Norwegian Coastal cruise
 

We are booked on the southbound cruise in June and would like to know if anyone has done this and if so, did they book shore excursions on board or pre book. Also what was their opinion of the shore excursions. One involves a 6.5 hr bus ride and we are not really into bus travel so would love to hear from someone who has done it.
Thanks

I have not yet done the Hurtigruten, but am scheduled to do so for four days northbound from Trondheim to Kirkenes as part of a tour in the second half of August. However, I understand from others who have taken the same tour that it is important to book shore excursions ahead of time in order to avoid disappointment, and I would think this would be even more true in the popular travel time of June. And I have also heard that the Svartisen Glacier excursion is very enjoyable.

Please, please post reports when you get back. The Hurtigruten is on our "to do" list and I would very much appreciate reading about your trips.

I did a round trip on Hurtigruten several years ago, but it was in April when there were few tourists and none of the excursions was fully booked. The only excursions we did were to the North Cape and from Kirkenes to the Russian border. The road to the North Cape was closed because of snow, so we were taken for a short tour and our fare was refunded. I'm not keen on long bus journeys and at most ports of call was happy to look around myself and learn something about local life. The shore excursions are expensive, so I don't see the point of doing them unless you're really keen on this sort of bus tour.

My wife and I did the whole northbound trip and back as far as Svolvaer in the Lofotens in 2002.
We were rare in taking no trips but they are all expensive and are basically of two types.
1. Alternative way of travelling between points. Why? What on earth's the point of paying a lot to travel by boat and then paying some more not to?
2. Trip while boat is waiting. This may be worth while in summer at North Cape to see the Sami and their reindeer. By and large it is an expensive way of not doing the best things. For instance the expensive trip to the Russian border at Kirkenes; what on eart do you think you will see. There is a local bus to a wonderful museum beautifully situated for a walk afterwards for a fraction of the cost. In Trondheim we went up the funicular and our table companions who had done the official sightseeing trip were very envious.
The Hurtigrute is a terrific trip but you are spending enough without these excursions.

I took it for a few days southbound last summer. Didn't take official excursions, just my own. Excursions were the highlights, since the boat doesn't generally get close to the scenic inner coastal highlands; rather it skirts the outer lowlands often obscured by wet weather. Almost all shipboard sightseers appeared bored all the time - something I would know since they didn't have a cabin for me and I lived in the public areas.

Southbound has a special pitfall for those holding on to a cabin. Only the northbound run enters the crown jewel fjord - Gieranger. So at least take the excursion there. A better approach is to get off the boat at Alesund (an adorable art deco gem), stay overnight, take the northbound ship up Geir. next morning, then switch to the next southbound ship when they both meet that evening in Alesund.

That has the further advantage that you can sample more than one ship. They are very different, and some have very annoying quirks and others very lovable quirks - not predictable by age or size.

I adore boat travel, norwegian coast scenery, and the convenience of not dealing with ground transportation logistics. But unfortunately it doesn't follow that one should stay on these boats. Getting into the fjords and up on the mountains is essential, and busses are excelant ways to do this. They often take ferries themselves, sometimes much more scenic ones than the typical view from the cruiseliner window...

We went from Bergen to Kirkenes in 1994. It was a very good voyage, took most of the excursions and enjoyed them.

As to the need to pre-book, the brochure which I found said, "Make your reservation on the special booking forms and hand these in at reception." 2 tours "have a limited number of places, so it pays to be quick off the mark." As I remember, there was not much problem making reservations if you made them just after boarding.

We did not take a long bus trip, and I would vote against it.

You will have a great time. ((Y))

My wife and I took the eleven day round trip about four years ago...but it was early April with lots of snow on the ground, especially above the Arctic Circle. It was great. Only about 20 passengers, not counting the day trippers. Not all the excursions were available, but the woman in charge did an excellent job of setting some up. We did all that was offered, from a walking trip to a little war museum to the bus ride up to the Russian border. They were all interesting. During the summer there are fairly long excursions from one port to meet the ship at the next port. I'd skip those since you're only doing five or six days on the ship; the point of the journey is the ship. Everything I've heard says the summer months are the busiest. I'd book in advance the excursions that sound interesting; if in doubt, go ahead and book. You'll save a lot of hassle if the ship is crowded, and it's a trip of a life time. So spend a little money and enjoy. About April next year we're going back to do the round trip again, this time with our son, daughter and son-in-law. You'll have great memories. We certainly did.

My wife and I took the trip in August 2001 and really enjoyed it- we did the round trip with all of the shore excursions arranged before we left. Started in Oslo and then took the train across Norway to Bergen and from there it was all the way up the coast and back on the Polarys. Really a wonderful, different, cruise.

MMT any chance of a trip report?

To Adoptionisfab

I posted a trip report on this forum. Norway Trip Report..it is currently showing as #25
Message again if you can't find it or have any further queries

MMT - It is also easy to find it by clicking on your name.

Kudos for your interesting report. ((F))

We went from Bergen to Kirkenes a few years ago on a trip offered by Bergen Lines on the Hurtigruten (ship: the Polarlys). Wonderful.

As soon as we boarded, we signed on for the shore excursions we wanted. No problems. The bus junket we took was short, hopping over bridges from one stony island to the next, visiting places the ship could not go. We left the ship at one spot and rejoined it later that day farther north. I don't understand this sour complaining of paying for something you could not experience otherwise. This is no cheap trip and it is no time for penny-pinching -- you get value for everything you pay for.

At the North Cape, we visited Laplanders and their reindeer, saw the windswept cape itself, and were about blown away in the stiff gale.

Food aboard the immaculate ship was splendid. Our cabin was very comfortable. The huge glassed-in forward lounge gave us marvelous views, especially when we entered a very narrow fjord at sunset.

Highly recommend this trip. Very relaxing and no place like home.

Thanks all for the updates. I found the link it is:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34511051