Hello from Bergen

[Liz Masterson]

 

 

 

21 hours ago, bobolz said:

LM

" I’m trying to decide if I should bring turtlenecks even though we are bringing a down jacket that we can roll up and pack easily. I’m assuming the temps inside dining rooms are comfortable? I’m trying to limit bringing too many bulky items since we are DV room, which looks like it has limited storage."

 

thanks for your feedback.

 

Liz 

I went on a cruise to Alaska and instead of the turtleneck, I packed a variety of scarves that went with my LBD (Little Black Dress) at dinner or around my neck on an excursion.  You could also pack one large enough to put over your head and around your neck.  Layers are the best option. And remember you do have access to a DIY laundry room on Viking as we did on our Princess cruise to Alaska.

 

Post often! I love reading all of these! I'm doing this itinerary on Viking in 2020.

 

Anne

[Little Monty]

We had a rough night, but nothing compared to the Tasman Sea in January. The Captain has obviously made good time and we seem to be 

3 or 4 hours from calmer waters (judging from our Ship Tracker on the TV).

 

Yesterday was interesting and enjoyable despite the weather. We did the 4 hour Vagar Island excursion which took us from port to a large island to the west, then retraced our route back to port and into the capital. The landscapes are remarkable - not dissimilar to the very north of the Isle of Skye.

 

The capital Tórshavn is very small and only requires a short visit.

 

Our US friends did the included excursion and the ‘Vistas, Vikings and Island Villages’ and were disappointed these were basically replicas of each other - so I suggest you avoid this combination.

 

We were happy with our choice of Vagar Island as it took us to several points of interest. We did get off the bus 4 times and two of those times we walked 1/ to a waterfall then up the hill to a meeting point and 2/ through a small village. About 10 - 15 minutes of walking each time.

 

Some just stayed on the bus instead of walking.

 

After we returned from the excursion we had lunch and caught the 2pm shuttle into town for a walk in the rain and returned around 4.30pm. LM

[CharTrav]

On 5/28/2019 at 10:21 AM, Little Monty said:

We just found out at port talk that tomorrow is tender rather than docking in Flam. That was news to all .. but no problems, roll with the flow.

I'm not surprised at all that Flåm was a tendered port (reading this a few days late; Peregrina told me to check out this thread yesterday). When we were there in 2016 for Viking Homelands, we were tendered. And it was indicated that it would be on the itinerary included with the invoice (the little red anchor) so we weren't surprised at all. As you now know, Flåm is a very small place with a very small docking area. Adequate for fishing boats to dock and one cruise ship. Almost wrote "no cruise ships", but am looking at the pictures I took then and there was one.  There were also a bunch of other ships, along with the Star, with their ship tenders running passengers back and forth. It must be a matter of the luck of the draw as to who gets to use that single berth. 🙂

Edited June 3, 2019 by CharTrav

[Lotusgirl22]

1 hour ago, CharTrav said:

I'm not surprised at all that Flåm was a tendered port (reading this a few days late; Peregrina told me to check out this thread yesterday). When we were there in 2016 for Viking Homelands, we were tendered. And it was indicated that it would be on the itinerary included with the invoice (the little red anchor) so we weren't surprised at all. As you now know, Flåm is a very small place with a very small docking area. Adequate for fishing boats to dock and one cruise ship. Almost wrote "no cruise ships", but am looking at the pictures I took then and there was one.  There were also a bunch of other ships, along with the Star, with their ship tenders running passengers back and forth. It must be a matter of the luck of the draw as to who gets to use that single berth. 🙂

 

We will be aboard for the next cruise.  Our paperwork indicates that we will be tendering in both Flam and Geiranger.

[CharTrav]

1 hour ago, Lotusgirl22 said:

 

We will be aboard for the next cruise.  Our paperwork indicates that we will be tendering in both Flam and Geiranger.

The tender run in Flåm is quite short. Like 10-15 min if my memory serves. Not a bouncy ride either. Water was quite calm even tho the weather wasn't that great. 

[Lotusgirl22]

8 minutes ago, CharTrav said:

The tender run in Flåm is quite short. Like 10-15 min if my memory serves. Not a bouncy ride either. Water was quite calm even tho the weather wasn't that great. 

And we tendered in Geiranger about 7  years ago on a RCCL cruise.  Not a big deal.  I think that trip predated the one floating dock space that they currently have.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, Lotusgirl22 said:

 

We will be aboard for the next cruise.  Our paperwork indicates that we will be tendering in both Flam and Geiranger.

 

Or in Geiranger, you could be the lucky ship that gets to use the floating dock. There is no way of knowing in advance what it will be.

[Little Monty]

Because of our early arrival we are docked in Seydisfjordur and many people have been out for a walk this afternoon .. it’s 2 degrees Celsius and raining lightly.

