Need Honningsvag Advice

[teacherman]

We will be in Honningsvag on Wednesday, June 12. We had planned to take ship's excursion to North Cape, but after hearing from so many who went there and saw nothing but fog, we are re-considering. RCCL also offers a tour entitled "Small Fishing Village and Christmas House", which goes to village of Skarsvaag (?). I would like advice/thoughts/info from any of you who may have done either of these excursions. We do not normally do ship's excursions, but that seems the best way to go in that port. We do not want to rent a car. Thank you for any help you may offer.

[TLCOhio]

We will be in Honningsvag on Wednesday, June 12. We had planned to take ship's excursion to North Cape, but after hearing from so many who went there and saw nothing but fog, we are re-considering. RCCL also offers a tour entitled "Small Fishing Village and Christmas House", which goes to village of Skarsvaag (?). I would like advice/thoughts/info from any of you who may have done either of these excursions. We do not normally do ship's excursions, but that seems the best way to go in that port. We do not want to rent a car. Thank you for any help you may offer.

 

Hi, Don and Susan! Glad you've had so much cruising and travel experiences all over the world. Very impressive. YES, the weather can be a little bit of a "crap shoot" up here. Below are a few pictures for what we saw and did in going to the famed bird island up there. It is possible that the weather could be a problem, but things are always changing up there. Our driving and doing a private boat charter worked super well. You can see and read lots more details on my full live/blog linked below.

 

What other ports will you be visiting along this scenic and spectacular Norway coast?

 

Ship tours are not always best, but in Norway, your other options can be more limited and costly than in the Med or Carib. Keep researching and planning. Let me know any added questions, thoughts, interests, etc.

 

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 96,114 views.

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

 

 

After getting our rental car in Honningvag, the store clerk mentioned in passing a warning of “Watch out of the reindeer.” Just casually saying it. Sure. Maybe, we’ll see some in the distance. Two or three, maybe!? On the way to Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was a small part of the large herd of reindeer we discovered on the way to our boat charter. They believed that all of this territory, including the road, belong to them. The young baby reindeer were especially cute!:

 

 

 

Sailing from the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape, this is the first of many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks.:

 

 

 

We found five seals on this rock. They slid off of the rock, into the water and then peaked their heads up to say "HI" to us.:

 

 

 

This shows a huge colony of sea gulls along the rocks and deep into the large opening in the side of the mountain that is this bird island.:

 

 

 

Going down into Gjesvaer, near the North Cape, here was a harbor scene/mountain scene. At the bottom right are some of the wooden fish drying racks. Second is a picture more from water level up to the mountains hanging over the water, a boat in the harbor, birds in the sky, etc.:

 

 

 

[Jill01]

We went on the fishing village trip when we were in Honningsvag the year before last. Enjoyed the trip the villages were quite pretty but we were also very lucky with the weather, blue skies and warm sunshine.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2013 by Jill01

[SoBaycruiser]

There is a public bus that goes to Nordkapp. That might allow you to make a decision last minute as to whether you want to go there....also consider the timing in port as I think the bus only goes a few times a day and you want to be back to the ship in time. Are you on a large ship? If so, that will be a lot of competition for spots on the bus.

 

Someone on our roll call arranged for a taxi to take a small group of us to Nordkapp. If the weather is bad, I guess we could direct him to go elsewhere. It was the best option for us and we are grateful that one of our fellow passengers was willing to arrange it.

[emckeeve]

We are following Terry from Ohio's path and renting a car. We have two couples, so the price is minimal. We have arranged a "small boat" excursion to Stappen Island for bird watching and are planning to stop by the North Cape on the way back if weather is nice. We could have taken both of these excursions with the ship (sometimes that's not possible - it's either/or) but we like the flexibility of the car since we'll be in port for 9 hours.

[TLCOhio]

We went on the fishing village trip when we were in Honningsvag the year before last. Enjoyed the trip the villages were quite pretty but we were also very lucky with the weather, blue skies and warm sunshine.

