Peregrina651

We only used the tram for our return trip (we had taken a cab to our first stop of the day). It was easier and faster to take the tram than to walk to Charlotte Sq for the shuttle, including the walk from the end of the tram to the tender dock. There is a ticket machine at every stop.

Post cruise Day 2 -- Flam to Oslo. It was a lazy day. We slept in. Breakfast at the Fretheim Hotel was delicious. We left our back packs at the hotel while we wondered down to the COOP to buy some snacks for the train. By noon we were on the Flamsbana scenic railway starting our way to Oslo. We changed trains at Myrdal and arrived in Oslo around 7 pm. The Thon Hotel Opera is just right beside the train station. P1310803.MP4

Just make sure that you buy your ticket before you get on the tram, else you will be penalized for buying on the train.

And 80° in Oslo. It was way too hot. Post cruise -- Bergen to Flam to Oslo Day 1: We were off the ship before 6 am to hand our luggage over to the porter service before starting off on our Norway in a Nutshell(R) adventure. It was well worth the 400NOK per bag not to dragging our suitcases along with on train, bus, ferry, train and train. If you want your luggage picked up at the ship, e-mail the porter service to make arrangements. Pay at pick up; credit cards accepted. I booked all of the elements of Norway in a Nutshell(R) on line at the website. I don't know if it cost me more to book there or to do the pieces on my own but that is okay by me because booking at the website helped me make sure that I had enough time between the elements. I booked the trip with an overnight in Flam because I did not want to be hurried. I wanted time to enjoy what we were seeing without feeling rushed. I suggest that if you are a hiker or biker to consider 2 nights (or more) in Flam. Also, there are multiple ways to get to Flam from Bergen (or Oslo): scenic ferry from Bergen: train to Voss+bus to ferry in Gudvangen to Flam (what we did); train to Myrdal, change to Flamsbana scenic train for the ride into Flam (did not do this because that is how we were getting out of Flam the next day). Bergen train station Hotel room with a view -- but no air conditioning (or even a fan) We arrived in Flam at 2pm and had a 4:30 excursion scheduled to the Stegastein Overlook

The view from Mt. Ulriken. Neptune is the cruise ship on the right side of the picture; the one in the center is an AIDA ship.

We used public transit to get from our hotel to get to the ship. We used both City Mapper and TfL apps to chose the best routing. One transfer was important for us but we should have made a priority of "no steps" even if it meant another transfer.

Just got home. Loved it. Here is a list of CC threads that I gathered (and shared with our roll call) while planning the trip. Happy reading. For the May 9, 2023 sailing: Onboard Neptune now - British Isles Explorer April 19, 2024 BIE: Semi-LIVE from Venus British Isles Explorer 4/19 with Churchill Pre-extension May 9, 2024 BIE: LIVE: British Isle Explorer - May 9, 2024 - Neptune For the photos of Icelandair and KEF airport, Bergen: Almost live Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes, July 28th 2023 For Bergen: Saturn's Iceland and Norway's Arctic Explorer-July 19-August 2 LIVEish GENERAL BIE Cruise Questions - Ports, London extension Random thoughts about our British Isles cruise British Isles Explorer Cruise excursions https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2862566-viking-british-isles-cruise-tips-for-others-going-on-this-cruise/page/6/#comment-64571383 British Isles Explorer Past Cruisers - Questions British Isles Explorer Cruise Favorite British Isles Explorer port souvenirs Live thread: Onboard Neptune now - British Isles Explorer See especially posts #132 and 136 British Isles Explorer 2023 - terrific video diary! "Churchill's Britain": pre-excursion on BIE cruise Advice on British Isles Explorer excursions https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2984274-county-wicklow-excursions-on-bie-cruise/

Oops.

Greenwich has some challenges. We boarded there just a few weeks ago. -- There is no cruise terminal to hold guests prior to boarding. In prior years, check in was in a tent. This season they have a small area inside the Old Naval College for check in, right by the Cutty Sark. While waiting for check in to open, we lined up outside the building. We had arrived independently from our hotel and were among the first people checked in. Check in began around 10am. -- From check in we are tendered to the ship. We sat on the tender waiting for it to fill, at least 20 minutes (and possibly waiting for an all clear from the ship that they were ready to begin boarding). -- At rush hour, it is a long ride from Heathrow. There were not a lot of folks flooding through the Viking banners or standing in line for check in when we arrived shortly before 10am. I did not talk to anyone who arrived on the Viking transfers, so I have no idea how things worked with the transfers themselves. However, I did get the impression that the transfer buses had not yet begun to arrive as we walked in and got in line.

IMHO, ask this question of Viking directly so that you are sure you have the right answer. You have too much at stake if anyone here has gotten it wrong or if things have changed since what someone else experienced in the past. Moreover, don't ask chat or the call center. Email tellus@vikingcruises.com.

