globltravlr

To me this is more then just "sitting on a bus all day".

Lots of stunning scenery and things to take pictures of.

I would suggest this tour as its one of the most interesting. It will for sure "wow" you.

Thank so much- we will now be in port twice so I booked this excision and have a day in Alesund! Will you help with another excursion question? We have two different days in Eidfjord. For one day we have booked a Sightseeing tour with coach to the waterfall Vøringsfossen and Hardangervidda Nature Centre. For the other day we can't decide between a few things and would love your advice.

1) renting a bike and biking to the Sima Powerplant + biking to the end of Simadal

2) hiking to Kjeåsen

Or

3) Holland Tour- waffles and Waterfalls -

Drive through the village of Eidfjord before you continue up the steep Måbødalen Valley. The old road to the top was once only four miles made up of an alarming series of hairpin bends carved into the mountainside. Today there is a new, safer route that leads to the enormous Hardanger Mountain Plateau -- the largest mountain plateau in Northern Europe and one of the few places in Norway where wild reindeer herds still live untended. Keep your eyes peeled; but they are elusive creatures, brilliantly camouflaged and, thus, are seldom seen. Stop for refreshments at Halne Mountain Lodge, about 30 miles from Eidfjord. The lodge is situated about 3,700 feet above sea level in the heart of the Hardanger Mountain Plain and its wooden interior is pleasantly welcoming. Coffee or tea and a homemade Norwegian waffle will be served with jam and sour cream, and be sure to check out the many items and photos from the area. Return to the Måbødalen Valley and stop at the Sysen Dam -- the main reservoir for the Sima Power Station and one of Norway's largest embankment dams. The dam’s watertight core is lined with filter zones of sand and gravel, weighted down and supported by large quantities of rock. The dam itself is more than a half-mile long, 265 feet tall and 813 feet wide at the bottom. Continue to Fossli to view the Vøringsfossen Waterfalls. You’ll take a short walk on an uneven path to the viewpoint. The majestic falls cascade almost 600 feet into the wild Måbø Valley below. Return to Eidfjord by way of the Måbødalen Valley.

We would repeat the same waterfall but may be worthwhile? Thanks for helping.

Ooo. Wow. Thanks. :o That is so nice to read.

 

My love of the thermal suites is limited to the Vista/Signature ships; I don't care for the thermal pool on the S-/R-class ships.

The larger ships have a very large pool, with water temperature that's about body temperature. Just a soothing time, with no danger for anyone with a cardiac condition. The smaller ships have what amounts to a glorified hot tub. No better than the included hot tubs by the pools.

The ceramic loungers are the same on all classes of ships, though, and really do sooth a weary body.

We are going to be sailing on our first HAL cruise in July on the Koningsdam and were thinking about getting this pass. I called tonight and for our first segment (one week long), it was $249 for a couples pass and for our 2nd segment 2 weeks long, it was $499 for the couples pass. - Does the Koningsdam fit into the category ship mentioned in the post above-Vista/Signature? I am finding Pinnacle... Wondering is the spa is worth it? Do we want this pass? Our 2nd segment has 5 sea days, so I am leaning towards just getting it for this 2nd part of our trip. Should we get it ahead of time to have less stress? Will it be cheaper on day 1 of the cruise... sorry for all the questions...

We are going to do back to back itineraries in Norway, which will offer us 2 days in some ports, Eidfjord being one of them. We have booked a trip with tide reiser for one of the days that visits the Nature Center and Voringsfossen. I am thinking on the other day, I'd really like us to see the Sima Power plant, and Kjeåsen Mountain Farm. We don't plan to rent a car. Are there suggestions on getting there? We are runners and could maybe hike to the farm, but want to have time to just enjoy the town also. I read it's 2 hours one way. I just can't seem to find a tour going to the two places.

I live in Ålesund and are more than happy to help you with any questions you might have visiting Ålesund and the Norwegian Fjords.

 

 

There are some really informative threads already on the board and I have compiled a few here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1781806

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1965567

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1350812

 

 

Hit me with those questions:D....either here or start another thread.

Lets start planning your perfect stay in Norway.

Hi,

I have a question about our stop in Alesund! We are on the msKonningsdam this summer and I am excited to finally be coming to Norway for the first time. I can not decide between just enjoying our day in Alesund or taking advantage of the ship's tour: "About the Excursion

Take a short sightseeing tour of Ålesund city, passing the town of Spjelkavik en route to Sjøholt village.