 

emckeeve: We are following Terry from Ohio's path and renting a car. We have two couples' date=' so the price is minimal. We have arranged a "small boat" excursion to Stappen Island for bird watching and are planning to stop by the North Cape on the way back if weather is nice. We could have taken both of these excursions with the ship (sometimes that's not possible - it's either/or) but we like the flexibility of the car since we'll be in port for 9 hours. [/quote']

 

Appreciate the great visuals from Jill in London. Glad you had such a super sunny day there, as we did, initially. Below are a few more of my shots in and around that cute village.

 

Glad to hear that things are coming together for emckeeve with your "adventure" with another couple to do this private charter, etc. Let us know any other questions, comments.

 

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 96,661 views.

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

 

 

In the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was the harbor scene as we had our picnic at an open table before going on our charter boat to the bird rock areas. That tree trunk/limbs shown didn't actually grow there. It was brought in and placed there. This far north, nothing major grows and the land areas are very much a type of tundra. Extremely interesting and beautiful area!:

 

 

 

This is the harbor in Gjesvaer with its various small boats shown. Notice the reflections in the water of the boats as the sky was so sunny and blue with the water so calm.:

 

 

 

These are some of these Cormorant black birds at their perching area on this island.:

 

 

 

This is a large flock of white birds with their different coloring at the top. I have been told that their official name is Northern Gannets. They are a seabird and is the largest member of the gannet family. They normally nest in large colonies, on cliffs overlooking the ocean or on small rocky islands.:

 

 

 

These various birds, including the puffins, were not just filling the cliffs and water, but the air, also. One of the eagles appears to be in the air. It was like a scene out of a Hitchcock film. They were not threatening us. Just busy getting food and living their lives.:

 

[Essexlass2]

Hi Terry

Your photos are wonderful, just as others I have seen you post on different forums have been. We are cruising the fjords at the end of May and visiting Stavanger, Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Honningsvaag, cruising the North Cape then Tromso and Geiranger. If you have any advice for these ports, it would be much appreciated.

[shoreham01]

We went to the North Cape visitor centre with Princess. It was very very foggy, cold and windy up there. Having said that, it was terrific fun especially trying to find the globe sculpture. We had to walk along with our hands on the railings to find it. The ground is extremely uneven up there, so wear good trainers. A poor man fell over and had to have paramedic assistance, he was not on our tour.

 

Even with the dreadful weather we enjoyed it so much, just a very different haunting experience. They have a very good gift shop up there too. There are even some things you can actually afford to buy!

 

Yes we could have seen the wonderful scenery, but we could see that on all the postcards and photos. We would never have experienced what we did with good weather.

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry

Your photos are wonderful, just as others I have seen you post on different forums have been. We are cruising the fjords at the end of May and visiting Stavanger, Flam, Alesund, Trondheim, Honningsvaag, cruising the North Cape then Tromso and Geiranger. If you have any advice for these ports, it would be much appreciated.

 

Appreciate your nice and wise comments. Earlier today, I did post some added ideas and suggestions on another question on this board for you. Let me know any added interests, needs, etc.

 

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 98,461 views.

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

[KCcruisin07]

We went to the North Cape visitor centre with Princess. It was very very foggy, cold and windy up there. Having said that, it was terrific fun especially trying to find the globe sculpture. We had to walk along with our hands on the railings to find it. The ground is extremely uneven up there, so wear good trainers. A poor man fell over and had to have paramedic assistance, he was not on our tour.

 

Even with the dreadful weather we enjoyed it so much, just a very different haunting experience. They have a very good gift shop up there too. There are even some things you can actually afford to buy!

 

Yes we could have seen the wonderful scenery, but we could see that on all the postcards and photos. We would never have experienced what we did with good weather.

 

We went to Honnigsvag and the Visitor Center with the Celebrity Shore Excursion. We had heard that there was a local bus, but we couldn't get reservations ahead of time or get on it. The Celebrity shore excursion had been booked, but someone was a no show, so we were able to be added.

