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Cruise & Ski in Norway
Have we invented something New?
Is this the first cruise and ski holiday on the market?
PART I
Last month, I took an early morning BA flight from Heathrow to Tromso - the self-styled Northern Lights Capital of Norway.
Arriving at lunch time, I was due to join my cruise at 23:30 that night so I had about 11 hours to visit this pretty little town and see what it had to offer.. First thing to do was to ask one of the local hotels close to the cruise terminal to store my bag for the day which they are used to doing for a cost of around £9. Once sorted, I headed off for an invigorating coffee at the Vervet Bakeri - a modern style cafe with stunning views, ace coffee and delectable pasties.
Suitably refuelled, I took a short stroll to the nearby POLAR MUSEUM housed in a quaint, almost rickety building, dedicated to the greats of Norwegian Polar expoloration as well as some local legends who pioneered wintering above the Artic Circle in Svalbard back in the early 20th Century.
Then it was time to take a stroll along Storgata - Tromso's main thoroughfare...dotted with shops, restaurants and bars where the hardy locals were sitting outside in -6c. Tromso is a very popular tourist town so there were plenty of tourists around and the hotel nightly prices are £200-300 a room. I was intrigued by a small Kiosk called the Raketten Bar which had a long queue waiting to order their signature reindeer hot dogs and beer..Even more interesting/weird was the Outdoor Cinema with no heaters showing what looked like a 50s Russian movie!
Then as if on cue, the Northern Lights came out to bring the street to a standstill as the magical green patterns danced upon the sky for the next 15 minutes. So job done, having seen the Lights it was time to get a bite to eat and in Tromso, the signature dish is fish and more specifically King Crab caught locally along the coast. If your wallet or palate doesn't stretch to this, then you can have pizza, burgers or ramen which is what I went for to keep the body heat topped up as the evening drew in.
After which, I picked up my bag and walked the 100m to the centrally located cruise terminal where I joined my fellow passengers waiting for the ship to arrive which it duly did ontime and in a matter of minutes I was onboard and in my cabin with double bed, large porthole, desk (for working!) and a TV not to mention the heated floor in the bathroom!
The cruise is operated by HAVILA VOYAGES for whom we are booking agents and they operate 4 ships that go up and down the Norwegian coast from Bergen to Kirkenes which is 15km from the Russian border. The full cruise takes 6 nights and can be joined at either end or some diehards do the full 12 night cruise experience. The ships accommodate approx. 640 passengers maxium though my cruise was probably ony 60% full. There is also the option to do a shorter cruise for 1-6 nights as you can hop on/hop off at one of the many ports they stop at.
I opted for the 4 night cruise between Tromso and Bergen which arguably takes in the most stunning scenery on the route.
On board there is a sauna, gym and two outdoor hot tubs if you're willing to brave the 20m sprint across the outdoor deck.
Full board is included in your price and I have to say that the service and food onboard was a truly great experience.
Breakfast is buffet style with one hot dish you can order a la carte such as English Breakfast or Norwegian salmon and scrambled eggs.
For lunch you can choose e.g. 4 small plate dishes from the menu such as mussels, fish soup, pork belly, fries, flatbreads and always finished with the surprise dessert of the day!
Dinner is a choice from 3 starters, mains and a couple of desserts accompanied by side dishes of potatoes and salad.
The wine list was varied and not as expensive as you'd imagine with a glass of wine starting at around £12.
For real foodies they also operate a fine dining restaurant featuring Tasting Menus available at a supplement.
During the day, the onboard cafe serves drinks and snacks if required.
So to the cabins onboard..
Initially, I was going to book the budget Inside cabin which have no window and 2-4 single beds - ideal for solo travellers or families on a budget.
Instead I opted for a Superior cabin with seaview which was very spacious and uber comfortable and you could watch the Norwegian coast go by from your large window. For those seeking a louch of luxury - there are also Suites onboard with floor-to-ceiling windows or balconies and these range in size from 18-45 sq.m
How do you spend your days?
Well the ships travel at a stately 13km per hour gliding silently along the pristine shoreline and on some of the Decks, the entire side of the ship features floor to ceiling windows and on the top deck is the panoramic bar with great viewing windows. You just grab some seats, bring a book and watch the Norwegian wilderness go by..
The ship pulls into several ports a day and you have the opportunity to hop off 1-2 times a day for an hour or so to take a look at the little port towns.
On board, they offer a great variety of excursions to maximise the holiday experience but I didn't partake as they can be expensive.
The cruise highlights for me were the incredible Lofoten Islands, the TrollFjord, Svolvær and the city of Trondhiem with it's Old Town and great coffee..
Travelling in this manner is truly the art of relaxation and the small ship environment means it is intimate and not overwhelming. There are many nationalities onboard.
Day 5 saw us pull into Bergen where I checked into my hotel (costing under £80 a night) and spent the day visiting the UNESCO site of Brygge and soaking up the Norwegian vibes..
PART II
So this trip is only half over as it's now time to go skiing!
From Bergen you can travel in under 2hrs by direct scenic train to the west coast resorts of Voss and Myrkdalen and be on your skis in no time.
Here we have a selection of hotels on offer and I particularly like the ski in/ski out 4* HOTEL MYRKDALEN where everything is on your doorstep.
The good news is that our lift tickets allow you to ski at both Voss and Myrkdalen which are approx. 30min. apart by bus.
At the end of your trip you just take the train back to Bergen, hop on the airport tram which stops outside the train station and fly direct from Bergen back to Gatwick or Aberdeen!
However, on my trip, I took the scenic 3hr train from Bergen to arguably, Norway's top resort of GEILO where I was met at the station and within 5 minutes was at the 4* VESTLIA RESORT. Geilo is split into two ski areas on opposite sides of the valley and connected by a frequent ski bus which takes a few minutes to travel between the two. The advantage of staying at Vestlia Resort is that it operates a half board option serving substantial buffet breakfasts and a pretty good 3 course set dinner with choices.
The Vestlia side is very family friendly being ski in/ski out and features approx. 35% of the terrain with easy green. blue and red runs all leading back to the resort.There is an excellent mountain bistro called KIKUT as well as a bouji champagne hut if you're in the mood..
The other side of the valley gets more sun and has a lot more terrain and this is where most of our lodging is located. There is a small micro village on this side with some shops, a couple of restaurants and a supermarket.
At the end of my trip, I took the 3.5hr train from Geilo to Oslo and flew home. The train is very comfortable with a buffet cafe onboard, a children's play area and there is a PLUS cabin which offers more spacious seats for a small supplement.
THE WEATHER
I travelled at the end of January and it was light from about 8.30am - 4pm - there was not a cloud in the sky the whole 7 days I was in Norway.
Can't always be guaranteed but it dispels the myth of dark and short days!
We'd recommend this once in a lfetime trip if you fancy seeing the best of Norway at the same time as getting some good fun skiing in..
