Which of these Norwegian ports can we/should we do on our own and which require an excursion/guide?

[SLSD]

I'm looking to you experienced Seabourners to guide me as I begin looking at ports on our upcoming Seabourn  (June 11- June 25) Copenhagen to Copenhagen cruise up the Norwegian coast.  Specifically, I would like to know your opinion (from  your personal experience) as to which of the following ports can be easily enjoyed on our own and which lend themselves to taking an excursion or hiring a guide.  Any details you can offer are very much appreciated.  

 

 

 

Alesund, Norway

 

Svolvaer (Lofoten)

 

Tromso

 

Storstappen Island

 

Honningsvag

 

Loen (Olden)

 

Skjolden

 

Stavanger

 

Farsund

 

Skagen, Denmark
 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by SLSD

[galeforce9]

53 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I'm looking to you experienced Seabourners to guide me as I begin looking at ports on our upcoming Seabourn  (June 11- June 25) Copenhagen to Copenhagen cruise up the Norwegian coast.  Specifically, I would like to know your opinion (from  your personal experience) as to which of the following ports can be easily enjoyed on our own and which lend themselves to taking an excursion or hiring a guide.  Any details you can offer are very much appreciated.  

 

 

 

Alesund, Norway

 

Svolvaer (Lofoten)

 

Tromso

 

Storstappen Island

 

Honningsvag

 

Loen (Olden)

 

Skjolden

 

Stavanger

 

Farsund

 

Skagen, Denmark
 

 

Alesund - nice art nouveau buildings in

town, walk up askla hill for amazing views over the town and islands.  DIY

Tromso. - so much to do in town.  Have a beer at Mac brewery pub, old boat harbour, take a bus across to the cable car and get amazing views, walk back to the Arctic cathedral then bus back. 
Loen - take loen skylift up the mountain for walks, great views, cafe.  Olden has pleasant walks too

Stavanger - old cathedral, lake etc. 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by galeforce9

[SLSD]

35 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

Alesund - nice art nouveau buildings in

town, walk up askla hill for amazing views over the town and islands.  DIY

Tromso. - so much to do in town.  Have a beer at Mac brewery pub, old boat harbour, take a bus across to the cable car and get amazing views, walk back to the Arctic cathedral then bus back. 
Loen - take loen skylift up the mountain for walks, great views, cafe.  Olden has pleasant walks too

Stavanger - old cathedral, lake etc. 

 

Thank you galeforce.  I've read that Stavanger  has  nice old town to explore.  

[galeforce9]

11 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Thank you galeforce.  I've read that Stavanger  has  nice old town to explore.  

That’s right - gorgeous white wooden houses, cobbled streets and flowers right up from where the ship usually docks.  There’s also a canning museum which is meant to be better than it sounds but haven’t been in around 5 visits!   There are also boats that you can

DIY to  Pulpit Rock  but I think the best views are a long land trip/hiking rather than sailing and seeing it from the base and there generally isn’t sufficient time to guarantee being back.  
 

We’ve been to these places summer and winter, so any questions please ask. 

 

There’s a gorgeous sail in to Olden (Loen) so be up early. 
 

it’s a pity you don’t get to geiranger. Flam and eidfjord but perhaps there might be trips to these fjord locations. We’ve done rail trips, kayaked in the fjords and hiked from these.   

[hoya68]

Pulpit rock is a tough climb. Avoid it when wet - it will be slippery and likely shrouded in fog.

Edited February 18, 2023 by hoya68
typo

[SLSD]

14 minutes ago, hoya68 said:

Pulpit rock is a tough climb. Avoid it when wet - it will be slippery and likely shrouded in fog.

For sure!

 

[SLSD]

18 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

That’s right - gorgeous white wooden houses, cobbled streets and flowers right up from where the ship usually docks.  There’s also a canning museum which is meant to be better than it sounds but haven’t been in around 5 visits!   There are also boats that you can

DIY to  Pulpit Rock  but I think the best views are a long land trip/hiking rather than sailing and seeing it from the base and there generally isn’t sufficient time to guarantee being back.  
 

