Hurtigruten change in port-to-port (Bergen to Alesund + Geirangerfjord). Need help!

Hi, Mardee. As I read this, it says the ship itself will stayed tied to the dock in Alesund. They will have an excursion instead that will involve a smaller vessel, but those signed on for the entire voyage will have priority. You won’t know if you can go on it until you embark.

There are ferries you can take down Geirangerfjord, so there are alternatives. I would feel uncomfortable not knowing if I was going to make that excursion or not until the last minute.

As I understand it, you can still travel from Bergen to Alesund by ship. The ship will arrive in Alesund at 09:45 and remain there until 20:00. But the ship will not enter Geirangerfjord. If you want to visit Geirangerfjord, you can do so via a smaller boat and bus excursion, which will return to Alesund. When you return to Alesund, you should be able to board to gather your luggage. (The Hurtigruten ships have a luggage storage facility for those who are disembarking.)

However, the statement about the excursion being included only for guests on the full voyage might mean that you won't be able to get a place on that excursion.

If I were you, I'd look into alternate excursions from Alesund into the Geirangerfjord. I'm sure there are many such options available other than what Hurtigruten offers.

But I would also suggest emailing or calling them to verify that you might not be able to get a space on the Geirangerfjord excursion.

Mardee, after all that planning!

As Lane says, you are not guaranteed to join the Hurtigruten excursion since you are Port to Port. And from my experience, very few passengers will not want to take the Geirangerfjord cruise excursion.

Since you are spending a few days in Ålesund,
I would go ahead and book the round trip Geirangerfjord day tour with
Fjordservice Geiranger for your free day .

Thank you so much, Carol, Lane, and Jean! That makes SO much sense when it is broken down. I kept going over and over it in my head, and it just was not sinking in for some reason.

I think that I will go ahead and book the separate excursion that's not connected with Hurtigruten. I can definitely see why those who booked the whole route would want this excursion. And I would really hate to wait until the last minute to find out that I'm not going to get it and then have alternates be sold out.

Thank you all so much for your advice!!! This was so helpful!

We found Geirangerfjord, which is heavily marketed, underwhelming compared to Hjorundfjord, which in my opinion is a hidden gem of a fjord. There are day trips from Alesund to Hjorundfjord, which is described as the most beautiful fjord in Norway when you do a Google search.

Whomever you book with, I would check to make they have a boat that meets the zero-emissions ban that went into effect last month (and that they aren't just crossing their fingers they will have one by the date you sail).

Did you read the info I posted on Bostonphil's Norway post?

I actually wonder whether the reason the Vesteralen (alone among the Hurtigruten fleet) isn't going into the Geiranger Fjord all season is that she doesn't meet emissions standards. It is remarkable that I remember her, when she was almost new, and that is over 40 years ago. Perhaps the others in the mid-gen fleet have been equipped with new engines and she is next in line. That sub fleet may be just under the size limit for this years ban. In fact on checking she is the only one left of that era, so the oldest ship in the main line Hurtigruten fleet.

Whereas the catamarans are way more modern, and hybrid fuels so probably do meet the requisite standards.

Well, we’re now rethinking the whole thing. It just never occurred to me because I don’t think about it that much but my daughter does get motion sickness and she wasn’t really thrilled about the idea of being on a ship for that long but didn’t want to say anything to me. So she’s thinking about this and we may come up with some other ideas.

And yes, I know there are things you can take for motion sickness and she’s well aware of them. I’m assuming she knows all about them, since she’s a PA and is now in medical school. But I think it still makes her a little uncomfortable.

Andy, I have heard that that and I was actually looking at some trips there, which would be a little bit shorter, and maybe something she could handle.

mnannie, I have not. I’ve been sort of off the forum for about a week because of some minor surgery I had and I’m just now getting back on over the last few days, so I missed a lot. I will check it out though.

Stuart, that very well could be the reason. It looks like it’s just a little over 6 weeks that they’re not going there and then they start back in early August sometime. So I’m not sure what the reason is. They didn’t explain in their email.

Actually I just checked, and here is the exact language that used on their website and in the email:

MS Vesterålen will not sail into Geirangerfjord from 10 June to 26 August 2026. Instead, the ship will remain moored in Ålesund from 09:45 to 20:00.

MS Vesterålen will not sail into Geirangerfjord from 10 June to 26 August 2026. Instead, the ship will remain moored in Ålesund from 09:45 to 20:00.

This date range probably has to do with the fact that the number of ships in Geirangerfjord is limited in the summer.

