Which Pre-Cruise Extension do you recommend - Iceland & Golden Circle or Oslo & Train

[ORTNCruiser]

We are planning to book our first Viking Cruise -- the British Isles Explorer - Bergen to London to celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary during April 2023. We will be leaving from the East Coast of USA.  Which (or neither) pre-cruise extension would you recommend and why?   If my information is correct,  the train from Oslo to Bergen takes at least 7 hours and arrives at the ship ~7PM. I could not find similar information on the flight from Reykjavik to Bergen.  FYI --  the current  per person cost for Iceland is $1,999 (3 nights) and Oslo is $969 (2 nights).

 

Thanks for the advice.

[zalusky]

We are doing the London to Bergen Midnight Sun option in 2022.

The ship does an overnight in Bergen on Arrival and the Post Cruise Oslo Train extension is 4 days with an additional overnight in Bergen.  There is a 2 day version that puts you on the train quicker with an 2 overnights in Oslo but it does not seem to be bookable at the moment.  It shows up on the main cruise page but it does not show up in the MyJourney options.

 

Our TA said if it does not eventually show up she will manually create the add ons herself.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

Both Viking extensions are good and certainly choose them if you prefer the comfort of having an escort. There are lots of people who prefer the packaged extension for the convenience and peace of mind. Just one thing to note here: you will only be able to do one of them since they run simultaneously.

 

More things to think about:

 

• Three nights means you will have arrival day, 2 full days to tour and one spent entirely in getting to Bergen (flight leaves 10:30am-ish and arrives mid afternoon in Bergen; the flight is around 4 hours but you lose a couple of hours as you cross time zones).

 

• Two nights means you have arrival day (probably late in the day unless you luck out with a non-stop), one touring day and one day on the train getting to the ship. Usually Viking is on a morning train out of Oslo and on board the ship by dinner time; the current schedule may not reflect future availability

 

However, both/either of these extensions can easily be done on your own. We were supposed to do Bergen to Reykjavik this past June and I spent A LOT of time researching both of the extensions and do it yourself alternatives. One advantage to doing the train from Oslo with Viking is that they will take care of transferring your luggage from Oslo to the ship. But that doesn't mean you can't do Iceland on your own before arriving in Oslo for the start of the Oslo extension -- even if you are booking your air with Viking. (Pay the fee and use AirPlus to choose your flights. There will be fees for deviating from the normal arrival and departure dates and possibly additional airfare imposed by the airlines because you may be flying outside of the dates Viking has contracted for).

 

We live in Boston, where Icelandair has non-stop flights to Reykjavik with connections to Oslo, Bergen and London. Since we would be ending our cruise in Reykjavik, it was ludicrous not to use Icelandair when the alternative was to fly  KEF -Newark-Boston on a journey that would be almost double the amount of time, including time sitting in an airport when I could already be sitting in my living room.  We made our own flight arrangements and were going to use the airport buses for transfers (we pack light, so not difficult to manage).

 

The important thing is that Icelandair allows free stopovers (don't know if that holds if you book through Viking; Icelandair is one of the airlines they use) and in the end, we arranged to stop for two or three nights in Reykjavik on our way to Bergen to start the cruise. We could have chosen to fly to Oslo and then take the train to Bergen but DH is still working and only has so many days off.

 

In Iceland, there were plenty of companies offering Golden Circle and other day trips. It is also possible to do an airport transfer that includes a stop at the Blue Lagoon. Companies expect payment when you make your booking. I booked directly with the company and not through a third party website (like the one Trip Advisor offers).

 

The Oslo-Bergen train can be booked on your own, online. People say splurge and get the first class seats. The Thon Hotel chain has one or two hotels right by the train station. I also heard that there is a service that you can book to get your luggage from Oslo to the Bergen without having to carry onto the train (which I understand is not equipped to handle much more than carry-on bags). Someone who has used it may see this and chime in.

 

BTW, we also did our first Viking cruise to celebrate our 35th. We did a China river cruise with them and it was one of the best trips we ever took. Bergen to Reykjavik was supposed to be for our 45th.

 

Now that I have opened up a can of worms, you can enjoy the next year or so trying to decide what you want to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, zalusky said:

We are doing the London to Bergen Midnight Sun option in 2022.

The ship does an overnight in Bergen on Arrival and the Post Cruise Oslo Train extension is 4 days with an additional overnight in Bergen.  There is a 2 day version that puts you on the train quicker with an 2 overnights in Oslo but it does not seem to be bookable at the moment.  It shows up on the main cruise page but it does not show up in the MyJourney options.

 

Our TA said if it does not eventually show up she will manually create the add ons herself.

 

 

 

Mike, not all the extension shown on the Viking website are available for every sailing. Don't forget the fine-print disclaimer: Pre & Post Cruise Extensions vary by itinerary and are subject to change.

