Norway - The Ultimate Natural Cruise Experience And The Safest Country In The World
In Cruise Norway News number 1 2010, you can read more about:
- News from Cruise Norway
- News from Bergen
- News from Kristiansund
- News from Flåm
- News from Stavanger
- News from Jondal - Hardangerfjord
- News from North Cape
- News from Geiranger - Hellesylt - Stranda
NEWS FROM CRUISE NORWAY
Mark your calendar: June 15, for Innovation Norway`s Norwegian Day in London and Cruise Norway`s conference and workshop.
Winter cruises to Norway
Winter cruise calls are on the increase in Norway with two booked for 2010 (Saga and Cruise & Maritime) followed by at least four cruises in 2011. View our new Winter Wonderland brochure as an e-book.
Cruise tourist survey
Between May and September 2010 the Department of Trade in Norway will conduct a survey among cruise tourists in some Norwegian ports. The aim of the survey is to analyze the level of satisfaction and value. The Norwegian government has decided that it wants to have more facts about the value of cruise tourism in Norway.
Cruise Shipping Miami 2010
For the first time, Cruise Norway and its partners will all be together under one Norwegian umbrella at Cruise Shipping Miami. 19 cruise ports at Booth 829. We will be promoting Norwegian seafood at our stand on Tuesday and Wednesday together with a famous Norwegian chef from Lerøy. By invitation only.
Early Warning System
Cruise Norway is developing an Early Warning System (EWS) for the Norwegian ports. A calendar with an overview of the number of port calls in ports on certain dates, weeks and 3 years ahead. 20 Norwegian ports will be part of EWS, which will be a good tool for the cruise lines. We hope to present the tool in Miami.
The Norwegian market is the first to develop a product of this kind, - and one that has been requested by several cruise lines.
Web
New, updated quality guidelines for Cruise Norway members, covering port facilities, service, crew services, shoreex, guide standard and environment will be released very soon and launched under Trade News on www.cruise-norway.no.
At the same time Cruise Norway is improving its web and picture gallery with many new pictures.
FAM-Trip 2010
Cruise Norway's next fam trips (1 and/or 2) will be arranged in week 36 to the following ports: Kristiansand - Stavanger - Hardanger - Flåm - Skjolden - Molde & Åndalsnes - Kristiansund and Trondheim. We welcome itinerary planners and shore ex from cruise lines to participate in the site inspections.
BERGEN - THE GATEWAY TO THE FJORDS OF NORWAY
Musical experiences and silver treasure at Bergen's art museums
Experience Bergen's "silver treasure" at the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art. "Silver treasure - the art of Bergen's goldsmiths" is a permanent exhibition displaying silver and gold objects made in Bergen over a period of 500 years.
Bergen International Festival 2010
The festival will run from 26 May to 9 June. The Philip Glass film "Koyaanisquatsi" will be screened to the accompaniment of live music performed by Philip Glass's own ensemble and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
The young chief conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen, NDR Radiophilharmonie and soloist Gabriela Montero will perform Grieg and Berlioz. Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Nikolaj Znaider and Saleem Abboud Ashkar are among the other highlights, together with the witch hunt opera Anne Pedersdotter, a new stage production directed by Calixto Bieito and a celebration of Ole Bull, the 19th century violinist.
Open-air Opera
Experience a full-scale open-air opera. At 9 pm on 25, 26 and 30 June, La Traviata will be performed in beautiful surroundings at Bergenhus Fortress, a natural amphitheatre. Gusieppe Verdi's La Traviata is one of the most famous and popular operas of all time. Staged for the first time in 1853, the opera has become immensely popular, and it is a staple of the operatic repertoire. Enjoy the summer evening, the performance and the music, together with a good variety of food and drinks.
KRISTIANSUND - THE WORLD`S BEST ROAD TRIP AND ONE OF NORWAY`S MOST DISTINCTIVE TOWNS
A New unique attraction at the idyllic island of Smøla - 30 minutes from Kristiansund
At the Guri Center you can see the exhibition "Meetings with the wind" which is an extraordinary and interesting experience. Visitors will hear stories about the wind both as a curiosity and as facts. The exhibition is presented through audio guides, animations, original objects and interactive stations.
The Guri Center is located at the beautiful island of Smøla, north of Kristiansund and is best be reached by taking the 30-minute express boat-trip from Kristiansund. The center is just 100 meters from the quay, right by the shore and surrounded by attractions and cultural heritage.
The Guri Center is also the setting for the area's most beautiful historical pageant; "Fru Guri av Edøy". This play is staged every year in this fantastic amphitheatre. Enjoy home made food and a perfect cup of coffee made by the barrista at the "Fruen Café". Suitable for both groups and individuals. Welcome!
