Scandinavia & Russia Cruise

15 day cruise/tour • May 21, 2013

Optional Fjords of Norway pre-tour - SOLD OUT!

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Dr. S. Michael Wilcox
Dr. S. Michael Wilcox
Special Guest Educator

The Best Scandinavian Cruise & Tour Ever!

The fantastic cruise includes Copenhagen Denmark, Stockholm Sweden, Helsinki Finland, St. Petersburg Russia, Tallinn Estonia, Berlin Germany, Aarahus Denmark and Oslo Norway.  Add Dr. S. Michael Wilcox and you have the best Scandinavia experience possible. There is a huge advantage to visiting all of the Scandinavian Capitals by sea instead of by land.  Your luxury Princess cruise ship sails to your next port of call while you sleep.  This eliminates many days of driving and the checking into and out of hotels every day.  With the ship you only unpack once, enjoy endless amounts of food and have free nightly entertainment.  It also gives us the perfect venue for us to meet, listen to Dr. Wilcox and have our own parties.
 
There are many parts of the world we would highly recommend you do not try and visit by ship.  For example, Italy should never be done by ship as it is impossible to visit Ravenna, Florence and Rome by ship.  With the exception of the Fjords of Norway, most of what you should see and experience can easily be seen in a full days shore excursion from your Princess ship.  St. Petersburg is the one city that takes at least two full days to see the best that it has to offer, so Princess is spending two full days in St. Petersburg.
 
We highly recommend you add the 3 day pre tour that includes the fantastic, gorgeous, majestic fjords of Norway.  Read below about what you will see and experience on this option.  Those that have taken this option in the past have felt it was the top highlight of everything they did in the Scandinavian Countries. You are just a few weeks from the longest day of the year in this part of the world.  It may not even get dark at night and if it does it will be for only an hour or two. This is the perfect time of year!

Your Fantastic Cruise Price Includes:

  • Princess cruise ship "Emerald Princess" in upgraded inside cabin ID.
  • All Port Charges.
  • All cruise taxes and booking fees.
  • Two nights Deluxe Copenhagen Hotel.
  • Guest Educator Dr. S. Michael Wilcox.
  • Our own group get-togethers on ship.
  • Fun For Less Tour Staff throughout the cruise, shore excursions and tour.  “We don’t send you, we take you”!
  • Option to purchase our deeply discounted shore excursions and transfer package at tremendous savings over what the ship charges.
  • Option to purchase our 3 day pre tour that includes Fjords of Norway, the Bergen Railway and the famous Flam Rail. 
  • Option to purchase discounted airfare.

Pricing Information

SOLD OUT

Shore Excursions and Transfer Package Includes:

  • 10 days of land tours & shore excursions – (does not include shore excursions in St. Petersburg, they will only allow the ships buses into the port!).
  • All transfers to and from airports, ship and hotels.
  • Approximately 50% less than what the ship charges for similar shore excursions, tours and transfers in Copenhagen. Plus we include Fun For less Tours staff on all tours, shore excursions and transfers.  Plus all of your shore excursions and tours are not with strangers, your with the same passengers throughout.

The Fjords of Norway Pre-Tour Option Includes:

  • Our Fjords of Norway Pre-tour Option includes all transfers and all land tours.
  • 3 nights 5 star luxury hotel in Oslo Norway.
  • Additional tours in Oslo.
  • The “Norway in a Nut Shell” tour, which includes the following:
    • The Bergen Railway.
      The Bergen Railway is a unique experience on Northern Europe's highest-altitude railway line. One of the greatest challenges is the harsh and changeable weather. The line is exposed to deep low-pressure centres from the west, which can mean strong winds and heavy snow for part of the year. Keeping the railway open demands great effort and technical expertise. Today, skilled workers, effective equipment, tunnels and snow tunnels make the Bergen Railway one of the safest and most comfortable ways of travelling between Oslo and Bergen. The line was voted one of the 20 best railway experiences in the world in 1999.
    • The Flam Railway
      The journey on the Flam Railway is regarded as one of the highlights of the Norway in a nutshell® tour. The 20-km-long train journey from the mountain station of Myrdal down to Flam, down beside the fjord, takes around 55 minutes. On the journey, you have views of some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in Norway with an ever-changing panorama of tall mountains and cascading waterfalls. The train moves slowly or stops at the best views.
    • Splendid Norwegian fjords - on UNESCO's World Heritage List!
      Down at the picturesque village of Flam, there is time to eat and to wander around before continuing your journey by boat. The boat sails out the Aurlandsfjord and into the Naeroyfjord, one of the narrowest fjord in Europe. The Naeroyfjord is included on UNESCO's famous World Heritage List. Surrounded by towering mountains up to 1,800 metres high, this branch of the Sognefjord is amazingly beautiful. On the journey, you have excellent views of small traditional farms. If you are lucky, you will see goats grazing right beside the fjord and seals basking on rocks before the boat moors at Gudvangen.
    • Stalheimskleiva The journey continues by coach up the steep and spectacular hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva*. The road up to Stalheim Hotel has 13 steep bends. After enjoying the wonderful views of the Stalheimsfossen and Sivlefossen waterfalls, we continue the journey back to Oslo.