 

[Squawkman]

I wanted the 2 night Oslo train, but found out it wasn’t available for my cruise - only the 4 day was being run. I wound up skipping the train for that cruise and booked the 2 day for a different cruise ending in Bergen. Better have that TA check it out.

[knoxclone]

If you choose to do the Oslo - Bergen train on your own, its easy peasy.

When you arrive in Oslo, take the airport train direct  to main train station. Thone Opera hotel is literally across parking lot( we stayed there for 3 nights). Tour Oslo at your leisure. The nonstop train leaves Also Main station to Bergen.  Once in Bergen, its a 10-15  minute cab ride to ship. All tickets can be purchased online ahead of time with english version websites.   

 

We travelled w one larger bag ( wheeled 24 " suitcase ) and one backpack each and had no problems, however, I understand there are several luggage shipping services ( the one I am familiar with is called Porter) that will transport baggage from Thone hotel to ship, if you are unable to handle your luggage on the train.  

[ORTNCruiser]

Thank you all for the input. This is so helpful.

[Port Hope]

Here’s a link to an older thread on this topic:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2515648-viking-homeland-pre-oslo-amp-bergen-railway/

Our cancelled 2020 cruise was to end in Bergen and I had been researching options for getting to Oslo, hence the bookmarked link. In the above thread there is are references to “Norway in a Nutshell” which is another option you could explore. 

[Cienfuegos]

The Oslo to Bergen train no longer operates a baggage car, but the railroad refers travelers to Porter Service (mentioned above).  They will pick up baggage at hotel reception, and deliver it to the hotel, train station, etc or hold it for subsequent pickup.  That's useful for travelers who are hiking, biking, or taking a Norway in a Nutshell tour.

 

Viking arranged to pick up luggage at the Thon Opera hotel if you left it outside your room by 11 pm. It was waiting in our room on the ship at Bergen.

 

https://www.porterservice.no/

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

mistake!

Edited February 10, 2021 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

On 1/31/2021 at 8:49 PM, Peregrina651 said:

The Oslo-Bergen train can be booked on your own, online. People say splurge and get the first class seats.

We're on for the Oslo-Bergen train as a Viking excursion.  I've been wondering if we have first class seats?  

[Cienfuegos]

On our trip, Viking occupied the last two cars of the regular Oslo to Bergen express train. One guide for each car.

 

Standard,  European two by two seats, with foot rests and slight incline. The two by one is found in first class.  Comfortable, plenty of leg room, big windows. Similar to business air in personal space etc

 

The regular coach seating ahead used the same kind of cars, snack bar car was 2-3 ahead, first class was beyond that

Edited February 12, 2021 by Cienfuegos
clarity about the extension

[BluebonnetTexan]

We did the Viking Homelands Stockholm to Bergen in June 2019. We planned Bergen to Oslo on our own and it was easy. You can easily book the same train as Viking does. We took a taxi from the berth to the Bergen Train Station - we did have to manage our own baggage, of course - I think if you book with Viking they manage all your bags straight to your hotel. We enjoyed the beautiful train ride to Oslo where we had pre-booked the Comfort Grand Central Hotel at the train station - so minimal distance to lug our baggage. It was a great place from which to explore Oslo and then easy to catch the express train to the airport from there. So, should be similarly easy to do the reverse going Oslo to Bergen, I'd think.

Edited February 13, 2021 by BluebonnetTexan
additional info

[cruzzzinma]

Pricewise, doing the train excursion on your own is less expensive than booking the Viking excursion. We elected to do the Viking excursion because they handled the luggage.
 

I think we had to put our luggage the night before and it was loaded onto a truck. We met in the lobby with our hand luggage and the coordinator walked us over to the train station, got us in to the right cars, and took care of our needs on the train.

 

In our case, we we were bussed directly to the ship. Our luggage was already in our cabins.

[janetcbl]

We did the Oslo-Bergen trip on our own, using the same train as the Viking excursion. When we got to Bergen we asked the Viking truck if they would take our luggage even though we hadn’t booked the trip through Viking. They said “ Sure”. We handed them our luggage ( with Viking tags on them), walked to the ship ( a 20 - 30 level walk through town) and our luggage was on our cabin when we were allowed in our cabin. Just an idea....

[Frenchberet]

We also did the Bergen-Oslo train on our own.  We purchased “Komfort class” tickets directly from NSB.com and were able to select our seats in advance.  One of our tickets was a senior ticket which was half price.  We had two seats with a table and it was very comfortable.  Free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate was included in the price.  There was ample room for two suitcases and carry-ons.  
 

After our Northern Lights cruise we stayed at the Thon Orion for one night then took a taxi to the train station (it’s not far but it was February and snowing).  In Oslo we stayed at the Thon Opera for four nights and explored the city.  Nice trip.

 

We haven’t been to Iceland yet but would do that pre or post excursion if we had the chance!