Some questions about Norwegian Fjords ports

I just booked a 7 night cruise on the Crown Princess for July 2017. It's a short one, ports are Stavanger, Olden, Hellesylt and Geiranger (on the same day), Bergen.

Is there a better side of the ship to be on? Right now I'm booked on the port side. Does it matter?

Which are the best excursions to do? In Stavanger I'd like to hike Pulpit Rock, we are in port for 9 hours and I hope that's enough to do this one my own because the ship's excursion is really expensive.

On the day we're in Hellesylt and Geiranger, Hellesylt is a pot just for people on a ship's excursion. Those look fun, but wouldn't staying on the ship cruising in the fjord also be really nice? If I get to Geiranger can I do a private tour?

In general, I'd love to hear recommendations for all these ports! Thanks!

Hi

I don't think it matters what side of the ship you are on.

I have not been to Pulpit Rock so can't help you on that.

At Geraingerfjord I would stay on the ship -- the journey down that Fjord us particularly scenic -- probably best seen on deck rather than from your cabin/balcony -- if on deck you can see both sides of the Fjord.

You can buy tours direct from the local Tourist Office there. I would recommend the coach to Mt Dalsnibba. On the way back you will be offered the choice of going back to the start point or being dropped off half a mile or so upstream at the Fjordland exhibition. I would get off the coach there, not necessarily to view the exhibition but because there is a great walk down by the side of the river to the ship -- though the spray from the several waterfalls could lead to your arrival back slightly damp.

There are walks you can do directly from the ship at Olden.

I would do Bergen on your own, spending half a day on Mount Floyen (we sometimes get the funicular up and walk back down or sometimes walk both ways. There are several wooded paths which take you up to the top.. The fish and flower markets are close to the bottom terminus. The other must see part of Bergen is the Bryggen, not just to see the facades but to venture into the alleyways.

Your ship might well be berthed close to Bryggen in which case you will first past the Fortress and Park which is also worth a look. But some ships are on the other side of the harbour from where you will be shuttled into the City Centre.

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We have also just booked a cruise on the Crown Princess in July (although we have some different ports - sjkolden not geiranger - so it's not the same). I understand there are operators at the dock in most places offering tours at a fraction of the cruise ship cost. I'd be interested to also hear people's experiences of these.

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Is there a better side of the ship to be on? Right now I'm booked on the port side. Does it matter?

 

You do realize that in most fjord situations, you sail in, turn around and come back out the same way you sailed in? Thus, if you were locked in your balcony cabin, (you aren't, of course), you would see sailing out, what you missed sailing in? Unless, of course, you were in a aft balcony cabin.

You do realize that in most fjord situations, you sail in, turn around and come back out the same way you sailed in? Thus, if you were locked in your balcony cabin, (you aren't, of course), you would see sailing out, what you missed sailing in? Unless, of course, you were in a aft balcony cabin.

Oddly the travel agent I booked with told me a port side balcony was better for this cruise. I have no idea why and I forgot to ask! As it is we are in a port balcony but I can't see any particular advantage over one side than the other.

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I just booked a 7 night cruise on the Crown Princess for July 2017. It's a short one, ports are Stavanger, Olden, Hellesylt and Geiranger (on the same day), Bergen. Is there a better side of the ship to be on? Right now I'm booked on the port side. Does it matter? Which are the best excursions to do? In Stavanger I'd like to hike Pulpit Rock, we are in port for 9 hours and I hope that's enough to do this one my own because the ship's excursion is really expensive. On the day we're in Hellesylt and Geiranger, Hellesylt is a pot just for people on a ship's excursion. Those look fun, but wouldn't staying on the ship cruising in the fjord also be really nice?

Sorry, I have not been to Stavanger, but as detailed below on my live/blog, I have had a good bit of experience up and down that scenic and interesting coast. Plus, many visuals are provided as proof/evidence!! And much on Bergen is provided on that series of postings.

For Hellesylt and Geiranger, we got off on this first port stop and did an "Up-Country" tour that allowed us to experience the "Roof of Norway". See below some visuals and more background for doing that type of "adventure"!!!

Agree with the others that the ship's side choices does not mean that much. ALSO, would suggest that for part of this sailing being up on top of the ship and/or at the back can be more important. Why? There are great sights on BOTH sides. If you are only on your balcony, then you do not have the flexibility to see as wide of a range of scenic treats.

Keep research, planning and asking good questions!!

For Helleysylt, we did an “Overland from Hellesylt to Geiranger”, eight-hour tour. We saw stunning natural beauty of the “Roof of Norway’”. This drive goes through the verdant hills and into the mountains. This includes the Raftevold Hotel, overlooking the Hornindals-Vannet Lake at approximately 1,700 feet. This crystal-clear lake is as deep as Lake Tahoe. Then it goes to the emerald-colored Styrn Lake, seeing the Jostedalen Glacier, Buldrefossen Waterfall; going up the Styrnefjell Road, a masterpiece of engineering that opened in 1895. It has nineteen hairpin turns and then we cross the Jølbrua Bridge, located 328 feet above a gorge., one of Norway’s most spectacular views. After lunch at the Videseter Hotel, drive past the Tystigen Glacier, see a popular summer skiing site before reaching Mt. Dalsnibba. There was a photo stop is at a 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. A small village with a population of about 600, Hellesylt lies at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord) and nearby to the famous Geirangerfjord. Mountains and valleys surround the village, the settings of Ibsen's play, Brand. Hellesylt is under constant threat from the mountain Åkerneset, which is about to erode into the Geirangerfjord. A collapse could cause a tsunami destroying most of downtown Hellesylt.

