Midnatsol northbound in Nov 2015

[bowbiter]

I have a few questions.

 

Has anyone done the northbound trip? We are thinking of booking Bergen to Tromso with 2 nights in Tromso after. We would spend a day in Oslo before taking the train to Bergen the day of the cruise.

 

Has anyone done the northbound excursions? Most of the threads I've seen are southbound or are for ports north of Tromso.

 

And they have northern light wake up calls right?

 

I know several ports we are only there for a short time and people recommended the excursions. The ones offered for this trip are Alesund Art tour (city tour basically) or Aquarium/mountain, Trondenheim history tour (city tour again) or Olympic tour and the viking dinner in Lofoten. We would probably opt for the Alesund Art tour, olympic and viking.

 

Also, while price shopping I found that a mock booking through the UK version of the site offered a "tour" called Taste of the Arctic which includes 1 hotel night in Tromso. Adding in the tours it ends up being almost the same price as booking the same trip (bergen to tromso), with dinner and excursions WITHOUT the hotel via the US version of the site. Does anyone have experience with this? Has anyone booked via UK to save $? I started researching booking/cancellation policy but decided to post here first. I got as far as 20% nonrefundable deposit for UK booking. NOt sure about the US (yet).

 

Thanks and any answer (partial) would be appreciated :)

[SarniaLo]

I have done this trip several times (both ways) but I haven't done many excursions, and none on the part of the journey you are considering. If you are OK to walk on your own, I think all the towns visited can be easily DIY with a guide book. I have talked with several people on various trip who have done the Viking feast excursion and the unanimous advice is that it can easily be skipped (there is a lot of bus ride and very little time actually in the viking museum, many people were disappointed).

 

They do have Northern Light calls during the night but on your journey you can mostly expect the Northern Lights north of the Arctic circle so basically just during your last night (but who knows, you can get lucky).

 

I have no idea about the risks (if any) of booking through another country's website but I'd be interested to read input from other people about this, since I'm wondering the same (I'm in France and some packages are cheaper through the UK version or the "global" version of the website than on the French version, and I can't find anything in the booking policy that would make it a problem, but I may oversee some aspects).

[Piggeldy]

We did a round-trip (Bergen - Bergen) on Trollfjord for our honeymoon in December a "few" years back. We booked through a local travel agent that specialises in cruises so I can't really comment on booking in the UK from the US (we are from neither country :D) but I know that people from Europe often book their cruises through US travel agents (better prices, easier cancellation policies, refundable deposits etc.) so I assume it would be possible the other way round as well. I would suggest to contact Hurtigruten UK and ask.

 

For most of the ports while tours are offered you do not necessarily need to join an official tour to see the cities. Hurtigruten usually docks either pretty much in the city center (Ålesund) or in walking distance (Trondheim). With a minimal amount of preparation you can do most of the tours yourself in Ålesund where you should have a 3 hours stop (http://www.visitalesund-geiranger.com/en/) and Trondheim where you should have a six hour stop (http://www.trondheim.no/engelsk). If I remember correctly you can't walk to the aquarium but there is also a bus you could take (614 or 618, Skarbøvik/Hessa)

 

I can't find anything on the "Olympic tour" on the Hurtigruten website so can't comment on that. The Viking Feast sounds good if that's stuff you are into (we would be), for our trip all Lofoten tours had to be cancelled due to weather though... and I find it a wee bit expensive but it's likely an exprience.

 

The train ride from Oslo to Bergen is lovely :) especially in winter.

We spent two nights in Bergen as Oslo is our "go to" vacation spot for weekend trips but both cities are really lovely. If you can, make sure to spend at least one full day in each.

[bowbiter]

I have talked with several people on various trip who have done the Viking feast excursion and the unanimous advice is that it can easily be skipped (there is a lot of bus ride and very little time actually in the viking museum, many people were disappointed).

 

They do have Northern Light calls during the night but on your journey you can mostly expect the Northern Lights north of the Arctic circle so basically just during your last night (but who knows, you can get lucky).

