Stockholm - Norwegian Sun Shore Excursion - Stockholm on your own

[dogs4fun]

Hi,

I need some information and advice about taking the "Stockholm on your own" shore excursion offered by the Norwegian Sun in August.

 

I remember previously reading on one of the threads from someone who had taken this excursion but, alas, I can't find the thread. :confused:

 

We will be tendered in Nynäshamn and people with shore excursions booked through NCL have priority in disembarking. I am willing to purchase the shore excursion for this reason alone as we would like to maximize our time in Stockholm.

 

Questions:

Does anyone know where this excursion will drop us off in Stockholm? I think I had read that the drop-off was somewhere near the Opera House? Is this where they usually drop-off?

 

About what time does the excursion bus arrive in Stockholm?

 

We would like to visit the Vasa museum, take a ride on the historic #7 tram, visit Gamla Stan (with a visit inside the Nobel museum) and find a nice place to eat before making it back to the bus for the return to the ship. Is this doable (approx 6 hours in Stockholm after travel time)?

 

Should we visit the Vasa Museum first? I understand the lines get quite long.

 

Thanks,

Jill

[stubbornoldowl]

We are doing this cruise and excursion ourselves this June.

My understanding as well is that the drop off point is the Opera House.

It seems to be a good idea to get to the Vasa ASAP - does anyone know if there are taxis near the Opera House and maybe how much??? We were hoping to grab a taxi with another couple and head over to the Vasa right away.

[dogs4fun]

We are doing this cruise and excursion ourselves this June.

My understanding as well is that the drop off point is the Opera House.

It seems to be a good idea to get to the Vasa ASAP - does anyone know if there are taxis near the Opera House and maybe how much??? We were hoping to grab a taxi with another couple and head over to the Vasa right away.

 

Assuming that the drop-off is near the Opera, we were thinking of taking the metro to Karlaplan and then walking (bout 10 mis) to the museum. I don't think that a taxi would beat our time by much (if any).

[fabnfortysomething]

we did the ships excursion with Norwegian Sun last year which included the Vasa museum then several hours free time in Stockholm

 

it was the only ships excursion we have taken and reminded us why we prefer private as we were kept waiting by latecomers back to the bus before we were dropped off for our free time

 

if you are fit and healthy take in the Vasa tour by the ships guide which was good then you could probably walk from there to central Stockholm at your own pace -we waited longer for those latecomers than it would have taken for me to walk[hubby has walking difficulties so that was the reason we did the bus tour in the first place]

[dogs4fun]

we did the ships excursion with Norwegian Sun last year which included the Vasa museum then several hours free time in Stockholm

 

it was the only ships excursion we have taken and reminded us why we prefer private as we were kept waiting by latecomers back to the bus before we were dropped off for our free time

 

if you are fit and healthy take in the Vasa tour by the ships guide which was good then you could probably walk from there to central Stockholm at your own pace -we waited longer for those latecomers than it would have taken for me to walk[hubby has walking difficulties so that was the reason we did the bus tour in the first place]

 

Hi Fab,

Did this tour drop you off at the Opera House for your free time?

Also, on this tour, did you visit the Vasa Museum first or did you first drive through Gamla Stan and downtown Stockholm?

[fabnfortysomething]

Hi Fab,

Did this tour drop you off at the Opera House for your free time?

Also, on this tour, did you visit the Vasa Museum first or did you first drive through Gamla Stan and downtown Stockholm?

 

we visited the vasa museum first

 

as far as I remember it was probably the opera house for drop off-I can only remember it was close to the river

 

Gamla stan as I understand it is the pedestrian area which is why we missed out on seeing it as my DH had reached his physical limit by that time

[Giantfan13]

Some of our Swedish posters will be able to give you more accurate info on time and travel distances. When we did the Baltics, NCL was still sailing into Stockholm, so we didn't have that problem, but from what I've read for the past year or so, yes the NCL tour drops you off at the Opera House, which really isn't near the Vasa Museum. If memory holds, many people said they did the NCL sort of charter to get to Stockholm as it does allow for it's people to leave the ship first.

 

Wherever you arrive in Stockholm, do try and get to the Vasa first. Even though the Opera House is not far from Gamla Stan, if you get to Vasa later, you might have to wait to get in, and that would minimize your time in Stockholm.

From the Opera House, get to The Vasa Museum, then back to Gamla Stan, so you will be nearer the Opera House to catch the bus back to the ship. That is definitely the way to go.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Al_Frescoe]

Assuming that the drop-off is near the Opera, we were thinking of taking the metro to Karlaplan and then walking (bout 10 mis) to the museum. I don't think that a taxi would beat our time by much (if any).

