Norway Summer Cruise

[cannockfrodo]

Just booked last minute. sailing 25/8 a Norway cruise on the Marco Polo.

Any advise at all regarding trips/clothing/money would be most welcome.

Ports visiting include Bergen,Flam,Ulvik,Eidfjord and Hellesylt.

 

Fingers crossed !!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

We did Norway in late July of 2009 and we wore long pants and jackets outside. It was sweater weather for the most part but it was never warm. It was lovely though and thankfully only had one day of rain.

 

However, I was in Norway as a kid and it rained or was overcast pretty much all but one day.

 

It's like Alaska- been there when we had nothing but sun but this year it was cloudy and/or rainy for most of the trip.

 

Layers and umbrellas.

[TLCOhio]

Just booked last minute. sailing 25/8 a Norway cruise on the Marco Polo. Any advise at all regarding trips/clothing/money would be most welcome.

Ports visiting include Bergen,Flam,Ulvik,Eidfjord and Hellesylt. Fingers crossed !!

 

Good luck! Be prepared to layer, as needed. Could be cooler in the earlier am and later in evening. Then, hopefully warm up some during the middle of the day.

 

Below you can see more details, ideas, pictures. As you can see on my below live/blog, there are lots and lots more posted and available for details about Flam, Bergen, Hellesylt, etc. We loved these areas!!!

 

Keep these good questions rolling along!! Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and that experience.

 

For Geiranger, I would try to get "up country" to see more than just or only is right there in the port. That's good and OK, but there is much more to see and do that general area.

 

Flam, with a population of about 500, is nestled in a tributary of the world's longest and deepest fjord. It is 128 miles long and has a maximum depth of 4,291 feet. On the question of how deep are these fjords, local say: “A mermaid could swim all the way to China.” The chief attraction here is the 66-year-old Flam Railway. It is widely known as one of the world's best railroad journeys. It includes twenty tunnels and eight stops as it goes up the mountain. This rail lines rises from Flam’s gingerbread rail station going up 2,835 feet to Myrdal and this "Roof of Norway" rail station. Railroad website: http://www.flaamsbana.no/eng.

 

As the seat of Norway’s medieval kingdom of Norway for six centuries, Bergen is a former Viking stronghold encircled by deep fjords, towering mountains, and sweeping glaciers. Today's Bergen has much of the medieval flavor remaining around Bergen's harbor. We explored the cobblestone streets, saw its pastel-color wooden houses, bargained in some of the many artisans' workshops and visited the famous and always-entertaining Fish Market. You can watch the locals haggling over today's catch and enjoy a quayside lunch of freshly caught salmon or fish and chips.

 

Rated by Frommers as more scenic than Oslo, Bergen was the base of the medieval Hanseatic merchants. Those historic timbered houses are set around Bryggen or The Wharf, a center for crafts and workshops. Its prime row is mostly reconstructed 14th-century structures, some of which were originally destroyed by fire. Det Hansseatiske Museum depicts commercial life on the wharf in the early 18th century and is highly rates with well-preserved wooden structure. Its art museums are highly-rated with religious icons, local art, etc.

 

In the afternoon, after some of the big crowds had lessened, we took the Floibanen funicular railway to the top of a 1050-foot high peak for scenic views. This cable car has been operating for over 80 years and was refurbished in 2002. The Funicular Lower Station is situated 150 meters from the Fish Market. At the top of the Mount Floyen, there are hiking trails and places for lunch or dinner. The trip takes seven minutes and both cars are on the same cable going up and down. Mariakirken or St. Mary’s Church is the most outstanding Romanesque church in Norway. Bergen is Norway’s largest port and has a population of 252,000. Scenic Bergen completed our voyage with its dramatic backdrop of seven rounded mountains and cobble-stoned streets. It entices you to take memories and photos cherishing the land of the Norsemen.

 

Their good and helpful Tourism Office can be accessed on the web at: http://www.visitbergen.com/en

 

We docked at the fairly handy Skoltegrunskaien Pier. This put us within about a 10-15 minute walk of the main attractions at the market and warehouse area.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 77,485 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here are a few highlights from the Flam train ride, including where you stop in a stone tunnel to get out and then see this dramatic 305-foot-high Kjosfossen Waterfall half-way on this 12.4 mile trip. We then exit the train at the Vatnahalsen Hotel, to see the grounds, nearby mountains, etc. Lots of great views on this routing, up and down. :

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

 

 

 

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

 

 

 

This is the super scenic view from immediately above Geiranger that shows the Silver Cloud and Costa ships tendered. A little before this picture, we were to go to Mt. Dalsnibba as a photo stop from this 4,920-foot vantage for the snow-covered surrounding mountains, icy glaciers, crystalline lakes and Geirangerfjord far below. We went there, but it was totally “socked in”. It was so thick, you could barely find your bus on this day on top of the big mountain crowded with lots of buses from the Costa ship. But this view, at a lower level, makes up for that problems and provided a wonderful vista.:

 

 

 

Here is a different view as you are sailing from Geiranger and approaching the famed “Seven Sisters”. This is the view from the top of the ship as we are turning in this narrow fjord and first seeing some of this famous waterfall. Great majesty from nature in an amazing setting. This is the 39th tallest waterfall in Norway. The waterfall consists of seven separate streams, and it is located four miles west of Geiranger. The tallest of the seven has a free fall that measures 820’. The total height above the water from the top is 1,350'. The legend is that the seven sisters dance playfully down the mountain, while a single waterfall opposite, the Suitor, a male onlooker, flirts playfully from across the fjord.: