Cost of Flam Railway trip as a Celebrity Shore Excursion

Hi all, I was trying to see, as a matter of interest, how much the Flam railway tour would be if booked through Celebrity on our Fjords cruise next year. Although the shore excursions are shown in the cruise planner they are wrong for Flam and show tours in Geiranger.

It will doubtless be corrected in due course but in the meantime has anyone done the tour this year and can advise the price please. I did read a review on another site that people felt "robbed" as they paid $$195 for the tour (on a different cruise line).

Having done the tour many years ago we would like to repeat it but I think not IF the price is that high!! I know we could always book it independently as another option so we can look into that although we do not like being too far from the ship on a non cruise line tour.

Any updates from this years Flam Celebrity cruisers would be much appreciated.

Many thanks and kind regards. Peter

Hi all, I was trying to see, as a matter of interest, how much the Flam railway tour would be if booked through Celebrity on our Fjords cruise next year. Although the shore excursions are shown in the cruise planner they are wrong for Flam and show tours in Geiranger.

 

It will doubtless be corrected in due course but in the meantime has anyone done the tour this year and can advise the price please. I did read a review on another site that people felt "robbed" as they paid $$195 for the tour (on a different cruise line).

 

Having done the tour many years ago we would like to repeat it but I think not IF the price is that high!! I know we could always book it independently as another option so we can look into that although we do not like being too far from the ship on a non cruise line tour.

 

Any updates from this years Flam Celebrity cruisers would be much appreciated.

 

Many thanks and kind regards. Peter

https://www.celebritycruises.com/pcp-excursions/flam-norway-tours?destination=EUROP&port=FLM

https://www.celebritycruises.com/pcp-excursions/flam-norway-tours/the-flam-railway?destination=EUROP&port=FLM&excursionItemID=100000002553143708

Flam, Norway

The Flam Railroad transports you 2,800 feet above sea level into the wilds of Norway. You'll cross over rivers, navigate hairpin turns, and pass through dark tunnels on your way to the top. Stop to take in the incredible Kjosfossen Waterfall, and then continue your journey to the Vatnahalsen Mountain Hotel. There, you'll enjoy fresh, homemade waffles and jam before approximately 60-90 minutes of free time to explore on your own. FM24

ACTIVITY LEVEL

Mild

To fully participate may require leisurely walking over primarily even surfaces. There may be a limited number of steps, a minimal amount of cobblestones or uneven surfaces, and some standing for extended periods of time.

duration

3 hours and 30 minutes

Activity Type

Destination Highlights

Advisements

A light snack or refreshment is served on this excursion.

$129

When we went walk up tickets were about $40.

The ship was charging $80.

The ship tour got a waffle.

Otherwise there was no difference.

Obviously a long time ago.

I just did this on my own in July, but not on Celebrity. We bought the tickets in advance from NSB, which I think might be a third party, but tied into the Norway train system. We paid $100 each for tickets.

I believe they were cheaper at the station, but there's no guarantee that the time you want or need to fit your schedule will be available.

Keep in mind that the ship tour people and the independents are on the same train. You are going to arrive back at the same time. EM

I remember a post about a year ago. A person was quite upset because they figured they'd save money by doing the trip on their own, only to find out that there were no tickets available because every seat had been purchased in advance, by the cruise line.

(Found the old thread here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2450665&highlight=flam+railway)

If this is an important element of your trip, I'd say don't necessarily expect to purchase tickets on the day; but do so in advance.

Harris

Denver, CO

I think the usual return fare is 500 NOK

https://www.visitflam.com/flamsbana/timetable-and-fares/

This is about US$60

Book directly with the train. The ship's tour is a ripoff.

We booked with the ship and the tour was worth every penny. We had a reserved car, with a rest room in it, and the stop at the hotel was a nice break. If it's really important to you, and you want to save $$$, I would definitely buy my tickets ahead of time on line because the train was fully sold out when we did it.

When I did it, we had an active roll call several months before we went in the July. When the 'new' season tickets became available at the end of December, 25 people had already said they would like to join 'my' tour. I reserved 29 tickets (half a carriage) before the cruise line block booked them all! I could have 'sold' them 3 times over! (Even had people coming up to me on the ship saying "I hear you might have some spare Flam tickets"!). I collected money off everyone at the Meet & Mingle (170 NOK pp rings a bell) and went and collected the tickets in the morning, no problem at all. It is really easy to organise a group tour if you want to. The Flam railway website is easy to use and the few questions I had were promptly answered by e mail. I even got my name on the train door!

