Land of the Midnight Sun Cruise on Sapphire Princess

[Jenny2121]

Has anyone taken the Cruise Land of the Midnight Sun on Sapphire Princess?

The ports we will be stopping in are: Stavanger, Skjolden/Sognefjord,Hellesylt, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tomso, Gravdal, Aalesund, Bergen. I know we are able to get off the ship and walk into Stavanger and Bergen. What are the other cities we are able to walk directly to? The cities we are not able to walk directly to, do you need a taxi, bus,?? Any suggestions regarding excursions? First time on a large ship. Thanks, Jenny

[kaisatsu]

Geiranger is often a tender port, but otherwise you land directly in town, though it's not a big town at all (only a few hundred people). Hellesylt is usually only a drop-off/pick-up stop for overland excursions between there and Geiranger.

 

I haven't cruised Norway on the Sapphire, but in east Asia they offered a free shuttle from the outlying ports into town.

 

For excursions, you'll get a lot more info if you search for and/or ask about specific ports.

[lj77346]

Your question is hard to answer because for many of the ports you can walk to town, if in some cases you don't mind walking 4 km. or more. Here's what I remember for the various ports.

 

Stavanger - the port is in town

Skjolden - the port is close to town which is very small

Hellesylt - usually just a drop off port for shore excursions

Geiranger - a tender port with drop off in town

Trondheim - depends on the dock used - could be a 15 minute walk or longer

Honnigsvag - the port is in town, but lots of passengers head for North Cape about 20 miles away

Tromso - the port is about 4 km. from the main part of the city

Gravdal - probably a tender port with drop off about 4 km. from town

Alesund - the port is in town

Bergen - depends on the port used, the one near the fort is right in town, the docks that some bigger ships use are farther from the city and the port authority usually runs a shuttle bus to the city

 

Hope you find this information useful.

[Jenny2121]

Thank you for your help. Have you been on this cruise? If so, any suggestions regarding excursions. I noticed a cable car ride excursion in Bergen. Are the tickets "timed" tickets? Meaning that if the ticket shows a 10 am time, we can get on before the general public? First time on a large ship. We normally go on Viking and Grand Circle river and ocean trips.

[lj77346]

Hi Jenny2121 - We were on a similar cruise on Holland America a few years ago and will be on the Sapphire Princess in June 2018. In most of the ports we wander off on our own. Skjolden was an exception where we took an excursion to see an old stave church. In Bergen, we never rode the cable car, but we did take the funicular to the hills above the city where there is a park and hiking trails and nice views if you have a clear day. You can buy funicular tickets at its station.

 

In the other ports, we just walk around taking in the sights. In Honnigsvag, lots of passengers head to the North Cape, but the view from there is water - it's not like there's any ice in the ocean at that location. You get a nice view of the North Cape as the ship is sailing by in the morning on the way to the port and in the afternoon as you leave. In Geiganger there's a hiking path along the right side of the stream you'll see from the ship. In Stavanger there's an oil and gas museum that addresses activities in the North Sea. Alesund is an interesting town to walk through with its art deco architecture and if you're ambitious, a hike up to Arkla and the iconic view of the city and surroundings. In Bergen it's interesting to visit the old Hanseatic part of the port to see the buildings and learn some of the history of the area. We enjoy Norway because it gets us away from Houston's heat and humidity.

Edited November 26, 2017 by lj77346
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[Jenny2121]

Hi Jenny2121 - We were on a similar cruise on Holland America a few years ago and will be on the Sapphire Princess in June 2018. In most of the ports we wander off on our own. Skjolden was an exception where we took an excursion to see an old stave church. In Bergen, we never rode the cable car, but we did take the funicular to the hills above the city where there is a park and hiking trails and nice views if you have a clear day. You can buy funicular tickets at its station.

 

In the other ports, we just walk around taking in the sights. In Honnigsvag, lots of passengers head to the North Cape, but the view from there is water - it's not like there's any ice in the ocean at that location. You get a nice view of the North Cape as the ship is sailing by in the morning on the way to the port and in the afternoon as you leave. In Geiganger there's a hiking path along the right side of the stream you'll see from the ship. In Stavanger there's an oil and gas museum that addresses activities in the North Sea. Alesund is an interesting town to walk through with its art deco architecture and if you're ambitious, a hike up to Arkla and the iconic view of the city and surroundings. In Bergen it's interesting to visit the old Hanseatic part of the port to see the buildings and learn some of the history of the area. We enjoy Norway because it gets us away from Houston's heat and humidity.

Alot of great info. Stavanger, Trondheim,Alesund & Bergen appear to be places to walk around on our own. We enjoy doing things on our own, also. Geiranger by Zodiac looks fun. Princess is not giving us a lot of time in Bergen. Trying to figure out about Honningsvag,Tromso &Gravdal. First time on large ship. We prefer Viking and Grand Circle. Just got back from the Baltic Sea on Grand Circle. 89 passengers & 60 crew for 20 days. Feel free to send me any info that might be helpful. :)

[Jo and Rob]

Hi Jenny,

We are on the same cruise as you. We too are looking to be DIY and hoping to be able to wander around the towns. Geiranger has a Fjord Centre we will probably visit. Tromso the cable car which is a taxi ride away. Bergen has a great fish market, there's a trolley train and a funicular with views of the city and walks.

Stavanger is right in the town and the Petroleum Museum is worth a visit. Flam railway trip is excellent but not sure what we will do this year. We plan to hire a car in Lofoten islands so Rob can get some good pictures.