 

Never heard of anyone doing this, not a bad idea I guess, but I think it will be a bit more than a 10 minute walk from Karlaplan to the Vasa. Plus you will have the central station to deal with and that can be confusing to some folks.

 

Just make sure you are on a RED line train that goes to Ropsten.

 

Have fun

 

Al

[Doughboy139]

Hi,

I need some information and advice about taking the "Stockholm on your own" shore excursion offered by the Norwegian Sun in August.

 

I remember previously reading on one of the threads from someone who had taken this excursion but, alas, I can't find the thread. :confused:

 

We will be tendered in Nynäshamn and people with shore excursions booked through NCL have priority in disembarking. I am willing to purchase the shore excursion for this reason alone as we would like to maximize our time in Stockholm.

 

Questions:

Does anyone know where this excursion will drop us off in Stockholm? I think I had read that the drop-off was somewhere near the Opera House? Is this where they usually drop-off?

 

About what time does the excursion bus arrive in Stockholm?

 

We would like to visit the Vasa museum, take a ride on the historic #7 tram, visit Gamla Stan (with a visit inside the Nobel museum) and find a nice place to eat before making it back to the bus for the return to the ship. Is this doable (approx 6 hours in Stockholm after travel time)?

 

Should we visit the Vasa Museum first? I understand the lines get quite long.

 

Thanks,

Jill

 

 

Jill, I did this excursion last year on the Sun and am doing it again this year in sept. To answer your questions.

 

1) The bus drops you off at the opera house. you should arrive at the

opera house at around 9am......The pick-up time is at the opera house

at around 3:30pm

 

2) I would do the Vasa Museum first thing in the morning as the line to get

in gets longer late morning and into the afternoon.....I did the Vasa at

9:30am and when I came out at 11:15 the line was 4 times longer then

when I went in.

 

3) when you leave the Vasa, catch the HOHO boat that is right near the

Vasa. This will take you over to Gamla Stan and the palace where you

can catch the Changing of the guard at noon-time

 

4) This is all doable in the 6 and 1/2 hours that you will be there

 

I have posted my review on this and I will look for it and re-post it again

 

Peter

[dogs4fun]

Never heard of anyone doing this, not a bad idea I guess, but I think it will be a bit more than a 10 minute walk from Karlaplan to the Vasa. Plus you will have the central station to deal with and that can be confusing to some folks.

 

Just make sure you are on a RED line train that goes to Ropsten.

 

Have fun

 

Al

 

Thanks Al,

A question : Can we purchase single journey tickets at Kungstradgarden station?

I checked the walking distance from Karlaplan to Vasa. Google Maps estimates the walking time at 17 mins (1.4 km).

I really would love to see Kungstradgarden station as it is reputed to be a "museum" in itself. Would you recommend it as worth a visit? I have seen photos of both Kungstradgarden and T-Centralen and would really like to see them in person. Hence the metro ride to Vasa.

We are veterans users of many subway systems (Rome, Sydney, London, Paris). Is the T-bana more difficult to navigate than either the Paris or Rome metro?

According to the T-bana planner, we would take blue line 11 to T-Centralen and then red line 13 to Karlaplan. Does this look correct?

I am currently in the process of checking-out your blog.

Many thanks,

jill

[dogs4fun]

Jill, I did this excursion last year on the Sun and am doing it again this year in sept. To answer your questions.

 

1) The bus drops you off at the opera house. you should arrive at the

opera house at around 9am......The pick-up time is at the opera house

at around 3:30pm

 

2) I would do the Vasa Museum first thing in the morning as the line to get

in gets longer late morning and into the afternoon.....I did the Vasa at

9:30am and when I came out at 11:15 the line was 4 times longer then

when I went in.

 

3) when you leave the Vasa, catch the HOHO boat that is right near the

Vasa. This will take you over to Gamla Stan and the palace where you

can catch the Changing of the guard at noon-time

 

4) This is all doable in the 6 and 1/2 hours that you will be there

 

I have posted my review on this and I will look for it and re-post it again

 

Peter

 

Thank you very much Peter .... this was exactly what I was looking for. Yours was the previous post I had read and could no longer find. We will head over to Vasa first. Sure hope that we arrive in Stockholm as early as you did last year.

 

Can I inquire as to which mode of transportation you used to get to Vasa?

 

We would really like to use the metro (particularly Kungstradgarden) because of the art/displalys in the stations. Have you used the metro? Just wondering if one can purchase single journey tickets in Kungstradgarden station?

 

Did you by any chance visit the Nobel Museum?

 

Would to see the Royal Armoury, but it will be closed on the day we are in Stockholm.

 

Many thanks,

jill

[stubbornoldowl]

Anyone know if taxis are readily available around the Opera House? Thanks.

