I tried to ask this previously and probably got too wordy and detailed, as there was only one response. So I'll try one more time and be more succinct.

We'll be visiting Oslo and Stockholm in late September and would like to spend a few days visiting the west coast of Norway to see the countryside and fjords. Our itinerary would be as follows:
Sept 29 - leave Oslo early to travel to destination, likely via train but could drive/fly
Sept 30 - visit destination / fjord cruise possibly
Oct 1 - visit destination / fjord cruise possibly
Oct 2 - leave destination early to fly to Stockholm

Our current possible plan is to take the train from Oslo to Bergen and tour there a bit, get on a Hurtigruten ship and cruise up to Trondheim, then fly to Stockholm. We're wondering if there is a better option.

Our main goal is to spend 2 days exploring the west coast of Norway - obviously just a small part of the coast. But what is the best place to do this given our schedule above? Should we be on a ship floating past it all? Should we be in a car driving around fjords and doing a day cruise? We enjoy easy hikes so maybe being on the ground is better than the cruise. The MS Vesterålen is the ship that coincides with our dates, and it's not the most pleasant looking boat.

I'd love any input from people who know the west coast of Norway and have a favorite place.

So I am not a Norway expert but as a long shot you could consider this. We were hiking between Oslo and Bergen but much further north than you will be. We drove south through a place called Geilo (which you can reach from Oslo) heading towards Kinsarvik. The last few miles crossed the Hardangervidda National Park which was really quite beautiful. You are then reaching the Eidfjord, which runs into the Hardangerfjord. So in effect you are seeing the fjords from the inland side rather than the ocean side.

We then headed south through Odda to Stavanger and the Lysefjord, which is also stunning. Most of this drive was beautiful, with one section north of Stavanger being a little boring. You could skip this drive and go straight west from Kinsarvik to Bergen.

I suspect that this is not quite what you are looking for, and you would have to pay a drop-off charge, but we found it nice to see the fjords and a bit of the interior of the country as well.

Eidfjord can be done on a day trip from Bergen.

Do the Norway in a Nutshell "tour" from Oslo to Bergen and then fly from Bergen to Stockholm.

Thanks for the nutshell tour advice. I'll need to look into that. I just thought there might be a better direction to head than Bergen.