From Sjøholt, you’ll follow the shoreline of Storfjord, enjoying beautiful scenes from the road. You are now in an area known for both salmon fishing and furniture making. The furniture crafted here is exported all over the world. In Stordal alone there are several furniture factories.

Pass the old, octagonal Stordal Church (1789) and through Liabygd and Valldal, renowned for growing sweet strawberries. You will follow the valley towards Trollstigen (the Troll Path), passing the impressive Gudbrandsjuvet Gorge. On top of the mountain you can still see signs of the old road built in 1028 by Viking King Olav.

In the center of the Trolltindene mountain range you will stop for a typical Norwegian buffet lunch of hot and cold dishes, desserts and coffee. A bottle of mineral water or light beer is included per person.

From the highest point on the road, at 2,800 feet above sea level, you will drive the famous Troll Path with its 11 exciting hairpin bends leading down to Isterdalen Valley. Stop to visit the famous Troll Wall -- well known to mountaineers all over the planet. This wall has the highest overhang in Europe and is visited by world-famous climbers every summer.

Pass Romsdalsfjord and the picturesque villages of Innfjorden, Mandalen, Vagstrand and Vikebukt before crossing Orskog Mountain to join the main road back to Ålesund"

Which do you recommend? I am thinking if we stay in town we will hike, visit museums and enjoy the beautiful scenery rather than be on a bus all day??

Thanks!

I need to edit my own post to say the ship tour is $300 not $600 for the two of us! Sorry for the mistake!

I was really happy to see this thread. Thank you, Sslandgirl for starting it. We did our Norway cruise in May of this year and I really wanted to hike Pulpit Rock but at that time, most any post you saw about it was telling you that it couldn't be done. I kept going over the times on the ferry and yes, I knew it would be tight, but I wasn't sure why at that time, everyone was telling you that it couldn't be done by cruise ship.

 

We did end up doing it and I will be the first to admit that I'm not in tip top shape and in the over 60 crowd, so I was bucking the odds. But as others are saying here, it CAN be done. It took us about 2 hours to get up there with several stops along the way, but on the same token, we WERE hauling it and pushing more than if we had all day long and could enjoy it more leisurely. We stayed up top about 10 minutes to eat a VERY quick sandwich and take our token pictures and headed back down. I think the thing that shocked me most was that going down I expected to be much faster than it actually was. Probably because my legs started going numb about half way down. (that's MY issues...and not something that happens to most, but as I said, I COULD have been in better shape for this). With that said, we were down in about 1 hr. 45 to 50 minutes.

 

With all this said and done, I would recommend going if you are on the fence. It's beautiful up there and you get such a great sense of accomplishment. I knew that there is a good chance we wouldn't be back and so you live each day to the fullest and enjoy these treasures. For me, it was a one time thing and I don't need to do it again, since yes, I'm getting older by the day...hehehehe...but what an amazing experience and I am so glad we didn't listen to the naysayers that were on this board before our May trip. IF I ever did it again, I would want to do it without the ship deadlines since rushing does seem to take a little out of the experience. But no regrets and so glad we did it.

First, thank you!! I have been trying and trying to decide on this and honestly Pulpit Rock was on of reasons for wanting to go to Norway!! We have decided to give it a shot- I ran 6 marathons this past year and hope that I am fit enough for the climb. I am the first to admit that being a runner doesn't exactly make you fit. LOL I can't decide between the ship's tour or going it on our own. We are in port from 10-6. I am nervous about the later starting time so it may be crowded already? Also, it is our first time to Norway and we are not climbers, just runners... I would love anyone's thoughts about this. The ship tour is soooo expensive. $600 for the two of us. We think it would be under $75 to just take the ferry on our own, correct? Please let us know your opinion and how to plan out the schedule if you think we should cancel the excursion and do it alone! Thanks!

Thanks everyone for all the great discussion and posts today!! We are booked on the new HAL ship that includes the 8 ports, 4 days of scenic cruising on fjords, and goes to the North Cape as well. :-) I am happy with our choice and appreciate all the input!! RSLeesburg- we just moved to Ashburn last weekend!! I imagine you are not too far from us!! I had considered Hurtigruten for some time, but read about cargo aspects of the ships in Norway and the heavy seafood offerings for meals. I am not a seafood lover myself, so I am just not brave enough to give it a try, but I am sure it would provide the best cultural experience!!

