Do you get decent shore time on the Norwegian cruise?

[yellow-submarine]

Hi fellow cruisers,

 

Contemplating to go with my kids to a Norwegian cruise early summer. We don't have experience with P&O and could not find detailed info online so I was hoping the community can fill the gap. The 7day cruise has already have 2 sea day and 2 other cruise by day, so I guess it is reasonable expectation to get a decent on shore time/experience to explore, release our and the kids energy. So my questions:
 

• Is there a way to get details about P&O's arrival and departure times? The itinerary is vague: Departure: Afternoon.
• Why cruises leave most ports at the afternoon? (especially when sunset is at 11PM and the next destination is not far away).
• In Stavanger the most interesting thing would be the Preikestolen (The Pulpit Rock) but again the departure time is "Afternoon". Has anyone made it there and back without rush? Is this offered as an excursion?

[Thejuggler]

We've been on three fjords cruises with P&O and Celebrity,  

 

Arrival has always been early morning, berthed by 8am (part of fjords cruising is getting up early to experience the fjord and arrival).  Back on board has always been around 5pm.

Port websites are often the most reliable source of arrival and departure times.

 

There are excursions to pulpit rock, or you can DIY from Stavanger.

[Interestedcruisefan]

Always an early arrival 

 

Back on board by 5pm ish for dinner etc. Also lots to keep the kids entertained and occupied on the ship 

 

I think it's a fun and interesting cruise for kids. Plenty were on board Iona with us

 

[CaptainPedantic]

How old are your kids and what other ports are you hoping to visit? We did a few fjords cruises with our two when they were younger and they thoroughly enjoyed them. Lots of options to keep them entertained / burn their energy!

[Clodia]

I have taken my daughter on 4 Norway or Iceland cruises from when she was 7 to 18. She loved it at all ages, plenty of interest for both younger and older children. 

[yellow-submarine]

Thank you all. Looks like this cruise is designed by and for early birds. To leave the ship by 8 would mean waking up at 7 and Norway is an hour ahead so that is 6AM Body Standard Time. Not on a holiday. Cruising is nice but the destination is still the main purpose of the trip. And when most of the days are cruising it makes it even more precious.
The Preikestolen hike take 4-5 hours, bus is 2x1h + waiting time (there are 4 buses a day). It feels a bit stretched. Has anyone taken this as a P&O excursion? I would be curious on their timing.
So 5PM is the boarding time not the actual departure time of the ship?

[Harryjacobs]

5pm boarding and depature was usually around 6pm

[purplesea]

We were onboard Britannia in September and the times shown on The Horizon are as follows,

 

Stravanger    Arrive  9.30 am   Back on Board  4.30 pm

Olden            Arrive  9.30 am   Back on Board  5.30 pm

Flam             Arrive  8.15 am    Back on Board  5.30 pm (although we didn't leave until the following day and missed Haugesund, due to bad weather)

 

I hope this helps, although different cruises may have different timings.

[Megabear2]

Looking at the port schedules very few lines leave later than 6.00pm.  There are a number of Costa ships leaving 9.00pm and 10.00pm but they arrive around 1.00pm.

 

The time P&O spend in any port is actually pretty good compared with some lines.

 

The walk you mention is not something that most P&O passengers would normally undertake and I believe most of P&O's excursions reflect this.  

 

You may have seen this review on TripAdvisor where a man did do the trip.  Very interesting reading but do take note of his final paragraph that five people didn't make it back to the ship!

 

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g2416812-d317604-r610115989-Pulpit_Rock-Forsand_Municipality_Rogaland_Western_Norway.html

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by Megabear2

[CaptainPedantic]

13 hours ago, yellow-submarine said:

Cruising is nice but the destination is still the main purpose of the trip. And when most of the days are cruising it makes it even more precious.

I may be an early bird (I am), but a big part of a Norwegian fjords cruise for me is the sailing in - so I'm up much earlier than the arrival time! Sure, you'll be able to see the same scenery on the way back out at a more sociable time, but for me the early morning peaceful fjord cruising into the likes of Olden, Geiranger etc. is heavenly.

