Fjords on Viking Homelands cruise?

[jiminyC_fan]

Hi guys, another question from me. Is there an opportunity on the Viking Homelands cruise to see the Fjords? Thanks

[Dauntless]

Viking Homelands cruise includes a trip down the longest fjord in Norway. A paid excursion there, private or through the ship, includes a trip into the narrowest fjord and there is another chance for a trip to Pulpit Rock in Stavanger to see another fjord. Definitely one fjord included and opportunity for two others on your dime.

[jiminyC_fan]

Thank you Dauntless for your very informative post!

[Fairfield Nana]

Here is a fjord cruise we have booked for our Viking Homelands Cruise from July 10-25. Hope it helps----

Fjordcruise Nærøyfjord Flam (Flåm) - Gudvangen. Depart Flåm at 10:00 to Gudvangen and arrive at 11:30, and return from Gudvangen to Flam by boat departure at 11:45AM and arrive at 1:15PM—have other times if you want to stay a bit longer…* Price is 2519 NOK or $285 per couple—- a fjord cruise in the UNESCO World Heritage landscape in one of the most popular fjord areas in Norway. The narrow and spectacular Nærøyfjord is surrounded by steep mountains and snow-covered peaks that stand 1800 meters above sea level, with thundering waterfalls and picturesque villages along the fjord. This is an area that has been named one of the most beautiful fjord landscapes in the world. $28.50 cancellation insurance— all but insurance refunded if cancel before midnight on July 21. Cruise will be non-stop in both directions on their new Wessel The capacity is 400 passengers, all seats are of high comfort and will have a panoramic view to the fjord. contact http://WWW.VisitFlam.com

[jiminyC_fan]

Outstanding! Thank you very much!!

[jiminyC_fan]

Oh no, just compared your itinerary (2016), Fairfield Nana, to ours (2017). We don't have a stop in Flam. They changed it to Eidfjord. Guess I'm off to research that port.

[Dauntless]

Oh no, just compared your itinerary (2016), Fairfield Nana, to ours (2017). We don't have a stop in Flam. They changed it to Eidfjord. Guess I'm off to research that port.

 

The itineraries I find on the website for Viking Homelands in 2017 include Flam. Eldfjord is a port in another itinerary. My cruise is this year but are you suppose to be on the Viking Homeland cruise? Just wondering,

[jiminyC_fan]

I know it sounds funny but I have the brochure in front of me and it distinctly says Eidfjord. I went on Vikings site and saw Flam. Who knows!

[Dauntless]

I know it sounds funny but I have the brochure in front of me and it distinctly says Eidfjord. I went on Vikings site and saw Flam. Who knows!

Went to the Viking site and found your cruise. They call it Baltic Jewels and link it with the Midnight Sun, but I guess they could sell it as 2 different sections as well. It is exactly the same as Homelands except for that one change. The map on their site appears to be the same but Eldfjord is on another fjord so I can't explain that, They do have a few Shore excursions there. One goes over the mountains to Flam but I don't remember the specifics. We decided to do the Nutshell route so we wouldn't miss out on the included excursion in Flam and it appeared it might be dicey on the train trip, which was extra anyway so why not enhance the whole experience and take it all in. You were asking about the fjords originally so it looks like you might still have an opportunity to see even more of them. Now we kind of have cleared that up. The decision is still yours to make but this could open doors to all your choices.

[jiminyC_fan]

That's crazy because it is being billed as Homelands. You are quite the sleuth, thanks. Maybe I should book another date. It has to be on the Star so I am kind of limited. We are meeting up with a staff member that was on our Viking River cruise and she is now on the Star. She is one of the reasons we want to go back on Viking.

[Dauntless]

That's crazy because it is being billed as Homelands. You are quite the sleuth, thanks. Maybe I should book another date. It has to be on the Star so I am kind of limited. We are meeting up with a staff member that was on our Viking River cruise and she is now on the Star. She is one of the reasons we want to go back on Viking.

OK, so I'm back and let me tell you to do the cruise to Pulpit Rock. We didn't. After seeing what Stavanger had offer and the included excursion, it's rather dull. As usual, there is shopping but we have that in US so that is not my main purpose--for those who do, great. Now that I know, I say do the cruise to the fjord. Don't know you arrival time but our cruise had a morning and afternoon trip through the ship. A little pricey but there is another option. A local company offers the same trip, basically, without waffles. This is a reputable company and is not a small mom and pop business so they know there are tourists involved. For our cruise, Stockholm to Bergen, we arrived in port as the morning cruise was leaving. It's a short walk from the ship but can't see making that. There was another in the afternoon. After all the warning from Rick Steves about getting back in time, I was hesitant. After speaking to those on board I was told that the local option had about 40 Viking people on board and there was no way they were not going to get back on time. If you were able to get the morning included, you could do both. I believe the local was less than half the price of ship. I thought maybe I could get the first trip but didn't and had booked included for afternoon. Lesson learned through experience so I now pass it on to you. Your arrival and departure may vary from mine so do a cross check. Also, during the summer months, the local offers another cruise mid day so that could be your option as well. Just a note, our trip to Flam, which I know is not on your itinerary, was made mainly during dark hours at the time we went. The Stavanger fjord will be done in full available light so you might see more of the journey. Your experience might be different.

[jiminyC_fan]

Once again I thank you for your information, Dauntless!

[Vineyard View]

I tend to agree with your assessment of Stavanger....at least for us. There isn't a whole lot to see and do there....but you can get some walking in outside of the main shopping area amongst a very old neighborhood of of well preserved very old original homes...

Depending on how many ships will be in port the day you are there, you may have the opportunity to take that third middle of the day option with the private company (can't remember the name of them but google and you will find them). Sometimes outside of their regular summer schedule they will add another cruise to Pulpit Rock dependent on expected tourists in port. They are very reputable (yes I read Rick Steves review as well) and have great reviews.

 

 

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[Dauntless]

I tend to agree with your assessment of Stavanger....at least for us. There isn't a whole lot to see and do there....but you can get some walking in outside of the main shopping area amongst a very old neighborhood of of well preserved very old original homes...

Depending on how many ships will be in port the day you are there, you may have the opportunity to take that third middle of the day option with the private company (can't remember the name of them but google and you will find them). Sometimes outside of their regular summer schedule they will add another cruise to Pulpit Rock dependent on expected tourists in port. They are very reputable (yes I read Rick Steves review as well) and have great reviews.

 

 

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With the included excursion, you walk through part of the old neighborhood by the tower on the way to the oil museum and after the Museum they take you through the inner part of the city to reach the Gamble Stavanger(the old white houses) Canning museum is here as well, but no longer included on tour. As you walk down the hill you will wind up directly in front of the ship.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you Dauntless. I was not aware of that.....we just wandered on our own that day and enjoyed seeing what was there independently. It was easy to do if anyone prefers that option.....but again, in hindsight I think the Pulpit Rock excursion using the Rodne (I looked up the name of the local cruise company) would have been the winner!