[Doughboy139]

Thank you very much Peter .... this was exactly what I was looking for. Yours was the previous post I had read and could no longer find. We will head over to Vasa first. Sure hope that we arrive in Stockholm as early as you did last year.

 

Can I inquire as to which mode of transportation you used to get to Vasa?

 

We would really like to use the metro (particularly Kungstradgarden) because of the art/displalys in the stations. Have you used the metro? Just wondering if one can purchase single journey tickets in Kungstradgarden station?

 

Did you by any chance visit the Nobel Museum?

 

Would to see the Royal Armoury, but it will be closed on the day we are in Stockholm.

 

Many thanks,

jill

 

 

Jill, here is my post from a couple of months ago....The Vasa Museum opens at 8:30 am. you want to do the Vasa first thing when you get to Stockholm as the line to get in gets longer as the morning goes on because all the tour buses start showing up around 10:30 and after, plus alot of regular tourists too.....I noticed that when I came out of the Vasa at around 11:10, that the lines were 3 times longer than when I went in...there is a line for the tour groups and a separate line for regular tourists.....I too thought that the VASA opened at 10am but was surprised to see the posted time on the building saying 8:30am..i think this is why the line gets longer in the late morning because alot of people are under the impression that it opens at 10am.

 

when you come out of the Vasa, there is a HOHO boat just around the corner of the Vasa..

 

The Stockholm on your own excursion thru the ship is very easy. The Bus lets you off in front of the opera house. from there you can get to the Vasa museum 2 ways, either by bus or by the HOHO boat. If you go by bus, you want to catch the #46 bus. To get there, you want to walk down the street about 50 yards and take your 1st left, walk down that street for another 50 -70 yards to the next corner and look to your left, you will see a bus stop with the #46 on the sign. When the bus lets you off, there will be a little bit of a walk, probably around 100 to 150 yards give or take a few.

 

If you want to go to the Vasa by the HOHO boat, walk down the street and take your 1st right. walk about 50-70 yards and you will see a boat ramp to your left that has the stop for the HOHO boat. It is directly across the street that leads up to the Royal palace which is a slight hill with cobble roads. I think the first stop on the HOHO boat from there is the VASA and it is only a short walk to the museum when you get off.

 

Now for a little tip on the cruise ship. If you sign up for the Stockholm on your own, your meeting time will be 7:30 in the theatre. When you get to the theatre, sit in the section that is to the left of the stage as that is the first group to leave the theatre and get thier number and then they go straight to the tender area to get off the ship. Once off the ship and onto your bus, off you go to Stockholm which is a 45 minute ride.

 

everything is in close proximity with what you want to do......I found stockholm the easiest of all the countries I visited...

 

Also, the Royal palace is directly across the street from the opera house

 

I hope this helps everyone

 

here are some photos from Stockholm....I didn't get to gamla stan or to any other museums as my mother was having some difficulties walking that day....This year tho we will be spending most of ourr time in gamla stan and the royal palace

http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k614/Doughboy139/Stockholm%20Sweden/

[boeckli]

Peter - thanks for providing that detailed info.

One question though - with passengers on a booked tour disembarking on the tenders first, do you know if people with priority tender tickets (we are platinum latitudes) could get off the ship at the same earlier time (i.e. prior to people not on a tour)?

If that were the case, we may look at the train option again ...

[Ultima Thule]

 

I really would love to see Kungstradgarden station as it is reputed to be a "museum" in itself. Would you recommend it as worth a visit? I have seen photos of both Kungstradgarden and T-Centralen and would really like to see them in person. Hence the metro ride to Vasa.

 

We are veterans users of many subway systems (Rome, Sydney, London, Paris). Is the T-bana more difficult to navigate than either the Paris or Rome metro?

 

According to the T-bana planner, we would take blue line 11 to T-Centralen and then red line 13 to Karlaplan. Does this look correct?

 

That looks correct. In my mind the T-bana is quite straightforward. I think all stations have manned ticket stands. Just remember that while Sweden changed to right hand traffic in the 1960s the T-bana still has left hand traffic so the trains enters and leaves the station in different directions than those you are used to.

Kungsträdgården is a rather quite station with spectacular art.

The T-Centralen is big and busy. Its is built like the letter "A" with the left leg consisting of the blue line 95 feet under the street and the right leg consisting of the red and green lines intermixed on two levels, 46 and 62 feet under the street. Between them is, like the cross arm of an "A", a tunnel consisting of escalators, a rolling walkway and another set of escalators. It's is the blue line part of the station that is worth seeing.

So getting off the blue line you should take the escalators starting in the middle of the platform to reach the red line via the rolling walkway. (There are escalators at each end of the platform as well leading up to street level) I cannot remember now if red line 13 NE direction goes from the upper or the lower of the two levels but everything is clearly marked and you should take the train going to "Ropsten"

If you REALLY get lost, try to find your way out to ticket hall "Segels Torg" as all three lines use that same ticket hall.

