Norway Fjords cruise: Will cruiseship be very close to the fjords?

[aprilsp88]

Hi,

 

We'll take Princess for a Norway Fjords cruise. Ports of call include Bergen, Geiranger, Honningsvag, Tromso, Lofoten Island, Flam and Stravanger.

 

Will it be"scenic cruising" most of the time? How close will the cruisehip be to the Fjords? Do we need Binocular? Is we book a small boat cruise in the Fjords, will we see much different scenery?

 

When we did Alaska cruise, "scenic cruising" is specified in the itenary, but this cruise doesn't specify any "scenic cruising". Just wonder if a boat cruise is necessary to experience Norway Fjords.

 

Thanks,

April

[SwissDave]

Your ship will be sailing in/through the fjords. The experience is like sailing through a valley in between mountains but on water instead of car/train (which actually is what it is, mountain valley filled with water). You feel as though you can almost reach over the side of the ship and touch the mountains as you pass through.

 

You will sail down the fjords to the port. for some you will then tender to shore, others, the larger ports, you will dock.

 

My favourites last year were Geiranger and Bergen.

 

I atttach a small picture from Geiranger I took last year.

[kaisatsu]

You'll have a lot of scenic cruising sailing in/out of ports. The most iconic fjord scenery will be on the bits to/from Flåm and Geiranger. You don't really need the binoculars, because there isn't a lot of wildlife, and as mentioned above, the ship sails with land quite close by on either side (especially in Geiranger). However, there are often little farms or cabins on the hillside, so having the binoculars around can be fun.

 

The boat cruise will depend on the location. In Geiranger, it will be the same scenery, but you may enjoy the different perspective from the smaller boat (though as excursions go I would instead recommend getting up high in Geiranger to see it from one of the overlooks, because it's a very different view than down at water level). In Stavanger, the ship may or may not sail into Lysefjord, and at Flåm a boat trip would probably take you into Nærøyfjord which is a branch off the larger Sognefjord leading to Gudvangen. Nærøyfjord is the second UNESCO-listed fjord in Norway (Geirangerfjord is the other). It's nice, but most people would choose the Flåmsbana railroad.

[TLCOhio]

Hi, We'll take Princess for a Norway Fjords cruise. Ports of call include Bergen, Geiranger, Honningsvag, Tromso, Lofoten Island, Flam and Stravanger. Will it be "scenic cruising" most of the time? How close will the cruisehip be to the Fjords? Do we need Binocular? Is we book a small boat cruise in the Fjords, will we see much different scenery? When we did Alaska cruise, "scenic cruising" is specified in the itenary, but this cruise doesn't specify any "scenic cruising". Just wonder if a boat cruise is necessary to experience Norway Fjords. Thanks, April

 

Yes, April, you will see lots and lots of Norway up close and personal. As noted by Meg and SwissDave, there's so much to see and enjoy with your various port stops. Below are a few of my photo samples as "proof" and evidence to back it up. You can connect and read below my full live/blog to get added pictures, details on many of these ports. Our July 2010 cruise visited Bergen (super loved), Geiranger (wonderful in doing up country tour), Honningsvag (loved North Cape, did Bird Island, puffins, etc.), Tromso (lovely views from its overlook), Lofoten Island (had two great stops here) and Flam (for the rail trip).

 

Yes, take some binoculars. Lots to see and enjoy. There are advantages with a smaller ship, but overall, you will see roughly the same basics along these various fjord routes and coastal cruisings, etc. The big difference in Alaska versus Norway is that in the later, you are much, much closer to key action.

 

Look through my full postings, see all of the pictures and then let me and others know your added questions, reactions, etc. Happy to share more details!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 71,146 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

This is the dramatic overview of Tromso along the Norway Coast. The Arctic Cathedral is shown bottom right in this picture.:

 

 

 

As we departed Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands of Norway on a perfect, sunny day, these are two of the green, tree-covered mountains rising up from the sea that we saw with the small out-islands in the foreground.:

 

 

 

You go on these Norway Coast cruises for the spectacular fjords. From the journey to Flam, Gudvangen and Sognerfjord, here is one picture giving you a sampling of the skies and views for these beautiful internal coastlines of the fjords.

