RMLincoln

We booked our Transatlantic return from Europe on Maasdam through a HAL PCC... first time to use that approach. So far we are at, or slightly better than, advertised deals from TA - PCC was able to give us a bit of OBC and maybe a PC dinner? although the OBC shows up on My Account, the PC dinner does not, so not sure if we got the OBC in place of the dinner.

We booked the last available H category several days ago, and I see now on HAL site that they are selling H Guarantees at the some price, so maybe that would have been better, not sure. We are not crazy about the room location, too near the bow for us but I'm hoping we might get shifted.

I'll let you know as this unfolds. The rest of the trip has come into focus so the circuit is closed now from the states and return to the states, all cruises and flights... still need 1 hotel - the stopover in Iceland on our way to Norway for the Hurtigruten coast ferry/cruise. Booked our first river cruise on Viking, Amsterdam to Budapest, then to Rome for a few days before the TA return. Gonna be a great trip!! m--

Re: the transfer from train to ship: Call the Hurtigruten office and they can arrange it.

Regarding some of your other questions, Komfort Class is worth the extra money if you are traveling during a busy season, drink lots of coffee and can read a Norwegian newspaper; otherwise not necessary.

It is hard to tell you what seats are best as the cars are sometimes switched around so you don't know which end is the front. There are forward and backward facing seats in the cars.

There is a shop as you enter the station that sells sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, etc. that is better than what can be purchased on the train.

The gates to the tracks are usually opened about 20-30 minutes before the train departs.

Hope this helps.

Yes it does help Janet! I just replied to thread above to Sarnia and told her I try to "see" each stage of the trip and your sharing your first hand experiences helps very much. To know we can pick up sandwiches, yogurt etc at the station, that the train cars may be arranged "backwards" and that the gates open 20-30 minutes ahead of departure are all good pieces of the vision! Many thanks and wishing you good planning and happy safe travels too. m--

I have taken the train twice from Oslo to Bergen before a trip with Hurtigruten, here are some thoughts on your question:

1. We usually travelled in Komfort seat. If you get Minipris ticket, it's not that much more expensive. It gives more room for the legs (our main interest given that my companion is quite tall), power outlet if needed, free coffee/tea (not very good, but still welcome). I don't think it would give you better viewing but a more comfortable trip altogether. Once on the train from Trondheim to Oslo (similar trains) we couldn't get Komfort seat and the regular seats were quite allright. Komfort seating is indeed reserved seating, for the view I find it is best to get seats on the left hand side of the train (on the left if you look towards Bergen - easy to figure out on the website). We had once the surprise of being on the other side than we thought (on a Trondheim-Oslo train as well), but the landscape is also nice on the right side if that happens.

2. No problem for luggage on board, there is enough room for them (racks in the entrance and overhead and in Komfort seat if you are not tall you can even stack the suitcase in front of you).

3. 30 minutes in advance is plenty enough, less (15min) would be OK, make sure you have enough time to find the right track, if you need to walk through the whole station to go to the track it can take a bit of time.

4. Food is OK but (of course) expensive, but a good solution if you don't have anything else. We get a good breakfast at the hotel and then on board the evening dinner buffet is plentiful so we survived the train ride on biscuits and coffee! :)

5. It's fairly easy to walk to the pier with one piece of luggage, it takes about 10-15 minutes at the most. We've done that on both occasions so don't know about other options. You mention a transfer, you mean Hurtigruten transfer? I'm not sure it will be there if there are no passengers that have booked it in advance (I have not seen it).

Oh Sarnia, you are a wealth of help! Thank you again and again! If we get off the train in Bergen and it is raining we might look for a taxi, otherwise we will plan to walk fine. Everything seems to be happening fast for planning for this complex trip but happening well. I try to "see" in my mind each stage and your experience helps so much. So good of you to share. Merci beaucoup et tres bien mon ami :) m--

We are planning on taking the train into Bergen. And getting down to the nitty-gritty :) Your experienced thoughts all help! Thank you, m--

1. Different types of seats on the train are available, Standard and Komfort. Would the Komfort seat give us better viewing or picture taking? Or it may be worth it just for the "free" coffee! If Komfort seating is reserved seating, what woul dbe the better seats?
   
2. Luggage on board seems ok, is there a rack in the back or overhead? Or do we check our bags? (we'll have one bag each)
   
3. Train leaves Oslo 8am, how early should be be there, 30 minutes? more?
   
4. Food onboard the train looks like a good variety and we will need lunch along the way... and it seems like it's ok to pay by credit card, so unless there are comments against, that is our plan.
   