The area was very green, and we saw reindeer on the way. The weather wasn't that foggy or cold when we went (June).

We didn't realize it, but from the Visitor Center you could go through a tunnel and see a German submarine that had been sunk just off the coast in WWII.

 

I can't compare this to the other excursion, but we would do it again.

[SoBaycruiser]

We went to Honnigsvag and the Visitor Center with the Celebrity Shore Excursion. We had heard that there was a local bus, but we couldn't get reservations ahead of time or get on it. The Celebrity shore excursion had been booked, but someone was a no show, so we were able to be added.

The area was very green, and we saw reindeer on the way. The weather wasn't that foggy or cold when we went (June).

We didn't realize it, but from the Visitor Center you could go through a tunnel and see a German submarine that had been sunk just off the coast in WWII.

 

I can't compare this to the other excursion, but we would do it again.

 

OMG, if this is indeed true, you've made my DH's whole trip...a WWII Geman UBoat? Can you describe the setting better? A tunnel? So you go underground? More info please.

[cafediem2]

My husband and older son went on a high speed zodiac trip from Honingsvag, followed by a trip to the ice bar - they loved it.

 

I had a broken ankle, so younger son and I did 'king crab', a very sedate trip through some lovely scenery to a site where we learned about how king crabs got to Norway, the ecological problems they pose, and then ate some (my son ate a lot actually), in a traditional lap tent. Saw lots of reindeer too.

[KCcruisin07]

OMG, if this is indeed true, you've made my DH's whole trip...a WWII Geman UBoat? Can you describe the setting better? A tunnel? So you go underground? More info please.

We didn't actually go through the tunnel because we didn't find out till we were leaving, so I will am a little envious that you will get to see it.

 

I had to do multiple searches, and all I found was a lengthy story of the battle between the HMos Nordkapp which encountered the German Kattegut, a huge tanker, off the coast of Norway on 4/9/40. I found the story in Wikipedia. (I wish it were a more reliable source, but it may be a starting point for more info if your husband is a history buff.) What I remember too is that it was really a point of pride for the Norwegians that they were able to sink it. They had strong feelings during the war because Germany posed a threat to their freedom. I hope this is enough to help you find more information.

[SoBaycruiser]

Thanks KCCruisin07!

 

I have been researching it since you posted your message. I found a sight that supposedly lists all the UBoats on display in the world and Nordkapp wasn't on it. I'm wondering now if rather than the remains of the actual submarine, if it's not a display in memory of the event. Either way, DH will love it. We'll look for the tunnel.

 

Thanks again.

[KCcruisin07]

Thanks KCCruisin07!

 

I have been researching it since you posted your message. I found a sight that supposedly lists all the UBoats on display in the world and Nordkapp wasn't on it. I'm wondering now if rather than the remains of the actual submarine, if it's not a display in memory of the event. Either way, DH will love it. We'll look for the tunnel.

 

Thanks again.

Hey, SoBay Cruiser,

It was a tanker that was to be used for refueling several other ships in the Arctic/near the Atlantic.

 

Also there was a battle in 1943 in which the Kriegsmarine battleship Schamhorst was sunk off North Cape...if you Google it, I think you will find more.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited March 18, 2013 by KCcruisin07

[syesmar]

Hi,

On my short-list of cruises to Norway, there is one that visits as far north as Honningsvag and one that does not venture that far north, with the northernmost port being Ulvik.

 

For those who have visited Honningsvag: can you tell me, if you had to pick and couldn't go far north, would you still make the journey to Norway?

 

THANKS

[TLCOhio]

Hi, On my short-list of cruises to Norway, there is one that visits as far north as Honningsvag and one that does not venture that far north, with the northernmost port being Ulvik. For those who have visited Honningsvag: can you tell me, if you had to pick and couldn't go far north, would you still make the journey to Norway? THANKS

 

In looking at the map, Ulvik, is around and a little to the east of wonderful, charming Bergen. As we considered our options before doing our July 2010 trip, there was "debate" and research back and forth. A number of pro/con factors/questions on just doing the lower, mainly fjord regions was evaluated. That can work well as an option. Wasn't totally sure taking the added time and spending the additional money would be worth it to go farther up north.

