kaisatsu

11 hours ago, Islander500 said:

I was hoping to do a RIB tour to Trollfjord in the Lofoten Islands but they depart from Svolvear, not Leknes where my cruise will dock. Is such a boat trip even doable under these circumstances? Any suggestions on how to do this would be so appreciated… 

Trollfjord is quite a distance from Leknes, so you'd need a particular long port day and perhaps be ready to meet the ship at its next port. The RIB boat would almost certainly need to depart from closer to Trollfjord, since you'd need to sail around 75km each direction to get there from Leknes. I think the most realistic option would be to rent a car, drive an hour to Svolvær or somewhere else offering RIB tours, and join a tour from closer to Trollfjord.

Having sailed through Trollfjord, I personally don't think it's unique enough to warrant that kind of effort. For me, the fjords of the southern Norwegian coast (especially the UNESCO-listed fjords) have a lot more scenery to enjoy and are more rewarding. If you're not visiting any of the fjords, I can see the appeal, but I might just save it for another trip that does include the iconic fjord region.

My own recommendations for a Leknes port call would be to visit the colorful fishing village at Nusfjord and/or the dramatic mountain-to-sea views around Reine. Both of these are among the most popular scenery in Lofoten and much easier to reach from port.

The local advisory for the TBE vaccine is a for people in the affected areas, mainly along the southern coast:

If you’ll be hiking predominantly on the west coast around the fjords, just follow normal precautions and be aware of the potential symptoms.

The advice from FHI (health institute) is:

• When traveling in areas with a lot of ticks, it is recommended to wear long trousers and to be well covered at the ankles when traveling in areas with a lot of ticks.

• It is recommended to walk on paths rather than in places with tall grass, heather and scrub.

• Using insecticides with diethyltoluamide on skin and clothing reduces the number of ticks that attach.

• After traveling in areas with a lot of ticks, one should also inspect the skin, especially in children. You should also look for ticks on the fabric, also on the wrong side. Showering is recommended to wash off any ticks that have not attached.

4 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I'm looking at the vy.no website. Do I understand that a ticket from the airport to Oslo S will also get me the tram to my hotel (Clarion Collection Hotel Folketeateret) if I don't wish to walk it?

 

I was looking at the Oslo Pass, but I need transportation for 4 days and I'm not sure that I would use the pass enough to justify the cost. I think that I will get a 7 day Zone 1 ticket (which is cheaper than 4 24 hour tickets actually cheaper than 3 24 hour tickets), and not feel that I have to get my money's worth from the Pass.

In the Oslo area, Ruter and Vy have an agreement. If you’re going to be buying a 7-day zone 1 pass, I would plan to buy it using the Ruter app upon arrival and then just pay for an extra-zone supplement for the Vy train in from the airport, rather than buying a wholly separate ticket.

If you’re at the Clarion Folketeatret, you can take the 11, 12, 17, or 18 tram one stop, but if there isn’t a tram coming right away, it’s only a five minute walk. The 11 and 12 depart from the stop directly in front of the station, but the 17 and 18 are across the street over in front of Clarion The Hub (a minute or two closer to Folketeatret).

Geographically, Oslo fits better into a Baltic Sea cruise than a Norwegian coastal cruise. Whether it's a "must" is subjective. The dramatic western fjords are probably the only given. I'd personally want to include Lofoten and Tromsø. Bergen is also pretty iconic. Including the Arctic plateau and North Cape (accessible from Honningsvåg) ticks yet another box.

I'd choose the Viking itinerary for the diversity of Norwegian landscapes. The Oceania trip is mostly just fjords and southern coastal cities, which aren't the most exciting. Ålesund is nice, but I wouldn't consider a must. In my opinion, Stavanger and Kristiansand are easy to skip as they have far less to offer tourists.

I really like hallasm's suggestion to fly into Oslo and take the "Norway in a Nutshell" route overland to Bergen. That lets you include a day or two in Oslo depending on your interests and another fjord with the detour to Flåm, including both the famous Flåmsbana railroad and the Nærøyfjord cruise. When my sister came to visit, this is almost exactly what we did, though instead of a Viking cruise, we were sailing the Hurtigruten coastal ferry.

