Just back from inaugural Norwegian Fjords cruise 6/6/15

[tidefan]

Thanks for everyone's reports! We are doing this cruise next year, with the noted difference that we'll be going out of Dover, England instead of Copenhagen.

 

[michellekcm]

We did Sunmore with Anna and Elsa. My main complaint would be we needed more time there and that we wasted nearly 40 minutes standing in line for Anna and Elsa and Kristoff. The DCL guy kept saying we didn't need to wait, they'd be there an hour, but I wasn't risking it, not after the amount of money we sent to get there! There were TONS of local volunteers in Norwegian dress, and the activities in Sunmore were all about Norwegian culture which was fantastic. My daughter loved making Lefse. They really pulled out all the stops. Just wish we had time to do more of the activities and that there was a better queue system for the characters. They really should assign numbers or times or something to make it easier. Also, it was very hard to see them as they entered. They come down a little hill, and the staff kept asking everyone to move back so we ended up a bit of the ways back and couldn't really see. I also think for the price, there should have been more with the characters other than just a photo op.

I should also add, the freezing the night away party was awesome. We were up top 30 minutes prior and right in front. They had a dedicated kids' section front and center too, which was really nice! Dd had a great view there.

I agree with both of these. Sunmore with Anna and Elsa was fantastic, but we ran out of time to see and do everything that was available. I loved how they didn't oversell the event, so there weren't tons of people there. The only long line we encountered was the photo opportunity with Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff. Everything else seemed to be a max of about 3 people long.

I also agree that I would have liked to have seen something more than just a photo op with the characters.

The Freezing the Night Away party was fun! The kids zone was awesome, and if you have young-ish kids (around 6-8 I would say), it wouldn't be a bad thing to get them up there about half an hour early to dance . Just sayin'.

One of our favourite excursions was the farm in Bergen. We all had a great time - horseback rides (like a pony ride, just round the ring), feeding sheep, patting chickens and rabbits, etc. I think everyone on the excursion had a great time, not just the kids.

 

[DisneyHelen]

The cruise was wonderful. We did three excursions with Disney and one on our own. The first was the hike to pulpit rock. We are use to hiking and brought our walking sticks. We enjoyed the views but there is a lot of walking through rocks and time is limited, but I am glad we did it. We were given 2 hours to hike to the top, 40 minutes rest and then another 2 hours to climb back down. It seemed that many people on the tour were unprepared for the level of difficulty. I would not attempt to do this on your own. Timing was very tight with the ferry schedule. We did Alesund on our own and went on the sightseeing train, which brought us to the top of the viewpoint. It was really easy to buy tickets right off the dock, and the tour lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. In Geiranger we did the RIB boat that we had booked online (not through Disney). We loved it and get close to the waterfalls. In the afternoon, we did the Herdalsettra farm tour. The views were nice and we liked seeing the goats and sampling the cheese. We stopped at eagle bend viewpoint on the way back. In Bergen we did the Bryggen and Mount Floyen tour. This was the only tour we thought was poor. The description did not fit the tour. We started off with an hour long bus ride with no photo stop and we randomly went in the suburbs. Then we went on the funicular, there was a short wait but we were given only 7 minutes at the top! We went to Bryggen area and given some free time. We left the tour then to go on our own. We enjoyed the fish market and the shops. Our favourite port was Geiranger, we got up at 5am to see the ship pass the seven sisters waterfall and the views were amazing!!

 

[ldo]

We are on the fjords cruise next June. Please let me know if you have anyone did/saw/heard about the Ho-Ho buses, esp. in Geiragner (that goes up to a look out point, I think), and also kayaking. DH and DS want to kayak, while DD and I take the ho-ho. thanks, Elaine

 

[DahliaRW]

We are on the fjords cruise next June. Please let me know if you have anyone did/saw/heard about the Ho-Ho buses, esp. in Geiragner (that goes up to a look out point, I think), and also kayaking. DH and DS want to kayak, while DD and I take the ho-ho. thanks, Elaine

