I-Cruiser

Good Morning Lars,

 

We will be coming to Flaam next September on a cruise. There is a group from our roll call interested in taking the train to Myrdal. I sent an email to Flamsbama inquiring about the procedure to do this. I was told one person would have to pay for the tickets in advance. Since i'm the group leader it would be my responsibility to do this and I'm not comfortable with it because I would then have to collect the fares from everyone and there is the possibility that some would change their minds. Is there a way to order the tickets online and pay the day of the trip? I read on CC that someone did that. Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

Susan Chessin

Hi Susan - As far as I know you have to pay as you book.

I suppose the train company is afraid that holding tickets might end up in no show and thus unsold tickets.

You can pay cancelation insurance by ticking the cancellation policy box online (the cancelation insurance amount is 10% of total ticket amount)

This way you can cancel and get a full refund minus the cancelation insurance amount up to midnight the day before travel (on the train)

Another option might be to get your participants to pay you now before you get tickets.

Paying upfront before a tour sort of makes for better commitment I find;)

We are booked on the 14 day Crown Princess cruise that goes to Stavanger, Flaam, Hellesylt, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Gravdel, Aalesund, and Bergen out of Southampton. Thanks for the suggestions

You are in luck. All these ports are easy to walk into to do diy.

Note that Hellesylt is a (approx.)2 hr drop of port for overland shore excursions to Geiranger and usually no other pax is allowed ashore.

may i please have a copy of your pdf file for the walking tour in alesund? we will be there in early may.

thanks so much,

sheri

 

You got mail.:)

You have gotten some great suggestions here. Flåm is another "in town" port.

Kristiansund, Stavanger, Oslo are a few others.

Further north in the Lofoten islands you have Leknes and Gravdal.

Do you have a particular itinerary in mind?

Bobbie - You should also look for the posts from:

Ssislandgirl

She did port by port reviews from her cruise last year. Her reviews are THE BEST!!!! You simply must check out her threads as she visited many of the ports you are going to explore.

**

Btw, Ålesund also have a hoho bus in addition to a tourist/choo choo train.

We are going to visit the ports listed below and was wondering which private tour companies other CC members have used.

 

What tours did you choose and what are some "not to be missed" sites for these ports?

 

Kristiansand

Stavanger

Flam

Bergen

Hellesylt

Geiranger

Alesund

Eidfjord

 

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.

 

Bobbie

Bobbie - You will find lots of information etc in my thread.

Link i signature.

:)

Wishing everyone a peaceful Christmas with this picture from Ålesund.

(whats really fun is that you can see our new apartment/house very clearly in this picture. Just a few weeks until we move)

Its never to early to start planning your Norway ports so I am here to help you plan your perfect experience.

Lars:)

Can a travel agent book for A Captains Club member on opening day? Or is it better to book directly, then transfer the booking to the TA?

I would think you can do both. I had my ta (in the US) book our 2017 cruise opening day. Nice perk and some extra obc.:)

Next year a new more exhilarating viewing platform will open at Mt. Dalsnibba in Geiranger.

All very modern and glass fenced.

Thank you Lars, for the advice on fishing. :)

 

We will try your suggestions and I hope you had a great trip.

We had a fantastic trip. Thank you for asking.

Best of luck and I wish I could do more for you:)

We're going on the Emerald Princess to Stavanger, Flaam, Olden, Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Lofoten Islands, Aalesund and Bergen. The ship's definitely too big to get up the Trollfjorden that Terry shows on his blog, but we can't have everything! We're going next June.

Trollfjorden is for the smaller vessels only so its all good:)

The itinerary is not to bad you get to see a diversity of areas in Norway. From the larger cities, two fjords and the landscapes of northern Norway.

If you need any help with the ports give me a shout out:-) You might want to travel to Geiranger or Trollstigen or even the Norangsvalley/Øye....So many options in each port - such fun:)

I could post picture after picture to show you but I can do that elsewhere..:D;)

Just to thank you all for your input again. Following the advice of Terry and others, we've booked a 14-nighter going right up to the North Cape. Really looking forward to it now!

Do tell us - which ship and itinerary did you choose?

Hello Lars,

 

We are on Regent sailing to Norway from Iceland and will have 2 stops. One is Alesund and one in Bergen. Problem is Regent is not cruising through any of the Fjords so we need to do them on our own.

 

Alesund 12 to 8pm

Bergen 9am to 9pm

 

We are thinking of doing a cruise of the fjord Geiranger in Alesund

 

In Bergen we wanted to do the train to Flam and the Sognefjord but when I calculate it all it doesn't look like we can do both, so is there a cruise for the Sognefjord from the port of Bergen and next trip we do the train or do you have a better recommendation? So confused :confused:

You have many options out there but not many that is operational within the ours your ship is docked.

