Excursions - Fjords

[Whitechapel girl]

We're doing a cruise in June to the fjords (Stavanger/Olden/Flaam/Bergen) does anyone have details of the types of excursions on offer/prices. I know these don't show up until 12 weeks before sail date on your planner but would like to know what's on offer. I can't seem to find details on website

[the english lady]

We're doing a cruise in June to the fjords (Stavanger/Olden/Flaam/Bergen) does anyone have details of the types of excursions on offer/prices. I know these don't show up until 12 weeks before sail date on your planner but would like to know what's on offer. I can't seem to find details on website

 

Stavanger is very easy to walk around from where the ship docks.

Olden you can go on a noddy train up the valley, or visit the glacier. We did the glacier last trip there.. it is receding quite a lot ,and we would not bother going again. It is a very pretty valley though.

Flam you can do the train (you can book on line before going) or wander round the shops.

Bergen..it the weather is dry I would walk to the funicular to the top of the mountain. Stunning views from the top.

You can go on P and O excursions at each of these places, but as they are so easy to diy, is it worth it?

One thing I would say Norway is very very very expensive, so try and limit your spending for teas/coffees/beers/cake etc.

[P&O SUE]

It's quite easy to find the excursions on the website - go to your cruise and click on the "ports and excursions" tab along the top. Scroll down the page and after each port there is another button to click "view shore excursions" and there is a list there. Prices aren't there but you can see them on your cruise personaliser nearer the time. It gives you an idea anyway.

 

Enjoy Norway, it's stunning. Expensive, as has been mentioned, but we tended to go back to the ship for lunch!

[Whitechapel girl]

Thanks P&O Sue, exactly what I was looking for, which gives me an idea of what to expect. Would you do Flam railway on your own or as a tour with ship.

[P&O SUE]

Thanks P&O Sue, exactly what I was looking for, which gives me an idea of what to expect. Would you do Flam railway on your own or as a tour with ship.

 

We did it with the ship as we were advised it gets very busy. However we went in late April/Early May and were the only ship in port so we could have probably got tickets ourselves but I didn't want to risk it. In June I'm guessing it would be busier. I couldn't believe how close it was though - literally 5 mins walk from the ship! There was someone boasting at dinner that he was the first off the ship and raced off and got tickets at a fraction of the cost - but it depends if you want to do that!

 

The ship trip to the glacier was about £80 each but we didn't do that. That was at Olden.

[BORDER REIVER]

When we went to Norway on Aurora a few years back we booked an excursion at every port & thought we would see more by booking the full day 7-8hrs excursions where possible. Big mistake, they turned out to be long and very tiring and after speaking to some who had done the shorter half day trips, we realised that they had seen all the best bits as well. Our tours were only extended by many miles extra driving through similar scenery.

We did to a half day tour from Bergen which left us with time to lunch on board ship and a fabulous afternoon to explore the town.

In Stavanger, we did a morning trip to Lysefjord and Pulpit Rock, a superb half day in glorious sunshine. The folk who did the afternoon one had rain.

On a Queen Elizabeth trip to Flaam, we took advice from a well travelled friend and booked a fjord tour on a R.I.B. Again it was fabulous weather and we saw close-ups of wildlife, farms, waterfalls and amazing mountain scenery- it was exhilarating. Glad we didn't join the masses on the Flaam railway.

Enjoy your trip, Norway is fabulous.

[kruzseeka]

When we went to Norway on Aurora a few years back we booked an excursion at every port & thought we would see more by booking the full day 7-8hrs excursions where possible. Big mistake, they turned out to be long and very tiring and after speaking to some who had done the shorter half day trips, we realised that they had seen all the best bits as well. Our tours were only extended by many miles extra driving through similar scenery.

We did to a half day tour from Bergen which left us with time to lunch on board ship and a fabulous afternoon to explore the town.

 

Yes it's worth reading the details of what's included in the excursions - sometimes we've done a half day trip of say 5 hours and found it to be almost identical to whole day trips of 7/8 hours which include lunch. Lunch for a coach party always seems to me to take quite a long time.

 

Of course it depends on the excursion - some would be impractical for a half day and others are actually a combo of two half day trips which are more economical timewise as you avoid the time taken to return to the ship and grab lunch. But a decent half day trip gives you the chance to have lunch on board and then see something of the place you are berthed.

