Norway Fjord Cruise Q&A - Keys to Successful Planning

[hallasm]

23 minutes ago, saltshell said:

Sailing fjords april 22 through may 2. Will port excursions be closed? How cold should I plan for? I know I'll need rain gear; what else?

Which ports and how far north?

[saltshell]

Rotterdam, Bergen, Flam, Alesund, Geiranger, Haugesund, Kristiansund, Oslo. 

[drmomto3kids]

Hello,

We'll have stops in Bergen, Flam and Geiranger. Trying to plan our days without ship excursions.

Bergen:

We pan to purchase funicular tickets in advance and tour on our own.

Flam:

We could pre-purchase Flambana railway tickets for 8:35am- the rest of the times are "sold out." (Taken by the ships?) That would get us back to Flam at 10:35. Should we take a 11:00 or 1:30 fjord cruise?  Can you bring food onboard? I know you can buy food onboard. 11:00 would give us time for the Viking Village, before taking the shuttle bus back to Flam. Do you have to pre-book the shuttle bus? It looks like shuttle times are the exact arrival times of the cruise. Are you meant to book that time or could we miss it? 

Geiranger:

I haven't researched this as much. Looks like we should do the Panorama Bus. Should we do a fjord cruise here instead of Flam? Or must we do both? I'm trying to balance money and keeping the kids interested. 

Thanks!

[Coral]

On 5/23/2019 at 5:17 PM, JessRa said:

I have booked this for the family in August - can you tell me how you got from the ship to the Rødne departure point? The map they sent is . . .slight on the details. Maybe it's just obvious when you walk off? If it matters, we'll be on the Sapphire Princess. 

It is obvious when you walk off the ship. You walk around the waterfront in what seems like a "U". It is a 10 minute leisurely walk. I was on the Sapphire Princess last year.

[mickeysgal]

We are on a Celebrity cruise out of Southampton that stops in Bergen, Alesund, Flam, and Stavanger.  Which one of these ports (or all!) are beautiful sail in/outs?  I'm considering changing where our cabin is located so that we can not miss a moment and that would all depend on how many of the sail in/outs are truly scenic.  Or are the fjords something you travel to see once you're in port?  It's our first time to Norway, and I truly don't know what to expect for the fjords.  Thanks for your help.

[naturelovergirl]

54 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

We are on a Celebrity cruise out of Southampton that stops in Bergen, Alesund, Flam, and Stavanger.  Which one of these ports (or all!) are beautiful sail in/outs?  I'm considering changing where our cabin is located so that we can not miss a moment and that would all depend on how many of the sail in/outs are truly scenic.  Or are the fjords something you travel to see once you're in port?  It's our first time to Norway, and I truly don't know what to expect for the fjords.  Thanks for your help.

Your most dramatic fjord sail in and sail out will be for Flåm... 

In Stavanger, we loved taking the tourist boat excursion into the Lysefjord where the boat sails under Pulpit Rock.

All of Norway has gorgeous nature.

Regardless of where your cabin is, make sure you take time to fully enjoy the scenery... so if you are inside, get to a deck and enjoy.

Also... Nature is the true star of Norway- so make sure that if you take excursions, go on ones that let you see the incredible nature around... There are incredible natural wonders to see from the boat and on excursions.

I will often tell people (in my opinion) to let your experiences in Norway be your souvenirs. Spend your souvenir money on excursions.

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Which one of these ports (or all!) are beautiful sail in/outs? 

As by naturelovergirl definitely Flåm - Cruising Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord on your way into Flåm early in the morning  - you must be at the upper deck at 4:00 am - sailing the same way out - but often during dinner time. The scenery in video below

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Or are the fjords something you travel to see once you're in port?

Also in Flåm you can take a Boat trip to the UNESCO heritage fjord - 'Nærøyfjord' - in addition to the train.

In Stavanger you can take a boat trip to the 25-mile-long glacial fjord 'Lysefjord'

Sure:

24 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

Nature is the true star of Norway

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by hallasm

[kaisatsu]

9 hours ago, drmomto3kids said:

Should we take a 11:00 or 1:30 fjord cruise?  Can you bring food onboard? I know you can buy food onboard.

On the tourist boat, they have signs asking people not to consume outside food and drinks.

 

9 hours ago, drmomto3kids said:

Geiranger:

I haven't researched this as much. Looks like we should do the Panorama Bus. Should we do a fjord cruise here instead of Flam?