For Bergen:

Taking the boat to Sogndal and back to Bergen will take to long and you will not make it back for when your ship sails as one way with the boat takes approx. 4-5 hrs.

Taking the train or indeed a 8,5 hrs "Norway in a nutshell" tour r/t Bergen might be a solution.

From what I can see the tour do depart before your ship docks. But, I only can see the schedule until mid February.

There might be later departures i the summer season.

This site is excellent for finding tours:http://www.fjordtours.com/en/

This is the nutshell tour:

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/explore-the-fjords/norway-in-a-nutshell/

You could check the schedule 3 months before departure.

Have you thought about doing Bergen - Sognda/Flåm - Geiranger - Ålesund as a self drive? Leave the ship in Bergen and catch it the next day in Ålesund?

Its a very doable solution.

Ålesund to Geiranger:

Your best solution is to rent a car and drive from Ålesund to Hellesylt. Catch the ferry from Hellesylt into the Geirangerfjord and Geiranger.

Do the same route in reverse or hit the route via the Storfjord.

You can hire a private boat which takes 12 persons. This might be costly but it will save you from doing the driving.

the company is called http://www.62.no/

They specialize in tours in the area.

Lars:-)

Hi Lars,

 

We'll be in Alesund next summer with Windstar. I'm looking for a fly fishing guide for the day for my husband, who loves to fly fish. I haven't been able to find anything for guides, although it appears to be a great place to fish. Any ideas?

This subject is by far my forte so bear with me.

What I have found out is that in the Ålesund area there are a few places to fly fish.

One being the Lake "Lille Vatnet" in the suburb of Spjelkavik (10 minutes drive outside Ålesund).

Also the "Spjelkavikneset" (Spjelkavik Peninsula) is supposed to be a good spot.

Another option is the river or stream rather running through Spjelkavik down toward the ocean by the factory Brødrene Sunde.

The best option would be to take a taxi to these place as this option will be the most hassle free and easy.

There is a fishing forum site called fiskesiden.no (all in Norweigian of course)But, if you go to the forum called "vestlandet" you or your husband should be able to ask questions and hopefully get better answers then I can give you.

I hope this helps a little...

Lars

cigloo and Pudgesmom - Sorry for the late replies. We have been away travelling but here goes...

Thank you Lars. Hmmm, I may have just enough time to do the detour from Alesund :D I'm booked on a cruise of the Midnight Sun on the new Koningsdam for next summer and planning to do the Trollstigen drive from Alesund. Your thread has given me great ideas of what to do in various ports, and the photos are awe-inspiring, makes me want to move to Norway :) Thanks for taking the time to provide so much information!

 

Best regards,

Chenni

Thank you for your kind words:) I am sure you can make the detour as the drive from Valldal to Tafjord (the village) only takes 20 minutes (one way).

The Koningsdam looks like its going to be a wonderful ship. I would love to hear how you like the ship.

Hello Lars,

 

If I may ask, where is this place? I love how the fjords are perfectly reflected on the water.

 

Been reading this thread (62 pages took quite a while). Thanks for all the information! :)

 

Chenni

Hi Chenni:) This picture was taken in a small fjordarm/village called"Tafjord".

It sits towards the end of one of the arms of the larger Storfjord.

No ships goes there as further out the same fjord the take a right towards Hellesylt and Geiranger.

By car its easy to to from either Ålesund, Geiranger or Åndalsnes.

When you get to Valldall just continue straight forward into the tunnel and on the other side you get hit by this stunning vista. (it all sounds very Narnia doesnt it:D)

I enclose a link to a map showing Tafjord:https://www.google.no/maps/@62.2701546,7.3276097,11z

Tafjord is best known for its Dam and the powerstation.

Its also known for the tragic accident in 1934 when a part of the mountain slid out and caused much damage.

The Tafjordfjellene (The Tafjord mountains) are fantastic spots for hiking.

Reindalen and the Reindalen lodge being the most popular.

Tafjord is also known for its mild micro climate. The picture you are referring to was taken in either April or May. Probably early am.

The reflection of the mountains in the water was magical.

Kudos to you for reading every single page:-)

Lars

I posted a question about this trip on the Azamara forum before I discovered this forum. I think the question is more appropriate here.

