Early purchase of shore excursions? the Fjords

Greetings

We are traveling with Costa NeoRomantica to the Fjords - 16/8

Do you think we should book the tours from the ship in advance or can we wait and book on the ship?

Most tours are view tours and therefore the weather it is important.

They are also expensive tours and you can not cancel if the weather is bad.

We would prefer to wait

but -

Is it possible that there will be no room for these tours?

thanks for your answers

Greetings. We are traveling with Costa NeoRomantica to the Fjords - 16/8 Do you think we should book the tours from the ship in advance or can we wait and book on the ship? Most tours are view tours and therefore the weather it is important. They are also expensive tours and you can not cancel if the weather is bad. We would prefer to wait but - Is it possible that there will be no room for these tours? thanks for your answers

Appreciate your good questions. The quick response? IT DEPENDS!! Yes, weather can be an important variable. Much will be impacted by the specific port and what you really, really want to see and do.

What are your personal interests and travel style? Which ports will you visit and most interest you?

As an example, we did an "upcountry" tour that gave us a much better sampling for seeing more than just what is right there at the sea-level port. Really enjoyed seeing more of Norway than just what is right there in the fjords. From my live/blog below, you can see many visuals and maybe gain some added ideas to consider. Added questions? Keep researching and planning!!

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 201,460 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.:

Greetings

 

We are traveling with Costa NeoRomantica to the Fjords - 16/8

Do you think we should book the tours from the ship in advance or can we wait and book on the ship?

Most tours are view tours and therefore the weather it is important.

They are also expensive tours and you can not cancel if the weather is bad.

We would prefer to wait

but -

Is it possible that there will be no room for these tours?

 

thanks for your answers

I have just looked up your itinerary and I have been to two of your ports of call, Stavanger is a lovely town to just walk about, there are a couple of museums, easy to DIY therefore not expensive.

In Olden we took the local minibus tour to the glacier which was about half the cost of the ship's tour, and there was no need to book or pay in advance so if the weather was really bad we wouldn't have gone. There is a kiosk to pay for the trip just on the quay.

You still have time to do a bit of research before you go.

One thing for sure is that you never have any guarantee on the weather.

You just have to book and roll with - as any experienced traveller will tell you; you just have to make the most of it an appreciate the beauty of the places from a different angle if its not the best of weather.

Tours do tend to sell out fast. Your cruise is departing very soon.

If there is something you really want to experiance you should go ahead and book asap.

You can take excursions in Geiranger run by the local Tourist Office. They can be pre- booked or they are also sold on the day. That will be a lot cheaper than taking the ship's tours.

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