It wasn't HOHO, but we did the lower 2 viewpoints using http://www.geirangerfjord.no/bus-turer-i-geiranger-2 . I you want a specific time, book online ahead of time, otherwise you can go day of. They run every hour or so, and you have 10-15 minutes at each viewpoint (which really is plenty of time to get off, take pictures, and look, nothing else to do up there). We were very happy with it. We did the bus at 9:30 in the morning (which was great, as we were up at 5:30 to take in the views going into the fjord), and then in the afternoon I did the waterfall walk and fjord center on my own. Was a really nice day and I enjoyed all of that quite a bit. Heads up, food in Geiranger is expensive, I think it was worse than the other ports. So if you can arrange it to eat on the boat it can save you some money for sure. I used those savings to buy tons of chocolate at http://geirangersjokolade.no/?page_id=1221 and it was really, really, really good!

 

[HookedonMagic]

It wasn't HOHO, but we did the lower 2 viewpoints using http://www.geirangerfjord.no/bus-turer-i-geiranger-2 . I you want a specific time, book online ahead of time, otherwise you can go day of. They run every hour or so, and you have 10-15 minutes at each viewpoint (which really is plenty of time to get off, take pictures, and look, nothing else to do up there). We were very happy with it. We did the bus at 9:30 in the morning (which was great, as we were up at 5:30 to take in the views going into the fjord), and then in the afternoon I did the waterfall walk and fjord center on my own. Was a really nice day and I enjoyed all of that quite a bit. Heads up, food in Geiranger is expensive, I think it was worse than the other ports. So if you can arrange it to eat on the boat it can save you some money for sure. I used those savings to buy tons of chocolate at http://geirangersjokolade.no/?page_id=1221 and it was really, really, really good!

I second a stop at the chocolate shop!!! Charming and yummy, too! Plus, the little bakery. Sooooo tasty.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

We did the Hike to Pulpit Rock in Stavanger - it's really intense! As one person in our group said, if Disney graded port adventures based on sitting still to very active on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being a fairly active kayaking or sports excursion, this would be a 12. You really have to be in very good physical shape to do this excursion, and make it to the top within enough time to take in the view and get back down before the bus leaves. You must have appropriate hiking gear: sturdy shoes, water, layered technical clothing, and a day bag. The 'trail' is comprised of boulders, rock stairs, steep climbs, and slippery and/or loose rocks in places. There are no safety guardrails at the top, save two small sections of path very close to the cliffside. There were several people in or group who weren't physically able enough to do the hike, some didn't make it to the top in time and at least three sustained mild injury. Whilst this hike exceeded the difficulty we expected (and we expected it to be difficult, based on our frequent hikes in the Rocky Mountains), we really enjoyed this hike and thought the views were spectacular. I would not recommend doing this on your own, as two families who did said it was vey stressful to maintain the tight schedule with the ferry, public transit, etc. on their own. Definitely worth it. I highly recommend this excursion -- but only if you are very physically fit and have gone hiking in the mountains before.

The cruise was wonderful. We did three excursions with Disney and one on our own. The first was the hike to pulpit rock. We are use to hiking and brought our walking sticks. We enjoyed the views but there is a lot of walking through rocks and time is limited, but I am glad we did it. We were given 2 hours to hike to the top, 40 minutes rest and then another 2 hours to climb back down. It seemed that many people on the tour were unprepared for the level of difficulty. I would not attempt to do this on your own. Timing was very tight with the ferry schedule. We did Alesund on our own and went on the sightseeing train, which brought us to the top of the viewpoint. It was really easy to buy tickets right off the dock, and the tour lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. In Geiranger we did the RIB boat that we had booked online (not through Disney). We loved it and get close to the waterfalls. In the afternoon, we did the Herdalsettra farm tour. The views were nice and we liked seeing the goats and sampling the cheese. We stopped at eagle bend viewpoint on the way back. In Bergen we did the Bryggen and Mount Floyen tour. This was the only tour we thought was poor. The description did not fit the tour. We started off with an hour long bus ride with no photo stop and we randomly went in the suburbs. Then we went on the funicular, there was a short wait but we were given only 7 minutes at the top! We went to Bryggen area and given some free time. We left the tour then to go on our own. We enjoyed the fish market and the shops. Our favourite port was Geiranger, we got up at 5am to see the ship pass the seven sisters waterfall and the views were amazing!!