5. When we get off the train in Bergen at ~3pm we will have to make our way to the ship pier. It looks like about a mile. Are the streets walkable with a small piece of wheeled luggage? Ship leaves at 8pm so we should have plenty of time to take it slowly.
   
6. Or if the weather is poor could we catch a taxi to the ship pier? How do we pay for a taxi? Credit card or cash in NOK?
   
7. I see there is a transfer for $15pp available... I guess a bus. At airports we have sometimes been given the option to purchase a bus transfer to the ship "on the spot", so wondering if this option might be available.
   

You pay the driver as you board. All you need to know is at www.flybussen.no/en/Bergen

I had read on TripAdvisor (when reading about Bergen hotels) that FlyBus is temporarily not running, due to expansion at the Bergen airport limiting space for shuttles.... But I will guess that whichever company is running the remaining shuttle will also take cash on board. I may try to email the hotel (Comfort Hotel Holberg) and see what they can tell us. If I learn anything I'll post it! m--

Maureen, my friend and I are doing the hotel/train/transfer deal...it includes a shuttle from the airport to the hotel for the overnight in Oslo. I think the info is on the Hurtigruten website, but we had a travel agent book ours for us directly with Hurtigruten. It was pricey, but everything is in Norway. As we are coming from 2 separate states at different times, it made things easier for us.

 

Janet

I will begin looking into this today! I was in town all day yesterday and at a training last night, so back to "work" today! I have a cancelable reservation at a Comfort Hotel in Oslo at about $129 but cannot buy the train tickets yet, too early. No hard plan for transfers yet, probably train in Oslo from airport and walk to and from hotel which is close to Oslo S station, then walk or taxi in Bergen from train station to ship, about half mile. But the train leaves Oslo rather early and it may be much better to have a Hurtigruten transfer!

I can see how with the two of you coming in from different places the package would be the best. Any idea what it cost pp ? I'll let you know what I coe up with for us! Stay tuned.... m--

As others have said, the HoHO bus sits in traffic a lot and you can wait (standing!) a long time between buses. but if you stay on the bus and just see the sights it can be a good way to make the circuit.

If you plan to go to the Vatican Museum for the Sistine Chapel DO buy you tickets online ahead of time and then you just show your voucher to the guy guarding the head of the LONG line to get in (5 hr line when we where there!) and he lets you right in. Enjoy, m--

We took the bus, included in our vaparetto passes. The bus was very easy, but we packed light, just one case and one shoulder tote each. But no reallifting or climbing to get from the ship to the hotel except for the short step onto and off the bus... like a rental car shuttle.

From the cruise ship terminal we walked the short distance to the people mover which is very luggage friendly. Then across the street to the vaparetto hub.. one person could stay with the luggage if you don't want to roll it there but it's only about 50 yards. The People Mover exit is at the bus stop and just across from the vaparetto hub so it's all together in one spot. I showed the vaparetto clerk my printed-out confirmation of our multi-day vaparetto tickets and they gave us passes with chips in them so that you only wave the pass at the sensor on either a bus or a vaparetto. It's all of 5 minutes to Mestre on the bus, they run very often, every few minutes. We stayed at the Hotel Montepiana on a side street around the corner form the train station, the bus stop was in front of the train station.

Loved Venice!! Enjoy, m--

We're doing similar... need one night prior to late evening departure flight. Looking at hotels has us wondering if hotwire might help us get the price down to the stratosphere! Grayline is a tour we were considering for a one day look-see. Looking forward to others' ideas. m--

If you're staying overnight then the airport bus is an option for your transfer.

 

They have regular departures (every 20 minutes?) from several locations within the city centre and are good value. We used them on our last visit and would do so again.

Do you remember how one pays for the airport bus? We'll need it one way, from hotel to airport. Thx, m--

DeCaf coffee is hard to find in Norway; I bring Via (Starbucks) with me. If you are booked in one of the suites, the coffee program is included.

Soap and shampoo are in liquid form in the bathrooms (attached to the wall), and I have found them very drying to my skin. I bring my own supply.

The morning train from Oslo (8am, I think) is very reliable. Hurtigruten uses that train for its pre-trip program which meets the train with a coach for transfer to the ship.

We traveled on the Midnatsol last Fall (have also been on the Trollfjord for a summer trip) and prefer Fall for travel; fewer crowds, and the autumn weather and scenery can be wonderful. Enjoy!

Great insights, thank you janet...

