NCL Jade to Norway - Hellesylt/Geiranger

I am booked on the NCL Jade cruise to Norway sailing from Southampton on 11th June 2017.

When I booked the cruise it showed this on the itinerary for 17th June:

Hellesylt 08:00 to 09:00

Geiranger 10:30 to 17:00

I wasn't sure what this meant. Why does the ship only dock at Hellesylt for 1 hour? Has anyone has been on an NCL cruise to Norway who could explain it to me.

I am also slightly concerned that when I look at myNCL it no longer shows Geiranger and has Hellesylt from 08:00 to 17:00. I was intending to book a bus tour to Mount Dalsnibba from Geiranger.

Your travel agent could easily explain this to you.

They drop off folks at Hellesylt who have excursions from there and then said to Geiranger. Folks who get off at Hellesylt will end their excursion at Geiranger and board with everyone who gets off at Geiranger. They miss the gorgeous entry to that fjord.

They drop off folks at Hellesylt who have excursions from there and then said to Geiranger. Folks who get off at Hellesylt will end their excursion at Geiranger and board with everyone who gets off at Geiranger. They miss the gorgeous entry to that fjord.

YES, this above posting is very good in summarizing how Hellesylt is just a "drop off" point for folks doing an "upcountry" excursion that ended up at Geiranger. That is what we did and it is detailed in the below live/blog. You can see a few visual highlights for what you can see and experience in doing this type of excursion.

TRADE-OFFS?: In doing this option, you would miss the sail-in to Geiranger, but you will still see, as we did, the great sail-out that offers the wonderful, spectacular views and angles, including these famed waterfalls, etc. It's a choice and in my view, it is very good to have options. You cannot do it "ALL" in one trip here, but what we did with the "Roof of Norway" tour from Hellesylt to Geiranger worked very well for our interests.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 205,445 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

On our eight-hour “Overland from Hellesylt to Geiranger” bus tour, we stopped at the Jostedalsbreen National Park with these great views, even on a cloudy and foggy day. The rains had stopped by this point in the tour. These visuals include a nearby village scene and the grass on the top of a small building along Lake Strynsvatn. This park has the largest glacier on the European mainland and covers 510 sq. miles with the glaciers covering about 310 sq. miles. The main visitor's "centre" building was constructed in a manner similar to Viking longhouses where pillars rather than the walls are supporting the roof. This Centre in Oppstryn shows how the glacier and the landscape were shaped by water and ice through films, videos, computer programs and models. Its website for more information is:

http://www.jostedalsbre.no/engelsk/senter.htm

Next to the Videseter Hotel on our way to Geiranger when going “up country”, we saw this spectacular waterfall at this scenic high mountain elevation location. You can see how small is the hotel/dining building at the top to the right of waterfall to give an idea on the massive scale for this natural wonder. When you go beyond just the port stop village, you can better experience “ALL” that is there and around in these scenic parts of Norway.:

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. We went there, but it was totally “socked in”. It was so thick, you could barely find your bus on this day on top of the big mountain crowded with lots of buses from the Costa ship. But this view, at a lower level, makes up for that problems and provided a wonderful vista.:

After being tendered from Geiranger, we sailed out and passed by two super famous waterfalls. YES, yes, we saw lots and lots of waterfalls on this trip, but these two were among the “best of the best”. First is the “Seven Sisters”. Next shown is directly opposite in this narrow fjord and is called several names, including “The Suitor”. The majesty for these feats of nature is pretty amazing.:

Our cruise line did this in reverse (stayed in Geiranger for short half day, then stopped in Helleysylt on way back out of the fjord). I guess in Hellesylt there's not much to do, so I suppose the ship's excursions may be the only way to go rather than an excursion on your own from Geiranger.

Our cruise line did this in reverse (stayed in Geiranger for short half day, then stopped in Helleysylt on way back out of the fjord). I guess in Hellesylt there's not much to do, so I suppose the ship's excursions may be the only way to go rather than an excursion on your own from Geiranger.

YES!! Having been in Helleysylt, your guess is 100% correct that there is virtually nothing that special to do and see there in that town. Below is one picture, but, overall, it is a "jumping off" point from which you can go "up-country". Or, maybe a ship pick-up point after exploring some of these scenic areas of Norway.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 161,302 views for this posting.

Hellesylt is not a large village, but it was a starting point for our overland tour. In most cases, you don’t take the tender into this port unless you have a tour departing from this point. Its options as a village are very limited. As this picture shows, it was raining. Bummer, but in the overall cruise, this is really the only place where weather had any negative impact. And, by mid-day, much of the rain has lifted. :

Here is a different view as you are sailing from Geiranger and approaching the famed “Seven Sisters”. This is the view from the top of the ship as we are turning in this narrow fjord and first seeing some of this famous waterfall. Great majesty from nature in an amazing setting. This is the 39th tallest waterfall in Norway. The waterfall consists of seven separate streams, and it is located four miles west of Geiranger. The tallest of the seven has a free fall that measures 820’. The total height above the water from the top is 1,350'. The legend is that the seven sisters dance playfully down the mountain, while a single waterfall opposite, the Suitor, a male onlooker, flirts playfully from across the fjord.: