Looking for information on Norway in a Nutshell Excursion

[csaeroach]

I am on the Vision of the Seas visiting Bergen, Norway on Tuesday May 31 2011 from 7:00am - 7:00pm.

 

I would like to book the Norway in a Nutshell excursion, but wondering if this would be better to book with the ship which is a 9 hour tour, or book it private which is a 8.5 hour tour.

 

Can someone please give me some advise who may have done this tour in the past. How did you enjoy it, and do you think it is worth the $189?

 

Royal Caribbean is offering 9 hour tour with lunch. From what I get out of the description there is no boat portion to the waterfalls with this tour, it only includes bus and train. Cost is $189 pp.

 

Tour description:

This tour will be operated in English only. Drive through the beautiful Western Norwegian Landscape, to Voss. Board the train to Myrdal and enjoy beautiful mountain sceneries. At Myrdal station change the train and board the famous Flam railway, one of the most spectacular railway in Europe, and arrive in the village of Flam on the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. Board you coach in Flamand drive to Stalheim. Drive one of the most spectacular road in Norway and enjoy a meal at the famous stalheim Hotel. Return to Bergen passing the magnificent Tvinde waterfalls.

 

 

 

After doing a bit of research I did find a website for a similar tour which does include a boat to the waterfalls along with train and bus. It is priced in NOK but doing the currency conversion it looks to be about $10 cheaper, but I do not think it would include a guide or lunch.

 

Tour Description:

Round trip from Bergen

Price: NOK 995, duration ca. 8,5 hours

 

The Norway in a nutshell ® trip takes you through some of Norway's most beautiful fjord scenery. You can experience the scenic Bergen Railway, the breathtaking Flåm Railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the narrow Nærøyfjord and the steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva (May-September). The trip runs daily all year.Round trip from Bergen via Voss

Adults NOK 995

Children 4–15 years NOK 510

The price includes

 

• Train Bergen-Voss
  
• Bus Voss-Gudvangen
  
• Fjord cruise Gudvangen-Flåm
  
• The Flåm Railway Flåm-Myrdal
  
• Train Myrdal-Bergen
  
• Free entrance to the Flåm Railway Museum in Flåm
  

Looking for any reviews you can share with me, and advise on which would be the better excursion to take.

 

thanks so much!

Shelley

[DiverDavid]

My DW and I will be flying over to Sweden in a couple weeks to pick up our new Volvo then drive around Sweden and Oslo. We will be doing the Oslo roundtrip Norway in a Nutshell which uses many of the same trains/boat as the Bergen version. I will post a review when I get back.

 

With an excursion like this, I would actually recommend the ship's excursion. Why? The private excursion uses multiple trains, a boat, and a bus. It is planned that if one of the legs runs long, the next mode of transportation will wait. While that's nice, if you go with the private excursion and let's say the bus breaks down, the ship will not wait for you to return to Bergen. With this one, given the distance away from Bergen and the multiple modes of transportation, I would not take the chance.