Norway cruise

[Travelcruiser1]

Has anyone taken the 14 day midnight Sun to Norway?Would like to know if you saw enough of the fjords and which ports or tours you enjoyed most and why? Trying to choose which itinerary to go with.:)

[Mom33]

We took the cruise this past June. We enjoyed the ports and fiords immensely. This was an awesome cruise and I highly recommend it.

 

 

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[jimmieg]

Has anyone taken the 14 day midnight Sun to Norway?Would like to know if you saw enough of the fjords and which ports or tours you enjoyed most and why? Trying to choose which itinerary to go with.:)

Did it June '17. Lots of fjords. Norway in a Nutshell, bus/train is good. Honningsvag to Cape. Tromso - a walk from ship to most beautiful arctic botanical gardens. Alesund - must do trip thru the Islands.

Trip by boat to view Pulpit Rock.

 

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[WatchHill]

We did the 14 night cruise in June '17, summer solstice, and had a wonderful and very relaxing time. Favorite ports included Tromso, North Cape and Bergen. Our ship only had an abbreviate time in Bergen and that's one port in which I wish we had a full day.

 

Trying to get to sleep when there was no sunset, was a bit of a challenge when we were over the Arctic Circle. Returning to the ship after a day exploring the various ports, it was great to sit on our balcony [appropriate beverage in hand] watching the scenic vistas and waterfalls as we sailed out of the long fjords. We could have taken a shorter cruise, but the 14 night is the way to go.

 

Darcy

[hpeabody]

I did the Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice in June this year on the Crown. Norway was wonderful. To pick the highlights that would be visiting Flor & Fjære from Stavanger, Flaam was quite enjoyable. I did the train and Ferry both. The Lofoton Islands were amazing, but I think my favorite day out was at Skjolden. I did the ship "Best of Skjolden" tour to use up OBC (I typically stay away from ship tours) But it was a fantastic day. I did not care much for Tromso or Bergen. This is just my opinion YMMV.

[GrammySpo]

We did the 14 night cruise in June '17, summer solstice, and had a wonderful and very relaxing time. Favorite ports included Tromso, North Cape and Bergen. Our ship only had an abbreviate time in Bergen and that's one port in which I wish we had a full day.

 

 

 

Trying to get to sleep when there was no sunset, was a bit of a challenge when we were over the Arctic Circle. Returning to the ship after a day exploring the various ports, it was great to sit on our balcony [appropriate beverage in hand] watching the scenic vistas and waterfalls as we sailed out of the long fjords. We could have taken a shorter cruise, but the 14 night is the way to go.

 

 

 

Darcy

 

 

 

Would love to hear more information as I am doing this one this year. Did anyone use private tours? If so, which ones. Public transportation options?

 

 

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[satxdiver]

We are doing the summer solstice next year. We did though visit Bergen and Flaam last year on our west bound TA. In Flaam we booked the train ourselves and would recommend it. It was awesome. In Bergen we exited the ship and quickly found a HOHO bus who gave us a tour of the city and told us when to go to the Funicular. That was an amazing trip up the mountain to the overlook of the city and very busy. I hiked on up the mountain a bit and took in the flora and fauna. There is a small lake up there. We managed to save some $$ by doing the excursions ourselves. Our HOHO bus was not nearly as packed as the ones used by the ship which made for a more enjoyable ride.

 

On our summer solstice cruise next year we will be in Bergen from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM on a Thursday. Luckily we have been there.

[WatchHill]

Would love to hear more information as I am doing this one this year. Did anyone use private tours? If so, which ones. Public transportation options?

 

Random thoughts.....

 

Our trip began with a one-week road trip in England, something we always do before any cruise leaving S'hamton or Dover.

 

Private tours were few and far between in Norway, so we used our OBC's [thankfully had about $1200 to mitigate the cost], and did a few ports on our own. Norway is very expensive - and I thought Zurich and Toyko were costly. On CC I found a small group doing the Lofoten Islands, but had to admit, it was nothing more than a taxi ride; IMO, the tour leader should have done some research to direct the cab driver. The Flam rail was spectacular, and would do it again. I later found out that we could have taken a city bus [long drive] to North cape to spend more time there.

 

As mentioned, the HoHO in Bergen is a great intro to the city, Princess docks at an industrial area unlike Cunard that ties up in the city. . Our time was cut short due to the ship needing to be back to Southampton much earlier. We would have loved to enjoy a lunch at the amazing Fish Market.

 

We visited more waterfalls and mountain passes than I can remember, sampled lots of local foods [seafood] and saw some ugly trolls. Aquarium, polar museums, old churches, hillsides covered with lupine, hiked a few snow-covered trails, saw reindeer/caribou crossing roads. We experienced a few sudden weather events while high in the mountains above the Troll Road; sun, rain, fog and sleet within minutes of each other.

 

I do have about 6 pages of detailed notes. Do you have an alternate email address so I could send it to you?

 

Darcy

[GrammySpo]

Nhawley33 at gmail dot com. Would love to see your notes.

 

 

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[Ofmyheart]

Random thoughts.....

 

Our trip began with a one-week road trip in England, something we always do before any cruise leaving S'hamton or Dover.

 

Private tours were few and far between in Norway, so we used our OBC's [thankfully had about $1200 to mitigate the cost], and did a few ports on our own. Norway is very expensive - and I thought Zurich and Toyko were costly. On CC I found a small group doing the Lofoten Islands, but had to admit, it was nothing more than a taxi ride; IMO, the tour leader should have done some research to direct the cab driver. The Flam rail was spectacular, and would do it again. I later found out that we could have taken a city bus [long drive] to North cape to spend more time there.

