Can help with Ålesund & Norwegian Fjords:-)

[GJH123]

Al54, Alaskanb, and I-cruiser:

Thank you so much for your helpful information and suggestions. Both of these houses are something that we would find interesting. Our ship arrives too late for lunch and departs too early for the dinner on Hidle, so I'm thinking this will not happen unless we can get a sizable group together for just a tour. Will try contacting them when they reopen.

We loved Alaska, especially Glacier Bay: so Pulpit Rock goes back on the list!

By the way, your English is much better than my French. Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

Edited March 17, 2014 by GJH123

[jshli]

Thank you so much for your offer of assistance. We will be on a cruise in July and are debating between the Troll Rd. shore excursion or taking the small train around Alesund and then walking around town instead. In Stavenger we are taking the Rodne Fjord cruise up the Lysefjord and in Geiranger we are taking the following shore excursion (Geiranger Highlights) which consists of: your coach will climb up the winding mountain road offering an ever-changing kaleidoscope of mountain farms, waterfalls, lakes and streams. From Lake Djupvatn you will continue up the hairpin road to the summit of Mount Dalsnibba - from where you will have a spectacular view of the Geirangerfjord and your ship far below . After a photo stop you will drive carefully down the same road. On the way back to Geiranger you will stop at Flydalsjuvet viewpoint. The tour continues to the Norwegian Fjord Center. The Center offers you a chance to experience the living conditions the people along the fjords used to live under. Will the Troll Road be a duplication of either of these shore excursions? Thanks again for your help.

[I-Cruiser]

Thank you so much for your offer of assistance. We will be on a cruise in July and are debating between the Troll Rd. shore excursion or taking the small train around Alesund and then walking around town instead. In Stavenger we are taking the Rodne Fjord cruise up the Lysefjord and in Geiranger we are taking the following shore excursion (Geiranger Highlights) which consists of: your coach will climb up the winding mountain road offering an ever-changing kaleidoscope of mountain farms, waterfalls, lakes and streams. From Lake Djupvatn you will continue up the hairpin road to the summit of Mount Dalsnibba - from where you will have a spectacular view of the Geirangerfjord and your ship far below . After a photo stop you will drive carefully down the same road. On the way back to Geiranger you will stop at Flydalsjuvet viewpoint. The tour continues to the Norwegian Fjord Center. The Center offers you a chance to experience the living conditions the people along the fjords used to live under. Will the Troll Road be a duplication of either of these shore excursions? Thanks again for your help.

 

To put it simply; No:D

No one of the tours you have planned will duplicate the Troll rd. The only "duplication" would be that parts of the route will follow along the Storfjord which is the same fjord your ship will sail into towards Geiranger. But, you will see this from a different perspective so not a real duplication.

The trip to and the Troll rd is a favorite of mine so I would recommend doing this tour.

[jshli]

Thank you so much, I-Cruiser. We will take your advice and take the excursion up the Troll Rd. We are looking forward to it.

[tigersrus]

So glad to see this thread as I need help! My family of four is doing a Baltic cruise in June 2014 leaving from Copenhagen but we decided to fly into Oslo for two days pre-cruise to get a taste of Norway. We would love to see some scenery, including fjords, but do not think the 13 plus hour Norway in a Nutshell package will work for our crew. Any other ideas of ways we can see some beautiful scenery around Oslo?

[I-Cruiser]

So glad to see this thread as I need help! My family of four is doing a Baltic cruise in June 2014 leaving from Copenhagen but we decided to fly into Oslo for two days pre-cruise to get a taste of Norway. We would love to see some scenery, including fjords, but do not think the 13 plus hour Norway in a Nutshell package will work for our crew. Any other ideas of ways we can see some beautiful scenery around Oslo?

 

I am glad you found this thread:) I am not to familiar with the area around Oslo but I will do some research and get back to you.

The Oslo area will not have the high mountains and deep fjords as the Western part of Norway has. The area around Oslo will have beautiful archipelagos and forests.

I know some members are from the Oslo area so they might see this thread and be of more help than I can.

Have you thought about renting a car/van and drive yourself? You could catch a flight to Ålesund from Oslo and do the Fjords in a 2 days car rental/bus trip...

[lakelorain]

Thank you for this wonderful thread. I'm taking notes for my cruise in early May. Back in January, you mentioned that there hasn't been much snow this winter. Does that still hold true?

