alperlma

My husband and I (mid-50's and well-travelled both independently and by cruise) are going to Oslo for a few days and then on to Bergen where we have an overnight on a cruise ship before the ship (and we) depart for the fjords and then on to Britain. (Total trip time 19 days including travel, cruise time is 14 days.) What I'm trying to decide is whether to take the train straight from Oslo to Bergen or whether to do the nutshell itinerary to get there. Here are some of my pro's & cons:

--It would be far easier to just take the train from the point of view of transporting luggage and general "shlepping". I know there are porter services that will take your luggage but I don't know if the the hotel will hold our luggage until it gets picked up and if the ship will accept our luggage without us being there. And all it took was one account of someone's luggage not showing up to give me pause about that option. I know--it was only one account, but still.

--I feel like we'll be getting a lot of the wonderful scenery on the train from Oslo to Bergen. (But I know there's more to the nutshell than that.) I'm hoping if I lay out our cruise itinerary, someone will be able to tell me whether these two things--the Oslo/Bergen train and the other fjord cruise stops--will be "enough". Our other ports of call are: Geiranger, Kristiansund, cruising the Norwegian Sea, Tromso, Honningsvag, Lofoten, cruising the Norwegian Sea (and then on to the British Isles for various stops there before ending in London).

So my question is: Does it seem like we'll be getting enough of the Nutshell/Norway experience if we only do the Oslo-Bergen train and these other cruise ports? Or am I talking myself out of the experience of a lifetime and I should deal with the luggage and just do the full nutshell?

Thanks for any advice anyone has!

Fodorite018

FWIW we did NIN last fall and loved it! I would not miss it if I were you.

historytraveler

I used a porter service a couple of years ago and did my own trip taking 4 days between Bergen and Oslo. Luggage was picked up in Bergen and waiting for me at my hotel in Oslo when I arrived. No problem and excellent service. I can't recall the name of the company but google port service between Oslo and Bergen, and it should come up.

BTW you still have to manage your luggage if on NiN. They don't offer valet service. Also one of the highlights is the Flam railway between Myrdal and Flam, then the ferry to Gudvegan. You'll miss that if going only by train. P,ease know you can do NiN on your own. No need to buy the package.

greg

I did Bergen to Oslo NIN this spring. I noticed there was a pamphlet that advertised hotel to hotel luggage transport service. I did not use them nor read any review on them. You can ask your hotel if they participate in the transfer.

We carried luggage through NIN. Many people where carrying huge luggage. The schlepping issue is getting onto and off the trains. Buses have under carriage, and boats, you just leave them at the car deck. There were tons of luggage people just left there.

What I liked about the NIN was actually the train part. Oslo-Myrdal, especially the high altitude part looking south (left if you are going Oslo-Myrdal) was pretty. Then Myrdal-Flam train was also scenic.

Michael

Except for the Myrdal-Flam train ride, you will see as good fjord scenery when cruising in the Geiranger fjord. I would spend the time saved from the NIN detour in Bergen.

sssteve

We did a very similar trip to what you are planning in 2010.
We did "Norway in a Nutshell" (NIN for short) and loved it. We used "Porterservice AS" to transport our luggage from Oslo to Bergen, and the service was fantastic. We never even met them at our hotel in Oslo. They came, took the luggage, and the hotel added the charge to our hotel bill. The luggage was waiting for us at our hotel in Bergen.
Here is their web site:
http://www.porterservice.no/

Please check out our web page about this trip. It includes a whole section on NIN, which should answer many of your question.
http://www.travel.stv77.com/norway/norway.htm

There's even a separate album with pictures and explanations about NIN. Here's the link:
http://www.travel.stv77.com/norway/nutshell/index.html

dyoll

I doubt that PorterService could deliver to a cruise ship - but you'd have to check that with them.
Plenty of people do the NiN with luggage, but you do have to do the lifting onto trains and buses yourself.

kawh

sssteve... visited your link with all the info... absolutely fantastic and really did answer many of my questions!!! love the porter service idea, too!!

sssteve

Kawh: If you can use the porter service, do it. It was the highlight of our trip and we never even saw them!

historytraveler

I agree. It was worth every penny, and their service was excellent

kawh

thanks too, historytraveler.

jan47ete

In May 2016 I did a week in Copenhagen, my husband joined me for a week long Scandanavian/Russia cruise and then we split, he went home and I flew to Bergen for the NIN Bergen to Oslo where I spent a few days. I had in the plane overhead bin size carryon, so I do not do formal nights and am 65+.

I followed the NIN and bought all my tickets before I left except the bus ticket (which you buy on the bus) and I carried my carryon with me and very easy. Cruising the fjords were spectacular on the ferry. I would not miss it. Flam train was fun, no reserved seating. Train to Oslo seemed long to me but then had been up early and had been on a 2 trains, a bus and a ferry.

There were senior discountson some means of transportation that you do not get purchasing from NIN company. I believe I saved $10 doing it myself and getting senior discounts.

dyoll

In high season (June - August) this year NiN ferries were booked out by the tour operator and diy booking not possible on the one-day through trip connection. There was also little discount on the cheaper non-changeable train tickets so not much to save anyway.

jan47ete

Actually meant to say saved $100, not $10.