 

As mentioned, the HoHO in Bergen is a great intro to the city, Princess docks at an industrial area unlike Cunard that ties up in the city. . Our time was cut short due to the ship needing to be back to Southampton much earlier. We would have loved to enjoy a lunch at the amazing Fish Market.

 

We visited more waterfalls and mountain passes than I can remember, sampled lots of local foods [seafood] and saw some ugly trolls. Aquarium, polar museums, old churches, hillsides covered with lupine, hiked a few snow-covered trails, saw reindeer/caribou crossing roads. We experienced a few sudden weather events while high in the mountains above the Troll Road; sun, rain, fog and sleet within minutes of each other.

 

I do have about 6 pages of detailed notes. Do you have an alternate email address so I could send it to you?

 

Darcy

 

Darcy,

 

I too would love your notes.

 

Ofmyheart@Livedotcom

[JoJo1973]

Geiranger fjord was my absolute favorite and you can have a good time without spending a cent if you're fit enough to hike uphill a few hundred feet elevation gain. Looking inland, I headed up to the church and then on a walking trail to the left. You get up to an alpaca farm, take another left and walk a ways to the best view point. Coming back and going thru the farm, continue straight until you get to the main road. Head up the road to another view point. Coming back down the hill towards the ship, take the detour trail that parallels the waterfalls that pass thru the small town. There's plenty of time to take your time with this hike.

[Summerprincess]

Random thoughts.....

 

Our trip began with a one-week road trip in England, something we always do before any cruise leaving S'hamton or Dover.

 

Private tours were few and far between in Norway, so we used our OBC's [thankfully had about $1200 to mitigate the cost], and did a few ports on our own. Norway is very expensive - and I thought Zurich and Toyko were costly. On CC I found a small group doing the Lofoten Islands, but had to admit, it was nothing more than a taxi ride; IMO, the tour leader should have done some research to direct the cab driver. The Flam rail was spectacular, and would do it again. I later found out that we could have taken a city bus [long drive] to North cape to spend more time there.

 

As mentioned, the HoHO in Bergen is a great intro to the city, Princess docks at an industrial area unlike Cunard that ties up in the city. . Our time was cut short due to the ship needing to be back to Southampton much earlier. We would have loved to enjoy a lunch at the amazing Fish Market.

 

We visited more waterfalls and mountain passes than I can remember, sampled lots of local foods [seafood] and saw some ugly trolls. Aquarium, polar museums, old churches, hillsides covered with lupine, hiked a few snow-covered trails, saw reindeer/caribou crossing roads. We experienced a few sudden weather events while high in the mountains above the Troll Road; sun, rain, fog and sleet within minutes of each other.

 

I do have about 6 pages of detailed notes. Do you have an alternate email address so I could send it to you?

 

Darcy

 

Hi Darcy,

I would greatly appreciate your notes.

allison.larson@gmaildotcom

Thank you so very much!

[Coral]

Did it June '17. Lots of fjords. Norway in a Nutshell, bus/train is good. Honningsvag to Cape. Tromso - a walk from ship to most beautiful arctic botanical gardens. Alesund - must do trip thru the Islands.

Trip by boat to view Pulpit Rock.

 

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How far was the walk in Tromso? Was it easy to find? This port I am still undecided on.

 

I am doing this cruise this year. While my cruise is 14 nights and 9 ports, there are already ports I have found that I wish we were going to, or ports I wish we were staying longer in and ports where it was difficult to decide which tour to choose. I haven't been but I can potentially see a return in the future.

 

There does seem to be plenty of private tours if you look (thankfully my roll call has several). I am doing a mix, partially due to having over $700 in OBC.

[ohhbother]

Our Norway cruise was one of our top trips ever. We loved Bergen -- rode the tram up to the top of the mountain and then hiked down on our own. Stunning. Alesund was lovely, and Geiranger is one of the prettiest places I've ever been.

 

If you like a good disaster movie, I highly recommend The Wave. It's set in and around Geiranger. You'll have to watch with subtitles, but it's a highly entertaining film and shows off the spectacular scenery of the area.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(2015_film)

[Tedferg]

Would love to do fjords - can anyone contrast the 7 day versus 14 day please. We too would include a UK visit and 14 day cruise makes the overall trip too long.

[majortom10]

How far was the walk in Tromso? Was it easy to find? This port I am still undecided on.

 

I am doing this cruise this year. While my cruise is 14 nights and 9 ports, there are already ports I have found that I wish we were going to, or ports I wish we were staying longer in and ports where it was difficult to decide which tour to choose. I haven't been but I can potentially see a return in the future.

 

There does seem to be plenty of private tours if you look (thankfully my roll call has several). I am doing a mix, partially due to having over $700 in OBC.

 

The walk to the Botanical Gardens is only a short distance from where the ship docks but is nowhere near the town a shuttle bus would be required. When we were there we caught shuttle bus into town and then local bus to Arctic Cathedral and return back to town for the shuttle bus.

[Coral]

The walk to the Botanical Gardens is only a short distance from where the ship docks but is nowhere near the town a shuttle bus would be required. When we were there we caught shuttle bus into town and then local bus to Arctic Cathedral and return back to town for the shuttle bus.

Thank you!