Mardee, how much changing do you want to do? Can you keep the car and drop it off in Ålesund before flying to Bergen?

There are several routes you can take from Voss to Ålesund.

Sounds strange but the MS Vesteralen is too small (6,261 gross tonnage aka BRZ, no weight) to still have permission for entering the Geirangerfjord. See regulation. Other Hurtigruten ships have over 10k gross tonnage and are still approaching Geiranger.

So either book a different ship with over 10k (see ship profiles) or stay on MS Vesteralen and arrange it as a day trip.

It's fascinating to think of the Vesteralen as too small (the baby of the fleet), when she and the others of her generation were introduced she was huge compared to the older traditional vessels of the Coastal service. It was her generation which began the transition of the route from a freight and mail service that happened to take passengers to a far more cruise like passenger service which also takes a bit of freight- a huge difference in all respects. The decline in freight carrying is of course mainly due to a massive road building programme in Norway.

As recently as 2004 I sailed on the Hurtigruten out of Bergen when there was no passenger terminal and no ISPS style security- you just walked off the street onto a (different to now) quay in the city straight on to the ship up a proper gangway and checked in on ship. Then maybe two years later it was from the slick new terminal building- a transformed experience.

Then you sailed 2 hours later from Bergen, and only had only 3 hours in Alesund northbound because of the amount of freight traffic at the intermediate ports between Alesund and Trondheim- so there was no time in the schedule for diversions to inland fjords. With more time in the schedule, and trying to give a more cruise like experience led to the fjord add on. Of course the cargo handling was also slower (no forklifts drive on, drive off)- all shipboard derricks.

The catamaran excursions from Alesund to Geiranger give you 3 hours ashore in the village, rather than the Hurtigruten/Havila where it is just a technical stop to set down shore excursion passengers.

Quite a few years later (not long before Covid) I did a winter cruise (on a small conventional cruise ship) which included Geiranger about this time of year. It was fascinating seeing the waterfalls literally frozen- no flow, giant icicles in essence- the whole experience was very different to summer.

You could then (and still can) also get to Geiranger one way on the public bus from Alesund to Hellesyt, then the car ferry to Geiranger, returning by catamaran (or vice versa).
That car ferry from Hellesylt is another way to drive up from Voss- up through Vik and the Vangsnes cross fjord car ferry (maybe adding Balestrand), then via Stryn, and any of various road routes from Geiranger to Alesund.

mnannie, that could be. I have no idea. I did check out that post and thought that was interesting. That's a shame she won't be able to go to Bergen, but I'm sure Maløy will be nice.

Mardee, how much changing do you want to do? Can you keep the car and drop it off in Ålesund before flying to Bergen?

We could. It's not set in stone, and I'm sure I could change it. In fact, I brought that up with her yesterday. She's down in the cities right now, shadowing a surgeon, but she and I have plans to talk on Saturday to figure this out. So this glitch could turn out to be a good thing for us.

Stuart, that's interesting about the MS Vesteralen. I did know it was a smaller ship, which I was fine with.

So either book a different ship with over 10k (see ship profiles) or stay on MS Vesteralen and arrange it as a day trip.

Mark, the problem is that we're making educated guesses about it, and Hurtigruten has not specifically stated why there is a six-week period where they're not allowed to enter Geiranger. Also, there's no other ships available on their line, so it may just be an question now of not taking one at all.

Honestly, I think this could be for the best. When I mentioned taking a day cruise to Geiranger on a smaller ship, my daughter really wasn't thrilled with that idea. I think we're going to scrap that and just figure out what to do. There are shorter cruises and also a kayak trip, but that would involve us having to find a way to get to Geiranger from Ålesund. I do know that we can drive down. It looks like it's about a two-hour+ drive, with one ferry crossing that can supposedly be very crowded with long waits. It doesn't really look that appealing.

So at this point, we have. If we decide to cancel the overnight cruise, we could either spend more time on the road from Voss and spend the night at some random place before we get to Ålesund. Or we could spend an extra night in Ålesund, which I don't think is really needed. But at this point I'm guessing. I'm going to let her decide, and we're going to talk on Saturday.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. This is really interesting about all the cruise ships. I don't know much about them, and the last cruise I took was when my daughter was one year old. My sister was working for NCL in the entertainment division back in the early 80's and she got free cabins for me, my daughter, my 2 other sisters, and my mom. 😊 I'm sure it's nothing like it is today.

