Norwayin a Nutshell

Some people are trying this. Be aware that you have different situations if something goes wrong: if you all booked by yourself you are in charge to find solutions and negotiate to get money back and so on (maybe in different language and for sure in a legal system you are not familiar with) ...

Example: What happens with the on-booked ferry and bus if a train is late?

And sure they also make money.

I tried to book it on my own and gave up as I had to wait for train tickets to release(only 3 months in advance) and the bus part was kind of tricky. If traveling with family I suggest getting them from NIN.
Here's the link to a great blog for doing it on your own
https://trvlmorestore.com/blogs/travel-blog/35303745-diy-norway-in-a-nutshell-tour-book-it-yourself-save

I did it myself following these instructions https://trvlmorestore.com/blogs/travel-blog/35303745-do-it-yourself-norway-in-a-nutshell-tour You can't buy all tickets ahead (bus you just pay cash to driver) and as mentioned you have to wait for the 3 month window for train tickets. I'm a planner, so it was not troublesome to make all the arrangements. The tour companies use public transit and trains, so if you buy tickets that follow the times of the tour company route, the connections are easy because a ton of people are going the exact same place as you. I was there in early May and it was plenty crowded. We chose to stay overnight in Flam and take the first scenic train in the morning (much less crowded on the train).

I was booking for two people and I think we saved about $50 per person booking directly instead of through the NIN companies. If you want convenience, I'd go with the tour company.

When you book thought the tour agency, they are responsible for tight connections. See NSB on transfer times: https://www.nsb.no/en/our-tickets/transfer-times%281%29

When a journey involves a change of trains, the tranfer time is
defined at a minimum of 30 minutes for NSB Lokaltog (commuter train)
services and 60 minutes for NSB Regiontog (inter-city train) services.

Please take into account train arrivals at airports and flight
check-in times. Specifically, 60/30 minutes extra time must be allowed
for arrival at airports in addition to the airline's check-in time.

For journeys with a shorter transfer time, you are not entitled to a
refund in the event of delay* or service interruption, even if the
journey was booked by using the Travel Planner at nsb.no. You can in
other words not make a claim for reimbursement of expenses for
alternative transportation etc. as a result of a lost connection.

i was just looking at my options for booking separately too. I tried fjord tours on the day I wanted to do the nutshell, and the only departure time was 1200! And then huge layover in Myrdal and nothing until the next day. If I get a rail pass how does booking work?