We’ve been to these places summer and winter, so any questions please ask. 

 

There’s a gorgeous sail in to Olden (Loen) so be up early. 
 

it’s a pity you don’t get to geiranger. Flam and eidfjord but perhaps there might be trips to these fjord locations. We’ve done rail trips, kayaked in the fjords and hiked from these.   

I have noticed that we are not going to some well known scenic ports, but I am sure we will have a great time anyway.  Perhaps SB planned their itineraries late--and missed the opportunity to dock in some ports.  That would not surprise me.  There are sea days and scenic cruising days interspersed among these ports.  

Edited February 18, 2023 by SLSD

[nancygp]

1 hour ago, galeforce9 said:

Alesund - nice art nouveau buildings in

town, walk up askla hill for amazing views over the town and islands.  DIY

Tromso. - so much to do in town.  Have a beer at Mac brewery pub, old boat harbour, take a bus across to the cable car and get amazing views, walk back to the Arctic cathedral then bus back. 
Loen - take loen skylift up the mountain for walks, great views, cafe.  Olden has pleasant walks too

Stavanger - old cathedral, lake etc. 

 

I agree with all of this.  I suggest the tram/hop on hop off in Alesund

 

Nancy

[nancygp]

I suggest, in Honningsvag,  taking the the excursion to the north cape.

 

Nancy

[Techno123]

The scenic cruising on our cruise seems to be on the same days as port stops - Trollfjord (Lofoten), North Cape (Honningsvag), Nordfjord (Loen/Olden) and Sognefjord (Skjolden). 
 

How does this work??

[Fletcher]

Lofoten - we rented a car and drove right down to the famous village of Reine.  It was either Hertz or Avis, maybe Europcar, right from the dock and they gave us a big hybrid Volvo estate.  One of our very best shore days ever.  

[galeforce9]

6 hours ago, Techno123 said:

The scenic cruising on our cruise seems to be on the same days as port stops - Trollfjord (Lofoten), North Cape (Honningsvag), Nordfjord (Loen/Olden) and Sognefjord (Skjolden). 
 

How does this work??

Get up early/have a later dinner.  The sail ins can be 2 hrs each way up the main fjords to the villages of day Loen and Skjolden and are well worth it if the weather is good (sometimes even if not as there will be misty mountains and fresh air).  In summer it should be light.  

[galeforce9]

4 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Lofoten - we rented a car and drove right down to the famous village of Reine.  It was either Hertz or Avis, maybe Europcar, right from the dock and they gave us a big hybrid Volvo estate.  One of our very best shore days ever.  

Still haven’t been to Lofoten.  One day…

[Techno123]

6 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

Get up early/have a later dinner.  The sail ins can be 2 hrs each way up the main fjords to the villages of day Loen and Skjolden and are well worth it if the weather is good (sometimes even if not as there will be misty mountains and fresh air).  In summer it should be light.  

Ah, OK so it is basically the sail in/sail away with gorgeous views - thanks galeforce9 😁

[SLSD]

10 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Lofoten - we rented a car and drove right down to the famous village of Reine.  It was either Hertz or Avis, maybe Europcar, right from the dock and they gave us a big hybrid Volvo estate.  One of our very best shore days ever.  

Fletcher, please tell  us about Reine.  How far was the drive and how long did it take? Did you reserve your car ahead of time?

Edited February 19, 2023 by SLSD

[Fletcher]

50 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Fletcher, please tell  us about Reine.  How far was the drive and how long did it take? Did you reserve your car ahead of time?

The best thing I can do is dust off that day's blog and add a couple of photos - me, the Volvo and Reine.

5: LOFOTEN ISLAND MAGIC

The Lofoten Islands were always somewhere I wanted to visit.  The landscape looked unreal, like a matte painting from an old Fritz Lang movie of the 1920s.  It had a sort of artists’s impression appeal of exaggerated peaks which didn’t really exist.   This was the land of sword and sorcery and Norse mythology.  In fact, it’s just a string of islands with holiday homes, fishing villages and fish farms.  It’s also Europe’s answer to the Marquesas.