 

They do the Pulpit Rock trips from the harbour in Stavanger but check on line I think it wasn't a lot cheaper than the ship's excursion. There's a lot to see in Stavanger - you can easily spend a pleasant day there visiting the old town with the picturesque clapboard houses, colourful Hanseatic style shops on the opposite side of the harbour, the Cathedral, the lake behind it and the Petroleum Museum (surprisingly interesting and good for a wet day). Friends went on the trip to the botanical gardens here and said it was lovely.

 

Bergen is an easy DiY. At the top of the funicular is an extensive parkland with a lake and trails which is very popular with locals. You can buy tickets online before you go and jump the queue although it's worth bearing in mind if the weather and visibility are poor you don't get the views once on top of Mt Floyen so perhaps it might be better waiting until the day to buy tickets. The Bryggen on the harbourside (old warehouses now restored) are worth exploring and the market with fresh fish and fruit stalls and fast food stalls are interesting too. I wouldn't do a trip here unless you were especially attracted to somewhere in particular that you wanted to go.

 

Flam railway is worth doing. I'd recommend sitting on the right of the carriage on the way up as the train travels up the left hand side of the valley so you get more views to the right. It's a lovely walk on a good day up the valley to the stave church in the village of Flam - about 2/3Km from the berth. And the sail in and out of Flam takes hours but is a highlight. It's spectacular.

 

Enjoy your cruise. Norway is fabulous.

[Whitechapel girl]

Thanks all, great advice and food for thought. We normally like doing trips ourselves rather than ship tours so think that may be the case here as well. Half day trips make sense as well. I did look at the botanical garden trip and that's a possibility if a half day. Also looked at doing the rib tour privately, as seen they are No 1 on Tripadvisor and combine with Flam Railway. Looks like I have some research to do. I am looking forward to this trip. Thanks again

[Whitechapel girl]

With regard to arrival time in the morning, would I be safe to assume we would be docked by 8.30/9am, just looking at tickets for Flam Railway (approx £36 each) with a departure time of 9.45am, leaving time to explore for the rest of the day.

[kruzseeka]

I would think that ticket time sounds reasonable. Flam can be a tender port but according to the port schedule link I've posted below, p&o ships appear to arrive at 08.00 and although I only scanned the June schedule, they also appear to be on the Quay. (Not sure which one you're on.) Since Flaam is at the end of a sail down a very long Fjord it's unlikely it will be seriously delayed by say, rough weather however, the possibility of missing a port (mechanical issues) is always a remote possibility. I think a 9.45 ticket is a reasonable time to pitch for. There's nothing worth stopping at the top for at Myrdal so it's an up and down train ride giving you plenty of time in the afternoon to explore. If you fancy the walk up the valley to the stave church, look out for it from the train, it may help you decide whether you think the walk is worth it. They have opened a micro brewery by the Quay since we first visited. Got a pub there which has a lot of atmosphere but beware the prices are very high!

 

http://aurlandhavn.no/cruise-2/ship-arrivals-2016/

 

Not sure if this link works but if not try Googling aurland ships schedules 2016.

Edited January 17, 2016 by kruzseeka

[Thejuggler]

Norway in a Nutshell from Flaam. Best value for money trip we have been on. Flaam railway is OK, but no need to do it in both directions.

 

It has a lot of tunnels and snow protection barriers, so you don't actually see a lot.

[kruzseeka]

Norway in a Nutshell from Flaam. Best value for money trip we have been on. Flaam railway is OK, but no need to do it in both directions.

 

It has a lot of tunnels and snow protection barriers, so you don't actually see a lot.

 

Agree with your comment re the Norway in a Nutshell excursion also there is no need to do the train ride both ways and yes there are quite a few tunnels but I think you do see a quite lot of impressive scenery during the ride especially if you sit on the right hand side of the carriage facing the direction of travel.

 

You can pick up the journey on utube to get an idea of whether you think it worth doing. The advantage of DiY is cost of course and free time to do something else or have a relaxing afternoon. The whole day trip is excellent though.

[Whitechapel girl]

Again thanks for all the tips. Decisions, decisions!!! Obviously we want to see as much as possible when you only have a day. Do you get much free time to wander with the tour, ie; not taken to a factory/shop for an hour to make you buy stuff. Think a visit to utube on the cards.

[kruzseeka]

Again thanks for all the tips. Decisions, decisions!!! Obviously we want to see as much as possible when you only have a day. Do you get much free time to wander with the tour, ie; not taken to a factory/shop for an hour to make you buy stuff. Think a visit to utube on the cards.