The traditional Norway in a Nutshell itinerary can be done as a single (long) day trip from Oslo to Bergen. Depart Oslo by train in the morning, passing through suburbs and into forest before eventually climbing above the tree line to the rocky inland plateau. You can get a glimpse of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier in the distance from the train. At Myrdal (a remote rail junction), you switch to the Flåmsbana mountain train, which descends 800 meters in a serious of switchbacks to the valley and the coastal fjord village of Flåm. From there, an electric sightseeing boat cruises through part of the Sognefjord to the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord (literally "narrow fjord" which is too narrow for most cruise ships to pass) to Gudvangen, where a bus brings you back up to Voss to rejoin the train line to Bergen. This is an extremely popular tourist route and the tickets can be booked individually yourself or as a complete package through fjordtours. If you have a lot of luggage, there is a porter service that can transfer your bags from Oslo to Bergen separately. And as mentioned, it's possible to stop off in Flåm if you want to break up the trip (I wouldn't recommend staying in Myrdal as the Vatnahalsen hotel is pretty much the only thing there).

Even when the temperatures in Norway are quite warm (highs up around 25°C) it's often much cooler in the morning. Since one of the main draws of a fjord cruise is the scenic sail-in through the fjords themselves, it's recommended to be out on deck for the scenery. A 15°C air temperature combined with the wind from the moving ship can drop the effective temperature well into the single digits. If you plan to take photos, that can mean long periods with your hands exposed to the breeze, which can become very uncomfortable. For this reason, I usually recommend bringing along a thin pair of liner gloves to keep your hands comfortable during these extended periods of scenic cruising.

If you don't plan to take photos and have stable footing and good balance, you could of course keep your hands in your pockets most of the time. But unless you're traveling ultra lightweight, the space required for a thin pair of gloves seems like trivial savings.

It would depend a bit on where you’ll be hiking. Are there any more details in the tour description? It’s 12 miles back to Flåm from the other end of the train, so presumably you aren’t going to be walking the initial steep slope. Maybe you take the train back partway and then walk from there? If so you probably wouldn’t need the poles, especially since they describe the path as even surfaces.

19 hours ago, kentuckycruiser said:

Ugh we leave next week and I looked at the weather and it is warm. Low 70's sound lovely, but when it looks like 80 degrees in Oslo, that starts getting hot. We were in the Baltics a few years ago in July and it was a heat wave - 90% of the things I packed were too heavy and I ended up wearing tennis skirts and tops every.single.day. I'm really hoping it won't be that warm this June.

Definitely have some light layers that you can wear alone. The temperature varies a lot during the day. This week it has been 16°C (61°F) when I leave for work and 27°C (80°F) when I come home. The sun is hot, but as soon as there’s a breeze or some cloud cover, the temperature drops. If it’s partly cloudy, I nearly always carry an extra layer to add and remove.

That said, when it’s sunny and hot for a long period, it can be very uncomfortable since many places aren’t built for the heat. Luckily for you, there are some mixed forecasts of rain coming this weekend, so temperatures could be a lot lower next week.

If you’re looking for landings in Antarctica, you’ll need to be on a smaller ship with less than 500 passengers. If you want to land more than once per day, that goes down to 250. And if you want as much time ashore as possible, the closer to 100 passengers the better. I’ve traveled with Hurtigruten, G Expeditions, and Oceanwide and would recommend any of them. Quark and Lindblad also have long histories and good reputations.

Expedition cruises (those with landings) usually depart from Ushuaia or Punta Arenas. Some companies include a charter flight from a larger city (typically Buenos Aires).

If you’re looking to combine Antarctica with more of South America, you would need to look at the first or last trip of the season or book them separately. Large-ship cruises that include Antarctica on a South America sailing will not include landings, and the only option (if any) would be an expensive and very weather-dependent flight excursion from Chile that carries people down to a short stop in the South Shetlands and back.

