ttt

thanks for the very detailed TR sssteve, we went to Tromso two years ago and had one of those trips of a lifetime.

I shuddered whilst reading about your eating exploits, it all came flooding back to me. $250 for a meal for two, shocking when you are a Scot! We have considered Hurtigruten but have never and are totally opposed to the thought of cruises. How can I put this but how was the atmosphere on the boat. Did it have the feel of a Fred Olsen round the Caribbean or did it feel more like a ferry. My parents have "done" many cruises and they sound a tital nightmare for us - too much talk on the boat of who can get a place on the captain's table and who has the largest room. Nightmare!

Do Hurtigruten offer a meal package?

This is a very low key cruise. Nobody much cares who the captain is or where he eats. For dinner, everybody is assigned a table (tables of 4 or 6), at one of 2 sittings.
It's definitely not a ferry. You feel like you are on a cruise, but an informal cruise.

Thanks for you excellent report Steve. We did the same trip last year (plus continued on to Stockholm and Copenhagen) and it was fun to read about your impressions and experiences in Oslo and Bergen as well as on the Hurtigruten.We had two bowls of fish soup and cokes for $100. in Bergen but I'd do it again..
We highly recomend Hurtigruten and had been worried that it might be more like a traditional cruise ship.You basically have a cabin and meals and excursions if you wish.It was a great way to see this remote coastline with it's fjords, waterfalls and interesting villages and small cities..

more for Yanumpty:

I forgot to mention that this Hurtigruten cruise is the only cruise on the planet with no tipping. No envelope at the end of the cruise...

Scot = No tipping = sounds good!

Good Stuff Steve--you sure get around.
I think you were there about the same time as my son and family---the Go family.

Hi Bob!!! We try to keep on the "go".

Do you really mean the "Go family"? Your son should have the same last name as you, or am I being obtuse and missing something?

Thanks for the wonderful report. Great pix, too. It brought back memories of my very similar trip. Sorry to learn the prices haven't gotten any better!

"Go" is their Forum name---you must have seen their Norway trip report.

we just returned from a trip around Norway and I enjoyed reading your post. We did a lot of the same things but had booked thru a tour company so we never really knew the price of the NIN, etc. Would you mind commenting on the price of your cruise? We cruised south from Trondheim to Bergen so ours wasn't as long but I would be interested just the same. The liquor shots were most likely Aquavit which Norway is quite known for!

And we were shocked at the prices also!

sssteve: Do you really mean the "Go family"?

He means me and my lovely wife, ms_go. And it does look like we covered much of the same ground, in late July. When were you there?

Hello Mr GO!!!

We boarded the boat in Bergen on July 28.

Stormygirl:

We paid $2628 per person. That is the listed price with a 20% discount due to a "summer sale" promotion.

funny that this thread has been topped...

we are planning a trip to Norway and Sweden in April. Little bit concerned about the weather, but I've decided the little surfs can manage just fine. We're from hardy stock!

mr/mrs_go... I bookmarked your trip report... and then also your blog. thanks for the great info!

surfmom:

You should check out my site as well:

http://www.travel.stv77.com/norway/norway.htm

thanks sssssssteve! good information in there for me to digest. I love trip reports... it helps me figure out how to manage a day and what is do-able and what isn't.

: )

surfmom: You'll love it there, it's really beautiful. Hope the weather gods cooperate with you! And remember... while most things there are ridiculously expensive, some of the very best things are actually free.

Enjoy.

Dear Steve,

Just want to say thank you for your helpful and well put together site.

I am thinking of visiting Norway solo in late May/early June. My one concern is the weather. I'm hopeful it wouldn't be too gray or cold...

Your little guide to NIN was extremely clever and very helpful.

Bergen looks very charming. How many days do you think a curious woman would be happy there?

gruezi

Bergen is a delightful place.

A curious woman could easily spend several days there. I think the key is where else she would want to be and how much time she has.

I think 3 days should be enough, but more is certainly possible because there are many possible day trips to take from Bergen.

Thanks for an excellent and very informative report. I'm planning a solo trip too Norway (a short extension of a National Geographic Expedition) and you've provided exactly the kind of information I need, especially regarding NIN. I also appreciate the information about the porter service for luggage as that was one of my main worries...how to enjoy the Bergen-Olso trip with all the transfers and not worry about my luggage. I am going to have to up my eating out budget.

The porter service was the most incredible thing. I didn't even see them pick up the bags. The hotel just put the charge on our bill, and the bags were waiting at the hotel for us in Bergen.

It's doable, but lugging your bags around on the NIN is no treat.