I wonder how one gets the train and transfer deal? We may be interested in doing just that and save some hassle! Sounds perfect.

May be limited to how much liquid I'll be able to carry as we may be doing non-checked luggage for parts of the trip... but could buy some along the way. Otherwise I"ll have a small tube of concentrate.

So good to hear that you enjoyed your fall trip - although we will be in late fall, Oct 20 -31. Will bring layers! m--

Expensive coffee prices... some folks would not blink at $5 a day but I've not been to a Starbucks so I have to recognize I'm buying the convenience. I'll see what's available on board that suits my non-caffeine needs. The other things is that we are packing in "carry-on" size luggage for 60 days including 3 different types of cruises in cool to cold weather, so very harsh judging on packing volume! Either way is not a deal breaker... have to go with the big picture! m--

Richard - I found the KLM flight but it is $300pp more than the one in the morning, so I think we'll enjoy our stay in Bergen overnight.

Sarnia - Merci! Glad to know that arrangements can be made on board for transfers if needed. I haven't booked hotel yet in Bergen but that is one of the many next steps. :) m--

We have packed a 21" "carry-on" size luggage (which we check due to weight limits) and a shoulder tote each. Really doesn't matter how long we're going for. Did 30 days, will do 60 days next, Iceland, Norway, River Cruise, Transatlantic cruise home. Will have to wear a jacket onto the flight out this time for colder climates in Norway. DH usually wear his suit coat on the planes and then we pack it in the luggage, opening up the expansion zipper. Light is easy!

I've learned to buy Ex-officio underwear and can wash it out.. no more than 3 sets needed.

I bring Purex 3-in-1 sheets for washer/dryer when we can find them handy.

Thin layers work best for us. I have a thin silk turtleneck that makes a great underlayer for cold weather.

An evening pair of sandals, a lightweight black skirt and a thin silvery shawl help for formal evenings on the cruise ship portion (transatlantic).

One problem has been DH's big shoes but we managed before although this time we may opt for him just wearing his dark Merrill walking shoes and not care if somebody in the dining room doesn't think it looks right, too bad.

Go light and have a fabulous time. m--

Hi,

 

Appreciate you may be limited by airline ticketing but there's a KLM flight at 1720 on 31/10. I've caught this flight about 5 times after disembarking from Hurtigruten and never had problem, even after late disembarkation, traffic jams etc.

On my first visit we booked a cab to airport as we had what we thought was an early flight (before 5 I think) & were surprised to see all our sailing companions arrive 5 min after us on Hurtigruten buses! We were then sitting around waiting for 45min+

 

Agree with previous posters re 4pm flight but personally I'd feel confident of 5pm onwards.

 

Fair Winds & weather,

 

Richard

Great info Richard. I had not found that KLM flight but will certainly look for it. The latest flight to come up is the 5pm flight on Norwegian.com for $199. Plus some that turn itno overnight flights... I will go directly to the KLM website and search for it.

And I need to look at how to book the taxi transfer too, or maybe it would just be easier to take the Hurtigruten bus. All the ideas here help me gain confidence. Thank you so much.

m-- for both of us, that's Richard and Maureen :)

I agree, a 4pm flight seems too early for comfort. It may be possible on a good day, but even a slight delay would be a problem (ship delay, disembarking delay, traffic...). I wouldn't risk it.

4.00pm - a bit risky. Our flight to Amsterdam was at 5.15pm & although we made it in decent time, our ship arrived in Bergen 45 mins late due to bad weather and we were held up badly in the rush hour traffic too.

Thanks for sharing with me, you all are good realists and that plan just won't work, as I expected.

So our choice will be to take the 5pm flight, which may be a bit risky even at that time from what you've said..... traffic, boat delays... I really do want to enjoy my travels, no stress through them.

Or just enjoy our night in Bergen, fly out comfortably at 10am and just have the one full day in Amsterdam.... this time! and we'll just have to come back to enjoy some more of Amsterdam another year.

There is an early departure at 6am but I'm not sure if we would be able to get to the airport at 4:30 or 5am. I'm looking into busses from Bergen to the airport. [sigh] We'd get into Amsterdam early, at about 0940... with luggage and no place to leave it...

Oh I guess I'll just go with the flow and overnight in Bergen and have my one day in Amsterdam and enjoy what we can. It's all good!

Thanks, I appreciate your help so much! And I'm sure I'll be back with the next set of issues :) m--

We will arrive Bergen on Friday 31 Oct, Midnatsol, after the 11 day round-trip cruise. We want to fly to Amsterdam that day if possible. The cheap flight on SAS at 4:00pm but there is a Norwegian.com flight at 5:00pm for twice the price. What do you pros think of trying to make a 4pm flight?

