RS Scandinavia -done it??

Posted by Gretchen (Andover, MA, USA) on 12/14/13 01:31 AM

Hi Everyone,

I'm considering my next RS tour and my mom just mentioned she wouldn't mind seeing Norway. This is the first time she's ever even mentioned wanting to leave the US (we just discussed going to Nova Scotia and PEI and that was nixed, "because it looks like upstate NY" where she lives). So, the fact that she mentioned Norway is mind-blowing to me. I'm thinking I MIGHT be able to get her to go with me if I choose the Scandinavia tour. However, I'm wondering about a few things:

1) Can you comment on how much walking/hiking actually happens? I've done 3 tours so I'm familiar with how RS works, but she is In her early 70s and has some problems with her feet on occasion.

2) How much can we expect to spend on our dinners/drinks, etc. (nothing fancy). I have no idea how much things cost there, in general. I know it can be much higher than much of Western/Central Europe. For example is a mid-priced dinner for two closer to $70-90 rather than $30-50?

3) Compared to other tours (I've done Village Italy, best of Scotland, city Istanbul) is there a lot more time on the bus/boat? Yes, I have checked the time amounts on the tour description page, but I guess I'm just wondering if it seems like so much more time traveling then touring?

I tried checking the scrapbook page, but there is only one recent scrapbook and unfortunately it wasn't any help -it was just a string of pictures like a moviestrip.

I have also already read some of the tour reviews, but the webmaster is limiting that too. I noticed they are changing the tour reviews set up in January 2014. . I hope they don't do what they tried to do last Spring/ Summer -I hated the change and was glad they changed it back (okay, some editorializing there, sorry).

Thanks for any help you can provide - I know I will always get the best answers here.

:) Gretchen

Posted by Dee

Evergreen

12/14/13 08:06 PM

119 posts

My husband and I took this tour in 2006. I am about to be 70 and have foot problems and did at the time of that trip also. I checked my log book from the trip and
as compared to 6 other RS tours that we have taken Scandinavia was not more strenuous and I felt less strenuous than some of the others. For instance Village Italy had
a lot of hills and Scandinavia did not. A person can choose to skip some of the the more lengthy optional activities on the free time such as a visit to Scansen which is an outdoor village museum and a tremendous amount of walking. You could make a point of relaxing at a cafe or back at your room on free afternoons or mornings instead
of running around to see this or that. Of course there will be days when you have a quite a lot of walking in the morning and standing on tours of castles or museums. Sit where you can. Also, there will be time to relax on the bus and several ferry rides. Depending on the type of foot problem, if soaking the feet helps try to do that. If you take a flat round rubber stopper of about 4" diameter it can be used to plug the bottom of the shower and you sit on a stool or chair and put your feet in the shower.

As for price of food I'm sure it has gone up since we were there and we thought it was expensive even then. Plan on the high side of prices but maybe sometimes you will have a quick or light dinner especially if you had a major lunch with the group. However, very few of our tour members had drinks with dinner. Drinks were just outrageous.
Some purchased bottles of wine on the overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo because it was cheaper. Then we could have a before dinner drink at the hotel with tour pals. I wouldn't worry too much about dinner prices. That's relatively minor compared to the cost of the tour.

I'm saying the tour is doable for your mom with some common sense about the amount of walking. It might also depend on her energy level. If you private message me we could discuss further.