Rare 0106 Posted September 19, 2023 #26 Share Posted September 19, 2023 On 9/17/2023 at 2:57 PM, fabnfortysomething said: I have copied and pasted our privately organised train trip in Flam a few years ago Who did you use to arrange this private tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted September 19, 2023 #27 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 hour ago, 0106 said: Who did you use to arrange this private tour? Best provider in post #5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fabnfortysomething Posted September 19, 2023 #28 Share Posted September 19, 2023 6 hours ago, 0106 said: Who did you use to arrange this private tour? the organiser contacted Flam rail directly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted September 19, 2023 #29 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) 50 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said: the organiser contacted Flam rail directly The two options for direct booking is either the tour operator Norways Best or Vy - Norway Best has the best prices.Tickets can be booked 3 to 6 months in advance. Edited September 19, 2023 by hallasm 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
averyjenn Posted December 5, 2023 #30 Share Posted December 5, 2023 On 9/17/2023 at 2:57 PM, fabnfortysomething said: I have copied and pasted our privately organised train trip in Flam a few years ago we had from meet and greet had put together 2 private groups for 12.20 and 1.35pm Flam railway -29 people on each and at a cost of $59each. In contrast the NCL excursion on the same train was $169! OK now lets be fair about this the NCL tour also offered coffee/tea and homemade Norwegian waffles with sour cream and jam at the hotel Vatnahalsen which is the penultimate stop-all I can say is expensive waffles-more on that later. We were on the 1.35 train and due to meet at 1pm outside the train station. We had a leisurely morning and lunch then armed with waterproofs and umbrella we set off the ship and explored all the town had to offer. 2 minutes later we found the train station and found an overhang to keep dry until the rest of our party turned up. A large group wearing NCL stickers were herded past us and lined up on the platform to await the train and their reserved carriages. In contrast we stayed dry until time to board. The train pulled up and disgorged its previous passengers and we boarded as a group our reserved carriage. There were 12 carriages altogether and we were in coach 8-this turned out to be a brilliant coach as will be described later. The audioguide on the train described the history of the Flam railway and its construction as we wound our way up the mountain with some spectacular views. From 0m to 866m over a distance of 20 kilometres and 7 stations. The line is single track apart from a siding at a short stretch mid way at Berekvam where we had to wait for the downhill train so points could be changed-we were waiting 10 minutes which would have an unfortunate consequence for the NCL group who’d been on the earlier train. There was a 5 minute stop at Kjos-fossen waterfall at 670m where you could get off the train to take photos from the viewing platform-we pulled up directly opposite the falls . I got off and realised how ideally placed carriage 8 was as the viewing platform was only 2 carriageways wide.Most of the train would be in blackout in the tunnel We set off again and were now definitely at snow level ie lumps of ice. Through some tunnels the audioguide promised spectacular views through a gap in the tunnel. There were groans and then laughter as we realised we were in thick cloud and couldn’t see a thing! At Vatnahalsen we paused and saw a large group of wet and cold looking people with NCL stickers huddling around the station platform hardly visible for cloud/fog and with piles of snow and ice everywhere. The people on the 1.35 excursion got off to get their waffles ,look around at the scenery[what scenery] and would get the next train back in an hour. So these people on the platform were those from the 12.20 train who would catch our train on the return. The operative word being the return! The conductor wouldn’t allow them to board saying we had to complete journey to the top and would pick them up as we were coming back down. The 10 minutes we had to wait for the downhill train meant we were running 10 minutes late. We set off for the final stop at Myrdal 866m above sea level. As the train was running late the usual 10 minute stopover was being reduced and anyway it was still cold and foggy out there. A few hardy souls jumped off to get a couple of lungfuls of nicotine before the return journey to pick up those frozen miserable NCL excursionists! Back at the waterfall we again pulled up directly opposite the falls and this time I caught the dancing “maiden” Again conjecture was is it male or female? . We had a group photo taken outside the train which was a bit hurried as was still raining but we all agreed a fantastic day . Could you tell me what the private tour was - the name of the company. That sounds amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fabnfortysomething Posted December 5, 2023 #31 Share Posted December 5, 2023 35 minutes ago, averyjenn said: Could you tell me what the private tour was - the name of the company. That sounds amazing! hi the organiser booked directly through Flam railroad company same as NCL but without added mark up costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted December 5, 2023 #32 Share Posted December 5, 2023 1 hour ago, averyjenn said: Could you tell me what the private tour was - the name of the company. That sounds amazing! They are the same trains and the same tour whether you buy tickets yourself or buy an excursion from the cruise ship. The only difference is that certain cruise excursions include waffles at the Hotel Vatnahalsen. Waffles are also available at the café in Flåm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted December 15, 2023 #33 Share Posted December 15, 2023 On 9/13/2023 at 11:59 AM, cruisemom42 said: Does anyone know when the schedule (and tickets) for 2024 become available? @cruisemom42 Return tickets are now available on norwaysbest.com through to December 14 2024. (Norway's best only sells return tickets; one way tickets are available from vy.no but only 120 days out.