I am so jealous! Pulpit Rock was one of the top things on our must-do list, but then we realized our port time wasn't going to let us do it and were so disappointed. (We're on the 11 day Norway/Iceland that only stops there for a half day). One of the people on our cruise even had a petition going to extend it, but DCL didn't oblige. I haven't looked in the DCL descriptions recently, but it sounds like it should give a bigger heads up by labeling it a strenuous adventure for those who are in good condition.

 

[HookedonMagic]

DCL did give a heads up on the pulpit rock hike. They even sent a "fish mail" the day beforehand to remind us that it was an ACTIVE port adventure. They told us to wear layers, comfortable shoes or hiking boots, to bring water and a snack. I felt forewarned.

 

[DahliaRW]

DCL did give a heads up on the pulpit rock hike. They even sent a "fish mail" the day beforehand to remind us that it was an ACTIVE port adventure. They told us to wear layers, comfortable shoes or hiking boots, to bring water and a snack. I felt forewarned.

Brent even mentioned all this before the show the night proceeding our stop.

 

[vegs1]

We are on the fjords cruise next June. Please let me know if you have anyone did/saw/heard about the Ho-Ho buses, esp. in Geiragner (that goes up to a look out point, I think), and also kayaking. DH and DS want to kayak, while DD and I take the ho-ho. thanks, Elaine

I don't know about the HOHO bus but I spoke with a gentleman who said there is a special bus that goes directly to the viewpoint. I think this is the link: http://www.geirangerfjord.no/panoramic-bus-geiranger-2

 

[SwimMom2]

There is a HOHO bus in Gerainger that goes to 2 viewpoints. It is not a good value in my opinion as one of the viewpoints (I forget the names) is an easy walk. If you do that, you will get lots of opportunities to take amazing pics of the Magic in the fjord. You will recognize this shot in Disney's marketing materials. We did this walk in the morning before our afternoon port adventures. It took us 2 hours but we also stopped in the chocolate shop, took a ton of pics, and had a 3 year old with us who insisted on climbing the steps to the stop all by himself. Lol.

 

[ldo]

thanks. I tink it is only $25 or so and DD wil feel more comfortable going on a bus vs. striking out ourselves. We will plan on the 9:45 bys, which would leave us lote of time to explore on our own.

 

[Cruisingwiththefam]

I will be writing a trip report over the next couple of days, but to answer questions in this thread as well...

Weather - bring a rainproof jacket and lots of layers. It can be cold. We wore our winter jackets in most of the ports. A lot of people ended up buying overpriced coats in the ports because they were unprepared. A hat and gloves is not a bad idea either.

CPH airport - AWFUL! It was chaotic and difficult to figure out. Long lines for bag drop. Allow plenty of time departing. Then, once you get through security they don't announce the gate for your flight until an 1-2 hours beforehand. There is a nice play area (family area it is called) near the A gates if you have time to kill and small children. DD loved that.

I can comment a lot on Bergen. We spent 3 days there earlier in our trip.

The funicular is fantastic with great views. There is a great playground at the top. A great option if you have children!

My boys' favorite thing in Bergen was Hakon's Hall and Rosencranz Tower. There is a free tour in English (with admission), check their website for times. It's a short walk from the ship. Also in that area is Bryggens Museum which is fantastic about old Bergen. You also are really close to Bryggen and can walk there easily.

We didn't do the Iconic Norway excursion through DCL, but on our own (not during the cruise) we did Norway in a Nutshell which is similar. It's ok if you're into sitting on some form of transportation all day long looking at views out the window. I felt it was a waste of a day. I'd only do something like this if I could go to one place and stay overnight, etc. It is a long day. Plus, most of the train stations are very small. The weather was nasty the day we went and we couldn't get inside at two of the stations due to crowding, which was awful. It was not fun to be stuck outside with rain, hail, and wind in Flam.

