Celeb canceled our Med sea cruise - need help on cruising Norway's fjords

[JohnAlleb77]

7 hours ago, wineoclock said:

 

By 6.30am we had reached the end of the fjord. Absolutely worth getting up for & breathtaking. Husband missed a treat. Was not the same view sailing out later in the evening. 

 

I live in this area... Can confirm that the mornings are much better for viewing than the afternoons... The light are much different, and the air are much more crisp. 

 

In the fjord to Olden and Nordfjordeid (the same fjord, but Olden are deeper) you often have a summer breeze going on from 3pm and after...but  in the morning the sea are often calm like a mirror. 

 

But mid May are very unpredictable... Can be zero degrees and snow, or it can be 20 degrees and almost summer.... 

Edited July 6, 2023 by JohnAlleb77

[kitkat343]

On 7/5/2023 at 12:02 PM, BuckeyeMark said:

Looking like we'll be on the cruise from Celebrity that I posted as the replacement cruise so I need some additional info about these ports please.  Notably the ports where we can sked a group activity before we dock.  Some of these ports are at the end of a long fjord cruise and the whole reason we're going is to be out on deck and see these great fjords so I don't want to sked anything then. But, for example, Kristiansand looks like sea cruising so we could do something that morning?  
We're scrambling here to get up to speed in a hurry so any and all info on these ports is appreciated. "Don't miss" or "You have to" or the "The signature thing in that port is _____" are all very welcome.  Yes, I'm googling like mad but there is no substitute for the folks who have been there!  Everyone has been so helpful.  THANK YOU!
 

Day 3 - NORDFJORDEID, NORWAY - Docked: 1:00PM to 7:00PM - great fjord cruise in so nothing that morning, yes?

 

Day 4 - FLAM, NORWAY - Docked: 8:00AM to 4:00PM - am thinking the railway is the thing here,yes?

 

Day 5 - GEIRANGER, NORWAY - Docked: 8:00AM to 6:00PM - obviously want to be out on deck for sail in and sail out.  BTW, the Seven Sisters are about five miles from port. Is that about an hour's cruise away so we should for sure be there 7AMish?

 

Day 6 - ALESUND, NORWAY - Docked: 8:00AM to 4:00PM

 

Day 7 - KRISTIANSAND, NORWAY - Docked: 1:00PM to 8:00PM - could do a morning activity before port on this day?

 

Again, big thanks to all.

 

 

You have plenty of time in Flam to do the railway and at least one other activity.  The railway is the priority, and you absolutely need to prepurchase those tickets.  As noted above, you should consider the  Stegastein viewpoint (although like Geiranger, that is much more appreciated on clear days).  If you are active travelers, many people have combined the railway with a hike/bike tour back.  We travelled with children, and visited a goat farm with this company that did an amazing job of arranging a private tour to the farm, visiting the charming town of Undreal and trying the goat cheese.  They have a lot of active tours also so you can see what they offer here:  https://www.fjordsafari.com .      From a brief search of their website, I'm not sure if they are still offering the goat farm but you can check with them if interested.

 

In Geiranger, you will take a bus around to the various beautiful scenic viewpoints, and on a clear day this is an amazing tour.   If you are prone to carsickness you might want to bring medicine because please note that there are lots of windy drives through the mountains to get to the viewpoints.   Geiranger Fjordservice is the dominant tour operator, and they run a a panoramic bus to the viewpoints.  We didn't love our private tour with them (our driver was cranky after our ship was delayed), but the small group tour bus has very strong reviews so you should be fine with them.  

 

Please note that if you are planning on driving to the beautiful scenic viewpoints at Dalsnibba that Road 63 opens between mid-May and early June, depending upon how long it takes to clear the snow and when the avalanche risk has ended (the engineers wait until the big spring avalanche occurs before opening the road).  Earlier cruises may not be able to visit the Skywalk, but they will substitute a lovely lake instead.

 

At the end of the tour, we decided to stop for lunch in Geiranger. We were a little scared to stop at Braserie Posten, since it is in a tourist trap location right near the cruise ship terminal, but the yelp reviews were positive and the food was excellent. There is seating with a beautiful view of the harbor in the back of the restaurant. We went through two bowls of fish soup, since the kids were so happy eating all of it. It is a very short walk from this restaurant to the dock, so this is a nice way to conclude your day in Geiranger