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 207,322 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, the grass on the top of a small building along Lake Strynsvatn and this Aussie couple on our cruise checking out the interesting display of the various stone/rock types from all over Norway. 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.:

In the afternoon of this overland tour, this was the scene as the ship excursion supervisor snapped a picture showing so much snow still on these mountains as their high locations, even in the middle of July.:

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.:

Our family of four just spent 3 weeks in Norway this past August. We did a road trip so I don't know if my experiences apply to your situation.

For Stavager: The hike up from the starting point is about 2hrs, leisurely. Easy hike with occasional steeper sections. Don't need a guide. My son who was 8 did it with ease. When you get to the pulpit rock, must hike up just a little further and you get an amazing view of the pulpit rock against the fjord.

Geiranger is absolutely breathtaking. It's a shame not to explore the town and its many amazing view points. You can rent one of those tiny eco cars at the dock and drive around by yourself.

Wow! Amazing photos and great advice! Keep it coming!

That Overland from hellesylt to Geiranger tour looks fun, but if you take that you miss being on the ship as it sails up the fjord. I'm wondering if that is worth it. I also really like hiking and being active, is there any hiking on that bus tour?

If I do go to Geiranger with the ship, would it be better to take a ship tour or just rent a little eco-car like lepton13? Where did you take that last photo - it's great!

The last picture was taken at Flydalsjuvet. You must hike down from the view point a little bit to get access to where my husband stood / jumped.

Lots of wonderful hiking trails in Geiranger. Check out trip advisor for recommendations. The Norwegian king and queen did a hike in Geiranger with their family to celebrate their wedding anniversary. How norwegian is that!

Wow! Amazing photos and great advice! Keep it coming!

 

That Overland from hellesylt to Geiranger tour looks fun, but if you take that you miss being on the ship as it sails up the fjord. I'm wondering if that is worth it. I also really like hiking and being active, is there any hiking on that bus tour?

 

If I do go to Geiranger with the ship, would it be better to take a ship tour or just rent a little eco-car like lepton13? Where did you take that last photo - it's great!

Keep in mind that the sail-out from Geiranger covers the same stretch. The only difference I've noticed is that they made an announcement as we passed the Seven Sisters and Suitor waterfalls on the sail-in, but not always on the sail-out. Otherwise, it's exactly the same.

One bonus point is that since most people are out on deck to watch the sail-in, it may not be as crowded during the sail-out. Depending on your port timings, the sail-out could conflict with early-seating dinner (but the scenery is well worth a night at the buffet).

Hmm, I'm still deciding! Another thing I'm thinking of is going to Geiranger and either renting a car to see the sights, or hiring a private taxi. Has anyone done one of those?

One thing I considered after agonizing over whether to take the overland tour is that the weather may be significantly different on the sail-in than sail-out. No way to know ahead of time of course. But I really want those photos so decided to stay on the ship for both ways and have hired a guide to take us to all the viewpoints in Geiranger, which hopefully will provide at least some of the overland experience! There is also a bus tour that goes to the viewpoints from NorwayExcursions.com which looked fine. I got cold feet on the bus when reading about people being made to hurry up at the top viewpoint so I went with a car.

Hi all :)

I realize this is a very broad question but we are in the early stages of planning our Norwegian cruise and are trying to decide between the 9 day NCL Jade (Hamburg, Alesand, Flam, Helleyslt ,Bergen) and a 7 day Princess Sapphire (Stavenger, Olden, Geiranger, Helleyslt, Bergen). We have sailed both lines before and felt Princess was a bit nicer overall but found them both great cruiselines and really want to maximize our time and options ashore.

We want to enjoy the scenery but I like to experience the local culture and people.

I'm scouring the threads but any input would be great.

Thanks so much :)

Janey

4 couples on our roll call booked a taxi tour (in the 16 seat van) each person had their own window - we went to Flydelsjett lookout, Mt Dalsnibba and the Eagle Bend lookout. (sorry about my spelling). At the end 4 of us were dropped at the top of the waterfall walk to walk back down to the village whilst the others finished in town. The roads were incredibly busy, windy and narrow (sometimes the busses had to back up) there were also cycling tours coming down the mountains - so glad we were not driving but enjoying the spectacular scenery. I think there were 3 or 4 cruse ships in port that day.

Vada 9, that is incredibly useful and timely advice! I've been in email contact with the taxi service there, and am about to book a taxi tour of exactly those places. It's a bit pricey, but still cheaper than the 4 of us doing a ship excursion. I'd been considering renting a car, which would be half the price, but also was thinking that I'd be wanting to watch the scenery and not be driving, so your post was very welcome! Thanks!