Just had this conversation with a friend out on the islands, and as someone particularly attractive to mosquitos she encounters them in the city center. So if you’re particularly prone, you might want to be prepared. But you can always just buy some locally if it turns out to be a problem.

Depends a lot on what you’re doing. If you’ll be hiking in the forests around Oslo, it’s worth having on hand. Within the city center and in breezy coastal areas it’s not usually needed.

There is no single must-see in Oslo, and it very much depends on your tastes.

• Vigelands sculpture park often makes it onto people’s top suggestions. It is an astonishing collection of sculptures celebrating the human form through all walks of life. If it’s a concern, be aware that they are all nude (to preserve their timelessness and to focus on the human form itself).

• The Norwegian Folk Museum is an open-air park with historic buildings relocated from all over Norway. If you are only visiting Oslo, this is a chance to see more of the architecture from around the country, including an iconic wooden stave church. There are also re-enactors demonstrating traditional activities and displays about the country’s cultural history.

• The Fram Museum is often a surprise favorite of visitors. It’s not as famous as many others, but it is an interesting museum about Norwegian polar exploration and houses Fran, the ship Amundsen used on his expedition to first reach the South Pole. The ship is open for visitors to explore inside.

• If you prefer a scenic view, take the T-bane (subway) up to Holmenkollen, where you can visit the Holmenkollen ski jump (and its small ski museum) and admire the view from the top of the jump tower. If you’re looking for adrenaline, book a ride on the zip line down the ski jump.

• For modern architecture, or just to experience a unique public space, take a stroll up the roof of the Opera House. The building is constructed with a gentle slope that lets visitors walk right up to the roof for a view over the Oslofjord and a dose of Vitamin D on sunny days. If you’re especially keen on modern architecture, also stop in to the Deichmanske central library across the street. It’s an interesting place to explore with a large waterfront view seating area and the Library of the Future project.

• The Viking ship museum is unfortunately still closed for renovations and restoration. It is the home of the iconic Viking burial ships.

• If you want to see Munch’s famous painting The Scream, I generally recommend the National Museum over the Much Museum. There are multiple versions of the work, and each has one of the three painted varieties (the third is owned privately). At the Munch Museum, they exhibit the painting, a drawing, and a lithograph in a rotating display that automatically exposes them one at a time throughout the day. If you really want to see one of the paintings, the one at the National Museum is always on display, along with a small collection of Munch’s other works and several pieces by other Norwegian artists.

I would choose the 17 May for the variety. You still get two popular fjord ports, but Bergen is a wonderful port to explore and Ålesund brings another different flavor with its art deco architecture.

I like Flåm, and the train is a fun trip even though you don’t get much fjord scenery, but I wouldn’t trade the other ports on the 17 May itinerary for it. Especially since it’s also easily accessible on a land trip (You can connect to the Flåmsbana from the main rail line between Oslo and Bergen).

Coming from the airport, you can just swipe a credit card at the ticket gate and choose your destination on the built-in screen. However, I think you might need a card per passenger in that case. If that’s not an option I’d just use the ticket machines to buy the ticket.

You can also take the regular Vy trains into the city, since they take essentially the same amount of time and are considerably cheaper. They depart from a different track that doesn’t have a ticket gate, so you just buy tickets from the Vy machines instead (if you don’t want to use the Ruter app). The disadvantage is that there are only three trains per hour, and they don’t run as early and late as the Flytoget. We usually wait u til we arrive and look at the departure board to decide which service to use.

I’m both cases, you take your luggage with you on board. There are some storage areas in certain parts of the carriage. The information about printing luggage tags is for departing passengers. They can print the luggage tag for their flight en route to the airport instead of using the check-in kiosks at the terminal.