[I-Cruiser]

Thank you for this wonderful thread. I'm taking notes for my cruise in early May. Back in January, you mentioned that there hasn't been much snow this winter. Does that still hold true?

 

I am very happy to say; "YES":D...We had a dusting of snow the last few days but we have been lucky this winter.

Hopefully the rest of March and the month of April will be the same.

 

Up north and inland have had lots of snow. We drove across the mountain from Trondheim to Ålesund this weekend and experienced so much snow we could hardly see the road.

[gizmodog]

we will also be doing the Fjords cruise first week of May what to you "guess" the weather will be like? Shouldn't get any hotter then 60's F., is that correct or am I wrong?

[I-Cruiser]

we will also be doing the Fjords cruise first week of May what to you "guess" the weather will be like? Shouldn't get any hotter then 60's F., is that correct or am I wrong?

 

Its not easy to predict the weather but I would guess you will have temps in the range of 12C to 16C.

[tigersrus]

I am glad you found this thread:) I am not to familiar with the area around Oslo but I will do some research and get back to you.

The Oslo area will not have the high mountains and deep fjords as the Western part of Norway has. The area around Oslo will have beautiful archipelagos and forests.

I know some members are from the Oslo area so they might see this thread and be of more help than I can.

Have you thought about renting a car/van and drive yourself? You could catch a flight to Ålesund from Oslo and do the Fjords in a 2 days car rental/bus trip...

"Have you thought about renting a car/van and drive yourself? You could catch a flight to Ålesund from Oslo and do the Fjords in a 2 days car rental/bus trip..."

 

I did think about that. I have already purchased our flights into Oslo and into Copenhagen though and think adding that much more traveling will be too much! I was considering a half day boat tour out of Oslo harbour that would take in some scenery or taking the train up to Holmenkollen skijump or visiting Drobak. But am open to other ideas!

[Queensland Girl]

Thanks for the great information about Alesund. We will be in Alesund on Adventure of the Seas Monday 8th September. What will the weather be like then and how much daylight hours will we be getting. ????? Thought we would do train to Mt. Aksla and just enjoy the town. Any other suggestions. Thanks Judy

[I-Cruiser]

Thanks for the great information about Alesund. We will be in Alesund on Adventure of the Seas Monday 8th September. What will the weather be like then and how much daylight hours will we be getting. ????? Thought we would do train to Mt. Aksla and just enjoy the town. Any other suggestions. Thanks Judy

 

September is autumn and historically the average tems will be be in the 10C to 14C region.

We have about 13 hrs of daylight in September. Daylight at 7 am and sundown at approx 8 pm.

Not easy to predict if it will be rain or not.....

 

The train to Mt. Aksla sounds like a good idea. The town is small and compact so you will do the town in 2-3 hours. If its a nice and sunny day you might want to venture to the open air museum. The museum is best reached by the hop on/off bus.

Also, a tour to the islands of Giske and Godoy/Alnes are interesting. Not easy to get there as it will involve a bus change. You could rent a car or take a ships tour.

[I-Cruiser]

"Have you thought about renting a car/van and drive yourself? You could catch a flight to Ålesund from Oslo and do the Fjords in a 2 days car rental/bus trip..."

 

I did think about that. I have already purchased our flights into Oslo and into Copenhagen though and think adding that much more traveling will be too much! I was considering a half day boat tour out of Oslo harbour that would take in some scenery or taking the train up to Holmenkollen skijump or visiting Drobak. But am open to other ideas!

 

A boat trip around Oslo harbor sounds like a good idea. Drøbak is a quaint little town so I am sure you will enjoy your stay there.

 

I did put your question to the attention of a member who lives in Oslo. Hopefully you will get a better answer soon.:)

[Nuclear Cruiser]

Hello I Cruiser:

 

We are choosing our cruise to Norway for 2015. our best option right now is the celebrity eclipse 8/22/15. it is an 8 night trip with all of the major stops we wanted. I have 2 questions.

1) with this being the end of summer, will there be limited waterfall viewing with most of the snow melt gone? 2)i have mobility issues, not wheelchair bound, but use a cane for long durations, and stairs are a challenge. would i still be able to get around the main town areas and participate in some of the tours.

[kaisatsu]

"Have you thought about renting a car/van and drive yourself? You could catch a flight to Ålesund from Oslo and do the Fjords in a 2 days car rental/bus trip..."