And not done yet. Some info that I want to share that will have to wait until I get home.

Bergen The weather in Bergen has been unseasonably warm and sunny. So we opted for altitude and vistas, and took the cable car to the top of Mt. Uriken. It was easy enough to do ( but not cheap for 2 five minute cable car rides). We bought our tickets at the visitor center for the shuttle bus and cable car but you can get them at the shuttle bus stop just up the street. Map when I get home. Disembarkation day we were off the ship before 6am to meet the luggage pick up service. Then on to the train station to begin our Norway in a Nutshell vist to Flam.

Agreed! But much to my dismay, my problem has been upper respiratory and I have sneezed and coughed my through the whole vacation. Talk about being persona non grata!

We have left Bergen for Flam and Oslo. Didn't even wait long enough to have dinner with my sister, who arrived Thursday afternoon. They are sailing with you on Saturday.

BUT, this substitution plan will not work with Viking VEla and Viking VEsta, when they are launched. We will have to wait to see what their email abbreviations will be.

This is a question that you should ask Viking directly for accuracy. If you have the email for the ship, email them directly (email address is included in the edocs sent two weeks before embarkation).

Lerwick, Shetland Island. Magnificent day. Docked as planned. No trouble getting into port. We did the Ancient Shetlands this morning with Jim Young as our guide. He did a great job. It is an hour plus drive to the Jarlshof in the southern tip of the island including a quick photo stop and a slightly longer bathroom stop. Jarlshof is an important dig, mostly because there has been no reconstruction of buildings here. The site was buried under sand and just needed to be uncovered. Jim started with the oldest dwelling on the site and then moved us forward through history as moved through the property. This tour is a one trick pony. One stop only No food. No shopping. If you aren't interested in ancient ruins and ancient civilizations, this tour is not for you. Accessibility: Not for wheelchair access. Poles and walkers doable if you stick to the gravel path. Steps can be avoided except at the entrance to the property. This pictures are taken from the ship.

Or you can read post #7 in which I explained what I did to organize our May 10 Meet & Mingle on the Neptune. All told, I spent under an hour and half over a 10 day period contacting Viking Neptune and fielding rsvp emails from members. Reading threads about other cruise lines is not helpful. Viking has its own way of handling it. Also, stick to very recent information. Not all Hotel Managers have jumped on the M&M bandwagon.

Cruise Critic has not resumed sign up. We worked with our Viking ship directly to organize an M&M. We boarded on May 9. Two weeks prior to sailing I emailed the ship and said that our Cruise Critic roll call wanted to reserve space so that we could get together without interfering with other activities. In the meantime, we were already collecting names and cabin numbers (done off-line to protect member privacy and with a deadline to respond). Guest services on board responded asking when and we said the earlier in the cruise the better. We also said that we were working on a list of names and cabin numbers and said that we would send the list such and such date, a week before we were due to board. We had a firm date from the ship before we even left home and I emailed the information to those who had rsvp'ed. There was no mention of a minimum number and I have come away with the impression that each Hotel Manager handles it differently. Invitations were delivered to roll call members prior to the event. There were 10 or so senior hotel staff members greeting us as we walking in, including the Hotel Manager and the Cruise Director. I never did an actually head count of how many roll members did attend.

When we embarked 12 days ago, tenders to the ship ran every half hour. I wasn’t sure if they were running one tender or two.

After I posted my comment, I read that they will passing out a questionnaire with turndown tonight.

I did not see this post until this morning. At 9pm the sun was still up as we cruise north to Lerwick. At 10 pm the sun had set and it was still a bright sky. At 2am, I could see all the way to the horizon; it was still twilight.

Invergordon. I took another energy conservation day. I left the ship long enough to buy two tshirts for the little guy and a wool hat for myself in the shop on the pier. Then a lovely nap while DH did the Portmahocks tour. I have no report since he is a "I liked it, I didn't like it" kind of reporter. Now I am sitting at breakfast in Lerwick, watching the Shetland Islands version of rush hour. We are doing Ancient Shetlands this morning.

Currently on Neptune. Only one survey has been delivered to our cabin so far and we are 3/4 into our cruise. I talked with Guest Service. Oh, we're going green; they are online. I opened Viking Voyager and clicked questionnaires. All I got was an empty screen.

I think we were about 3 feet apart as I discussed the map with the volunteer who showed up to see how things were going; if she said her name, I didn't catch it. A tall purple (thistle?) T-shirt walked up to help others as we were talking; I'm guessing that was you. Darn! I would have introduced myself. If it helps, I was in a black and red plaid sweater-jacket, no pigtails 😉. Kudos to the information team and all the other friendly faces greeting us on the dock. Many thanks to them all. Now, down to business. I was thinking of you as we were walking up the Royal Mile and kept seeing kilted bagpipers and school bands walking up the hill. I could not help wonder if it was normal Sunday activity or something special? Any insight? TIA