 

I've booked a b2b as a surprise for my husband. The second cruise is the Azamara British Open cruise. The first cruise has this itinerary:

 

Day 1 Depart Copenhagen

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Geiranger

Day 4 Lerwick, Shetland Islands

Day 5 At Sea

Day 6 Akureyri, Iceland

Day 7 Reykjavik

Day 8 Reykjavik

Day 9 At Sea

Day 10 Torshavon, Faroe Islands

Day 11 At Sea

Day 12 At Sea

Day 13 Disembark Southampton

 

As you can see there are 5 days at sea for a 12 night cruise. On the Azamara forum it was suggested that I do the b2b with the British Open followed by the Baltic. But we will be cruising with X prior to this planned b2b.

 

Thoughts on this itinerary? The Azamara itinerary planner is supposedly revisiting the itinerary, but frankly, I don't have much confidence that anything will actually change (though it was kind to even say they would).

 

Too many sea days?

 

Thanks for your thoughts-chris

Well, this is really a Northern Atlantic Islands cruise as it only has one Norwegian Fjord (and probably one Icelandic).

Its a good itinerary if you want to see the named islands with the "most beautiful fjord in the world" througn in.

Iceland etc is very fascinating if thats what you would like to explore.

The Dylan looks lovely. The lowest rate is 381 euros for one night.

 

Can you suggest some of your other favorites?

 

Thanks!

There is also The Toren, INK hotel Amsterdam, Hotel E´Europe.

These are all good places to stay:)

IMO I would stay well clear of the horrible hotels that are Nordic Choice Hotels (Quality Hotels, Comfort Hotels, Clarion Hotels, Clarion Collection)

Also, the area around the Central Station is not the best area to be seen walking.

Grand Hotel, Bristol Hotel, Hotel Continental are good choices. Radisson Blu are also quit ok for a night or two.

I try not to stay to long in Oslo as its my least favourite city.

Convinced me!!! :D I've been pinning stuff onto Pinterest and went in there and looked after I posted and saw lots of stuff I had pinned. Saw this for one https://www.pinterest.com/pin/222857881536248744/ Thanks for your input. I so appreciate it!!!! I can't wait!!!! Sooooo excited. Some people aren't into the beauty that surrounds us daily.

 

Linda

Ålesund is a very pretty town and since you are into photography you will find so many superb shots.

I feel sorry for those that fail to see beauty in the places that surround us.

The picture you pinned is of the cinema in town.

Actually, we like Ålesund so much that we just bought an apartment in town. Its located in my favourite part of town by Apoteker gata/road. Just around the corner from Brosundet.

Now we are in the process of putting our house for sale. Lots to do before moving in January.

I would be more then happy to help you plan your ports. At least as much as I can do.

Check out my thread in my siggy. Lots of great stuff there.

Lars:)

Thanks!! That's what I was thinking too Lars. Ok I just noticed you live in Alesund. I was telling a gal online that I know from a FB group that we were thinking about flying into Alesund for a day and asked her if she had ever been there (she lives in Oslo) and she had and she said not much there. Tell me Lars about your home town why we should fly into there. I'm also into landscape photography. :):D

 

Linda

Clearly she must have been looking in all the wrong places.:D

If you are into landscape photography you will have lots to take pictures off.

You should walk the streets and admire the art nouveau architecture. Streets like Konges gate, Apoteker gata, Moloveien are just a few streets not to miss. A must and you cant miss it is, Brosundet in the middle of town. Visit the Jugend style museum and "Cube" art center. Make sure you get a picture of the Ålesund church

You should walk the stairs up to Mt. Aksla and admire the views of the town, surrounding islands and the mountain range.

Visit the open air museum (Sunnmøre Museum) a 5 minute car ride from the town center.

You should really visit the Lighthouse and take in the scenery at Alnes at Godøya Island. Visit the old church at the island of Giske.

From Ålesund you can also venture out into the fjords.

You will have enough to fill a day or two. :)

I think it depends on you. See one cathedral, you've seen them all? See one city, you've seen them all? See one waterfall, you've seen them all? See one TV show, you've seen them all?

 

If scenery leaves you cold, you might find it repetitive, simply because it's not your thing. Othjerwise, go for it, because they are all different.

Very well put. I think you just nailed it:)

its all about being able to see the beauty in various places tho the theme might be the same.

I-Cruiser--is it better to rent a car so you get a front site view of the Atlantic Highway or is a tour sufficient as I'm sure it will be provided on the ship we are and paid for but I'm willing to rent a car to get the experience.

 

Linda

Linda - either way actually.

The good thing about a car is that you can stop as you please and you both have front seat views of the nature and road.

Also, you can stop and have a picnic lunch at one of the rest stops along the way.

Lars:)

IMO to talk about temperatures, average or not is total waist of time.

Why, because it differentiate so much from year to year, region to region even within the same day.