To reach Geiranger, your cruise ship will sail all the way through the fjord on the way in and out, so a fjord cruise would cover the same scenery you’re already seeing from the ship. I always recommend getting up to one of the overlooks (whether by bus, car, or hiking) to see the fjord from above as it is a very different perspective.

 

In Flåm the Nærøyfjord cruise is popular because it covers a dramatic arm of the fjord that is too narrow for most cruise ships. So in that case, it’s scenery that you won’t otherwise see on the sail-in/sail-out.

[drmomto3kids]

24 minutes ago, kaisatsu said:

On the tourist boat, they have signs asking people not to consume outside food and drinks.

 

To reach Geiranger, your cruise ship will sail all the way through the fjord on the way in and out, so a fjord cruise would cover the same scenery you’re already seeing from the ship. I always recommend getting up to one of the overlooks (whether by bus, car, or hiking) to see the fjord from above as it is a very different perspective.

 

In Flåm the Nærøyfjord cruise is popular because it covers a dramatic arm of the fjord that is too narrow for most cruise ships. So in that case, it’s scenery that you won’t otherwise see on the sail-in/sail-out.

 

That makes sense. Thanks for your help! 

 

[ski ww]

The best way to make sure you see as much as possible get out of your cabin & walk around the ship on the promenade & upper decks. We'll be doing this cruise next year.

[hallasm]

20 hours ago, drmomto3kids said:

Should we do a fjord cruise here instead of Flam? 

Just make sure you’re at the deck early in the morning - it’s an 4 hours sailing through the Fjords.

Also don’t miss the Seven Sisters Waterfall at port side just before you reach Geiranger.

 

[mickeysgal]

15 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

 

 

In Flåm the Nærøyfjord cruise is popular because it covers a dramatic arm of the fjord that is too narrow for most cruise ships. So in that case, it’s scenery that you won’t otherwise see on the sail-in/sail-out.

We are on Celebrity and I'm not seeing this as an excursion option.  I was thinking about the train ride.  Is there a private excursion operator that goes to Naeroyfjord?  I'm having a difficult time finding independent operators for excursions as we are generally not a fan of any excursion run by the cruise lines. 

[naturelovergirl]

You can book through Visit Flam

 

https://www.visitflam.com/activities/fjord-cruise-naeroyfjord/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6-zR1r7N4gIVDFqGCh0rkA-ZEAAYASAAEgILofD_BwE

 

[mickeysgal]

6 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

You can book through Visit Flam

 

https://www.visitflam.com/activities/fjord-cruise-naeroyfjord/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6-zR1r7N4gIVDFqGCh0rkA-ZEAAYASAAEgILofD_BwE

 

Thank you!  

Now how do I pick...the train or this???

[naturelovergirl]

22 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

Thank you!  

Now how do I pick...the train or this???

Both are famous ✨

 

I would choose the Nærøyfjord... but that is just my opinion

[hallasm]

29 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

Now how do I pick...the train or this???

... or do both. Should be sufficient time.

Might be your only visit to Flåm.

Edited June 3, 2019 by hallasm

[naturelovergirl]

28 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

...the train or this???

My honest problem with the train is this...

I loved the historic nature of the train... and I loved the stop at the waterfall... very impressive...

But

I did not like all of the jockeying of people trying to see the views out of the train windows. That was not very enjoyable.

 

Again, just my opinion.

[hallasm]

11 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

I did not like all of the jockeying of people trying to see the views out of the train windows. That was not very enjoyable

Not what I have experienced - at my trips my fellow travelers have been quite civilized.

[purduemom1]

11 hours ago, mickeysgal said:

Thank you!  

Now how do I pick...the train or this???

 

You may not have to choose. We were able to do our own “Norway in a Nutshell”. We booked the cruise one way to Gundvangen, took  the Skyss buss to the Voss train station, took a train to Myrdal and finally the train back to Flam. We booked and paid for  all except the the Skyss bus in advance. Skyss tickets purchased from the driver. Beautiful scenery all the way and our cost per person was much less and we saw more than booking any excursion thru the ship. 

[purduemom1]

49 minutes ago, purduemom1 said:

 

You may not have to choose. We were able to do our own “Norway in a Nutshell”. We booked the cruise one way to Gundvangen, took  the Skyss buss to the Voss train station, took a train to Myrdal and finally the train back to Flam. We booked and paid for  all except the the Skyss bus in advance. Skyss tickets purchased from the driver. Beautiful scenery all the way and our cost per person was much less and we saw more than booking any excursion thru the ship. 

 

Should have added that we were on Holland America and I believe you said you are on Celebrity so I don’t know how long you will be in port. For us, each segment seemed to be timed to work together. 