 

 

 

This is one of my many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks. We had a private boat from is the harbor in Gjesvaer near the North Cape.:

 

 

 

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

 

 

 

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. Here is this view, at a lower level, that provided a wonderful vista.:

 

[aprilsp88]

SwissDave,

 

I really like to feel the mountain very close while cursing, it must be unforgettable.

 

Where did you take that picture? Can you hike to that location or have to driver?

 

Thanks,

April

 

Your ship will be sailing in/through the fjords. The experience is like sailing through a valley in between mountains but on water instead of car/train (which actually is what it is, mountain valley filled with water). You feel as though you can almost reach over the side of the ship and touch the mountains as you pass through.

 

You will sail down the fjords to the port. for some you will then tender to shore, others, the larger ports, you will dock.

 

My favourites last year were Geiranger and Bergen.

 

I atttach a small picture from Geiranger I took last year.

[aprilsp88]

Kaisatsu,

 

Thanks for the detail information and summary. It's really helpful!

 

Did you take any tour in Geiranger to go to the overlooks?

 

Thanks,

April

 

You'll have a lot of scenic cruising sailing in/out of ports. The most iconic fjord scenery will be on the bits to/from Flåm and Geiranger. You don't really need the binoculars, because there isn't a lot of wildlife, and as mentioned above, the ship sails with land quite close by on either side (especially in Geiranger). However, there are often little farms or cabins on the hillside, so having the binoculars around can be fun.

 

The boat cruise will depend on the location. In Geiranger, it will be the same scenery, but you may enjoy the different perspective from the smaller boat (though as excursions go I would instead recommend getting up high in Geiranger to see it from one of the overlooks, because it's a very different view than down at water level). In Stavanger, the ship may or may not sail into Lysefjord, and at Flåm a boat trip would probably take you into Nærøyfjord which is a branch off the larger Sognefjord leading to Gudvangen. Nærøyfjord is the second UNESCO-listed fjord in Norway (Geirangerfjord is the other). It's nice, but most people would choose the Flåmsbana railroad.

[aprilsp88]

Hi Terry,

 

I really enjoy reading your review. It's very interesting and informational. I plan to keep it so that I can refer to it at each port we're visiting. Thanks for that!

 

Is it easy to drive in Norway? How about parking? Where did you rent the car in Geiranger and hongnningsvag? Do they take US driver's license? Roughly how much does it cost for car rental, insurance and parking each day?

 

Thanks,

April

 

Yes, April, you will see lots and lots of Norway up close and personal. As noted by Meg and SwissDave, there's so much to see and enjoy with your various port stops. Below are a few of my photo samples as "proof" and evidence to back it up. You can connect and read below my full live/blog to get added pictures, details on many of these ports. Our July 2010 cruise visited Bergen (super loved), Geiranger (wonderful in doing up country tour), Honningsvag (loved North Cape, did Bird Island, puffins, etc.), Tromso (lovely views from its overlook), Lofoten Island (had two great stops here) and Flam (for the rail trip).

 

Yes, take some binoculars. Lots to see and enjoy. There are advantages with a smaller ship, but overall, you will see roughly the same basics along these various fjord routes and coastal cruisings, etc. The big difference in Alaska versus Norway is that in the later, you are much, much closer to key action.

 

Look through my full postings, see all of the pictures and then let me and others know your added questions, reactions, etc. Happy to share more details!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

[kaisatsu]

Did you take any tour in Geiranger to go to the overlooks?

Both times I've cruised to Geiranger I ended up just hiking up to some of the overlooks. On the first trip we hiked up to Løsta, and on the second we went to the Westeråsfjellet overlook. Both are trails from Westerås Farm.

 

The trail to Westerås Farm starts across the road from the Geiranger Fjord Center, just beyond the Union Hotel. The hike to the farm is a moderate 2km uphill trail. It's all uphill, but not especially steep, and the path is uneven with lots of small rocks and tree branches.