 

Results? It was super well worth it!! Why? Part of it was the Lofoten Island. We had stops there going up and coming back. Very dramatic and scenic. Other towns along the coast were very interesting, special histories, etc. Then, there was the North Cape and the bird island we visited. Super spectacular and wonderful. Seeing how things changed as we moved north of the Arctic Circle was unique and special. It is hard to say what works for others with their varied needs, budgets and interests. But, we loved it and hopefully my live/blog details why and why with photographic "evidence" to back up those opinions.

 

Just the southern part is very much worth it. The full range is better, but it is understandable that making the larger trip work is not possible for everyone. Some is better than "none"!!!

 

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 107,618 views.

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

[Globaliser]

For those who have visited Honningsvag: can you tell me, if you had to pick and couldn't go far north, would you still make the journey to Norway?

There's nothing special about Honningsvag or the North Cape - even the latter is better as a concept than as reality.

 

However, there is something special about venturing up to the north of Norway, particularly if you go at the time of the year when you'll get midnight sun. I would be reluctant to go on a Norwegian fjords cruise that didn't go into a fjord as spectacular as Geirangerfjord, and I don't know how Hardangerfjord compares. But if the cruise only goes as far as Hardangerfjord, as your other choice does, then basically it's a southern Norway cruise.

[TLCOhio]

There's nothing special about Honningsvag or the North Cape - even the latter is better as a concept than as reality. However, there is something special about venturing up to the north of Norway, particularly if you go at the time of the year when you'll get midnight sun. I would be reluctant to go on a Norwegian fjords cruise that didn't go into a fjord as spectacular as Geirangerfjord, and I don't know how Hardangerfjord compares. But if the cruise only goes as far as Hardangerfjord, as your other choice does, then basically it's a southern Norway cruise.

 

Agree in part with Globaliser. Honningsvag is pretty average as a town and the North Cape is in part a "concept" to say you been there to the top of Europe. For us, the bird island adventure, however, worked out super wonderful and so totally amazing for us!! As noted previously, we super loved the Lofoten Island and some other stops going up, up to the North Cape. Doing a Norway cruise that gives you at least two of the fjords is so vital and very important. Lots of great options along this coastal region. Much depends on your timing, personal interests and budget flexibilities.

 

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 107,924 views.

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

[linderbelle]

Terry: When you did the bird island adventure was it strictly on the boat or did you get off on an island etc?

 

Linda

[linderbelle]

Well there are no car rentals for the day we are there. Have tried everything unless somebody has some ideas. :)

 

Linda

[TLCOhio]

Terry: When you did the bird island adventure was it strictly on the boat or did you get off on an island etc? Linda

 

Hi, Linda!! While visiting this super scenic bird island near the North Cape, it was all about just viewing and seeing from our boat. No one is allowed to land on this protected island unless they are properly-approved "experts" and authorized by the government. Looking only!!

 

Sorry to hear on the limited rental cars in this port. It is fairly small there and their tourism season is short. That makes it hard to have the ideal infrastructure to handle too many ships and masses of visitors there on the same day.

 

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 192,397 views.

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

[linderbelle]

Thanks for the quick reply TLC. I did see where you aren't allowed on the island etc. I haven't given up totally yet--have found two unofficial agencies that rent cars so there's still hope and have emailed them. Hopefully hear from them by the time I get up in the morning.

 

We'll figure out something!!!

 

Linda

[linderbelle]

I did wake up to emails from two different other agencies and one wanting more information and the other stating they did have a car. It is reserved and they will be us at the tourist office at the port. What a relief. What did people do without the internet. I do remember that but we never went out of the country. lol

 

Thanks TLC. Now to book the bird island tour. Can't wait to see the puffins!!

 

Linda

 

Also, hope to see some reindeer!!