Confidence levels
Labels appear on excursion cards, cruise line guides, ship pages and the Norway Cruise Planner. They are planning aids, not cruise line policies.
- Return to Ship Confidence: Very High
More than 3 hours remaining after a typical tour, check in and safety buffers.
- Return to Ship Confidence: High
2 to 3 hours remaining. Comfortable for most independent tours when timings are confirmed.
- Return to Ship Confidence: Moderate
1 to 2 hours remaining. Workable for shorter tours; confirm all aboard with your operator.
- Return to Ship Confidence: Tight
Under 1 hour remaining. Only suitable for very short activities near the pier.
- Return to Ship Confidence: Not Recommended
Tour duration exceeds the available port window with standard buffers.
Calculation steps
- Measure available port minutes from arrival to all aboard.
- Subtract excursion duration, 15 minute check in buffer and 45 minute safety buffer.
- Map remaining minutes to the confidence level table above.
The same logic powers Will This Excursion Fit?, where you can enter your own tour length.
Suitability by port type
- Walkable city ports (Bergen, Stavanger): standard buffers usually suffice.
- Fjord coach routes (Flåm, Olden): allow for narrow road delays in summer.
- Tender ports (Geiranger): add 30 to 45 minutes beyond default buffers for tender queues.