[yellow-submarine]

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

You may have seen this review on TripAdvisor where a man did do the trip.

That was my exact thinking. And he went in August when the buses are twice as frequent. There is no point to have a stressed day. Which is a shame as the Pulpit is the most iconic place in Norway.

 

8 hours ago, purplesea said:

Stravanger    Arrive  9.30 am   Back on Board  4.30 pm

That is helpful. Thank you. That would mean we can't take the 4PM return bus, the earlier return bus is at 13:40. (Which makes it impossible as the Stavanger-Preikestolen bus gets to Preikestolen base camp at 11:55.)
 

7 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

The walk you mention is not something that most P&O passengers would normally undertake and I believe most of P&O's excursions reflect this.

Yes indeed, it looks like it.
Although we been told the best way to see Norway is from a cruise but seems like if we want to touch and smell the nature probably we have to drop the idea of cruising and rent a car. Especially with the frequent port cancellation there is a likeliness that even Olden would be skipped and than goodbye nature all together. Norway is not famous for its architecture and food.

Thank you all, it really helped.

Edited November 10, 2023 by yellow-submarine

[Megabear2]

16 minutes ago, yellow-submarine said:

That was my exact thinking. And he went in August when the buses are twice as frequent. There is no point to have a stressed day. Which is a shame as the Pulpit is the most iconic place in Norway.

 

That is helpful. Thank you. That would mean we can't take the 4PM return bus, the earlier return bus is at 13:40. (Which makes it impossible as the Stavanger-Preikestolen bus gets to Preikestolen base camp at 11:55.)
 

Yes indeed, it looks like it.
Although we been told the best way to see Norway is from a cruise but seems like if we want to touch and smell the nature probably we have to drop the idea of cruising and rent a car. Especially with the frequent port cancellation there is a likeliness that even Olden would be skipped and than goodbye nature all together. Norway is not famous for its architecture and food.

Thank you all, it really helped.

Have you considered the specialist Norway cruises on Hurtigruten or is cost a factor for looking at P&O?  Those cruises are very much designed to get you out to nature.

[devonuk]

On 11/10/2023 at 5:50 PM, Megabear2 said:

Have you considered the specialist Norway cruises on Hurtigruten or is cost a factor for looking at P&O?  Those cruises are very much designed to get you out to nature.

Hurtigruten and Cruising in the same sentence? We’ve cruised more luxuriously on cross channel ferries 😬

[Camberley]

we have enjoyed some lovely ports in Norway, with enough time at most - well, of those ports the ships have ended up going to! But perhaps oddly, for us we’ve found cruising the fjords to be less about the ports themselves and much more about the sailing serenely through the fjords themselves and taking in the majesty of it all

Edited November 13, 2023 by Camberley

[CaptainPedantic]

On 11/10/2023 at 5:33 PM, yellow-submarine said:

Although we been told the best way to see Norway is from a cruise but seems like if we want to touch and smell the nature probably we have to drop the idea of cruising and rent a car. 

Don't give up all hope on cruising to Norway and the fjords though! We have had some amazing adventures and whilst not being able to make Pulpit is a disappointment, especially if that was a main reason to choose, but there is plenty else to do. We've had 3 very different but equally amazing visits to Olden - we've taken a thrilling RIB ride through the fjord (independently), and taken the ship's excursions to Briksdal Glacier and Kjenndalen Glacier/Lovatnet Lake. All brilliant. Geiranger is stunning, has some fabulous walks and we also took a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride there. Bergen offers a nice trek up Mount Floyen, or you can take the rather interesting funicular if you prefer - as well as having a very quaint and interesting Hanseatic quarter. We've had lovely trips in Flaam, Skjolden, Alesund, Kristiansand, Nordfjord not to mention Oslo. And we have enjoyed Stavanger too, the old town is lovely (but accepted, nothing like a trip to Pulpit would be).
All that while spending the mornings and evenings sailing slowly in and out of the fjords. 

Obviously I'm a huge fan and we likely have very different interests, but I wouldn't write off a fjords cruise just yet.