The day began, as is often the case, with a sunrise.  Off the decks of the Ovation was a wonderful vista of deep red and gold with the black outlines of the islands seemingly surrounding us on all sides.  It looked like all my fears about the weather here were needless; this was going to be a wonderful day.

And so it was. We tendered ashore in Svolvaer and walked across to the Hertz office.  We had pre-booked a Volvo V40 but the incredibly nice and helpful guy upgraded us to a V90, the classic Volvo estate with a distinctly luxe leather interior.  It was a hybrid, the first I have driven, and it was quite weird starting it up and not hearing the faintest rumble of an engine.

We were on the E10 in minutes and planned to drive down as far as Reine, stopping every now and then for photos.  It was about a 140-mile round trip without detours.  The scenery just never let up - around every bend the mountains erupted into fabulous shapes, many of them perfectly reflected in the lakes and inlets.  This was geology at its most frenzied.  Back in the 1950s this trip would have taken an age and might not have been possible without a few ferries.  Nowadays there are tunnels and bridges connecting islands and leaping across inlets. And as you’d expect from Norway, the road was beautifully built, perfectly smooth.  And virtually empty of traffic, only a few large trucks, motorhomes and cyclists.  I suspect if you came a month earlier the road would be much busier.  And the Hertz guy also told us that this past summer had been so hot the climate created a lot of fog and also a blizzard of insects.

We got to Reine in about two-and-a-half hours and did what everyone does, photograph the pretty red houses and the awesome backdrop.  Reine is a travel magazine cliche yet it still surprises and delights.  We turned the Volvo around and headed back to the ship, making a couple of detours en route.  We were having a cup of tea in Seabourn Square by 3pm.

The Ventures team were running a zodiac trip at 4pm when the ship would leave Svolvaer and cruise around and pick the zodiacs up at Trollfjord three hours later.  This imaginative plan turned into one of our greatest cruise experiences ever.  We  didn’t do the zodiac trip but stayed on the ship and watched incredulously as this huge ship inched its way into the fjord.  Our Captain said we had just over 50 feet of clearance on each side.  The fjord was a real squeeze, steep-sided and at the end was a sort of natural amphitheatre where the Ovation performed a perfect pirouette.   The zodiacs were there, waiting for us,  and I was a bit envious of the zodiac riders because of the shots they would get of this huge white wraith-like ship in this crushing grey fissure.  Later on the ship slowly inched its way out of the fjord and then just sat there for the next two hours.

This was where we had dinner on the terrace of The Colonnade, gawping at the view and laughing at the very idea of us having dinner al fresco, wearing only light sweaters, way above the Arctic Circle.  Apparently the  smaller Seabourn Quest had been unable to achieve this tricky manouevre this earlier in the year so one must salute the seamanship of our bridge team and Seabourn’s willingness to go the extra mile.  Our evening on the Ovation at Trollfjord was unforgettable, a Lemaire Channel moment, if you know what I mean.

[saminina]

This itinerary......you can have so much fun spending time on google maps.   We're on Silver Endeavor about same time period and almost wish for a trade.

[Techno123]

12 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Lofoten - we rented a car and drove right down to the famous village of Reine.  It was either Hertz or Avis, maybe Europcar, right from the dock and they gave us a big hybrid Volvo estate.  One of our very best shore days ever.  

Fletcher - I loved that extract from your blog.

did you write about any of your other stops and is it public or just something you did for yourself as I would love to have a read 😁

[galeforce9]

48 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

The best thing I can do is dust off that day's blog and add a couple of photos - me, the Volvo and Reine.

5: LOFOTEN ISLAND MAGIC

The Lofoten Islands were always somewhere I wanted to visit.  The landscape looked unreal, like a matte painting from an old Fritz Lang movie of the 1920s.  It had a sort of artists’s impression appeal of exaggerated peaks which didn’t really exist.   This was the land of sword and sorcery and Norse mythology.  In fact, it’s just a string of islands with holiday homes, fishing villages and fish farms.  It’s also Europe’s answer to the Marquesas.