Thank you- this is very, very helpful. I feel pretty confident booking the HAL cruise from this advise because it does go to the North Cape, but also has scenic cruising on 4 fjords that I was looking for. My only fear was missing out on Lofoten. But it adds Geiranger and Eidfjord. Now, one last thing- on another thread, several people recommend taking the Hurtigruten line. I wasn't very thrilled about this idea because I do tend to enjoy "Americanized" cruising.... I go for the itinerary, but enjoy the ship and the voyage as well. I wonder if I would be disappointed then on this line. Thoughts? Is it worth the extra ports/offerings to miss out on the daily comforts?

Yes, Hellsylt & Geiranger can work very well and offer some great sights and experiences, especially if you go "up country" as we did during those two port stops. BUT, your list of other ports/stops in going up above the Arctic Circle is super good. As detailed in my live/blog below, we did stop in nine of these locations. You could look for another alternative, but maybe miss some other "super-stars". Trade-offs??

 

Lofoten Islands? That area is a totally wonderful. Would hate to miss that spectacular location. Below are are some added notes on the Lofoten Islands, plus a few picture samples. We have not been to Olden/Andalsnes, but I am sure there are some good options and sights around there."

 

We are trying to book a Norway cruise for summer 2016. My dream was to go to Lofoten. Now we have it narrowed down to 2 sailings. Please help! July 17 the brand new ms Konnigsdam on Holland. This sailing does NOT go to Lofoten but is out of Amsterdam (we have wanted to go) and says it does 4 scenic cruisings: Hardangerfjord, Trondheimsfjord, Geirangerfjord, and Sognefjord. Ports are : Eidfjord, Alesund, Trondheim, Honnigsvag, Geirianger, Flam, Stavenger. The other itinerary is Emerald Princess Aug. 6th out of London which does go to Lofoten, but does not mention any scenic cruising. The ports are Stavenger, Flam, Olden, Trondheim, Honnigsbag, Tromso, Gravdal, Alesund, and Bergen.

 

Please help us! We have never cruised here and I don't want to mess this one up!!

Hi everyone!! I am trying to book my "dream cruise"... to Norway and am feeling a little more than stuck choosing. I would appreciate help from someone who knows the area/has experience here. We have the following constraints. We are teachers and can only travel between June 26th-Aug. 23rd, and we are on a budget for the cruise fare of around $7,000 so no luxury lines.

I saw a picture of Lofoton Islands in 2011 at an art show and decided one day, I would go there, which is how this all started. We were booked on the Norwegian Star to leave tomorrow actually, but life got in the way, so next year it is.

We are currently considering HAL July 17th ms Konnigsdam out of Amsterdam vs. Aug 6th Emerald Princess out of London. Sorry for the long post, but here are my thoughts:

~HAL is a brand new ship- very cool!

~HAL is 5 sea days vs. 4 on Princess - we like port intensive itineraries)

~We have been to London (Princess) but not to Amsterdam (HAL) (we would love to see Amsterdam)

~HAL is advertising Scenic cruising on 4 fjords after being in port while Princess is not, but we don't know if Princess will be travelling on the fjords anyway because we haven't done this before. Does anyone know about this?

~The ports are the same with the exception of HAL goes to Eidfjord, Princess to Lofoton (which is why I wanted to go to begin with) and Princess visits Tromso while HAL has an extra sea day, HAL goes to Geirianger and Princess to Bergen. If the other ports compare with Lofoton then we don't HAVE to go there...

~We also read it is worthwhile missing the North Cape and just doing a few Norway ports to see Iceland. Is this true? I thought it was cool to go to the North Cape?

This is not supposed to be so hard!! lol

I would so appreciate input so we can book soon!!

We are currently booked on the Norwegian Star 14 night June 12th sailing for Norway. It has most of the ports we are looking for- North Cape, Lofoten... but we are teachers and aren't out of school until June 16!!! So, we are looking again. HAL is perfect, but is $10,000 for a balcony, which is important to us. That leaves us looking at Disney's new 9 day itinerary that focuses on the lower Fjords, or for about $800 less, Celebrity that does 2 fewer Norway ports and adds Iceland and Faroe Islands. Any advice??? It's driving me crazy thinking about it and I'd like to get the deciding part over!!