 

I did think about that. I have already purchased our flights into Oslo and into Copenhagen though and think adding that much more traveling will be too much! I was considering a half day boat tour out of Oslo harbour that would take in some scenery or taking the train up to Holmenkollen skijump or visiting Drobak. But am open to other ideas!

 

If you're considering Drøbak and the weather is nice, I would suggest catching the ferry 602 from Aker Brygge down to Oscarsborg Fortress. You'll have the same scenery you'd have on a fjord cruise, and then you can spend 30-60 minutes wandering around the fortress and the island (there's also a bit of interesting WWII history as well). The ferry schedule for this summer isn't up yet, but here's an older version for reference: http://www.oslofjorden.org/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/772001.PDF

There's regular ferry service from the island over to Drøbak, and then you can easily catch a bus back to Oslo.

 

The subway (light rail) up to Holmenkollen takes about 30 minutes, so it's easy to fit into a day with other activities. There are nice views over the city is quite nice even if you don't go up to the top of the ski jump.

 

Unfortunately, it would require a lengthy trip to reach any of the iconic fjord scenery from Oslo, so the options in the Oslo area are limited to harbor and waterfront views (the Oslofjord is pretty but not at all like the dramatic western fjords), cityscapes, and forest.

[I-Cruiser]

Hello I Cruiser:

 

We are choosing our cruise to Norway for 2015. our best option right now is the celebrity eclipse 8/22/15. it is an 8 night trip with all of the major stops we wanted. I have 2 questions.

1) with this being the end of summer, will there be limited waterfall viewing with most of the snow melt gone? 2)i have mobility issues, not wheelchair bound, but use a cane for long durations, and stairs are a challenge. would i still be able to get around the main town areas and participate in some of the tours.

 

The waterfalls would be less than in May or June. However, summers are rather wet so you will still be able to enjoy the waterfalls in August.

 

In some of the ports the ship will use a tender boat to get everyone ashore. I presume that would be ok?

In the ports, most of them are small villages - you can walk around or better still take a tour or a hop on/of bus.

I really think you will enjoy the ports just as much as if you didn't use a cane:)

[Annie Morehead]

We are reluctant to book the Path of the Trolls ahead of time because of weather. Would we be able to book anything similar to that once we arrive there?

 

Also I have looked at the hop on/ hop off bus. If we decide to go with that, should we book ahead or wait until we arrive there?

 

Thanks!

Ruth

[I-Cruiser]

We are reluctant to book the Path of the Trolls ahead of time because of weather. Would we be able to book anything similar to that once we arrive there?

 

Also I have looked at the hop on/ hop off bus. If we decide to go with that, should we book ahead or wait until we arrive there?

 

Thanks!

Ruth

 

Ruth - The hop on/off bus you can book while in Ålesund.

 

Regarding Path of the Trolls:

If you wait until the day you arrive the tour might be sold out. I am not even sure if your cruise line sells the tour on the day of departure.

If you wan to hire a car and do the tour diy the rental company might not have any cars available. Some car rental companies will allow you to cancel up to one hour before ETA.

Your next option would be to take a taxi tour which will cost you over $1000,-

Even though its raining in Ålesund it might be nice and clear in the Path of the Troll area.

[Annie Morehead]

Thanks! The ship's Path of the Trolls is $175 per person and is more than we normally spend. Also we are doing a Baltics cruise on May 19th and will have spent on that cruise.

 

Sounds like we will probably do the hop on / hop off bus .

 

Thanks,

Ruth

[exmatelot]

Hi I Cruiser would you be able to email me the PDF brochure of walking tours in and around Ålesund thanks very much

 

davepat@blueyonder.co.uk

[I-Cruiser]

Hi I Cruiser would you be able to email me the PDF brochure of walking tours in and around Ålesund thanks very much

 

davepat@blueyonder.co.uk

 

On its way:)

Edited March 22, 2014 by I-Cruiser

[treesah]

Hi I Cruiser would you be able to email me the PDF brochure of walking tours in and around Ålesund thanks very much

 

davepat@blueyonder.co.uk

 

 

Can I get the brochure too? TIA.

 

tdelab at yahoo dot com

[I-Cruiser]

Can I get the brochure too? TIA.

 

tdelab at yahoo dot com

 

You got mail.:)

[tigersrus]

Kaisatsu, Thanks so much! This info is exactly what I was looking for! We will have to see the iconic Norway on another cruise!