 

From Westerås Farm to Løsta is another 2km that starts of with an easy farm road and then changes into similar trail for the last 1.5 km. The trail to Westeråsfjellet follows the same farm road and then turns left at the junction with the Løsta trail and has a short descent down to the overlook. The angle of the view is somewhat similar, but Løsta is higher and less obstructed because it's on a rocky outcrop (with little fencing). Westeråsfjellet is a fenced cliffside with a view down over the tender pier and out along the fjord. I thought it was also a very nice view.

 

I did the hike up to Westeråsfjellet with my parents, who are both active and in their early 60s. They do a lot of light hiking in the state parks where they live, and they found the trail to be a bit more difficult than they were used to, but they were managed fine at a slow pace. It took them around 3 hours to make the full roundtrip (including photo stops). My ex and I did the hike up to Løsta after doing the hike to Storseterseter waterfall. At a fast pace, we managed to do the roundtrip from Westerås farm to Storseter and the roundtrip to Løsta, but we were rushing back down, because we had a very short port call.

 

It looks like it's also possible to walk from Westerås Farm over to Flydalsjuvet, which has views very similar to the ones posted above. It's about 1.5 km down the road from the farm at roughly the same elevation. I wanted to try this, but my mother was having problems with her back this trip, so we just headed back down.

 

This is a PDF version of the hiking map that's available at the tourist office in Geiranger (for 10 NOK):

http://www.visitalesund-geiranger.com/Alesund/Turkart/Hiking%20routes%20Geiranger.pdf

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, I really enjoy reading your review. It's very interesting and informational. I plan to keep it so that I can refer to it at each port we're visiting. Thanks for that! Is it easy to drive in Norway? How about parking? Where did you rent the car in Geiranger and hongnningsvag? Do they take US driver's license? Roughly how much does it cost for car rental, insurance and parking each day? Thanks, April

 

Hi, April! Our driving in three different port stops worked fine and was fairly easy. We didn't get a rental car for Geiranger. It's a very, very small port, plus in some of these areas, there are a few road routes with lots of switchbacks and other driving challenges where it is better to be on a bus or other vehicle with somebody else doing the driving. That way you can better enjoy the dramatic views and great sights. The car rentals were a little over a hundred dollars each in two of the ports and around $300 in the more costly Lofoten Islands. Check several of the rental car search sites to set-up these options. Things are not cheap for eating, etc., in Norway. High labor costs and taxes there.

 

No problems for parking in the three towns where we had rentals. In a larger town such as Bergen in its key central city, that could or would be different, but we didn't have or need a rental car there for our interests.

 

Let me know any other questions. Below are a few more of the great sights we enjoyed. More on the full blog connected below.

 

To do our boat charter, you can check this website: http://www.birdsafari-aurora.no/ or e-mail at ro71no@online.no.

Our Captain was super, excellent for doing a 90-minute tour. It was scheduled for only sixty minutes, but we got more. His boat had a capacity of eight persons, was a 27-feet size and was propelled by 222-horse power engine with thrusters to get closer to the rocks of this protected island where humans are not allowed. For the four of us, it cost us a total of 2000 NOK for the boat charter. We had special “polar suits” to protect against the cold and wind. It was not too cold, but we needed these warmer suits they provided. To be honest, weather is a “crap shoot” here. We were lucky, very fortunate! And happy. We got our car rental through: lene@nordkappbilservice.no

 

THANKS for your nice comments and tuning in! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 71,301 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

After being tendered from Geiranger, we sailed out and passed by two super famous waterfalls. YES, yes, we saw lots and lots of waterfalls on this trip, but these two were among the “best of the best”. First is the “Seven Sisters”. Directly opposite in this narrow fjord, it is called several names, including “The Suitor”. The majesty for these feats of nature is pretty amazing.:

 

 

 

As we drive back on the Lofoten Islands along the western Norway Coast, here is a view, among many, we enjoyed.:

 

 

 

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background of this charming Norway coastal town with so much great history and architecture. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor.