Mardee, that NCL ship you were on in the 80's is nothing like the floating cities they are building today. My first cruise was NCL Starward in the 70's. It looks like a toy compared to today's mega ships. The thought of sailing on one of these ships with 3000 to 4000 or more passengers plus crew makes my skin crawl. But, many people love them.

Back to topic. If you're up for a road trip from Voss to Ålesund, you will be driving through some stunning scenery. I would consider taking 2 nights to get to Ålesund so you can have time for stops.

Change your Voss stay to 1 night, kayak the Naeroyfjord in the morning and then head to Balestrand for a night. There's a Stave Church in Vik on the way from Voss.

Then another night along the way, maybe in the Loen,-Stryn-Olden area. There will be loads of beautiful places to stop on your drive from Voss to Ålesund.

Just more to think about!

Well you could travel from Gudvangen to Kaupanger on the Lustraabatane car ferry (not their passenger ferry to Flam), as I think you cut out the Naeroyfjord at one stage (so you are now adding that back). That ferry can be pre-booked.

Then drive to Hellesylt for the ferry to Geiranger (which you can also pre-book).

Then after visiting Geiranger take route 63 up to Eidsdal for the Eidsdal to Linge car ferry (a 13 minute crossing every 30 minutes), then drive to Alesund, ending there (either on the 650 direct, or the 63/E136/E39 - the latter route would give you Andalsnes as well, if you have time in the schedule for what is a very worthwhile addition.

Jean, I'm liking that idea a lot—thanks! I will definitely show it to Katie when we talk about this tomorrow.

Stuart, those are some interesting thoughts as well. I'm still not sure we're going back to the ferry idea, but I will talk to her about that as well. I think that she'd like having all these options to look at. Thanks so much!

I think however one can explore Norway, it is wonderful . I did want to clear up a few misconceptions about cruising. There are different sized ships, even among the same cruise line. Some “Mega ships”, but plenty more that fall in the 2,000 category. Then there are cruise lines like Azamara with 300-400 guests.

I do think with the level of travel experience and planning that Mardee brings to a trip, she might find cruising feels a bit too narrow of an experience for her. I enjoy cruises, but I also understand the give and take involved. I will have a “sampler” of a country. I will also have a vacation I can afford. I usually strive to combine a cruise with a land tour or independent travel to “fill in the gaps.”

I can’t imagine not going on the 14 day cruise I took along the Norwegian Coast that went from Southampton past the North Cape. I was able to enjoy so many different areas in Norway that I would not have seen independently in that timeframe. The coastline of Norway is fascinating. It was a perfect place for cruising.

I do think with the level of travel experience and planning that Mardee brings to a trip, she might find cruising feels a bit too narrow of an experience for her.

Carol, thanks for your thoughts. Even if it wasn't for me, I think my daughter is really having a hard time spending that much time on a ship. She is very, very active; she runs marathons and even ultra marathons. Come as a cross-country skier and doesn't know the meaning of sitting still. So I think it's probably going to be best to forego the cruise and maybe just add to that night before we get to Alesund. We're going to talk about it later today, after she gets back from the kids' soccer camp.

Well you could travel from Gudvangen to Kaupanger on the Lustraabatane car ferry (not their passenger ferry to Flam), as I think you cut out the Naeroyfjord at one stage (so you are now adding that back). That ferry can be pre-booked.

Stuart, we never cut out the Naeroyfjord, but instead of cruising along it, we were planning to take a kayak trip along it. That is already booked, and I have every intention of keeping that in. But I like Jean's idea of adding Balestrand in and having an extra day/night on the road, which is doable now.

All I have to do now is just figure out where I can drop the car off in Alesund and see if that's possible.

Mardee, I am sorry it is difficult

Thank you, Nigel.—that's very nice of you to say. It is a headache, but I don't think it's too terrible, and I'm hoping that I can maybe make some lemonade out of these lemons. 🍋 🍋 🍋🍸😊

I know you can do kayaking on the Geraingerfjord (I've seen them, happy to watch them!!), perhaps the Klovstien path might be an idea while you are over Geiranger way.
Andalsnes is a mountaineering centre, with a wonderful location on a fjord, and also Rodven Stave Church close by. It's a place I like a lot.
And there's also the new Gondola (cable car) there as well now.
There are definitely potential positives to come out of this, and not enough time now for all it opens up.
The stave church is in a lovely rural location

In case helpful, here are the routes I plotted out for day trip with a car from near Alesund to see Geirangerfjord. Note it was at the end of May 2023 so do check for current ferry schedules. Also definitely book ahead the Hellesylt/Geiranger ferry trip. https://www.fjord1.no/eng/about-fjord1/our-operating-segments/tourism It's a separate arrangement from the rest of the national ferry system. We had a booking. But many others who did not and just showed up did not get on our sailing. For the other ferries I had registered an account with our rental car the license plate with the ferry company so we just rolled on and off. https://www.fjord1.no/eng/ferrypay You might also look on YouTube for some guides to using the ferries like this https://youtu.be/_n8vppkDkAA?si=Qibk_-5FKlR2f3rh Note we did the counterclockwise version which allowed us to leave a little later in the morning.

