Dalsnibba/Eagle Bend? I'm already doing Trollstigen.

Hello! I will be sailing in July 2018 on the Independence of the Seas to the Norwegian fjords. So far I already have a few excursions booked:

- In Ålesund, I'm doing the day trip to Trollstigen

- In Stavanger, I'm doing the Lysefjord cruise to Pulpit Rock

I know what I want to do in Bergen, but I may need help organizing that. Don't know what I'll do in Skjolden, since the cruise line isn't offering the excursions they have there. Maybe it'll change to Flåm, but who knows?

For this thread, I will be focusing on Geiranger, which is considered one of the most beautiful fjords of Norway. This port of call is from 11am to 8pm that day.

Dalsnibba was one of my ideas, especially considering the summit, and then of course the famous viewpoint of the fjord, but I'm already doing an excursion to Trollstigen.

One excursion goes up Eagle Bend, which one tourist in a YouTube video called a "mini-version of Trollstigen," but that's not all: its main destination is Herdal Farm. "Once at Herdalssetra Mountain Farm, sample goat cheese, sweet homemade fudge (yum! ) and experience a bit of the country's farm life - including goats, sheep and cows."

Goat cheese? What I'm curious about is Norway's brunost (brown cheese), but I don't know where that's from or where you can get it.

Then there's the RIB boat along the fjord, but the ride seems like it would be a little rocky.

As far as what's near the port, not only would there be souvenirs and all that stuff, but I even heard about this chocolate shop which, according to one vlogger, must be really good.

We visited a goat farm in Flam, and it was wonderful. But the other thing you should consider is that the weather might be terrible in any of the ports, which will greatly affect the beautiful views. My understanding is that there are buses that run fairly consistently (though I don't know how late) to the highlights of Geiranger, and don't take more than a few hours. So I'd see if you can plan on both visiting the farm and taking a bus tour of the highlights of Geiranger because you have no idea if you will be able to see much in Trollstigen and/or Pulpit Rock. We took the funicular in Bergen because of our kids, but knew before we went up that we wouldn't be able to see anything but fog from the top (and that's what happened). So I'd be prepared to try to see as many beautiful scenery options as possible in Norway, because you don't know how many of them will be visible on the day you visit.

We visited a goat farm in Flam, and it was wonderful. But the other thing you should consider is that the weather might be terrible in any of the ports, which will greatly affect the beautiful views. My understanding is that there are buses that run fairly consistently (though I don't know how late) to the highlights of Geiranger, and don't take more than a few hours. So I'd see if you can plan on both visiting the farm and taking a bus tour of the highlights of Geiranger because you have no idea if you will be able to see much in Trollstigen and/or Pulpit Rock. We took the funicular in Bergen because of our kids, but knew before we went up that we wouldn't be able to see anything but fog from the top (and that's what happened). So I'd be prepared to try to see as many beautiful scenery options as possible in Norway, because you don't know how many of them will be visible on the day you visit.

I'm predicting that Bergen will have the worst weather of all, but the other ports might be good to go.

You can get brunost in any grocery. If you want to try it, I'd recommend just popping into a shop and picking some up, rather than trying to plan an excursion around it. Especially in one of the most beautiful fjords in the world! You'll find it in the refrigerated section alongside the other cheese. Gudbrandsdalsost is one of the most common varieties, and you can often find it pre-sliced. Otherwise, pick up a block and an ostehøvel (Norway's favorite souvenir)! Try it on a waffle or atop a slice of buttered bread.

As for Geiranger itself, I would skip the boat cruises on the fjord, since you'll be sailing through the entire length during the sail-in/sail-out. The fjord scenery is dramatically different from down by the water level compared to seeing it from above, so having sailed through on the ship with the fjord walls towering over you, I always recommend getting up into the hills to see the view from above. Dalsnibba and Eagle's Bend are both good for this, but Eagle's Bend is a bit off to the side and may not give you the iconic view you'd get from someplace like Flydalsjuvet. The problem with Dalsnibba is that the summit is often above the clouds, so be sure there are some lower stops as well.

As for weather, Bergen is certainly known for rain, but I've had astonishing blue sky days on all of my port visits! (I've had the more normal Bergen experience whenever I arrived by flight or train, though.) And unfortunately, it's been overcast with low clouds on all of my visits to Geiranger so far! You really never know what you're going to get in Norway!