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted December 15, 2023 #34 Share Posted December 15, 2023 33 minutes ago, gnome12 said: @cruisemom42 Return tickets are now available on norwaysbest.com through to December 14 2024. (Norway's best only sells return tickets; one way tickets are available from vy.no but only 120 days out.) Thank you! Much appreciated. Return tickets work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted December 15, 2023 #35 Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said: Thank you! Much appreciated. Return tickets work for me. @cruisemom42 By the way, the schedule is available at https://www.vy.no/en/traffic-and-routes/times?item=2893#item-96c83897df82 The train you are looking for is R45 in red near the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikamarii Posted December 16, 2023 #36 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Has anyone done the zipline/bikeride back? We are in Flåm in August from 1030am to 830pm as part of our arctic circle cruise. Timeline looks very doable if we book a train ticket for about 1130-1230. Does the bike ride include a helmet? Website doesnt say. Do they allow you to bring a small backpack with a waterbottle or something. 18km is a long time without proper hydration! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Shiba_Lover Posted December 27, 2023 #37 Share Posted December 27, 2023 I am planning to book tickets myself rather than a ship excursion. We are going in July. It looks like I can book roundtrip from Flam to Myrdal or I could also go from Flam to Vatnahalsen. I would like to get out of the train and have a bit of a walk around, then get back on the train and head back to Flam. Does anyone know which is better? I am thinking Vatnahalsen. It seems that Myrdal is just an out/back without time to get out of the train. And if correct, then I am thinking I purchase on vy.no and I can do so about 60 days in advance??? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted December 27, 2023 #38 Share Posted December 27, 2023 1 hour ago, Shiba_Lover said: I am planning to book tickets myself rather than a ship excursion. We are going in July. It looks like I can book roundtrip from Flam to Myrdal or I could also go from Flam to Vatnahalsen. I would like to get out of the train and have a bit of a walk around, then get back on the train and head back to Flam. Does anyone know which is better? I am thinking Vatnahalsen. It seems that Myrdal is just an out/back without time to get out of the train. And if correct, then I am thinking I purchase on vy.no and I can do so about 60 days in advance??? Thanks! Booking at Vy.no will likely be more expensive than Norways Best. Myrdal is only a station located in the mountains. You can book one way to Vatnahalsen and walk back to Flåm - 20 km and 4 to 5 hours. If you buy a return to Flåm you can leave the train in Vatnahalsen and enter again when it’s returning to Flåm 20 minutes later. take the train to Myrdal and back and plan for hiking in Flåm - Link to hiking map Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Shiba_Lover Posted December 27, 2023 #39 Share Posted December 27, 2023 4 minutes ago, hallasm said: Booking at Vy.no will likely be more expensive than Norways Best. Myrdal is only a station located in the mountains. You can book one way to Vatnahalsen and walk back to Flåm - 20 km and 4 to 5 hours. If you buy a return to Flåm you can leave the train in Vatnahalsen and enter again when it’s returning to Flåm 20 minutes later. take the train to Myrdal and back and plan for hiking in Flåm - Link to hiking map Thank you. I have also seen a post where you (I think it was you) suggested biking down. We may opt for that. My husband is a big mountain bike rider, and I think he would enjoy that as well. I think we rent the bikes in Myrdal??? This is the last stop to figure out 🙂 We have sea kayaking, a bird safari and so much else planned. Only this one stop remains! We have 2 back to back Norway cruises, and the only overlap stop is Flam. First time in Flam, we do the sea kayaking around Naerøyfjord, then we will do the railway on the second cruise when we stop in Flam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted December 28, 2023 #40 Share Posted December 28, 2023 9 hours ago, Shiba_Lover said: I have also seen a post where you (I think it was you) suggested biking down. Yes, it will be great to cycle from Myrdal to Flåm - bicycles and helmets can be rented in Cafe Rallaren in Myrdal - cycling is possible from June to September Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkaalong Posted April 18 #41 Share Posted April 18 On 8/29/2023 at 3:23 AM, hallasm said: It is a perfect excursion for someone with walking difficulties. Book a departure so you have plenty of time - check whether it's a tender or dock.Be at the train half an hour before departure. Some ship's excursions involve an additional walking- book a round trip from Flåm to Myrdal at Norways Best. Book well in advance as the trains sell out. Hello! This might seem