. We had to identify our luggage for it to be put on the bus.

At the airport luggage was taken off the bus.  Porters were available to get luggage into the airport.

We departed the ship about 2 hours before our flight departure time.

Edited October 5, 2022 by MSEm

[MSEm]

On our British Isle cruise we departed Bergen at 6 AM on Delta. We did the "Be in the Living Room by 2 AM. There were 4 or 5 tour buses of passengers from our ship to the airport for the 6 AM flight.

No Delta check-in personnel arrived until 5:30 am. The pilot announced that our departure would be delayed until all passengers were checked-in, cleared customs and were on board the plane. Our flights was delayed about 25 minutes waiting for guest to board the plane.

Also make sure you have at least 2 1/2 hours for any connecting flights from Amsterdam. It's a very big airport with lots of walking. You will also have to clear custom before going to your connecting flight.