Itinerary (subject to change)

Note: On our last Scandinavian cruise everyone included the shore excursion package, so the itineraries is written as if you have included the Shore excursion package.  History has shown the majority of our passengers want to add the Pre tour to the Fjords of Norway.
 

Fjords of Norway day by day itinerary:

Day 1: May 20: Fly from the U.S. to Oslo, Norway.

Day 2: May 21: Oslo, Norway
Upon arrival into Oslo we will transfer to our 5 star luxury hotel.

Day 3: May 22: Oslo, Norway
Full Day tour of Oslo that will include the Viking Museum. The highlight of the day will be the Open Air Museum. Norway has gathered ancient homes, farm houses, schools, churches (even a Stave Church) from around Norway and created an authentic open air museum. Much like Plymouth Plantation near Boston and Williamsburg in Virginia, it is stepping back in time where everyone dresses as they did hundreds of years ago. Overnight luxury hotel.
 
Day 4: May 23: “Norway in a Nutshell" -
Today will be a full day of highlights you will never forget. With our last group, most said this was their best day in all the time they spent visiting the Scandinavian Countries, including Russia!.  Norway in a nutshell ® takes you through some of Norway's most beautiful fjord scenery. You can experience the scenic Bergen Railway, the breathtaking Flam Railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the narrow Naeroyfjord (now included on UNESCO's World Heritage List) and the steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva.
 
Note:  For those not doing the Pre-tour itinerary:
  • May 21:  Fly from the US to Copenhagen.
  • May 22:  Upon arrival we will do a city tour that will include a visit to the church that has the original Christus.  You will overnight in Copenhagen.
  • May 23:  Free morning to explore Copenhagen and in the afternoon we will board our Princess ship  – sail through the night to Oslo.
Day 5: May 24: Oslo, Norway
Those not doing the pre-tour will do a tour of Oslo, the Viking Museum and more before returning to the ship.  Those doing the Pre-tour will have a free morning before heading to the ship to board.  From this point forward, both the pre tour and the regular tour will be together!

Day 6: May 25: Aarhus, Denmark
This will be our first time at this port of call. We do not know yet if we will offer a shore excursion or recommend you go ashore on your own. We will let you know within 2 months of your cruise.
 
Day 7: May 26: Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany
Our Optional Shore excursion will take you from the port to Berlin with a full day tour of both the West and East side of Berlin.
 
Day 8: May 27: Fun day at Sea
In addition to relaxing, dining and being entertained, you will have a chance to meet with our special guest educator: Dr. S. Michael Wilcox.
 
Day 9: May 28: Tallinn, Estonia
This morning we will arrive into Tallin Estonia. One of the best kept secrets in Europe. Tallin is a beautiful port city which was established thousands of years ago along ancient trade routes. The original residents of Tallin built an enormous wall to protect their city and it was at one time completely enclosed within these walls. Though the city has expanded since its inception, a large portion of the original wall stands. We do not recommend purchasing a shore excursion from the ship. The ancient walled city is best explored on your own by wandering through the cobblestone streets of the "Old Town".
 
Day 10 & 11: May 29 & 30: St. Petersburg, Russia
You will spend 2 days in St. Petersburg. The only way to visit St. Petersburg is to purchase the ships shore excursions. This way you are not required to have a separate Russian Visa that could cost over $200 per person. The ship’s shore excursions are expensive, but not bad when you take into consideration you do not have to pay for the Russian Visa.
 
Day 12: May 31: Helsinki, Finland
This morning early we arrive into Helsinki. Our optional shore excursion will visit the Finnish countryside and the charming old wooden town of Porvoo. From the red warehouses nestled on the riverbanks to the delightful old town, you'll discover a tranquil village. Porvoo retains its town plan from the Middle Ages, with small wooden houses, picturesque gardens and narrow streets. We will return in the afternoon for a tour of Helsinki before returning to our ship.
 
Day 13: June 1: Stockholm, Sweden
Our optional shore excursion, Includes a full day tour of Stockholm that will feature the fantastic Vasa Museum. The Vasa is the world’s only surviving 17th-century ship and one of the foremost tourist sites in the world. The ship is displayed in a purpose-built museum in Stockholm. We will also enjoy a tour of the city including city hall.

Day 14: June 2: Fun Day at Sea
In addition to relaxing, dining and being entertained, you will have a chance to meet with our special guest educator: Dr. S Michael Wilcox.

Day 15:  June 3:  Copenhagen
Both those doing Option #1 and Option #2 will tour during the day before going to their hotel in Copenhagen.  Our Basic cruise package included one night in Copenhagen and our optional land tour & shore excursion package also includes a night in Copenhagen.  For those that did not do the Fjords pre-tour you will visit the country side and the Frederiksberg Castle, tonight is your last night, tomorrow you fly home.  The Fjord Pre-tour group will do their first day of touring which will include the city tour and the Church with the first Christus.      
 
Day 16: June 4: Copenhagen – Home
The non-extension group will transfer to the airport for their flight home.  The extension group will do their second day of site seeing in Copenhagen including the country side and Frederiksberg Castle.  You will stay a second night in Copenhagen.  You will fly home tomorrow. 
 
Day 17: June 5: Copenhagen – Home
Today you will transfer to the airport and your flight home.