Capt_BJ

Viking Ocean nuff said . . .

https://cocoabeachshuttle.com/reservations/ they have vehicles big enuf and will service Sanford . . .

One bad aspect of NiN is that every transfer has too much wait time built into the schedule. I built a trip from Bergen to Olso using the NiN site and was quite happy ... we did it with an overnight in FLAM..... wrt to you 'wait time' comment .... it ain't like the ferry boats are once an hour nor even the trains as I recall . . . . IMO NiN ensured I had a schedule that WORKED and I was not worried about running from one to the next . . . frankly as I recall we were on the first morning train out of Bergen and got to Gu' where as soon as we had a full bus we departed for the ferry landing (using the twisties prior post says are no more .... LOSS) ..... YES we had a wait for the ferry departure BUT like I said ... it is not an hourly thing . . .

if you want ballroom dancing then you want Queen Mary 2 . . .

Excellent itinerary- if going to Bergen via Oslo it’s recommended to take the train from Oslo to Bergen - and if time permits make a detour from Myrdal to Flåm and stay overnight in the Flåm area - sailing the fjords. been there and done that! After a Viking Midnight Sun Cruise from Greenwich north to Honn' then south and ending in Bergen we went train/bus/ferry to Flam and train to Oslo ..... under Norway in a Nutshell framework. We overnighted in Flam. Will be third Norway trip each getting a bit further north and adding Iceland this time where as last cruise hit Shetland.

to me the midnight sun is kinda ho hum but I also spend a couple of years doing fisheries patrols in the Bering Sea summer and winter so I've seen it plenty. And I've spent plenty of time in Kodiak and Dutch Harbor and a bit in Adak and ST Paul and and ..... Alaska is scenic no doubt but I find Norway stunning. A deep fjord is a biggie to see but if your cruise doesn't hit one of the good ones, stay a day or two and make Flam a day trip from Bergen! near Tromso, July at midnight

is Midnight Sun a big thing? well first is is good to understand the Arctic Circle .... WIKI: The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at which, on the December solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, the sun will not rise all day, and on the June solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, the sun will not set. These phenomena are referred to as polar night and midnight sun respectively, and the further north one progresses, the more pronounced these effects become. For example, in the Russian port city of Murmansk, just 3° above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise for 40 successive days in midwinter. So the circle is about 66.5 Nort and the further north you go the more 'pronunced' Midnight Sun is .... Lofoton is about 68N Tromso about 69.5 here we're near the marker at Honningsvag this marker sits on the Artic Circle on a small island of Norway

Viking 15 days Jun Jul Aug 23 bergen > geiranger > narvik > lofoton > tromso > honningsvag > longyearbyen > isafjordur > reykavik ................ fjord ................................................mid night sun ............WAY NORTH .... iceland think we're gonna book it next week . . .

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g190475-Tromso_Troms_Northern_Norway-Hotels.html 'Thon' is sort of the Hilton of Norway ... a very reliable chain ... we've had good luck in Oslo and Radisson Blu is good throughout northern Europe in our experience.

https://321transit.com/

our cruise ended in Bergen and we spent a couple of days there. we booked return flight from Oslo and booked Nutshell Bergen to FLAM with overnight in FLAM then next day train Flam to Oslo ..... couple of days in Oslo then home. Note the Flam, Myrdal, Oslo trip is pretty much an all day deal . . . We enjoyed it a lot EXCEPT we went in July and all of Europe was experiencing very unusual HEAT well into the 90's and for a long time. VERY unusual to find a hotel with a/c in Norway ..... every hotel was uncomfortably HOT in the rooms.

p.s. OASIS does park on the north side on Sunday so UBER/LYFT is probably your best option . . .

SOMETIMES the extra cost of the 'tour' is partly made up by the tour group getting priority access to attractions that would otherwise have a long wait . . . . an uberX will run in the neighborhood of $35 - $40 <for the return it may take a while for the ride to get there as KSC is kinda in the sticks so plan accordingly.> {I just ran the numbers but remember uber prices are 'dynamic'}

RJ has a BIG parking lot and is next to a very nice beach <Shepard Park> so in part it is just a good place for the bus to load/unload . . . . if you visit Cocoa Beach ya gots to buy a RJ t-shirt .. or SOMETHING with the RJ logo. I think it is a county ordinance. Out of state vehicles may be stopped and searched . . . 🤣

TECHNICALLY GE is an 'airport only' program ..... from the web page: "Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports." I have seen CBP accept the card flash at cruise ports but it is not standard . . .

you can not walk from T5 or any 'north side' terminal to Jetty Park or anyplace else on the south side. Foot traffic is not allowed on the draw bridge (just above the "A" label) ... there are no approaching sidewalks or a foot lane .... bridge tender WILL call security.

welllllll, there IS a bus service in the Area <space coast area transit ... SCAT> and you can get from the port area to the village but it is not direct, you'd need to change routes along the way and many routes are once an hour .... and the bus does not go directly to any terminal, in fact if you dock at a north side terminal you'd need to taxi/UBER just to get to the bus stop as no walking over the connecting draw bridge is allowed SO .... keep life simple and take an UBER or taxi . . .

the places along Glen Cheek Drive in the port are all kid friendly altho a Friday/Saturday night on the deck might be a bit too much. I've done Grills inside with a high chair ... no problem. Out on A1A Kelsey's is a good local family Italian / pizza place that's been around since the 80's <caution: salads are HUGE! We split a mini between two! A large is good for SIX.>

UBER will run around $100 each way but if you could split the ride with another group or depending on how many you are this MIGHT be cost effective. The warning if you don't know the area: part of the route from Port to Orlando/Disney is pretty much a single road (Beachline expressway) with no way to get off once on it (part) and it is not unusual for an accident to cause everything to stop for hours ...... alternate routes significantly increase travel time ... "cruise will wait for their excursions if they are late" is what many count on . .

I enjoyed dressing up in uniform on cruises for many years and the family did too. Today I take cruises that don't stress 'formal' and I no longer take the formal stuff polo and kah' is my wear as well ..... wearing 'the garb' did get me invites to Captain's table ... on the bridge for docking and other perks ....... but after 10 or 15 of those the impact wears off . . .

the current map for the Coral Way loop of the trolley shows multiple stops in the port ... one near the new Royal terminal <right most on the picture>. I'm not endorsing the plan .... just sayin' (old trolley map showed only ONE stop)