 

And as for seeing a lot, don't forget that the trip down Sognefjord (Flam is at the end) is 120+ miles so there's lots to see from on board on the way in and out - the nearer you get to Flam the higher and closer the mountains are on either side of you. Once at Flam, it's like being in the bottom of a bowl encircled by mountains. Now that's an excursion in its own right! Awesome in the true sense of the word.

 

Enjoy your planning - and especially the cruise!

[Thejuggler]

Again thanks for all the tips. Decisions, decisions!!! Obviously we want to see as much as possible when you only have a day. Do you get much free time to wander with the tour, ie; not taken to a factory/shop for an hour to make you buy stuff. Think a visit to utube on the cards.

 

The tour goes to Voss which is one of Norway's extreme sports centres. A small town by a lake surrounded by mountains.

 

The town is quite modern, but you get a couple of hours to have an excellent buffet lunch in a local hotel then free time. The weather was glorious for us so we just sat by the lake and watched the paragliders and a float plane made a visit.

 

You either get to Voss via Flaam and a local train and return by coach through some impressive scenery and very long road tunnels, or you do coach first, trains to return.

[LondonTowner]

We did exactly what Campolady suggested. For Flam I looked up to see which other hips were in port and we were the only one. I then looked to see what time the ship excursion left and planned our time accordingly.

 

We booked our tickets at the station and there were only a couple of people in front of us. Since we went you can now book tickets online.

 

We took the Dotto train in Olden which starts from right beside the ship. My OH walked back to the town after and took photos, but I stayed on board.

 

Norway is a very eAsy destination to organise everything yourself as the ship's dock in the towns.

[happy v]

We are going to the fjords too. I was looking at the Norway in a Nutshell excursion and it's much easier when they come with a recommendation. So decision made. Thank you.

[kruzseeka]

We are going to the fjords too. I was looking at the Norway in a Nutshell excursion and it's much easier when they come with a recommendation. So decision made. Thank you.

 

Picking up on Thejuggler's reminder that the Nutshell excursion can be done either way round ie starting on the Flamsbana up the valley then on to Voss and return by coach to Flam or going the opposite way round doing the Flam railway at the end, bear in mind sit on the right hand side if going UP the valley but it will be left hand side if you are coming DOWN (Myrdal to Flam) for the best, more open views of the valley. Enjoy!;)

[Whitechapel girl]

Thanks all. I spent some time looking at utube and there is a very good cruise blogger who has done detailed clips of the excursions/train/sail in/away - all good stuff. Worth looking at

[ormy]

Flam is certainly a great day, we did organised trip, coach to Voss - lots of waterfalls etc on the way and a famous road, cannot remember the name, the coach driver has to be very experienced to do the trip. Lunch in Voss then the mainline train to Myrdal where you pick up the Flam Railway back down to the village - a very scenic days trip, we would recommend.

[Clodia]

When you sail down the fjord to Flam, set your alarm for 6am and order room service breakfast if you have a balcony; if not go up on deck, grab something to eat at the buffet and go outside. The sail in takes about 2 hours and is as good as any excursion, with the mountains coming closer and closer as you approach the head of the fjord.

[Whitechapel girl]

Thanks Clodia that's a great tip. I was up on deck early when we sailed to Kotor which was stunning and hardly anyone on deck!!!

 

From all those that have sailed to the fjords is the crossing to Norway choppy and different to Mediterranean

[Mysticalmother]

Thanks Clodia that's a great tip. I was up on deck early when we sailed to Kotor which was stunning and hardly anyone on deck!!!

 

From all those that have sailed to the fjords is the crossing to Norway choppy and different to Mediterranean

 

The North sea is a bit like the Bay of Biscay - totally unpredictable! We went to the Fjords in July last year and it was absolutely fine both ways. But 24 hours before us, it had been pretty rough apparently.

 

So it will be pot luck I'm afraid. But you are going in June so should be reasonably OK.....but to put in to perspective , we had a hurricane force wind in the Med last May....so anywhere can be bumpy!

Edited January 20, 2016 by Mysticalmother

[happy v]

Pot luck I'm afraid.

We've had a storm where the top deck almost touched the sea, and flat as a mill pond.

I'm sure this year it will be the latter.

[Whitechapel girl]

OMG!!! Deck touching the sea!!! [emoji33]