 

Depending on your time in port you could also do the boat trip to Gudvangen which sales thru Naeroyfjord and then return to Flam by bus with time to do a round trip on the train.  You will need to research the return from Gudvangen by bus option.  I came across this when we were researching our options for this port.  I do not recall the name of the bus company but it is a short trip so there would be time for the train.  If you choose to do this, I would consider booking all ahead.

[ski ww]

On 6/3/2019 at 6:32 AM, hallasm said:

Just make sure you’re at the deck early in the morning - it’s an 4 hours sailing through the Fjords.

Also don’t miss the Seven Sisters Waterfall at port side just before you reach Geiranger.

 

Loved your video, thanks for posting.

[mickeysgal]

On 6/2/2019 at 5:40 PM, hallasm said:

 

 

12 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

 

Should have added that we were on Holland America and I believe you said you are on Celebrity so I don’t know how long you will be in port. For us, each segment seemed to be timed to work together. 

 

Depending on your time in port you could also do the boat trip to Gudvangen which sales thru Naeroyfjord and then return to Flam by bus with time to do a round trip on the train.  You will need to research the return from Gudvangen by bus option.  I came across this when we were researching our options for this port.  I do not recall the name of the bus company but it is a short trip so there would be time for the train.  If you choose to do this, I would consider booking all ahead.

Ok - can you all take a look at this for me? 

 

From what I'm seeing I could take the 8:35 Flam train which arrives back in Flam at 10:35.

There is a Naeroyfjord boat and bus combination that starts at 11:00am (boat first, then bus) arriving back in Flam at 13:30.

 

We are in port until 5pm. So it appears that this is plenty of time even to fit in some walking around Flam.  Does this look doable?  Am I reading these schedules correctly before I buy these tickets?  The big question...Is there enough time to get from the train to the fjord cruise?    Or can you suggest a different time combination?  I don't want to cut it close to our sail time.

Thanks for taking a look at this.

Edited June 4, 2019 by mickeysgal

[naturelovergirl]

3 hours ago, mickeysgal said:

 

Ok - can you all take a look at this for me? 

 

From what I'm seeing I could take the 8:35 Flam train which arrives back in Flam at 10:35.

There is a Naeroyfjord boat and bus combination that starts at 11:00am (boat first, then bus) arriving back in Flam at 13:30.

 

We are in port until 5pm. So it appears that this is plenty of time even to fit in some walking around Flam.  Does this look doable?  Am I reading these schedules correctly before I buy these tickets?  The big question...Is there enough time to get from the train to the fjord cruise?    Or can you suggest a different time combination?  I don't want to cut it close to our sail time.

Thanks for taking a look at this.

The dock for your boat cruise and the train are very close... I should think you would be fine for the boat

[kaisatsu]

On 6/3/2019 at 4:07 PM, mickeysgal said:

I'm having a difficult time finding independent operators for excursions as we are generally not a fan of any excursion run by the cruise lines. 

The cost of labor is extremely high in Norway, so most organized tour operators are serving the cruise lines, and most independent travelers explore on their own. So you won’t find the same number of independent excursion operators that you do in other popular cruise destinations.

 

There are some companies that offer activities (kayaking, boat trips, cycling, etc), since independent visitors usually don’t have the equipment. These can usually be found on the official tourism websites (visitflam.com, visitbergen.com, etc).

[purduemom1]

On 6/4/2019 at 8:31 AM, mickeysgal said:

 

Ok - can you all take a look at this for me? 

 

From what I'm seeing I could take the 8:35 Flam train which arrives back in Flam at 10:35.

There is a Naeroyfjord boat and bus combination that starts at 11:00am (boat first, then bus) arriving back in Flam at 13:30.

 

We are in port until 5pm. So it appears that this is plenty of time even to fit in some walking around Flam.  Does this look doable?  Am I reading these schedules correctly before I buy these tickets?  The big question...Is there enough time to get from the train to the fjord cruise?    Or can you suggest a different time combination?  I don't want to cut it close to our sail time.

Thanks for taking a look at this.

 

This should work out as long as you are sure you can leave your ship in time to make the train.  Flam is a tiny port and everything is within close walking distance. Just an FYI,  if you want to use an atm, there is one in the train station/tourist center. It’s the only atm in Flam and there are no banks. That’s how small  Flam is! Our ship docked right in the town-very easy. Now we were the only ship in port and I don’t know where a second ship would dock. You might want to check and see if yours will be the only ship in port.