CLOCKWISE

Sunrise about 4:00

Storfjord Hotel to Linge drive (60k, 60 min) *90 Leave 7:00 to make the 11:00 ferry (or leave at 10:00 am to make the 14:00 ferry)

Linge to Eidsdal by car ferry (every 30-45 min, takes 15 min, earliest 7:00, latest 22:00)

Eidsdal to Geiranger drive (25k, 30 min) *45

Geiranger to Hellesylt by car ferry (every 1.5 hours, takes 75 min) Arrive 9:30 or 10:30 (or arrive 12:30 or 13:30)
(Summer departures 08:00, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00)

Hellesylt to Lekneset drive (30k, 35 min) *45

Lekneset to Sæbø by car ferry (every 30 to 60 min, takes 15 min)

Sæbø to Festøya drive (70k, 90 min) *135

Festøya to Solavågen by car ferry www.fjord1.no (every 30 min, takes 20 min, earliest 8:10, latest 23:10)

Solavågen Storfjord Hotel drive (25k, 25 min) *45

Sunset about 23:00

If exact driving time, and had to wait each ferry max. time, takes about 8.5 hours

If *1.5x driving time, and had to wait each ferry max. time, takes about 10.5 hours

COUNTERCLOCKWISE

Sunrise about 4:00

Storfjord Hotel to Solavågen drive (25k, 25 min) *45 Leave 8 am to make the 15:30 ferry

Solavågen to Festøya by car ferry www.fjord1.no (every 30 min, takes 20 min, earliest 8:10)

Festøya to Sæbø drive (70k, 90 min) *135

Sæbø to Lekneset by car ferry (every 30 to 60 min, takes 15 min)

Lekneset to Hellesylt drive (30k, 35 min) *45 Arrive 13:00 or 14:00

Hellesylt to Geiranger by car ferry (every 1.5 hours, takes 75 min) (summer departures are 09:30, 12:30, 15:30, 18:30)

Geiranger to Eidsdal drive (25k, 30 min) *45

Eidsdal to Linge by car ferry (every 30-45 min, takes 15 min, latest 22:00)

Linge to Storfjord Hotel drive (60k, 60 min) *90

Sunset about 23:00

If exact driving time, and had to wait each ferry max. time, takes about 8.5 hours

If *1.5x driving time, and had to wait each ferry max. time, takes about 10.5 hours

Stuart, thanks so much for those ideas. I will definitely check those out. I am really interested in the stave churches, so that is especially nice to see there.

Laurie Ann, thank you so much for all this detailed information! At this point, I am rethinking our whole plan. I've decided to cancel the Hurtigruten trip and instead modify our route coming from Oslo. Originally, we were going to pick up the rental car in Oslo, drive to Morgedal for one night, and then spend two nights in Voss, then drop off the rental car in Bergen and board the Hurtigruten vessel to Alesund that evening.

Now we have decided to still keep the original part, which takes us from Oslo to Morgedal to Voss. But we are only spending one night in Voss, then in the morning will drive to Gudvangen for a 4-5 hour kayak tour along the Naeroyfjord. After that, we will drive to Balestrand where we will spend the second night, and then head to the Loen-Stryn area for the last night on the road. From there, we will drive to Alesund by one of three different routes, which we have yet to choose, and drop off our rental car. We will still stay in Alesund for two nights as planned, and then fly to Bergen as planned.

I talked to my daughter at length last evening, and she is really interested in not spending hours and hours on a ship, but rather driving from place to place, looking at the scenery and stopping where we want. It will still be a long drive, but it will be broken up into 5 different segments, which makes it much more doable.

glad it is coming together.

sounds like a good mom daughter combo

Nigel, I hope so! I'm glad she and I are on the same page now! 😊

Laurie Ann, I forgot to thank you for the video. That will be helpful! I do consider myself somewhat of a pro with car ferries, as I traveled all over Scotland traveling from one island to the next, but I'm sure that every country is a bit different. I will definitely watch it.