Cruise line hotel/train package from Oslo to Bergen worth the money?

[FolsomMike]

I have a courtesy hold on a Viking cruise with a pre cruise addition of 2 nights in Oslo and a train ride to Bergen for just under 1K per person. The train ride looks to be under $100 if booked independently. I know anything booked through a cruise line is jacked up in price but do the transfers and such make this at all reasonable?

[hallasm]

Very expensive option - Make booking yourself - easy to book two nights at hotel in Oslo and the train ride. Train tickets available at vy.no 90 days prior to travel - very scenic train ride  - if possible you can make a detour from Myrdal to Flåm - preferably stay in the Flåm area for a night  - also stay in Bergen few days either pre- or post cruise. Very nice city.

What time of the year and which itinerary of your Viking cruise?

[CruiserBruce]

Mark up on pre-cruise and post cruise packages by cruise lines is typically massive. We only book them in extreme circumstances, like we did arriving at midnight in Lima Peru, to catch a cruise boarding the next day. Otherwise, we book on our own, and have done it in many countries very easily.

[WisRiver]

In 2017 we did a 7 day Hurtigruten cruise departing from Bergen.  We spent two nights in Oslo at the Grand Central Hotel in Oslo, the Norway in a Nutshell train tour from Oslo to Bergan and two nights in a hotel in Bergen, the First Hotel Marin.  Total cost was about $1,000 plus train from Oslo Airport to hotel and cab rides to hotel and ship in Bergen.  I think you will save money and tailor your own experience by booking on your own.  I do not think they are booking Norway in a Nutshell for 2021 yet.    If you do not want to do Norway in a Nutshell, the train from Oslo to Bergen is easy to book on line and is a fun ride on its own.

[hallasm]

.. and you can easily customize and arrange the Norway in a Nutshell fjord cruise or scenic bus tours yourself from either Flåm or Gudevangen. 

[FolsomMike]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. We decided to buy the Viking package for ease and peace of mind. 🙂 

[hallasm]

Thanks for updating us on your decision.  Enjoy your stay and your cruise.  I am sure you will have an unforgettable experience in Norway.

[MDTrip]

On 3/6/2021 at 9:09 PM, WisRiver said:

In 2017 we did a 7 day Hurtigruten cruise departing from Bergen.  We spent two nights in Oslo at the Grand Central Hotel in Oslo, the Norway in a Nutshell train tour from Oslo to Bergan and two nights in a hotel in Bergen, the First Hotel Marin.  Total cost was about $1,000 plus train from Oslo Airport to hotel and cab rides to hotel and ship in Bergen.  I think you will save money and tailor your own experience by booking on your own.  I do not think they are booking Norway in a Nutshell for 2021 yet.    If you do not want to do Norway in a Nutshell, the train from Oslo to Bergen is easy to book on line and is a fun ride on its own.

If you had to choose between Norway in a Nutshell with overnights in Oslo, Flam and Bergen or a fjord cruise for 7 days which includes Bergen, which would you choose? 

[hallasm]

56 minutes ago, MDTrip said:

If you had to choose between Norway in a Nutshell with overnights in Oslo, Flam and Bergen or a fjord cruise for 7 days which includes Bergen, which would you choose? 

Norway in a Nutshell is not just the train from Oslo to Bergen - also the detour to Flåm. Plan boat trip through Nærøyfjorden and Aurlandsfjorden and stay overnight in either Flåm, Myrdal or Gudevangen before continuing to Bergen.

You might consider to combine the train and stay in a Bergen with 7 night voyage with Hurtigruten (or Havila Kystruten) from Bergen to Kirkenes and fly back to Oslo from Kirkenes.

Just note that Hurtigruten is very different from a ‘normal’ cruise - 34 short stops (one longer stop each day) along the Norwegian coast including Geiranger fjord.

The voyage along the coast is very beautiful and during summer you’ll have Midnight sun at North Cape.

Edited July 25, 2021 by hallasm

[WisRiver]

Before answering this question I would have to know where the fjord cruise would stop.  I liked Oslo, Bergen and the Norway in a Nutshell, but we did not overnight in Flam.  We have also done the Hurtigruten cruise from Kikenes to Bergen.  The fjords are incredible.  If I did a fjord cruise out of Bergen I would want to see the Geiranger Fjord and the city of Älesund