[dogs4fun]

That looks correct. In my mind the T-bana is quite straightforward. I think all stations have manned ticket stands. Just remember that while Sweden changed to right hand traffic in the 1960s the T-bana still has left hand traffic so the trains enters and leaves the station in different directions than those you are used to.

Kungsträdgården is a rather quite station with spectacular art.

The T-Centralen is big and busy. Its is built like the letter "A" with the left leg consisting of the blue line 95 feet under the street and the right leg consisting of the red and green lines intermixed on two levels, 46 and 62 feet under the street. Between them is, like the cross arm of an "A", a tunnel consisting of escalators, a rolling walkway and another set of escalators. It's is the blue line part of the station that is worth seeing.

So getting off the blue line you should take the escalators starting in the middle of the platform to reach the red line via the rolling walkway. (There are escalators at each end of the platform as well leading up to street level) I cannot remember now if red line 13 NE direction goes from the upper or the lower of the two levels but everything is clearly marked and you should take the train going to "Ropsten"

If you REALLY get lost, try to find your way out to ticket hall "Segels Torg" as all three lines use that same ticket hall.

 

Thank you very much, Ultima.

[Doughboy139]

Peter - thanks for providing that detailed info.

One question though - with passengers on a booked tour disembarking on the tenders first, do you know if people with priority tender tickets (we are platinum latitudes) could get off the ship at the same earlier time (i.e. prior to people not on a tour)?

If that were the case, we may look at the train option again ...

 

 

Boeckli,

I don't know if Platinum members have first priority if they are not on a ship excursion......but if I had a choice, I would still do the "Stockholm on your own" thru the ship for $49.00 rather than risking it on a train as the bus drops you off right at the opera house which is next to the Royal Palace.

[rdnpdx1]

Peter - thanks for providing that detailed info.

One question though - with passengers on a booked tour disembarking on the tenders first, do you know if people with priority tender tickets (we are platinum latitudes) could get off the ship at the same earlier time (i.e. prior to people not on a tour)?

If that were the case, we may look at the train option again ...

 

I checked with NCL on the phone a couple of months ago and the rep did not give an unequivocal "yes you will have priority in disembarking to the tenders". And I am not sure I would rely on it anyway. Some of our group are platinum Lattitudes and some of us are in suites, so we have priority. Some of our group do not have that priority. For that reason, we have no assurance we can get everyone off early, so the ship's tour may be the best option, even though it returns too soon.

 

We are considering doing the taxi option into town because the taxi will drop at Vasa rather than the Opera House and will depart a bit later and still get back to ship in plenty of time. We liked the taxi over the train because it would be quicker and a group of 8 can defray the set cost for the taxi.

 

As an alternative we may just take the On Your Own bus into town and a taxi out, and the heck with the added cost. I'd rather have an extra hour in Stockholm than an extra $40-50.

 

Decisions, decisions.

[boeckli]

Boeckli,

I don't know if Platinum members have first priority if they are not on a ship excursion......but if I had a choice, I would still do the "Stockholm on your own" thru the ship for $49.00 rather than risking it on a train as the bus drops you off right at the opera house which is next to the Royal Palace.

 

Thanks - I agree that the ship's tour does have the added 'peace of mind' component

I checked with NCL on the phone a couple of months ago and the rep did not give an unequivocal "yes you will have priority in disembarking to the tenders". And I am not sure I would rely on it anyway. Some of our group are platinum Lattitudes and some of us are in suites, so we have priority. Some of our group do not have that priority. For that reason, we have no assurance we can get everyone off early, so the ship's tour may be the best option, even though it returns too soon.

 

We are considering doing the taxi option into town because the taxi will drop at Vasa rather than the Opera House and will depart a bit later and still get back to ship in plenty of time. We liked the taxi over the train because it would be quicker and a group of 8 can defray the set cost for the taxi.

 

As an alternative we may just take the On Your Own bus into town and a taxi out, and the heck with the added cost. I'd rather have an extra hour in Stockholm than an extra $40-50.

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

As a group it's easier to justify the taxi cost of course (and you have a little more flexibility). Please post your experiences when you get back, as we only sail at the end of July :)

[Mediana]

Just a tip. Skip the subway. It will take way longer for you to get to Vasa Museet. Stick with either the hoho boat, or tram #7. Just to clarify things, the particular bus line that Doughboy139 talks about got replaces by the tram last year.

 

As for taxis. There might be one or two standing outside of the Opera, otherwise you can call one (or ask someone to do it for your). Doesn't take more than max 5 min to get one.