Norwegian fjords question

[ErrolTheDragon]

DH and I (62, pretty fit) are doing a fjord cruise in august, we're wondering which (if any) of the excursions might be worth doing vs what we can do by ourselves at the various ports. Some of the excursions look a bit naff tbh, some look good but (of course) expensive. Downside of doing things solo is the risk of missing the boat I guess!

Does anyone have ideas on 'must do', good , or bad experiences at :
Bergen
Eidfjord
Skjolden
Olden
Andalsnes

Thanks!

You can shop around and pick your booking timings carefully and do better than £10k.
We are sailing for 24 nights (across 3 trips) this year for around £10k for 2 in total, all balcony (7 nights suite), on Celebrity (17n) and Azamara (7n).

Which line?

Waves to @Chewbecca though I have a different name on CC.

Blimey. We did a window cabin, for 7 days in july for £1000 each! We did thunk about a balcony but we spent the extra money on drinks package instead and stayed outside the room as much as possible. Even a balcony on p and o wont be that dear.

I did 7 nights on P&O Iona last September, balcony cabin on deck 11 for £1000

Wow that’s good! Was it a last minute deal?

Fred Olsen

We’ve been on 2 P&O cruises to the Fjords. Olden is easy, we did the little train there, but you can do the glacier or skylift with Olden Adventures who are based at the port. In Bergen we’ve done the cable car, funicular which was a 15 minute walk from the port. So jealous, have a fabulous time.

Fred is quite pricey. A lot of Fred passengers seem to be defecting to Ambassador (because of cost) who are doing some ridiculously cheap cruises this summer, some offer under £50pppn (inside). Their ships don’t really appeal to me though so haven’t tried.

Went for a week years ago. Went to a glacier. Enjoyed that. Went to Bergen- pretty place but not particularly memorable. Have a wonderful time. Don't forget rain mac but also a cardigan as air conditioning can make it nippy on board.

@ErrolTheDragon What sort of things do you like to do or see?

Scenery, wildlife, history.

Off the top of my head (I'll try to think of more). Around the centre:

History:
The Gestapo museum www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g190502-d23451034-Reviews-Gestapomuseet_Bergen-Bergen_Hordaland_Western_Norway.html

Håkonshallen www.visitnorway.com/listings/the-king-håkon´s-hall-bymuseet-i-bergen/6494/

Linked to the above - Bergenhus Fortress www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g190502-d519688-Reviews-Bergenhus_Fortress-Bergen_Hordaland_Western_Norway.html

Bryggen (think there's also a museum here) en.visitbergen.com/things-to-do/bryggen-in-bergen-p878553

Scenery:

Fløyen (which you already know about). Walks on Fløyen floyen.no/en/activities/walks-hikes-floyen/ 

Depending when you come in August, there can be free canoes on the lake on Fløyen. www.floyen.no/hva-skjer-floyen/supersommer-paa-floeyen (Everyday up to 13th August, then every weekend after that)

Nordnes - nice area to walk and park/ viewpoint area at the end www.visitnordic.com/en/attraction/nordnes-park
Also has an outdoor pool www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g190502-d4598383-Reviews-Nordnes_Sjobad-Bergen_Hordaland_Western_Norway.html

You can easily travel to Ulriken from the town centre (shuttle bus type travel) and take the cable cars up and down.

There’s also the fishing museum.

Was coming onto suggest Ambassador as I know a few who have gone there now. Some also defected to Saga but not sure how expensive they are but they have a lot of inclusions I think. Also age restrictions on saga!

Only been to Bergen and Olden. We did our own thing in both, no cruise excursions. Bergen is a pleasant town (although not particularly mind blowing). We had a wander around the town and went on the funicular. Olden was beautiful but recommended you get out into the countryside as the village itself is small. We got a bus to Briksdal. Really easy and direct from the port, although I can’t remember if we booked tickets in advance or just turned up. Think we may be booked before. The walk up to the glacier is easy to find and has breathtaking views (we were so lucky with the weather). Have a great time. The fjords are beautiful

Bergen you can do yourselves. The other ones, it depends on how keen you are to get out and see the mountains and fjords. All are pretty places but they are small and there isn't a huge amount to do in the villages themselves. I probably wouldn't bother doing the excursions for all of them, maybe Åndalsnes and one other, and then potter around the local area in the others.