Stavanger itinerary input please

We arrive during May at 1000, leaving at 1700 - rather short amount of time. We are wanting to go up the fjord to Pulpit Rock - we have the choice of taking an overpriced shore excursion departing at 1030, returning at 1330. This clearly leaves us with time in port to explore old town and their recommended church.

There is an independent fjord excursion, same itinerary minus the waffles and reasonable priced departing at 1215, returning at 1445. This breaks our time into two segments to explore Stavanger - neither a very long time period.

My question is - having never been to this port, will the mid day fjord cruise allow us to be able to see old town and the church, or will we be really cutting it short in taking this private excursion? I appreciate advice from those who have experience here. There will be 4 ships, 8,000+ passengers in town this day 👺👺

Thank you

I haven't been to Stavanger before, so I do hope someone will step up and give you some tips. I am going in May also but my question is in regards to which port schedule you have that is showing 4 ships in this port in May? I ask because I now wonder if my information wasn't very accurate. I've been using Cruise TT and they don't have that many. If you have a more accurate web site to tell which ships are in port on the various days, I would be very appreciative. Good luck in the search for some answers and happy sailing.

I checked with Stavanger tourism office as well as the specific port of Stavanger to find out about the ships in port. I then looked at each ship to see the total passengers.

I am hoping someone will advise on here about the impact it will have on our experience in this port if we decide to take the fjord cruise private - cost of the experience can't be the reason one makes if it is the wrong choice in this town.

I'm waiting for an answer to this one, as well. But not until June, so perhaps we can benefit from the others doing this earlier ;)

We're looking at Norled (https://www.norled.no/en/fjordcruise/lysefjord-preikestol-cruise/) for this tour. 340 NOK for senior (67 plus) and 420 NOK standard fare.

Will we miss much in Stavanger by dividing up our day with the Pulpit Rock cruise?

The next day we will be cruising into Flam and then taking the fjord ferry ride to Naerofjord, busing back. Perhaps that's a bit too many boat fjord trips in two days... or not? Experienced cruisers please chime in!

The old town is either 10 minutes' walk or 2 minutes' walk from the ship, depending which side of the harbour you dock. If the ship docks nose towards the town, the old town is on the right. Either way, it's visible from the ship.

I don't know which church you mean, but if it's the cathedral (I think it's a cathedral, not just a big church) it is also visible from the ship, about 5 minutes away just above the market steps.

Stavangar is a compact city, or at least a compact city centre. An excursion bang in the middle of the day will have little impact on your itinerary. The main city museum, the sardine canning museum, the big lake and fountain, the fire-watch tower - they're all within 10 minutes of the ship. (15 minutes for the main museum.)

Thank you for that review. It appears that the mid-day cruise should work okay in this port. My only other red flag is that Rick Steve's recommendation for Stavanger is to use the ship excursions for the fjord because of late returns with private operator....and the only thing I can come up with for that warning is that maybe the later afternoon cruise might get hung up waiting for those who hiked Pilpit Rock...which is recommended to give yourself 7-8 hours from port to return.....I can't find anywhere anyone reporting that they missed their ship due to not taking the cruise line fjord trip......????

We're on the July 25 Viking Star Stockholm to Bergen cruise. Will be in Stavanger on August 5. Just signed up online for the Norled FJORDCRUISE 12:15 to 3:15 p.m. that day. Don't have to worry about getting off ship OR getting back in time. When we paid found out the tickets are even cheaper. Their initial price includes the 8% VAT and when we used our credit card, the VAT was deducted. Printed off the tickets right here at home.

Now to find a restaurant in Stavanger where we can get waffles with berries and whipped cream before or after our boat trip.

Is it better to take the cruise up the fjords to pulpit rock in the morning or the afternoon? We have to excursion times to pick from. One starting at 8:15 going to 11:45 and the other from 12:45 going to 4:15. Which one would be better in case of bad weather. We are cruising in late June.

Thanks for any help.

Still looking for an answer to the above question.

I would go sooner rather than later in the day as that frees you up for the afternoon which you can do at your own pace. As has been said, the town is very compact and easily doable. The old town with the White houses is very near, as is the Cathedral, park, ( a walk around the park and lake is gorgeous in the springtime) and the sardine canning museum. One place not mentioned is the Oil Museum which sounds dull but is absolutely fascinating - lots of interactive facilities, 3D presentation ( glasses provided) and things to do. You even get to "go " on a North sea oil rig. If you have teenagers or older children, they will love it. We loved it even without the children! There is hoho bus too if you fancy that. We have been to Stavanger many times and always find something different as everything is so close to the ship's berth.