You can get brunost in any grocery. If you want to try it, I'd recommend just popping into a shop and picking some up, rather than trying to plan an excursion around it. Especially in one of the most beautiful fjords in the world! You'll find it in the refrigerated section alongside the other cheese. Gudbrandsdalsost is one of the most common varieties, and you can often find it pre-sliced. Otherwise, pick up a block and an ostehøvel (Norway's favorite souvenir)! Try it on a waffle or atop a slice of buttered bread.

 

As for Geiranger itself, I would skip the boat cruises on the fjord, since you'll be sailing through the entire length during the sail-in/sail-out. The fjord scenery is dramatically different from down by the water level compared to seeing it from above, so having sailed through on the ship with the fjord walls towering over you, I always recommend getting up into the hills to see the view from above. Dalsnibba and Eagle's Bend are both good for this, but Eagle's Bend is a bit off to the side and may not give you the iconic view you'd get from someplace like Flydalsjuvet. The problem with Dalsnibba is that the summit is often above the clouds, so be sure there are some lower stops as well.

 

As for weather, Bergen is certainly known for rain, but I've had astonishing blue sky days on all of my port visits! (I've had the more normal Bergen experience whenever I arrived by flight or train, though.) And unfortunately, it's been overcast with low clouds on all of my visits to Geiranger so far! You really never know what you're going to get in Norway!

Everyone's told me "blah blah blah, weather" at this point, but I suppose I'll give the view from above a chance.

And I see you're from Norway? I've actually been learning Norwegian extensively for this trip. :D

Also, speaking of shops, I also plan to purchase a bunch of Norwegian candy and snacks for one of my YouTube videos (I plan to vlog this cruise). I hear Kvikk Lunsj is very popular, and Smash! caught my interest as well. Do you have favorites?

Everyone's told me "blah blah blah, weather" at this point, but I suppose I'll give the view from above a chance.

 

And I see you're from Norway? I've actually been learning Norwegian extensively for this trip. :D

 

Also, speaking of shops, I also plan to purchase a bunch of Norwegian candy and snacks for one of my YouTube videos (I plan to vlog this cruise). I hear Kvikk Lunsj is very popular, and Smash! caught my interest as well. Do you have favorites?

Lykke til! Jeg bare bruker 'takk' fordi ingen vil forstå aksenten min og vil heller snakke engelsk! (Jeg er også sjenert ***** at jeg ofte bruker feil preoposisjoner!)

Kvikk Lunsj is a long-standing tradition. It's Norway's official tursjokolade (hiking chocolate), and the wrappers are typically printed with information about historic Norwegian adventurers and famous hiking routes. Smash! is one of those love-it or hate-it things, because the combination of salty and sweet is a divisive one. Freia milk chocolate (used in Kvikk Lunsj) is an icon in its own right. Non Stop are always amusing, because they're just not quite M&Ms (which are illegal to import commercially because they infringe on Freia's trademark "m" candy.) There's also Laban Seigmenn for a non-chocolate option. And of course there's the love of licorice. Salmiak licorice is certainly not for everyone, and Turkish Pepper is quite an experience! For sweet licorice, lakrisbåter are popular, and Skole kridt is my favorite, because I like the crunchy outer layer.

Lykke til! Jeg bare bruker 'takk' fordi ingen vil forstå aksenten min og vil heller snakke engelsk! (Jeg er også sjenert ***** at jeg ofte bruker feil preoposisjoner!)

 

Kvikk Lunsj is a long-standing tradition. It's Norway's official tursjokolade (hiking chocolate), and the wrappers are typically printed with information about historic Norwegian adventurers and famous hiking routes. Smash! is one of those love-it or hate-it things, because the combination of salty and sweet is a divisive one. Freia milk chocolate (used in Kvikk Lunsj) is an icon in its own right. Non Stop are always amusing, because they're just not quite M&Ms (which are illegal to import commercially because they infringe on Freia's trademark "m" candy.) There's also Laban Seigmenn for a non-chocolate option. And of course there's the love of licorice. Salmiak licorice is certainly not for everyone, and Turkish Pepper is quite an experience! For sweet licorice, lakrisbåter are popular, and Skole kridt is my favorite, because I like the crunchy outer layer.

I've tried Swedish candy, and licorice is certainly not for me either.