Simon

We booked with the ship and the tour was worth every penny. We had a reserved car, with a rest room in it, and the stop at the hotel was a nice break. If it's really important to you, and you want to save $$$, I would definitely buy my tickets ahead of time on line because the train was fully sold out when we did it.

All the cars are reserved and they all have restrooms. You paid a lot of money for that stop at the hotel. If that's what you think is worth every penny, good for you.

When I did it, we had an active roll call several months before we went in the July. When the 'new' season tickets became available at the end of December, 25 people had already said they would like to join 'my' tour. I reserved 29 tickets (half a carriage) before the cruise line block booked them all! I could have 'sold' them 3 times over! (Even had people coming up to me on the ship saying "I hear you might have some spare Flam tickets"!). I collected money off everyone at the Meet & Mingle (170 NOK pp rings a bell) and went and collected the tickets in the morning, no problem at all. It is really easy to organise a group tour if you want to. The Flam railway website is easy to use and the few questions I had were promptly answered by e mail. I even got my name on the train door!

Simon

Our roll call group did this as well. We had a whole car.

When I did it, we had an active roll call several months before we went in the July. When the 'new' season tickets became available at the end of December, 25 people had already said they would like to join 'my' tour. I reserved 29 tickets (half a carriage) before the cruise line block booked them all! I could have 'sold' them 3 times over! (Even had people coming up to me on the ship saying "I hear you might have some spare Flam tickets"!). I collected money off everyone at the Meet & Mingle (170 NOK pp rings a bell) and went and collected the tickets in the morning, no problem at all. It is really easy to organise a group tour if you want to. The Flam railway website is easy to use and the few questions I had were promptly answered by e mail. I even got my name on the train door!

 

 

Simon

170nok is about 21 USD. Heck of a deal.

All the cars are reserved and they all have restrooms. You paid a lot of money for that stop at the hotel. If that's what you think is worth every penny, good for you.

I'm sorry Happy cruiser, I thought OP was looking for personal opinions. When we rode the Flam last August all cars did not have bathrooms, every other car did...we also had a guide in the car with us and while you may not agree, I did think the entire trip was worth what I paid for it. If I worded my post in such a way that you thought I meant the stop at the hotel and the snack we were served in a lovely glass walled dining room over-looking the mountains was what made the excursion worth the money then that was also my mistake. What's one person's waste of money is another person's good time.

If there was ever a tour NOT to worry about booking independently, this is it. The train is about a 5 minute walk from the ship. You are on the same train as everyone else except you will pay significantly less. The tickets sell out.

https://www.nsb.no/en/purchase

You want Flåm- Myrdal return.

Flam railway tickets can be purchased online in advance for 440 NOK ($60 USD) per person. As someone else said, the train station is less than a five minute walk from the ship, and the primary difference is the ships excursion people get off the train and have a waffle. We did this in May 2017. There was still snow on the ground in the mountains. They had to walk uphill on snow covered ground. We didn’t get off the train.

I'm sorry Happy cruiser, I thought OP was looking for personal opinions. When we rode the Flam last August all cars did not have bathrooms, every other car did...we also had a guide in the car with us and while you may not agree, I did think the entire trip was worth what I paid for it. If I worded my post in such a way that you thought I meant the stop at the hotel and the snack we were served in a lovely glass walled dining room over-looking the mountains was what made the excursion worth the money then that was also my mistake. What's one person's waste of money is another person's good time.

It's your money. Feel free to spend it as you please. Others of us had different personal opinions than yours.

Be nice children....we all have our preferences on how we tour and how we spend our money.

Last May we were in Flam on Royal and I booked the 4 of us for a RT for about $60 per person. This allowed us to know we had tickets, print them at home and not have to deal with any lines once we got to the train. There was some recorded narration as we rode up and back to Myerdal and stopped at a huge waterfall both ways so we all had time to get off the train, make some pictures, feel the spray and power of the water. It was a great morning for us. Booking was very easy but I did it months in advance. Those waiting for the last minute had trouble getting tickets. Those on the ship's tour complained about their cars being crowded, our car was not crowded and did have bathrooms.

Our roll call group did this as well. We had a whole car.

In hindsight (a wonderful thing!), I would have booked a whole carriage too...I would have got rid of the tickets no problem at all.

Simon

PS We have carriages, you have cars. We invented railways, therefore we're right! QED;p