As far as DCL excursions, we did the Ovre Eide Farm and LOVED it! This was the one excursion we thought would be fun for my daughter, but didn't think would be all that interested, but it was great. First we met the farmer who told us about the farm. Then there were pony rides, one of the horses being the horse breed from Frozen which dd LOVED! Then we got to go feed the sheep, pet rabbits, chickens, etc. around the farm. At this point it was kind if at your own pace. You could also walk out in the sheep paddock and the scenery across the lake was beautiful. Finally, we went inside and they had prepared some food for us, traditional porridge, cookies, apple juice from apples grown in the region, coffee, tea, and sausages. Really, really nice. It felt like you were invited to visit a family member's farm, not corporate or tour feeling at all. Really just wonderful.




Mt. Floien is very easy to do yourself. Go early, though, it gets crowded later in the day. I'd recommend getting off the ship asap and going straight there. It's worth it to wait for the very front seat on the ride down as well.

As for as Geiranger, you can DIY there for a whole lot less money too. There are a couple of companies that do sightseeing buses to the viewpoints for about 1/4 the cost of what DCL charges. You can prebook or just buy your ticket day of. You can walk up to the Fjord Center via a beautiful waterfall walk (stairs that go alongside a waterfall). It takes about 20 minutes. You could also take a taxi if that is easier, again, for a lot less than DCL charges. I personally would not pay for a DCL excursion there, you have plenty of time to do your own thing.

Swimming, my dd swam nearly every day despite cold temperatures. The pools are heated. She was fine as long as she was in the water. When she got out I wrapped her in a towel and then a fleece blanket (they had the blankets available to use on the boat, in the same cabinets as the towels), and then would take her to our cabin, pop her in the shower to warm up, and have hot cocoa to drink after.

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate hearing your perspective!

 

[Cruisingwiththefam]

We did our our own thing in Stavanger, Geiranger and Bergen.

Bergen is easily doable. We first went to Gamle Bergen Museum, which has old houses that you can walk inside, some even have costumed staff who explains what it was like to live in Bergen in the 19th century. http://www.bymuseet.no/index.php?vis=79&spr=en We just took a city bus there. The tourist information center distributes brochures (I think they had some at the dock when we walked off the ship) which have explanations on how to get to all the different sights. We went up to Mt Floyen later in the day, around 2pm. We waited about 20 minutes which we thought was totally ok. Up there we walked some of the paths (to Skomagerdigten, not far at all) and the whole area was very pretty! We also visited the Leprosy Museum which is a world heritage sight and about how Norway was in the forefront of leprosy research. Quite fascinating, but most likely not really something kids would want to do.

We had pre-ordered the Bergen Card which gave us free public transportation, free entry to a lot of museums and half price for Mt Floyen. There are plenty of great city busses and we even took one back to the ship after our day. Only two stops, but it was nice to not have to walk even more.

I only was in the adult pool and hot tub. The pool was very nicely heated on two of the three days I tried it out. Watch the pool hours, I found them a bit limited.

Also, both water slides were open. The Twist and Spout has the great advantage that the waiting area is close to the pipes for the fumes and it was rather cosy and warm there. Both water slides have heated water as well, but it is not hot tub like warm, but neither as cold as the air temperatures.

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate your perspective!

 

[DahliaRW]

There is a HOHO bus in Gerainger that goes to 2 viewpoints. It is not a good value in my opinion as one of the viewpoints (I forget the names) is an easy walk. If you do that, you will get lots of opportunities to take amazing pics of the Magic in the fjord. You will recognize this shot in Disney's marketing materials. We did this walk in the morning before our afternoon port adventures. It took us 2 hours but we also stopped in the chocolate shop, took a ton of pics, and had a 3 year old with us who insisted on climbing the steps to the stop all by himself. Lol.

The bus we did (linked above) went higher than the viewpoint by the fjord center, it went to Flydalsjuvet. It would be about an hour by foot from there, along the road, to get up there, from what I can tell. Plus it went to Eagle Bend. I did love the walk up the steps to the fjord center, though! Great views!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

http://www.examiner.com/article/disney-magic-reaches-the-norwegian-fjords-inspiration-for-frozen