 

 

 

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

 

 

 

Arriving at Flam, the Captain is right there directing this process. You can see here some of the fjord mountains, waterfalls in the background. Below is another highlight from this day in the Sognerfjord that is rated as the best in all of Norway for these views. This includes a spectacular train ride up the mountain, seeing the valleys, waterfalls, etc.:

 

 

 

[aprilsp88]

Hi Terry,

 

Thanks for the info. I'm still doing research on each port, I'll have more questions to come. :)

 

Thanks,

April

 

Hi, April! Our driving in three different port stops worked fine and was fairly easy.

 

Let me know any other questions.

 

[aprilsp88]

Hi kaisatsu,

 

I think we have about 5 hours in Geiranger. How long does it take for you to hike to storeter and return to the pier?

 

Thanks,

April

 

Both times I've cruised to Geiranger I ended up just hiking up to some of the overlooks. On the first trip we hiked up to Løsta, and on the second we went to the Westeråsfjellet overlook. Both are trails from Westerås Farm.

 

The trail to Westerås Farm starts across the road from the Geiranger Fjord Center, just beyond the Union Hotel. The hike to the farm is a moderate 2km uphill trail. It's all uphill, but not especially steep, and the path is uneven with lots of small rocks and tree branches.

 

From Westerås Farm to Løsta is another 2km that starts of with an easy farm road and then changes into similar trail for the last 1.5 km. The trail to Westeråsfjellet follows the same farm road and then turns left at the junction with the Løsta trail and has a short descent down to the overlook. The angle of the view is somewhat similar, but Løsta is higher and less obstructed because it's on a rocky outcrop (with little fencing). Westeråsfjellet is a fenced cliffside with a view down over the tender pier and out along the fjord. I thought it was also a very nice view.

 

I did the hike up to Westeråsfjellet with my parents, who are both active and in their early 60s. They do a lot of light hiking in the state parks where they live, and they found the trail to be a bit more difficult than they were used to, but they were managed fine at a slow pace. It took them around 3 hours to make the full roundtrip (including photo stops). My ex and I did the hike up to Løsta after doing the hike to Storseterseter waterfall. At a fast pace, we managed to do the roundtrip from Westerås farm to Storseter and the roundtrip to Løsta, but we were rushing back down, because we had a very short port call.

 

It looks like it's also possible to walk from Westerås Farm over to Flydalsjuvet, which has views very similar to the ones posted above. It's about 1.5 km down the road from the farm at roughly the same elevation. I wanted to try this, but my mother was having problems with her back this trip, so we just headed back down.

 

This is a PDF version of the hiking map that's available at the tourist office in Geiranger (for 10 NOK):

http://www.visitalesund-geiranger.com/Alesund/Turkart/Hiking%20routes%20Geiranger.pdf

[kaisatsu]

I think we have about 5 hours in Geiranger. How long does it take for you to hike to storeter and return to the pier?

Obviously it depends on your hiking speed, but it's about 20 minutes up to the trail head, and from there it's 4km uphill and then the same 4km back.

 

At a quick pace, I think we would have taken about 3½ hours roundtrip from the pier.

 

I looked at the timestamps on the photos I took with my parents, and it looks like they made the 2km climb up in about 1 hr, and spent about 1 hr headed back down. So that would have meant at their pace it would have taken around 5 hours up to the waterfall and back (plus rest & photo stops).

 

Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with Storseterfossen and was glad we rushed to make the trip over to Løsta. There were a few so-so views of the fjord on the way up to the waterfall, but most of the scenery was just general mountain terrain, and the waterfall wasn't as impressive as I was expecting. It was a nice hike, but I felt like it was one you could do anywhere. In fjord country, I feel like I should be hiking up for a view of the fjord, so I preferred the hikes to Løsta and Westeråsfjellet much more. Løsta would take about the same amount of time as (or slightly less than) Storseterfossen, and Westeråsfjellet would be faster, since it's an easy hike.