The day began, as is often the case, with a sunrise.  Off the decks of the Ovation was a wonderful vista of deep red and gold with the black outlines of the islands seemingly surrounding us on all sides.  It looked like all my fears about the weather here were needless; this was going to be a wonderful day.

And so it was. We tendered ashore in Svolvaer and walked across to the Hertz office.  We had pre-booked a Volvo V40 but the incredibly nice and helpful guy upgraded us to a V90, the classic Volvo estate with a distinctly luxe leather interior.  It was a hybrid, the first I have driven, and it was quite weird starting it up and not hearing the faintest rumble of an engine.

We were on the E10 in minutes and planned to drive down as far as Reine, stopping every now and then for photos.  It was about a 140-mile round trip without detours.  The scenery just never let up - around every bend the mountains erupted into fabulous shapes, many of them perfectly reflected in the lakes and inlets.  This was geology at its most frenzied.  Back in the 1950s this trip would have taken an age and might not have been possible without a few ferries.  Nowadays there are tunnels and bridges connecting islands and leaping across inlets. And as you’d expect from Norway, the road was beautifully built, perfectly smooth.  And virtually empty of traffic, only a few large trucks, motorhomes and cyclists.  I suspect if you came a month earlier the road would be much busier.  And the Hertz guy also told us that this past summer had been so hot the climate created a lot of fog and also a blizzard of insects.

We got to Reine in about two-and-a-half hours and did what everyone does, photograph the pretty red houses and the awesome backdrop.  Reine is a travel magazine cliche yet it still surprises and delights.  We turned the Volvo around and headed back to the ship, making a couple of detours en route.  We were having a cup of tea in Seabourn Square by 3pm.

The Ventures team were running a zodiac trip at 4pm when the ship would leave Svolvaer and cruise around and pick the zodiacs up at Trollfjord three hours later.  This imaginative plan turned into one of our greatest cruise experiences ever.  We  didn’t do the zodiac trip but stayed on the ship and watched incredulously as this huge ship inched its way into the fjord.  Our Captain said we had just over 50 feet of clearance on each side.  The fjord was a real squeeze, steep-sided and at the end was a sort of natural amphitheatre where the Ovation performed a perfect pirouette.   The zodiacs were there, waiting for us,  and I was a bit envious of the zodiac riders because of the shots they would get of this huge white wraith-like ship in this crushing grey fissure.  Later on the ship slowly inched its way out of the fjord and then just sat there for the next two hours.

This was where we had dinner on the terrace of The Colonnade, gawping at the view and laughing at the very idea of us having dinner al fresco, wearing only light sweaters, way above the Arctic Circle.  Apparently the  smaller Seabourn Quest had been unable to achieve this tricky manouevre this earlier in the year so one must salute the seamanship of our bridge team and Seabourn’s willingness to go the extra mile.  Our evening on the Ovation at Trollfjord was unforgettable, a Lemaire Channel moment, if you know what I mean.

Fantastic photos thank you

[Fletcher]

1 hour ago, Techno123 said:

Fletcher - I loved that extract from your blog.

did you write about any of your other stops and is it public or just something you did for yourself as I would love to have a read 😁

I tend to write a daily-ish blog on our cruises and put them up here on Cruise Critic.  I did one for our Sojourn trip around the Med last September and plan another one for our Silver Cloud trip to Saudi Arabia in April.  Here is a link to my Norway/Ovation trip (by the way, I never discuss food nowadays):

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2581947-ship-to-shore-the-ovation-in-norway/

 

[highplanesdrifters]

We did a similar cruise in 2016, so info might be a tad dated. And agree with all the above comments.

 

Alesund -  Fyi, shops and many restaurants were closed when we were there. Sunday? Still lovely to stretch our legs a tad, even in the rain. Found some delicious pizza and cold beer at Anno Restaurant.

 

Lofoton - Not much in Svolvar itself.   Do whatever it takes to get out and explore the scenery. Fletcher, like always, has it right. Viking museum in Bostad is very interesting. It can be a miss if its crowded with bus tours. Lofton haunted me, and still does. We returned in 2022 on SS Cloud for an expedition there. I would  get on a plane tomorrow to go back.