As for the walk, it is relatively flat with decent pavement. Upon arrival at the Oslo S train station, once you leave the platform, from the central station hall in front of the departures board, continue on in the same direction away from the tracks to reach the main exit. There’s a plaza of cobblestones, but there is a flat sidewalk around the outside if you have wheeled luggage. Cross the tram tracks and turn left (on Fred Olsens gate). After you pass the stock exchange (light colored building alone in a fenced block) you’ll need to make a right on Rådhusgata and then a left on Skippergata to reach the hotel.

23 hours ago, ColoradoMom!! said:

Are we really allowed to just hike along the trail next to the farm and animals?

The farm caters to tourists with a small cafe, and it is assumed that visitors would not do anything to intentionally bother the animals.

If you don’t mind a slightly different angle, you can avoid the crowds and the roads by hiking up to Vesteråsfjellet. There’s a nice but moderate-level trail that departs from behind the Hotel Union and heads up to Vesterås Farm. From there, there’s an easy walk along a farm road to the overlook.

The local trail map is available online:

http://www.geirangerfjord.no/upload/pdf/TurKart.pdf

I live in Norway and haven’t used any cash here for over five years. Even for purchases under 10 NOK. Cash is mostly a hassle or a novelty.

There are nearly a dozen countries with ports in this area, and they all have their own alcohol laws. it could be good to narrow the scope a bit if you’re looking at specific locations.
 

If you’re asking specifically about drinking on the ship while it’s in port, I can’t recall any restrictions mentioned here. Norway has laws that limit alcohol serving before noon, but I’ve never tested this while I was on a cruise. I’m usually off the ship while it’s in port and not much of a morning drinker.

Do you have questions about a particular port?

 If you just want to acknowledge the countdown, there is a post for this cruise on the roll call forum:

You’ll check in at Filipstadkaia, but there isn’t really a terminal. All the times I’ve cruised out of Oslo, they just set up a large tent to handle check in.

On 5/4/2024 at 8:21 PM, Catlover54 said:

However, if all your gear is "checked" (at least macroscopically) before a landing, including pants and jacket and pack, it would be interesting for me to see the data and scientific analysis  (if there is any) indicating that setting the same "checked" pants, jacket, and pack on the ground for a few minutes actually spreads bird flu, and that banning such activities helps preserve "one of the most unique places on our planet".

A large part of this restriction is to prevent cross-site contamination. If bird flu makes it to one site (most likely through natural processes, independent of human visitors), it is important to keep it limited to that site rather than spreading it among colonies. There is not a lot of natural interaction between colonies at different sites, but humans tend to visit several of the same locations, thus becoming a much more likely source of cross-site contamination.

IAATO has a difficult job of balancing environmental protection with realistic logistics, and this is what they have come up with. It is not up to a single operator alone, so if you disagree with the approach, it’s best to take it up with IAATO directly.

Honestly, I disagree with any marketing that claims an Antarctic expedition is accessible to anyone. It can be difficult to climb in and out of the zodiacs in deep water or moderate swell. Since I’m on the shorter side of average, I remember struggling a few times even when I was barely over the age of 30 and reasonably fit. Of course people can opt to skip landings in difficult conditions, but the ship itself can still be dangerous in rough seas. On my last trip, we had so much movement that the desk chair was thrown from one side of the cabin to another. It was not surprising that someone broke an arm when she lost her grip on a railing (the doctor fashioned a sling for her to use for the next ten days).
 

Additionally, the extremely remote location carries a very high risk, and we are seeing more and more trips disrupted when a medical emergency forces the ship to return to civilization before schedule. It has long been standard practice to require a doctor-signed medical certification, but this hasn’t stopped people from taking on considerable risk to themselves to make the trip, potentially jeopardizing it for their shipmates as well.

If standing for an hour is a prohibitive challenge, I would definitely not recommend an expedition cruise, because you’re taking a huge gamble that you won’t encounter more demanding situations.

5 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Or was it originally allowed, and now with bird flu concerns is not allowed?

This. It is a new restriction that only just started in the most recent seasons.

The regulations change all the time, and I have often run into outdated information online. For example, they stopped digging thermal bathing pools on a Deception Island around 15 years ago, but you’ll still see photos and mentions in content created by people who’ve never been (or haven’t been recently).