We're on the July 25 Viking Star Stockholm to Bergen cruise. Will be in Stavanger on August 5. Just signed up online for the Norled FJORDCRUISE 12:15 to 3:15 p.m. that day. Don't have to worry about getting off ship OR getting back in time. When we paid found out the tickets are even cheaper. Their initial price includes the 8% VAT and when we used our credit card, the VAT was deducted. Printed off the tickets right here at home.

Now to find a restaurant in Stavanger where we can get waffles with berries and whipped cream before or after our boat trip.

Hi OBX Cruisers:

We are going to be in Stavanger on June 25, 2016 and found your comments helpful. I was wondering - did you ever find a place in Stavanger for waffles with berries and whipped cream?

Thanks

Gloria (gciam5)

We docked in Stavanger twice during a B2B on the Disney Magic last summer. As others have mentioned, Stavanger is a very compact town. You could very easily get off the ship at 10 am, walk through the old town, quickly tour the canning museum, walk by the Cathedral (it was closed last summer and I am unsure when it will open again) and be back by the dock for the private tour at 12:15 pm. After your tour, you may want to consider touring the Maritime Museum which is across from the pier. It also has a little cafe with beverages and Norwegian baked goods! I agree with the other poster who mentioned the Petroleum Museum, which is walkable, but a little further from the pier. It's unbelievable. The three museums in town (canning, maritime and petroleum) give a great overview of the industrial history of the area.

Just a note, Stavanger will feel very crowded with so many ships docked and service at restaurants will be very, very slow, so, if you are more interested in touring than eating, I wouldn't plan on sitting down for a meal. I would have a good breakfast on the ship and grab a snack at the Maritime Museum. If you want a sit-down meal, try Fisketorget which is across from the pier. The service was pretty good, even on a crowded day. The fish soup is amazing!!

We arrive during May at 1000, leaving at 1700 - rather short amount of time. We are wanting to go up the fjord to Pulpit Rock - we have the choice of taking an overpriced shore excursion departing at 1030, returning at 1330. This clearly leaves us with time in port to explore old town and their recommended church.

 

There is an independent fjord excursion, same itinerary minus the waffles and reasonable priced departing at 1215, returning at 1445. This breaks our time into two segments to explore Stavanger - neither a very long time period.

 

My question is - having never been to this port, will the mid day fjord cruise allow us to be able to see old town and the church, or will we be really cutting it short in taking this private excursion? I appreciate advice from those who have experience here. There will be 4 ships, 8,000+ passengers in town this day 👺👺

Thank you

I am sure you have already checked this out but when we were in Stavanger several years ago the ship we were on did the Pulpit Rock visitation. That was a Holland America ship. It was on our itinerary.

We, too, just walked around town with another couple (including the church and the Maritime Museum). It was a lovely relaxing day.

So I have no suggestions about combining a "walk around the town" with other activities, but a walk around the town is well worth it. A beautiful little town ...

Mura

Want to go on this trip,can't find any recent reviews,my questions are: will independents be running to the fjord in early may 2016 ? names of firms and prices would be helpful to enable us to book etc.Thanks

Want to go on this trip,can't find any recent reviews,my questions are: will independents be running to the fjord in early may 2016 ? names of firms and prices would be helpful to enable us to book etc.Thanks

Google Stavanger Rodne and see if they fit the bill.

I have looked at two independent cruises for May. One has cruises too early or too late for us and the other company operates from June.

We had the same problem - independent operators during May (just pre season) and did not offer times that fit within our port times. I contacted them independently and found that they were in fact going to run an extra boat that day due to number of ships in port - so it might be worth your while to check that idea out. Who knows, it might work! Good luck.

Contacted Rodne at Stevanger online, the times suit !! for a 10 am trip when we arrive at 9am,only a 10 minute walk to get their boat,so even allowing for the Celebrity tours getting off first !! Half the price of the Celebrity tour.

They were great to work directly with, and yes, the walking distance is not far at all. 10 minutes would probably be at a casual walking pace, which is great for anyone who needs a little extra time