like a silly question, but how can you tell if you will be a tender or a dock port? I've looked on our cruise info and can't find it 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisatsu Posted April 18 #42 Share Posted April 18 1 hour ago, mkaalong said: Hello! This might seem like a silly question, but how can you tell if you will be a tender or a dock port? I've looked on our cruise info and can't find it 🙂 It’s on the port schedule (but is subject to change): https://www.flamport.no/ship-arrivals2021 “Kai” = docked ”Anker” = tender 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallasm Posted April 18 #43 Share Posted April 18 20 minutes ago, kaisatsu said: It’s on the port schedule (but is subject to change): https://www.flamport.no/ship-arrivals2021 “Kai” = docked ”Anker” = tender Yes, that information was previously available in the Flåm port of call list, as was the case in 2023 - however, I cannot find that information in the port of call list for 2024. some Cruise Lines will include the information in The Cruise docs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hezu Posted April 19 #44 Share Posted April 19 12 hours ago, hallasm said: Yes, that information was previously available in the Flåm port of call list, as was the case in 2023 - however, I cannot find that information in the port of call list for 2024. some Cruise Lines will include the information in The Cruise docs Flåm port cruise ship arrivals list for 2024-2025 indeed does not seem to include the information whether ships dock or anchor, but I presume that the list could at least help to determine if there is more than one cruise in port and I presume that tendering is only needed when there is more than one ship in port on same day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisatsu Posted April 19 #45 Share Posted April 19 (edited) Sorry about that! I didn't realize that I'd copied an old link! 🤦♀️ I took a look at the website, and it looks like it still has the problem that the dates and times get converted to your local time zone instead of showing the actual port times. They told me they'd fixed that, but I think they just made the problem worse (i.e. now it changes the times, not just the dates). However, poking around a bit, it seems you can actually access the full port schedule from https://api.flamport.no/Open/ Unfortunately they show all the ships as tendering, so I guess that data is still missing. Edited April 19 by kaisatsu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted April 19 #46 Share Posted April 19 14 minutes ago, kaisatsu said: Sorry about that! I didn't realize that I'd copied an old link! 🤦♀️ I took a look at the website, and it looks like it still has the problem that the dates and times get converted to your local time zone instead of showing the actual port times. They told me they'd fixed that, but I think they just made the problem worse (i.e. now it changes the times, not just the dates). However, poking around a bit, it seems you can actually access the full port schedule from https://api.flamport.no/Open/ Unfortunately they show all the ships as tendering, so I guess that data is still missing. We will be the smallest of 3 ships in port on arrival in Flåm on June 26. Does anyone have any guess which one might be docked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz.n.carebear Posted April 21 #47 Share Posted April 21 We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August. I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure. We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am. Do you think that's possible to make? If not, are there any other suggestions for our group? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeMark Posted April 21 #48 Share Posted April 21 2 hours ago, cruz.n.carebear said: We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August. I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure. We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am. Do you think that's possible to make? If not, are there any other suggestions for our group? I'll be there in May and can give you a report but my guess is no. Keep checking - slots will open up. I don't know if they add more cars or people on the cruise excursions cancel when their final payment is due and they decide not to go on the cruise but keep trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericosmith Posted April 22 #49 Share Posted April 22 5 hours ago, cruz.n.carebear said: We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August. I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure. We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am. Do you think that's possible to make? If not, are there any other suggestions for our group? At 90 days prior to your port arrival go to vy.no and see what's available there. They had tickets available for my booking when Norway's Best was sold out except for that 8:25. You'll likely have to buy two one way tickets. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaisatsu Posted April 22 #50 Share Posted April 22 18 hours ago, ericosmith said: At 90 days prior to your port arrival go to vy.no and see what's available there. They had tickets available for my booking when Norway's Best was sold out except for that 8:25. You'll likely have to buy two one way tickets. This is spot on. The Vy tickets are only available 90 days in advance, so set a reminder and check again at/around the 90-day mark. Note that some people have reported issues buying tickets on vy.no with a foreign bank card, and paying via PayPal is the typical alternative. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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