If we can get into Amsterdam that night we rent a houseboat at a darn good price (3 nights), but its not available for just 2 nights. Thanks for sharing your experiences. m--

I did the math for our upcoming trip and we'll need > €120 in coins for bus driver/tour guide tips! :eek:

 

I would think that the reception desk would have 'some' change, but not THAT much. My plan is to take one for the team and buy a gelato every day using a €20 and then use the change as tips.

 

It's my story and I'm sticking with it!!! :p

Perfecto!

Thank you all for the tips guides on tipping guides! We'll have to accumulate coins and 5 Euros bills. My memory is that the ATMs give out 20 Euro bills, so will need to break those down... plus potty coins too! m--

Maureen,

We are staying at. Hotel Thin Bergen Brygge.

 

 

Janet

Thank you Janet. We'll see what city we wind up spending that night in. I've been concerned about how cold it will be in late Oct, but you probably are already planning for cold in late Nov!

I hear Oceana is lovely, but we have been value cruisers... that is until these trips on Hurtingruten and the river cruise, which we think are comparatively costly. But we're giving these different types of travel a try and I hope we find them worthwhile. It's such a great way to see places we otherwise are unlikely to get to.

Happy planning! m--

Hi again,

 

I see others have answered some of questions:

 

- in standard cabins you just get all in one shower gell in shower & washbasin, suites have full hotel-like toiletries (inc bathrobes & slippers)

- don't recall seeing decaff but not sure - Norwegians mostly like strong black caffeine-full coffee. If I were in your position I'd take decaff coffee bags (Lyons ones sold on Amazon & Ebay) as they're nearest things to "proper coffee")

- Hotels are very much personal choice of style & cost: I've stayed at Radisson Blu Norge (best standard hotel in my view) & Royal, Augustin, Neptun and Admiral. Admiral is a bit characterful (built from old warehouse overlooking Bryggen) and there are 2 other very characterful "boutique type hotels: Havnekontoret & Hanseatic. I'd be happy staying at either of these in addition to all the ones I've previously stayed in. They are all central and within walking distance of Flybus stops.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Richard

Indeed it does help Richard! Many thanks. I will bring some conditioning shampoo for us. Wish we could get bathrobes for use to/from the hot tubs but not paying suite price, window cabin was high enough. I may have to "adjust" to Amsterdam's high prices too. Thank you for the list of hotels, I will check their availability as soon as I understand how early we arrive in Bergen/ can fly out of Bergen... that determines how many nights in Amsterdam, which we'd prefer to visit more than Bergen.

Lots to look forward to! m--

You can do cash in envelopes and envelopes will be provided. Or, you can request, on the last evening, that Viking add to your acct the "standard gratuities". That will cover the 12euro pp per day for crew and 2 euro pp per day for the Program Manager or CD. If you just ask forcthe standard gratuity, it saves your having to figure the amounts. ;). They will not be able to add to your acct any specific addt'l gratuities, so you will want to have cash on hand for those and envelopes will be available at the front desk.

 

Becki

Thank you so much.... now I don't feel quite as dumb :)

I'm assuming that the program director arranges the tours as well as many other things, but I assume the tour guides are locals and we would want cash to tip them (if warranted) at the end of each tour... and will need Euros for that.

m--

Viking has its house wines which are automatically offered, but we asked for sparkling, rose, or other varietals.

Are rose wines available? Usually I have had more difficulty finding them. Maybe we will try to find them on shore. m--

Would someone please walk me through the steps of Viking gratuities:

I understand that we can always get an envelope, put cash in it and give "extra" to whomever we want....

But the guideline on our TAs website says 12-15 Euros per day (night) per person... sounds a bit high, but we will plan to go along with the guideline.

How does Viking do it? We are used to a cruise ship adding the Hotel Service Charge to the bill. Will Viking just do this for us or do we have to request it?

And do we have to say what amount we request to be added? or for whom the gratuities are intended?

We have never tipped a Cruise Director, so that is new to us, please explain what the custom is on Viking.

Thanks so much. Very exciting on this new form of travel for us! Looking forward to my CC family helping us get prepared for it for this November. m--

Awww. This is very disappointing. They were beautiful. If waste is the issue, will they do away with the buffet next? Or nor more asking for seconds in the MDR? Better clean your plate so there's no waste incentive for them to curtail more of our favorites :)

m--