Vik Norway on MSC in July. No shore excursions offered yet.

[tscoffey]

I booked this in November, 2022. They have yet to offer anything for the stop in Vik. Can’t really find anything on Viator or TripAdvisor either.

It’s the Sognefjord, so there has to be something to do that day!

[CruiserBruce]

Have you looked around the board for recommendationsin that port? Is MSC actually docking, or just cruising? Have you asked on the MSC board?

 

As discussed here frequently,  Viator is a broker,  not a provider.  This can lead to some good pricing,  but big problems if you have any issues. The standard recommendation is to go direct to recommended local vendors. 

[tscoffey]

MSC gives the impression it is a stop. Their excursions for that day of the cruise state something like, “We are still in the process of finding excursions…”. Vik seems to be a really small town, so I’m not sure what could be available anyway. And although a Sognefjord day cruise on MSC Fantasia would be nice, I’m not sure how far into Sognefjord a ship that size could actually go.

 

I searched the board for Vik and Vikoyri, yes. 

Edited April 9, 2023 by tscoffey

[hallasm]

Vik (Vikøyri) is  completely new destination and I don't think you can find information about Vik here on CC.  and I have no knowledge of Vik.  

I have found a few links:

https://cruise-norway.no/destinations/vik/

https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/vik-tourist-information/12251/

 

 

[FreestyleNovice]

Fjord tours? https://www.glaciertour.no/tours?from-location=Vik

 

Flam is 1.5h by car from Vik, three hours back and forth (and if there is an excursion of group thing, a bus will be even more travel time) might be a bit too much but it is a possibility.

[JohnAlleb77]

Highlight of Vik would be Hopperstad stavkyrkje. 

https://www.stavechurch.com/hopperstad-stave-church/?lang=en

 

 

 

[FreestyleNovice]

Also seems to be a tender port of call.

[tscoffey]

Thanks for the link to the fjord tours.

While very reasonably priced, the fjord tours both return to Vik at 5:20 PM. With the ship leaving at 6PM, am I mistaken in that it is too close to departure time to ensure you get back on time? (factoring in the tender back to the ship). We had a bus breakdown in Costa Rica on a private tour, and I don’t want to relive that stress again!

[tscoffey]

Looks like a very, very small city. Much smaller than even Sitka, Alaska.

What is the wisdom in trying to unload 3800 people into such a small city?

[CruiserBruce]

16 minutes ago, tscoffey said:

Looks like a very, very small city. Much smaller than even Sitka, Alaska.

What is the wisdom in trying to unload 3800 people into such a small city?

Several towns in the Norwegian fjords are small. Vik has about 2500 people...Skjolden (also on the Songefjord) about 200, and a good number of ships stop there, including us a number of years ago, along with another ship.

 

Sitka has about 8000.

[hallasm]

24 minutes ago, tscoffey said:

What is the wisdom in trying to unload 3800 people into such a small city?

The possibility of sailing on the Norwegian Heritage fjords (primarily Flåm and Geiranger) will be limited from 2026 due to 'Zero emission zones')

I think the cruise lines are trying to test alternative port options now - it is probably also cheaper to dock in Vig than in Flåm  .

[tscoffey]

Well, the available excursions have finally posted on MSC for the stop in Vik.

 

Not too many choices.  RIB boat ride for 2 hours - $204 per person?  A "walk in Vik" for $107? (I think I can walk for free).

[tscoffey]

Somehow I initially missed a 5.5 tour of the mountains/waterfalls between Vikoryi and Naeroyfjord, with a boat tour of Naeroyfjord. We grabbed that one.

 

Unless you are careful, the MSC excursions page doesn't always show every excursion available - just ones 'recommended for you'. You have to click the 'Excursions' at the top of the webpage to see the full excursions list for each day.

 

We were initially going to grab a 2 hour RIB tour of Sognefjord, which would have been great fun, but is $50 more per person, and 3.5 hours shorter. Would have also been more difficult to get photos from a RIB boat, I would think.  Happy to have seen the Naeroyfjord tour at the last second.

Edited May 19, 2023 by tscoffey