 

At 7am tomorrow we have to leave the dock and anchor in the bay. Tenders will then be used for the excursions (or for those who are doing their own thing). 

 

 I suspect a good number who disembarked today will stay on board tomorrow- as snow is on the forecast ⛄️ 

[Little Monty]

.. and we found a lovely gift shop just a short walk from the ship. Borgarholl Arts and Crafts - many items are handmade by the owner.

[Marianna49]

Would you be so kind as to list the ports that are tendered. I can't figure it out from Viking paperwork. Thank you.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Marianna49
add a word

[CharTrav]

14 hours ago, Marianna49 said:

Would you be so kind as to list the ports that are tendered. I can't figure it out from Viking paperwork. Thank you.

Look at your invoice from Viking. Look at page 3 that lists the ship's itinerary showing day, date, description, port arrival and port depart. If the port is a tender port, you'll see a red anchor.  

 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by CC Help Jenn
removed photo

[bobolz]

Thanks LM and Anne. 

 

Glad and they got you through the rough waters without incident. I checked this passageweather. Com site when you mentioned the anticipated rough seas and it did show higher than average wave activity, so good to know that site is reliable.. if I remember, the rest of your journey should be uneventful.

 

thanks so much for sharing all the info on the ports. Although it will be quite cool , looking forward to our cruise! 

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip! 

 

Liz

 

 

[CharTrav]

Please do not quote my last post with the  image attached. I'm trying to get it removed. Didn't realize I hadn't doctored it up enough to remove our names. Caught the booking number but not the really important part.  Yikes!!!🙀

 

Thanks much for your consideration. 

[jbeeg]

Anyone have an opinion of Flam excursions? Of course the train is the big thing, just wondering how that compares with possibly a fjord trip or... Lots of expensive things to do. Should have booked a train ticket on our own, but let too much time go by. We are taking the train from Bergen to Oslo, so that might be enough train!?

 

Glad the ship and passengers didn't encounter problems in the stormy seas!

[Little Monty]

2 hours ago, Marianna49 said:

Would you be so kind as to list the ports that are tendered. I can't figure it out from Viking paperwork. Thank you.

On the original invoice for this cruise it showed only one tender port. However we actually have three - so the invoice is not always correct .. well it is probably correct at the time of issue but things do change. 

 

The three (so far) have been Flam, Geiranger and our present location. 

 

It is an inconvenience rather than a major drama, but it would be nice to know in advance.

 

It is minus 2 Celsius at the moment but no sign of snow.

[Little Monty]

Just now, jbeeg said:

Anyone have an opinion of Flam excursions? Of course the train is the big thing, just wondering how that compares with possibly a fjord trip or... Lots of expensive things to do. Should have booked a train ticket on our own, but let too much time go by. We are taking the train from Bergen to Oslo, so that might be enough train!?

 

Glad the ship and passengers didn't encounter problems in the stormy seas!

See my post number 24 in this thread.

 

If you are doing ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ from Oslo to Bergen then yes, I suggest you cover some other options.

[Little Monty]

2 hours ago, bobolz said:

 

 

thanks so much for sharing all the info on the ports. Although it will be quite cool , looking forward to our cruise! 

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip! 

 

Liz

 

 

Thank you - I hope you have a great time.

[just_dont]

 
Or in Geiranger, you could be the lucky ship that gets to use the floating dock. There is no way of knowing in advance what it will be.

Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't think Viking ever use the Sea Walk in Geiranger. Our ship will be the only one in Geiranger in a couple weeks, and we will be tendering.
I've heard it costs over 100,000 NOK for a ship to use the Sea Walk. I realize that may only be around $11 pp, and I would have gladly paid 0.1% more to be able to use it, but it is a business decision. Might make sense for a ship with many more pax than a Viking ship, but not for Viking.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Peregrina651]

7 minutes ago, just_dont said:

Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't think Viking ever use the Sea Walk in Geiranger. Our ship will be the only one in Geiranger in a couple weeks, and we will be tendering.
I've heard it costs over 100,000 NOK for a ship to use the Sea Walk. I realize that may only be around $11 pp, and I would have gladly paid 0.1% more to be able to use it, but it is a business decision. Might make sense for a ship with many more pax than a Viking ship, but not for Viking.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

 

You don't know about the tendering until you get there. You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

In 2016, on the second ever sailing of Midnight Sun, we used the Sea Walk. We were not the only ship in port that day. Whether or not we were the lucky ones because it was Viking's inaugural visits there, I have no idea.

[Little Monty]

A couple more FYI’s..