 

Tromso - Not too much in the "big" city for tourists.  Nice stroll, but that was back in 2016. In 2022 it seemed to be trying a bit harder when we drove through. The Polar Museum is fabulous. Small, but we spent a few hours there. Tromso is famous for being the launching point for most of the early polar expeditions. In 2022 we were on transfer tour to catch our charter.  Stopped at the famous church, very crowded never went in.  We also went to the Arctic- Alpine Botanic Gardens. Northern most Botanic garden.  Small, but nice stop near the airport.

 

Honningsvag - We booked a private taxi from the town to take us up to North Cape before the buses arrived and see some scenery. After your selfies at the globe make sure to explore the basement museum.  Massive gift shop. We then had  time to return to town and have the most amazing Crab lunch at King Crab house.  I'm not sure if it is still in business. Book the taxi in advance. 

 

Stavanger - Great for walking around and exploring, old town, etc.  A lot like Bergen.  Very interesting Petroleum museum. Lots to see and interact with.   Really explains the industry and the steps Norway took to insure its future with oil revenue. The museum also addresses Norways guilt about profiting from it. 

 

Olden - Like most of the towns at the end of fjords, not much there except for  tourist shops. There were outfitters that can arrange tours to the Birksdalsbreen glacier, kayaking, etc.  At the glacier you can hike up to it or arrange to go in a large golf cart. There is not a lot of time there, so if you would like to explore around the glacier consider the golf cart up and walk down. Or if your knees are killing you, both ways 😉. Must be booked in advance. It can be crowded if a big ship is in. Some folks arranged private taxi up there and beat the crowds. Wish we did.

 

Skagen - Lovely beach town to stroll about with nice shops and great restaurants.  A few museums which we never made it to. 

 

Enjoy your trip and keep us posted. 

[PSahoy]

I am on this upcoming cruise and thank you for the wealth of info to use. The blog has me wishing it were tomorrow (though would be🥶)

[SLSD]

6 hours ago, Fletcher said:

I tend to write a daily-ish blog on our cruises and put them up here on Cruise Critic.  I did one for our Sojourn trip around the Med last September and plan another one for our Silver Cloud trip to Saudi Arabia in April.  Here is a link to my Norway/Ovation trip (by the way, I never discuss food nowadays):

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2581947-ship-to-shore-the-ovation-in-norway/

 

Thank you so much for posting your blog entries on your experiences.  

[maryogreen]

My husband and I will be on this cruise, and I was delighted to see that the "on your own" port recommendations are similar to what we've planned. The only place that has me stumped is Storstappen Island. Has anyone done the zodiac excursion around the island, followed by the drive to the North Cape? We've had terrific experiences with Seabourn expeditions in Antarctica and Australia/New Zealand and have booked several on this cruise. But I can't seem to find much info on Storstappen. Thanks for any help you may be able to offer!

 

Mary

Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

[SLSD]

6 hours ago, maryogreen said:

My husband and I will be on this cruise, and I was delighted to see that the "on your own" port recommendations are similar to what we've planned. The only place that has me stumped is Storstappen Island. Has anyone done the zodiac excursion around the island, followed by the drive to the North Cape? We've had terrific experiences with Seabourn expeditions in Antarctica and Australia/New Zealand and have booked several on this cruise. But I can't seem to find much info on Storstappen. Thanks for any help you may be able to offer!

 

Mary

Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

From what I read on the SB website, only those who sign up for Ventures excursions (and I think there are two of them)  will be able to leave the ship at this port.  If I am not mistaken, these tours require suiting up in a full survival floatation suit.  We saw these demonstrated in Alaska at Kodiak.  While we are agile and have no health issues, we don't think we want to suit up this way, but understand it is a safety issue and required--so we will be staying on the ship and enjoying the scenery and the ship.  

 

Are you on the June 11th-June 25th cruise?  Or, a later iteration of this itinerary?

Edited February 20, 2023 by SLSD