5 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

I assume that all of the visitors, including their packs, are sprayed with disinfectant before they are allowed to board the Zodiak to go land, and vv.

I haven’t been down since 2020, but I don’t think this is the case even now. The potential side effects of aerosol treatments seem like they could be very problematic, especially with such frequent use.

What has happened in the past is that all material that will go ashore at any point is inspected and carefully vacuumed to remove any seeds or other organic material that may be trapped in seams and fastenings. Before each landing, visitors step into a tub of disinfectant to treat their boots. Upon returning to the ship, all mud and guano is rinsed and scrubbed off and the boots are disinfected once more.

The restriction on sitting and setting things down precludes the need to find a way to safely disinfect everything, since only your boots will be in direct contact with the ecosystem.

I have definitely experience some moments of quiet contemplation on the White Continent, and have even lay down in the snow at one point in the first trip to experience the environment through sound alone, so I had a bit of a negative reaction to this rule originally (also because I have low blood pressure and can get dizzy from standing too long). However, I’ve been down enough times over the years to see huge changes in the environment and understand firsthand the need to protect it. So my future quiet moments will be experienced standing.

I considered it when we were in port on the QE2, but the timing didn’t work. My partner lives in Stavanger for a while, and he went once for a work event. His comment is “If you’re the kind of person who thinks it sounds interesting, you’ll probably enjoy it. And the boat trip is nice.”

I have zero idea about their cancellation policy though.

Layers. Your cold weather clothes are just a combination of your warm weather clothes and your cooler weather clothes. e.g. a short-sleeved wicking tee shirt under a fleece jacket or sweatshirt with a GoreTex rain jacket on top. Mix and match based on temperature, wind, and precipitation.

(As for formal wear, women definitely have this one easier. I have a floor-length moisture wicking black dress that I could wear to a hot day on the beach, wear warm tights underneath and throw on a coat and pashmina scarf, or flatten out the pashmina and use it as a wrap to wear the free for a formal dinner. I have no idea what the men do.)

2 hours ago, Travelbird22 said:

I just want to see the Northern Lights- is it possible on a Norwegian cruise? I’ve been in summer, and the Fjords are breathtaking, but now I just want to see the Northern Lights. And is a window cabin sufficient? If balconies are sold out?

A cruise ship isn’t really the best option for chasing the aurora. You need clear skies, and land-based chasers around places like Tromsø know the microclimates and have much better chances of finding clear skies even on somewhat overcast nights. Cruise ships are fairly fixed in their sailing routes due to maritime traffic coordination.

If you do see them, they are most likely to be with overhead or towards the horizon if you’re outside the Aurora band. A balcony sighting would require luck that they are at the right location and angle. As mentioned, an upper deck with clear sight lines will be the best option. Also, the slight vibrations of the ship even on calm seas can make it difficult to take the long exposure tripod photos that best showcase them, so don’t count on getting amazing photos.

Edited to add: If your goal is just to see the northern lights, I’d recommend a land trip to spend some days in Tromsø and book a few chasing tours with the local experts.

On 4/30/2024 at 4:43 AM, Phoenix42 said:

Both are Norwegian Fjord/Arctic Circle cruises, Both go to Flaam, Tromso, Honningsvag, Geiranger and cruise the Arctic circle. 

The first one is a 12 day at the beginning of June and also goes to Bruges, Belgium; Alesund, and Haugesund.

The second is a 14 day at the beginning of  August and instead goes to Stavanger, Olden, Molde, Trondheim, and Rotterdam.

I agree with hallasm. If you want to experience the midnight sun, choose the 12-day. If you’re more interested in the ports, choose the 14-day. But they are both excellent itineraries and I’d be very happy with either one.

If it was me, I’d probably choose the 12-day. Olden and Trondheim are great, but Brugge is lovely, Ålesund is cute, and if you’re lucky with clear skies, watching the midnight sun at sea, dipping to the horizon and then rising again without disappearing, is a pretty special experience.