Kristiansand, Norway. DON'T DO IT!

[helgahans]

Princess Cruise prices for excursions in this port are outrageous.  Why?  It is a very rare day that it does not rain.  At least, do not do any tours that involve being outside.  Our local bus driver even stated that he would not do tours as there really is nothing special to do or see.  So......save your funds for a worthy excursion elsewhere.

 

 

 

[kaisatsu]

2 minutes ago, helgahans said:

It is a very rare day that it does not rain.  At least, do not do any tours that involve being outside.

"Ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær"

A traditional Norwegian saying: There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

[helgahans]

Ya, ya, ya, ... heard this in every nordic country.

Such a bunch of misinformation...despite appropriate clothing, the weather is miserable at best.  If you love being rained on while waiting in long lines then go for it.  My recommendation is simply DON'T DO IT!

 

 

 

[capriccio]

15 minutes ago, helgahans said:

Ya, ya, ya, ... heard this in every nordic country.

Such a bunch of misinformation...despite appropriate clothing, the weather is miserable at best.  If you love being rained on while waiting in long lines then go for it.  My recommendation is simply DON'T DO IT!

 

Unfortunately it seems you had bad weather not just in Norway but throughout Scandinavia but one person's experience is just that.  You had bad luck with the weather. 

 

We spent 2 weeks in Norway in June and had one day with drizzle (but we still greatly enjoyed our guided e-bike tour because we dressed appropriately as kaisatus noted).  Ten years ago we were on a cruise that stopped in Norway, Sweden and Finland and had absolutely beautiful weather in all three countries, but again one (or two) experience(s) does not make a fact.  I would never say that based on my experience the weather is always wonderful.  Maybe we just had good luck.

 

Part of my pre-reservation cruise research is to investigate the average weather for each port during the dates of the itinerary.  That gives me an idea of whether I'm choosing good cruise dates, what to expect, and how to pack.  Nothing about the specific daily weather more than a few days in advance is predictable in many places around the globe including Scandinavia (unlike Hawaii 😃).

[Shone216]

Disembarked from Regal Princess yesterday and had lovely weather throughout ....Oslo was a bit overcast and did rain for a while but it was to be expected....it is September after all

[Coral]

I think all shore excursions in Norway are expensive! I booked several privately and still spent $$$.

 

I also try to look at weather maps to find out when is the least amount of rain. Doesn't always work out but does increase the odds in your favor.

[Wayfairers]

20 hours ago, helgahans said:

Princess Cruise prices for excursions in this port are outrageous.  Why?  It is a very rare day that it does not rain.  At least, do not do any tours that involve being outside.  Our local bus driver even stated that he would not do tours as there really is nothing special to do or see.  So......save your funds for a worthy excursion elsewhere.

 

 

 

What did you do while in Kristiansand?  What do you wish you had done?

 

I usually have backup plans if we have outdoor plans and it is raining the day we are in port.   But, we also take rain coats if we decide to go with original plan in the rain.  We had a hike in Geiranger a few years ago where we had all 4 seasons in a few hours.   I wouldn’t have missed doing that hike even if I had known what the weather would be.....one of the most beautiful hikes we have done. 

[Desdichado62]

If one decides to go on a cruise to Scandinavia one have to expect that the weather can be a bit of a lottery. If you want sun then go cruise the Mediterranean. 

[BarbinMich]

We had lovely weather in Kristiansand when we were there in Sept. 2013 .  Just did our own walking tour.  It's a lovely place.