queen_kathy1

@Ladybug18, I had to double-check that I didn't write this post as I'll also be in Geiranger in July with my spouse and 11-year old.. lol. Now this post makes me want to look into doing a RIB boat tour as well, perhaps for Eidfjord as we already booked the panorama bus tour for Geiranger. Thanks @dfish for sharing this info!

In this Northern Europe forum, you can type in your ports in the search bar on the top right of the screen and you'll find all sorts of dialogue from previous times this question has been asked. Another suggestion is to try trip advisor, as you can find private excursion options rated there.

I've never heard of Toms Port Guides and found the one for Kristiansand terrific - thanks Len!

This is so helpful - thank you!!

Ah thank you - i didn't understand what Sea Walk meant! Decided to book 14:30 anyway as I agree the risk is low to have problems getting back to the boat. Much appreciate the replies!

Thank you Turtle! We are on Nieuw Statendam. I didn't realize it is a tender port so I fully agree with you then, that it's best to take the afternoon tour. I hope there's no issue getting back to the boat on time!

Hi - I booked a triple room with three beds at Copenhagen Island Hotel. "In our bright Triple rooms, you and your family can continue your city experience, while enjoying the view of the harbour from the French-balcony. Our triple rooms have beds for three people, including a double bed or twin beds and a sofa bed for one person."

Hi, our cruise disembarks in Copenhagen at 7am and we don't fly out until 3pm. Where can we stash our luggage before we're ready to head to the airport after lunch. And how much in advance should we arrive at the airport to fly to the UK?

Hi - we'll be in Geiranger from 10am-7pm on Sat July 29. I'm also interested in booking the panorama bus tour. Choices are 11am and 230pm. I'm wondering with the 3hr tour if there would be any concern getting back to the port on time and secondly, is there a better time of day to go for viewing, ie due to fog or other inclement weather. I'm leaning towards booking the 230pm timeslot.

@Norwaylady I just researched the zipline thanks to your suggestion and am now very interested in doing this! Do we need to reserve in advance or can we just make our way there during our port visit and buy tickets that day?

I appreciate your explanation in this post, especially your analogy re McDonalds drink prices - very true. I think a lot of people would like to be able to play the game of negotiating, but many are not confident in doing so, and most tourists are no match for the vendors who do this for a living in their culture. That's why it's been said repeatedly in this thread, it would be far better if the opening price from the vendors was not unreasonably high but something closer to what a tourist may find palatable and small ensuing negotiation. Not everyone is comfortable taking a $250 starting point and trying to negotiate that down to $18. I once tried negotiating a few bucks off a $20 item and was told no as if I was starving his family by suggesting he reduce his price. The outcome is no sale then, because it's not worth $20 to me and lots of other vendor stalls sell the same item, possibly for the price I'm willing to pay.

Hi, I'm considering booking this tour with Norway's Best Flåm Railway, Flåm Zipline, Rallarvegen Cycling Tour | Norways best. We will be on HAL NS in August arriving in Flam at 10am. Available train departures are 10:45am or 12pm, with 55min ride to get to the station close to the zipline. I'm concerned that since it's not a ship excursion, we may not make the 10:45am train, so feel we need to plan for the 12pm train. I'm hopeful the logistics of the zipline doesn't take more than 1-1.5hr, which leaves about 3 hours for the 15km bike ride. We want to be latest back to the port by 5:30pm as ship leaves at 6pm. Does this sound doable? Has anyone done this excursion and can comment, traveling is myself & hubby (both 50s) and our 11yr old.

Thanks so much @Ine ! Curious what month you travelled there, how you found doing the drive yourself on the narrow winding road and how busy the road was? I'm concerned about a bus blocking the road, getting stuck and missing the boat! We will be in port from 7am-5pm on July 30

Hi, I am very interested in planning a similar type of adventure. Did you reserve your car in advance with Avis, as I'm searching for car rental options and they are all offering pickup by the airport - I can't tell from general website how to book from location near the cruise ship port. And where did you get the map to plan your route to Trollstigen and then Mt Aksla?

tagging onto this thread... i'll be on the 14-day NS Best of Norway sailing this July. The pre-booking offer is 7-day thermal spa access for $149. There is no 14-day option available. Does this sound right?

Can someone please confirm that there's still no cost benefit to preordering the laundry service? I'd prefer to wait until onboard so we can use our small OBC towards it. It currently shows as $147 for our 14-day NS cruise to Norway.

Does anyone have a pic of the laundry bag - just curious how much laundry can be sent out each day?