 

Good to know. Thanks! The Viking thing would be more for the experience. It takes place when everything is dark so I don't think I would miss much otherwise.

[bowbiter]

 

For most of the ports while tours are offered you do not necessarily need to join an official tour to see the cities. Hurtigruten usually docks either pretty much in the city center (Ålesund) or in walking distance (Trondheim). With a minimal amount of preparation you can do most of the tours yourself in Ålesund where you should have a 3 hours stop (http://www.visitalesund-geiranger.com/en/) and Trondheim where you should have a six hour stop (http://www.trondheim.no/engelsk). If I remember correctly you can't walk to the aquarium but there is also a bus you could take (614 or 618, Skarbøvik/Hessa)

 

The train ride from Oslo to Bergen is lovely :) especially in winter.

We spent two nights in Bergen as Oslo is our "go to" vacation spot for weekend trips but both cities are really lovely. If you can, make sure to spend at least one full day in each.

 

Good to know about the length of those stops. I saw the lengths of time but remembered reading excursions were recommended so was torn. I normally wander on my own or book on my own so this makes me feel better (about doing it on my own).

 

If you had to choose....which would you choose for an overnight? Our flight into oslo arrives around 730am. I believe trains are 825 and 1230. I figured the 830 would be best given the time it gets dark in november. An overnight in bergen means either rushing to get the the station upon arrival or the 1230 train with half of the ride being dark out. But full day in bergen the next day to explore. Alternatively, sightsee and spend the night in oslo. Take the early train to bergen and have a few hours in the afternoon to see stuff in the dark. Unfortunately when we booked our air we had different plans which involved a few days in oslo and tromso vs "cruise" and a night or two in tromso.

[SarniaLo]

It takes place when everything is dark so I don't think I would miss much otherwise.

Northern Lights? ;)

 

As for the train, I have done several times the train ride from Oslo to Bergen and definitely you should take the morning one. If you take the mid-day one, you will get to the most beautiful part (the moutains) in the dark. The train arrives in Bergen around 2.30pm and the ship leaves late at night, so plenty of time to get to the terminal, leave your bags and enjoy Bergen (although it will also be getting dark at that time). You should check on nsb.no website (or drop them an email), it is possible that the 8.30am train makes a stop at the airport to pick up passengers, which would make it possible for you to catch it on the day you arrive (otherwise, I don't think it is possible to get it on the same day if you have to go to Central Oslo).

Personaly I would overnight in Oslo and leave for Bergen the next day.

[bowbiter]

Northern Lights? ;)

Personaly I would overnight in Oslo and leave for Bergen the next day.

 

That was what I was leaning towards partially to see some of oslo, partly to be a bit less rushed. Ecxploring Bergen in the dark isn't a dealbr3aker since it is expected that time of year.

Thanks!

[RSF Cruiser]

I did the round trip - Bergen-Bergen two years ago in December. We took the morning train from Oslo to Bergen - the scenery was magnificent. We flew out of Oslo, so when we returned to Bergen we spent the day sightseeing, and then took the 11:30 PM train with a sleeper back to Oslo. We transferred trains in Oslo to the airport. Was very easy to do. But sounds like you'll be leaving from Tromso, so the train back to Oslo may not be an option.

 

We also did the Viking Feast. It's a nice re-enactment of a Viking dinner. The food was tasty and the servers/Viking family were entertaining. If you like those kind of things (I don't that much), you'll like it. We were a group of six, and one of the people in our group really wanted to do the Viking Feast, and he loved it (a fifty year old man). As a bonus, we saw some faint northern lights while we were there. The bus ride to the feast was narrated, and then afterwards, most of us dozed off.

 

I agree with the others about doing most of the stops on your own. I used the Lonely Planet Norway book, and the port description book Hurtigruten gave us. You didn't mention anything about the midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso. That was very enjoyable and I strongly recommend it. The Cathedral is interesting and the performance was excellent.

[SarniaLo]

You didn't mention anything about the midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso. That was very enjoyable and I strongly recommend it.

