Briksdal Glacier Excursion Fjords Cruise

[Superfez]

Hi All,

 

First time cruiser and first time poster! 

 

Can anyone advise on how steep the climb is on the 'hiking' tours (from P&O) to the glacier? I am seeing some people saying it's impossible and others saying its a lovely walk.

My wife and I do a lot of regular walking (been up snowdon etc) but for this I will have my 10 month old with me. Would I be best carrying him? using push chair? Or avoiding this excursion in favour of the troll car option? 

My preference is to walk as we do enjoy walking! 

 

Thanks

Superfez

[kitkat343]

We travelled with a 2 year old and took the troll car most of the way.  The ground is not paved, and I could not push the stroller easily for the remainder of the hike.  I left the stroller by the side of the trail and my 2 year old was able to slowly but steadily make it to the glacier.  I honestly did not expect him to make it (we sent my husband and 6 year old ahead to the glacier) and I actually would have been fine with just the bus ride to the glacier and the troll car (we did the Loen skylift that day also so this was the second activity for us).  As we approached the time I had set for myself to turn around, I asked the people returning how close we were and they told me to keep going because we had almost made it. So we kept going and I was very glad to have seen the glacier.

 

So I can safely say a push chair (stroller) is not an option.  Babywearing wasn't an option for our family because we aren't strong enough to carry our child for long periods of time, but it might be an option for you.  But the troll cars can sell out in advance so you'd need to plan that if you think it is the best option for you - it really depends on your level of physical fitness, and hopefully someone whose done the whole hike can comment (I can only comment that you should leave the stroller at home because pushing it over twigs and rocks in the unpaved ground isn't a good option.   The troll car was a really nice ride for our children, but your baby might also like being in a carrier - lots of babies look really happy in there!

 

Oh, and Norway is great for travel with kids. The Loen skylift was extremely accessible, as was Geiranger and the Flam railroad.  

Edited March 16 by kitkat343

[Superfez]

23 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

We travelled with a 2 year old and took the troll car most of the way.  The ground is not paved, and I could not push the stroller easily for the remainder of the hike.  I left the stroller by the side of the trail and my 2 year old was able to slowly but steadily make it to the glacier.  I honestly did not expect him to make it (we sent my husband and 6 year old ahead to the glacier) and I actually would have been fine with just the bus ride to the glacier and the troll car (we did the Loen skylift that day also so this was the second activity for us).  As we approached the time I had set for myself to turn around, I asked the people returning how close we were and they told me to keep going because we had almost made it. So we kept going and I was very glad to have seen the glacier.

 

So I can safely say a push chair (stroller) is not an option.  Babywearing wasn't an option for our family because we aren't strong enough to carry our child for long periods of time, but it might be an option for you.  But the troll cars can sell out in advance so you'd need to plan that if you think it is the best option for you - it really depends on your level of physical fitness, and hopefully someone whose done the whole hike can comment (I can only comment that you should leave the stroller at home because pushing it over twigs and rocks in the unpaved ground isn't a good option.   The troll car was a really nice ride for our children, but your baby might also like being in a carrier - lots of babies look really happy in there!

 

Oh, and Norway is great for travel with kids. The Loen skylift was extremely accessible, as was Geiranger and the Flam railroad.  

Thank you KitKat. I'd hoped you would reply having seen your useful comments on other posts. 

Knowing about the pram is great.

 

I am still trying to work out if we can do both Loen and the glacier in one day- P&O not doing me any favours with the non specific arrival and departure times.

We planned on doing the 'gondola' at Strandafjell instead of Loen (to spread the days activities) but P&O excursion has an age restriction on that - no idea why as if I book direct I can book the infant in for free... 🤔🤔🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ 

A call to the excursions team is on the cards. 

[kitkat343]

As a general rule, having travelled with my kids on many cruises I'd recommend private excursions whenever possible.  If you can afford private (just your family) excursions that will let you control the itinerary and take breaks whenever you need to and stay longer where your kids are interested.   You don't want to be waiting around for 50 people to be loaded onto a bus, or wait for everyone to take a bathroom break or wait for stragglers to return from independent time on the tour.  

 

The private tours made a big difference in terms of how much we have been able to see on vacations with kids.  In St. Petersburg, cruise ship tour bus passengers had to wait on line because the museums staggered entrance to prevent bottlenecks.  Since there were only 3 of us, we could park closer to the entrance and not wait on line.   My oldest was 3 when we went to St. Petersburg, and he hit his limit after an hour in the Hermitage.  I took him to the cafe, bought him cake and sent my husband ahead to look at the impressionist paintings (we'd seen my favorite - the Renaissance paintings first since we knew this was likely to happen).  My son completely recovered thanks to the sugar, and we continued on and were able to visit al the major attractions in two days.  