 

US friends - don’t forget Amex cards are not as widely accepted in Europe / Scandinavia as in other locations. There were a number of shops today displaying the ‘no Amex’ sign. Please bring a second option (MasterCard and Visa - no problems. Same for pre-paid debit cards as best as I could tell)

 

The heated bathroom is like a ski drying room, very warm. My DW has several items she doesn’t want to put through a clothes dryer so we don’t send them to the ships’ laundry service. Early this morning I put two pairs of slacks through the wash in the laundry on Level 6 and she then hung them on hangars behind the bathroom door with door shut. It’s late afternoon now and they are almost dry. 

 

We have just left Seydisfjordur and are already rocking and rolling - but the high temperature tomorrow is forecast to be around 13 degrees Celsius which is much more pleasant.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Little Monty
Spelling

[Liz Masterson]

14 hours ago, jbeeg said:

Anyone have an opinion of Flam excursions? Of course the train is the big thing, just wondering how that compares with possibly a fjord trip or... Lots of expensive things to do. Should have booked a train ticket on our own, but let too much time go by. We are taking the train from Bergen to Oslo, so that might be enough train!?

 

Glad the ship and passengers didn't encounter problems in the stormy seas!

 

We are doing the train from Bergen to Oslo in 2020.  I'd like to know how you like it... I believe it is not exactly the same as "Norway in a Nutshell".  I'm trying to get details about that. But I am thinking if I do that and Flam it might be too much train time as well. 

 

Are you getting your flights and pre-cruise all through Viking... I have to make that decision in a few weeks.  I like the idea of doing it that way. IF THEY MAKE IT EASY. But if it's a hassle... maybe we're better off on our own.  I'm already thinking of adding a day to the beginning of the pre-cruise so I get 2 full days in Oslo instead of 1. Nice to have that extra day to rest for the journey... and there's a lot I'd like to see in Oslo!

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by Liz Masterson

[jbeeg]

3 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

 

We are doing the train from Bergen to Oslo in 2020.  I'd like to know how you like it... I believe it is not exactly the same as "Norway in a Nutshell".  I'm trying to get details about that. But I am thinking if I do that and Flam it might be too much train time as well. 

 

Are you getting your flights and pre-cruise all through Viking... I have to make that decision in a few weeks.  I like the idea of doing it that way. IF THEY MAKE IT EASY. But if it's a hassle... maybe we're better off on our own.  I'm already thinking of adding a day to the beginning of the pre-cruise so I get 2 full days in Oslo instead of 1. Nice to have that extra day to rest for the journey... and there's a lot I'd like to see in Oslo!

 

 We are not doing Norway in a nutshell, just the train from Bergen to Oslo. Unfortunately we don’t have any extra time in Oslo as the flight that day is way less expensive than ones in the next few days. We have not booked air through any cruise line so I can’t  report on that. I will try to remember to post something about the train ride after we return. 

[Marianna49]

On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 11:28 PM, CharTrav said:

Please do not quote my last post with the  image attached. I'm trying to get it removed. Didn't realize I hadn't doctored it up enough to remove our names. Caught the booking number but not the really important part.  Yikes!!!🙀

 

Thanks much for your consideration. 

Thank you for your explanation of the anchors on the invoice. We are showing only two ports anchored for the August sailing. You are indeed a god send to some of us who have never traveled on Viking before. It helps tremendously. 

[CharTrav]

16 minutes ago, Marianna49 said:

Thank you for your explanation of the anchors on the invoice. We are showing only two ports anchored for the August sailing. You are indeed a god send to some of us who have never traveled on Viking before. It helps tremendously. 

You're quite welcome. And CCHelp did a great job rescuing me from my lack of attention before I uploaded that pic. A shout-out to Peregrina who caught what I'd done and told me about it. 

[Little Monty]

The seas improved during the night and we arrived as planned into Akureyri. However the forecast high must have an error as it was 2 degrees Celsius this morning and has hardly changed.

 

The locals keep saying it is unusual for June.

 

We did the optional Excursion to Godafoss Falls, which included a visit to the botanical gardens and a drive around town.

 

It was a worthwhile excursion into the countryside with a very good guide - with the falls being the highlight. It was raining lightly when we arrived at the falls but by the time we walked to the actual viewing area (10 min each way) sleet was falling.

 

I am cold to my bones when it falls below 10 Celsius - so I was freezing at that point.

 

However in some ways the cold temperature and sleet actually enhanced the experience and I enjoyed being there at the falls at that moment, but perhaps not as much as I enjoyed the warmth of the gift shop afterwards.

 

The botanical gardens are nice and we spent maybe 20 minutes walking through with the guide directing us. 

 

We came back on board afterwards for lunch then walked to town, had a look around the shops, and visited a very popular church (20 min walk each way to the main part of town).

 

Akureyri is larger / more populated than Seydisfjordur and hence more to look at and do.

 

The on-board experience for the entire cruise has been excellent in our opinion, and we are loving every moment.

 

Even in the unusually cold weather ⛄️ 

 

Tomorrow Isafjordur.