FLÅM - THE ULTIMATE CRUISE DESTINATION
The Flåm Railway, the spectacular train journey from Flåm at the innermost corner of the Sognefjord to the high mountain station at Myrdal, is regarded a masterpiece of Norwegian engineering, 20 km long, with a descent of 865 meters and a gradient of 1 meter in 18. On board the Flåm Railway you can experience some of Norway`s wildest and most magnificent scenery.
The Flåm Railway runs with 4 daily departures 1 January to 1 May, increasing to 9 departures from 2 May to 12 June, 10 daily departures 13 June to 26 September and 4 daily departures throughout the rest of the year. At Myrdal, the train to and from Flåm connects with most day-trains running between Oslo and Bergen.
STAVANGER - THE SHORTCUT TO THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS
Stavanger trains more tour guides
Over thirty people are currently attending a course to qualify as tour guides in Stavanger. A pool of seventy tour guides already exists, with a further reserve of thirty guides who can be called upon when necessary.
The people currently attending the course will be examined in February. Once again, Stavanger will be well equipped to greet another sharp upturn in cruise traffic to the city and the region. In 2010, around 115 dockings are anticipated, with a capacity of over 190,000 passengers. Experience suggests that somewhere between 165,000 and 170,000 cruise guests will actually visit Stavanger.
In 2009, Stavanger did not achieve the one-hundred cruise ship dockings that had been hoped for, but ninety-nine is as close as it is possible to get to this figure without actually achieving it. No fewer than 147,000 cruise guests and 60,000 crewmembers took the opportunity to come ashore in Stavanger during 2009, making it the first year during which cruise ships brought over 200,000 people to the city.
The locally owned Guidecompaniet organizes most of the guiding in the region. Two people work full-time on organization, planning and new developments, and can call on tour guides in twenty-three languages.
The rapid increase in cruise traffic in recent years is also a major factor behind the sharp upturn in assignments, and when guides frequently lead tours they also become more experienced and better guides.
JONDAL - HARDANGERFJORD
Herand Cultural-Historical Centre and Cultural-Heritage Path
The photo exhibition "The 9000-year-journey" shows how the cultural landscape in Herand has changed since the last glacial age. In the landscape nearby there are tracks leading back to different periods of human activity - 9000-year-old settlements in caves, rock carvings from the Bronze Age, unique geological phenomena known as trafoni , relics of boat houses and grave sites from the Iron Age. The cultural-heritage path is in walking distance from the Centre.
NORTH CAPE - THE NORTHERNMOST POINT
Cruise Representatives on Fam trip to Norway in 2009 requested improved Sound system at BirdSafari. Therefore BirdSafari has acted on the relevant feedback from the familiarization trip in Northern Norway. New loudspeakers have been installed on both MS Havsula and MS Lundekongen. Now the guests will enjoy better sound waves on the excursion.
GEIRANGERFJORD Cruise Port
Geiranger - Hellesylt - Stranda
The Geirangerfjord is globally unique and in July 2005 it was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Natural World Heritage Sites in recognition and confirmation of the importance of our local natural heritage. However, this carries certain obligations, and there has been much focus on the Geirangerfjord concerning a number of areas and challenges related to port-based activities.
To enable the cruise destination to be a good host and deliver good services, new cruise facilities in the area are planned. New cruise piers will be operative in Stranda and Hellesylt from the 2011 season. This will be a new feature for the cruise industry in a world known area. In the future it is important for us to focus on the flexible use of the facilities. Stranda Port Authority looks forward to a good relationship, understanding and a shared focus on a clean environment in the future.
Geirangerfjord - Strandafjellet
In December 2009, a new four-seat chair lift was opened at Strandafjellet Ski Centre (five minutes' drive from the quay). A pleasant new pavilion with a restaurant has been built at the chair lift's top station. These new investments complement each other and they are already attracting people of all ages - with and without skis. The chair lift will also run in summer, which will be a great benefit for walkers who want to go on long or short walks up in the high mountains. The panoramic views of the Storfjord from The Pavilion are fantastic in both summer and winter.
Norwegian Fjord Center
The Norwegian Fjord Center is a center for educating, protecting and presenting the unique cultural and natural heritage of the Geirangerfjord area. Our main exhibition offers insight into the remarkable history,
traditions, culture and life in the fjords. Explore our other exhibits showing local geology, landscape and biology. Guests can also enjoy our beautiful film presentation, "From Mountain to Fjord".
Date : 29 Jan 2010