 

Please note one issue - Norway was the only place we've visited so far where car seat laws are enforced on taxis for small children.  We wound up stuck a few times in Stavanger and Bergen because the ports are too small for extensive public transportation, and cabs were forbidden to transport us.  So be sure to prearrange all of your transportation - the Norway tour office confirmed later that cab companies are required to provide car seats upon request, but since we tried to arrange transportation last minute we were not able to book transportation in Bergen.

 

In Olden, you can email Olden adventures since they run busses to both the Loen Skylift and Briskdal Glacier and they can hopefully advise you on how much time both will take.  We did both easily, but were there 3 days after the Loen Skylift opened, at a time when there weren't even ship excursions running there yet.  I've read on the forums of lines there, and obviously can't comment since my experience was so long ago it isn't relevant.  But Olden Adventures or tripadvisor can hopefully let you know how much time you'll need for both.  Someone here or olden adventures might know where the official port website is, and hopefully the times are listed there (Cunard does the same thing, and I. had to research port times from the official port websites for my last cruise to plan private excursions).

 

The skylift was amazing, but quite expensive, so it's hard to predict the weather far in advance and know if its worth it but Olden adventures might know whether tickets to the Skylift tend to sell out now.  The Flam railroad certainly will, so that you'd need to buy ahead of time and hope for the best in terms of weather/visibility.

 

Go to the buffet on the first morning with a. diaper bag, and bring back yogurt, fruit and cereal (you might need plastic bags since most ships stopped using boxes of cereal) so you are never stuck with a hungry, cranky child in your room during the times when there are few food options available.  Bring snacks (technically only sealed food can exit the ship) with you so you can feed your child whenever they are about to melt down.  

 

My review of my Norwegian cruise in my signature line might be helpful - this is a great trip with kids and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Edited March 17 by kitkat343

[John Bull]

We also struggled to find that information for Briksdalbreen (old & tired limbs),, in the end we gave up.

 

But on arrival at Loen we lucked-in and joined a different tour on-spec 

It started with a short coach ride from Loen (we were tendered, but they also offer it from the cruise pier at Olden) to the landing stage at Lovatnet Lake, aka Loen Lake, then a boat cruise (20 - 30 minutes?) on the super-clear water with super views both sides to the far end of the lake, where we went a couple of miles of track by minibus and finally a 5 minute walk to the viewpoint for  Kjenndalsbreen (Kjenndal Glacier).

Apparently we were as close to this glacier as visitors get to Briksdal Glacier, it's apparently not as big, but we were impressed. Then back to the lake and included waffles at the tearoom by the boat pier, then boat & coach back to Loen (or Olden). 

Very relaxing, good value-for-money, very pleased that we did it.

Check out google images of Kjenndal Glacier, they include photos of the lake, the boat, the tearooms etc.

Can't remember the name of the operator, I think this website is by a booking agency

https://www.oldencruise.com/loen-lake-and-kjenndal-glacier/

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[Superfez]

On 3/17/2024 at 10:56 PM, kitkat343 said:

As a general rule, having travelled with my kids on many cruises I'd recommend private excursions whenever possible.  If you can afford private (just your family) excursions that will let you control the itinerary and take breaks whenever you need to and stay longer where your kids are interested.   You don't want to be waiting around for 50 people to be loaded onto a bus, or wait for everyone to take a bathroom break or wait for stragglers to return from independent time on the tour.  

 

The private tours made a big difference in terms of how much we have been able to see on vacations with kids.  In St. Petersburg, cruise ship tour bus passengers had to wait on line because the museums staggered entrance to prevent bottlenecks.  Since there were only 3 of us, we could park closer to the entrance and not wait on line.   My oldest was 3 when we went to St. Petersburg, and he hit his limit after an hour in the Hermitage.  I took him to the cafe, bought him cake and sent my husband ahead to look at the impressionist paintings (we'd seen my favorite - the Renaissance paintings first since we knew this was likely to happen).  My son completely recovered thanks to the sugar, and we continued on and were able to visit al the major attractions in two days.  

 

Please note one issue - Norway was the only place we've visited so far where car seat laws are enforced on taxis for small children.  We wound up stuck a few times in Stavanger and Bergen because the ports are too small for extensive public transportation, and cabs were forbidden to transport us.  So be sure to prearrange all of your transportation - the Norway tour office confirmed later that cab companies are required to provide car seats upon request, but since we tried to arrange transportation last minute we were not able to book transportation in Bergen.

 

In Olden, you can email Olden adventures since they run busses to both the Loen Skylift and Briskdal Glacier and they can hopefully advise you on how much time both will take.  We did both easily, but were there 3 days after the Loen Skylift opened, at a time when there weren't even ship excursions running there yet.  I've read on the forums of lines there, and obviously can't comment since my experience was so long ago it isn't relevant.  But Olden Adventures or tripadvisor can hopefully let you know how much time you'll need for both.  Someone here or olden adventures might know where the official port website is, and hopefully the times are listed there (Cunard does the same thing, and I. had to research port times from the official port websites for my last cruise to plan private excursions).

