BHA58

Wow, what a photo! I believe there's a public bus at Olden that will take you to the same spot as the P&O excursion. Obvs the fear of it breaking down or us missing the return bus is huge!

Thanks for your other tips - much appreciated.

Sadly we're not going to Flam or Bergen, but that Olden walk (and possible circular) sounds perfect. I'll check it out - thanks!

21 minutes ago, CruisingSarah said:

Didn’t have any issues hiking around the fjords last week and none of the trails were through long grassy areas, the hikes we did were mainly rocky paths or paved/gravel paths.

You could take a tick remover card or tweezers just in case, I usually carry one out hiking. 
Definitely take normal insect repellent though, we hadn’t thought about it and were bitten quite a lot by midges in the wooded areas going up to Pulpit Rock. 

Thanks, that's good to hear.

If you were on the Iona cruise and have any tips for hikes, I'd love to hear them! We stretched out budget on the cruise, so will spend most days exploring the local area on foot.

38 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

21 hours ago, BHA58 said:

researching vaccines for a cruise to Norway!

Ticks are also to be found in many areas of Scotland, especially, as noted above, in woodland, moorland, and long grass areas where the same clothing advisories are recommended.  Dog walkers are usually advised to check their pets after walking in such areas.

Yes, ticks are prevalent across the UK, but regions of Norway have ones that carry TBE, which I believe is more serious than the lymes disease associated with ticks over here. Seems very rare, though, so just taking sensible precautions would appear to be the best approach.

Yes, seems like taking precautions is the best course of action. Particularly given I won't be in the higher risk areas.

Never for one moment thought I'd be researching vaccines for a cruise to Norway!

Thanks for moving to correct forum!

I'm heading to the Fjords on Iona next month and someone recently mentioned ticks in Norway (specifically the risk of getting infected with TBE). It's not something I was previously aware of, and as bad as TBE sounds it seems only southern Norway is affected, and even then the risk is very low.

Seems like you're more at risk when hiking, which we're planning to do, but doesn't look like the areas Iona travels to are in a high risk area (though it's hard to find anything conclusive).

Apparently you can be vaccinated, but only privately and at a cost of £165 per person - all seems a bit extreme given this risk is so low.

Is anyone else aware of TBE in Norway? Can't think we'll get vaccinated, but keen to hear other people's thoughts!

Thanks. As you suggest, it sounds like slightly increased noise would be the reason for the cheaper cabin on deck 15.

I ended up going for midship on deck 14. Now slightly concerned being higher up will mean more movement in rough seas, but I much prefer the balcony (view and design) compared to options on decks 4 and 5.

Ah yes, just found the Shore Experiences section of the site - thanks!

Just booked a 4-berth cabin for the family. Very excited as it's our first cruise since a trip on Ocean Village (which I think was a budget P&O brand?) many years back.

It sounds like there's food available nearly 24hrs a day - is this correct? I'm more thinking of snacking at various points as opposed to attempting back-to-back dinners, but are there any restrictions in this respect?

Also, is there a price list for excursions? I've searched various places and can't seem to find up-to-date pricing anywhere.

Thanks in advance!

Hi. Could someone shed some light on why similar midship cabins on Deck 15 appear to be a bit cheaper (£60pp) than those on Deck 14? Is it due to noise, or are there other factors? I've checked the ship plans and there don't appear to be shade or privacy issues on the cabins I'm looking at.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Will