It's a southbound excursion! ;) I don't know if it is possible to attend the midnight concert if you are not on the southbound ship.

Thank you for your positive review of the Viking feast excursion, because so far I have only talked to people who were disappointed so it's good to know that it can be enjoyable.

[bowbiter]

Viking feast wise I sorta expect a medieval times quality dinner/show for those who are familiar with that.

[RSF Cruiser]

Not as elaborate as medieval times, but yes, as far as the quality of the food. It's not really a show. The staff act as a Viking family and we were guests in their home. Enjoyable, especially if you like things of this sort.

[digitl]

We have done Bergen to Tromso and we prefer the northbound trip. Most ports, including Alesund, can be walked on your own. We took the Trondheim trip as it included the drive the cathedral and further out for a view of the city. Not strictly necessary though.

 

We saw the northern lights on three nights and got the call from the bridge to announce them.

 

We stayed an extra night in Tromso to match available flights home and took the opportunity to take a dog sledding trip at Vilmarkscenter (sp?): recommended!

[bowbiter]

We have done Bergen to Tromso and we prefer the northbound trip. Most ports, including Alesund, can be walked on your own. We took the Trondheim trip as it included the drive the cathedral and further out for a view of the city. Not strictly necessary though.

 

We saw the northern lights on three nights and got the call from the bridge to announce them.

 

We stayed an extra night in Tromso to match available flights home and took the opportunity to take a dog sledding trip at Vilmarkscenter (sp?): recommended!

 

So the dog sledding via hurtigruten is worth it? Originally we were going to stay in tromso 5 nights but now just 2. The ship gets in at 1430 and I think their excursion is shorter. It may be the only one that works with a northern lights hunt.

[bowbiter]

Not as elaborate as medieval times, but yes, as far as the quality of the food. It's not really a show. The staff act as a Viking family and we were guests in their home. Enjoyable, especially if you like things of this sort.

 

We would definitely be going more for the experience. Touristy type thing is expected. I don't think we would miss much on the ship other than dinner so might be a good change of pace????

[bowbiter]

And I just booked this! Thank you all for the helpful responses. We decided seeing more of Norway(even if for a very short time) was better than 5 nights in tromso.

[RSF Cruiser]

We would definitely be going more for the experience. Touristy type thing is expected. I don't think we would miss much on the ship other than dinner so might be a good change of pace????

While you are going by bus to the dinner, and then to the next port, the ship is traveling to the next port. I doubt you miss much on the ship, other than dinner :-) When we did the trip, it was dark out, so we didn't miss much of the scenery, either.

[BORDER REIVER]

We went dog sledding in March and there was loads of snow, but I'm not sure the same would apply in November.

I would recommend visiting Mount Aksla if the weather is fine, it's a terrific viewpoint. You can walk to the top from the ship in about 1/2 an hour - but there's 416 steps. We walked up in the morning (best time of day as the sun is behind you when looking at the view) in June and visited there again by coach after seeing the aquarium. It was a blazing hot day then and we enjoyed the aquarium, especially the feeding of the penguins.

[digitl]

So the dog sledding via hurtigruten is worth it? Originally we were going to stay in tromso 5 nights but now just 2. The ship gets in at 1430 and I think their excursion is shorter. It may be the only one that works with a northern lights hunt.

 

We certainly enjoyed it...

[bowbiter]

We went dog sledding in March and there was loads of snow, but I'm not sure the same would apply in November.

I would recommend visiting Mount Aksla if the weather is fine, it's a terrific viewpoint. You can walk to the top from the ship in about 1/2 an hour - but there's 416 steps. We walked up in the morning (best time of day as the sun is behind you when looking at the view) in June and visited there again by coach after seeing the aquarium. It was a blazing hot day then and we enjoyed the aquarium, especially the feeding of the penguins.

 

Which port is this? Trondenheim?

[SarniaLo]

No, it's Alesund (beautiful city indeed).

[bowbiter]

Just booked my train tickets and got the cheap "Minipris" price. One way in Komfort for $41. Saved $70 by booking early.