 

The skylift was amazing, but quite expensive, so it's hard to predict the weather far in advance and know if its worth it but Olden adventures might know whether tickets to the Skylift tend to sell out now.  The Flam railroad certainly will, so that you'd need to buy ahead of time and hope for the best in terms of weather/visibility.

 

Go to the buffet on the first morning with a. diaper bag, and bring back yogurt, fruit and cereal (you might need plastic bags since most ships stopped using boxes of cereal) so you are never stuck with a hungry, cranky child in your room during the times when there are few food options available.  Bring snacks (technically only sealed food can exit the ship) with you so you can feed your child whenever they are about to melt down.  

 

My review of my Norwegian cruise in my signature line might be helpful - this is a great trip with kids and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Hi KitKat,

 

Really useful information here again. Thank you for that... 

 

I followed your advice and have contacted the Olden adventures who have advised providing our ship is on time we should have plenty of time. So that will be one we have to do 'on the day' if all goes to plan! 

 

Thanks for everything here it really has helped.

 

Best Wishes 

[Superfez]

22 hours ago, John Bull said:

We also struggled to find that information for Briksdalbreen (old & tired limbs),, in the end we gave up.

 

But on arrival at Loen we lucked-in and joined a different tour on-spec 

It started with a short coach ride from Loen (we were tendered, but they also offer it from the cruise pier at Olden) to the landing stage at Lovatnet Lake, aka Loen Lake, then a boat cruise (20 - 30 minutes?) on the super-clear water with super views both sides to the far end of the lake, where we went a couple of miles of track by minibus and finally a 5 minute walk to the viewpoint for  Kjenndalsbreen (Kjenndal Glacier).

Apparently we were as close to this glacier as visitors get to Briksdal Glacier, it's apparently not as big, but we were impressed. Then back to the lake and included waffles at the tearoom by the boat pier, then boat & coach back to Loen (or Olden). 

Very relaxing, good value-for-money, very pleased that we did it.

Check out google images of Kjenndal Glacier, they include photos of the lake, the boat, the tearooms etc.

Can't remember the name of the operator, I think this website is by a booking agency

https://www.oldencruise.com/loen-lake-and-kjenndal-glacier/

 

JB 🙂

 

 

Thanks John. This looks really good. Have added it onto the list for consideration alongside the things we already had. 

 

It appears out booking agent has all the times of our porting etc. not sure why they have it and we don't! Good news being of course they are just providing it to me when asked 🙂

[cavecreekguy]

On 3/17/2024 at 3:36 AM, Superfez said:

Thank you KitKat. I'd hoped you would reply having seen your useful comments on other posts. 

Knowing about the pram is great.

 

I am still trying to work out if we can do both Loen and the glacier in one day- P&O not doing me any favours with the non specific arrival and departure times.

We planned on doing the 'gondola' at Strandafjell instead of Loen (to spread the days activities) but P&O excursion has an age restriction on that - no idea why as if I book direct I can book the infant in for free... 🤔🤔🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ 

A call to the excursions team is on the cards. 

June 2023 Sky Princess docked in Olden. There were three ships that day, but only room for one at the dock. An Amaraza ship was anchored right in front of the Loen skylift.

By the time I finished my cruise line excursion in the early afternoon I read that the Loen skylift was sold out for the remainder of the day. So if you want to do the Loen skylift you may want to purchase tickets in advance.

[Superfez]

On 3/20/2024 at 5:48 PM, cavecreekguy said:

June 2023 Sky Princess docked in Olden. There were three ships that day, but only room for one at the dock. An Amaraza ship was anchored right in front of the Loen skylift.

By the time I finished my cruise line excursion in the early afternoon I read that the Loen skylift was sold out for the remainder of the day. So if you want to do the Loen skylift you may want to purchase tickets in advance.

Thanks CaveCreek.

I am hoping P&O add on some extra availability so I can book with them and have the security of them ensuring we can make both excursions... but I will book direct closer to the time if not. 

Thanks! 

[milolii]

We are on the Sky Princess in late May and doing both the Briksdal Glacier and the Loen Skylift.  I finally found this person who is from Alesund. She is also booked the day before  with our stop for Geiranger.  Someone else booked her or we might of booked her for both days.  She has a FB page with some good reviews.  We are sharing with another couple. Due to timing, this is the only way we can do both.  

 

https://uniktur.com/shore-excursion-in-olden/

[kitkat343]

7 hours ago, milolii said:

We are on the Sky Princess in late May and doing both the Briksdal Glacier and the Loen Skylift.  I finally found this person who is from Alesund. She is also booked the day before  with our stop for Geiranger.  Someone else booked her or we might of booked her for both days.  She has a FB page with some good reviews.  We are sharing with another couple. Due to timing, this is the only way we can do both.  

 

https://uniktur.com/shore-excursion-in-olden/

We did both and it was a lovely day!  Hope it all works out well for you!

 

[milolii]

1 hour ago, kitkat343 said:

We did both and it was a lovely day!  Hope it all works out well for you!

 

Ty, I will report back.