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Norway in early may


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we did a Norway cruise late May this year

shore excursions were impacted because of roads still closed by snow

 

It makes for spectacular scenery with snow capped mountains lining the fiords but take your winter woollies!

 

We are cruising in May 2016, what shore excursions were impacted?

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We are cruising in May 2016, what shore excursions were impacted?

 

mainly those involving drives up into the mountains

 

for instance in Geiranger we were due to take a mountain bus from fiord level up to top of Mount Dalsnibba.Halfway up the road was closed by snow so they had to find an alternative viewpoint lower down

 

That was late May so early May more risk of snow at lower levels

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Our cruise was from May 9-16. We had 2.25 of 4 port days with sunny weather. The remainder was miserable. We had a heavy rainfall in Bergen that impacted our guided walk atop the Floibahnen- views from there were of foggy moisture. I'd hoped to shop in Bergen after our mountaintop visit, but was too drenched to enjoy the experience. In Geiranger, we awoke to sunshine and being earlybirds, enjoyed the waterfall walk in pleasant conditions, followed by the bus/boat combo tour. The bus tour couldn't get to Dalsnibba due to snow pack and we were lucky to make it to Eagles Bend, which had opened only a two or two prior to our arrival. For our afternoon boat tour, it poured again and the fjord views weren't! The heavy rain in both these ports literally made them a "wash-out".

 

We had beautiful weather in Alesund and Stavenger.

 

I know it can rain anywhere, anytime but when you are spending $$ to experience the beauty of the fjords, early May, which is impacted by both extreme wet weather and closures due to snowpack, would not be a time I'd choose again.

Edited by TMLAalum
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I've cruised in Norway in May, June, July, August, and February. They all have different attractions in different ways.

 

There'll be more snow on the mountains than in June, and the waterfalls may be spectacularly good if the melt has started, or they may be part frozen if it hasn't. Only some port excursions will be restricted, there will still be plenty of choice. In many ports, assuming you're mobile, port excursions aren't necessary anyway, especially if you've not been before. Bergen is easy to DIY, and at Geiranger you can just go for a walk. No need to book a boat trip in advance, not least because the three-hour sail-in and three-hour sail-out cover the same waters; and there's a regular ferry to Hellesylt that you can use for your boat trip if you want one.

 

I would certainly go again in May, as I would at any other time of year. If May is your choice, I'd say go for it. Then next year you can go in July. Or even later this year!

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May is when the Fjord villages come out of 'hibernation'. During winter access to the area is not always possible and people leave, moving to larger cities and arriving back in time for cruise ship season.

 

My parents went the first week in May and Gerainger was still virtually shut off by road. A quick trip in a bus and that was all they could do, one of their other smaller ports was also very quiet.

 

As for rain, expect it any time. If it doesn't rain in Bergen you are very lucky as it rains about 5 days out of 7 all year round! We were lucky, t shirt weather and £10 pints of lager sat in the sunshine!

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Thank you so much for all of your opinions on Norway in May; My DH and I love the cold, but not so much tons of rain. However, it looks like a crap shoot in any month, with May either being great for waterfalls or not. We hiked in NZ, South Island in February and had rain and sun in the fjords, but no beautiful cruise ship to come back to...:confused:

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Thank you so much for all of your opinions on Norway in May; My DH and I love the cold, but not so much tons of rain. However, it looks like a crap shoot in any month, with May either being great for waterfalls or not. We hiked in NZ, South Island in February and had rain and sun in the fjords, but no beautiful cruise ship to come back to...:confused:

The rain really is a crap shoot, and it's a lot like the Pacific northwest. It may be statistically more likely to rain in one month compared to another, but I've had beautiful weather in Bergen while cruising in May one year, and I've experienced rain in Oslo almost every day in July another. Planning around rain is pretty futile in my opinion.

 

Also, keep in mind that downpours in this part of the world are uncommon. When it rains, it's more of a long-term light rain or drizzle. Heavy rain is relatively uncommon and usually leads to flooding. It's not an everyday occurrence any time of year.

 

The bigger impact is on the accessibility in the mountains and the tourist infrastructure. Summer/tourism hours for a lot of sights and services begin around May 17, and some mountain roads are often inaccessible until late May or June. (However, even this is a crap shoot, since late-season snowfall kept a lot of the roads closed well into June this year!)

 

We did some light hiking during our port day in Geiranger in May, and the trail conditions were damp but manageable even for my parents who are well past their hiking prime. Unless you're planning a serious trek in the mountains (likely more than you could manage in a single port call), I don't think that the May climate would have a serious impact on your plans.

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