Norwegian Family Cruise

We left home early in the morning to make our way down to the port of Southampton.

Our official embarkation time was 2.30pm but we arrived at the port around 1pm. We always book port parking as it’s so well organised. We waited about 15 mins in the car before we could grab all our luggage and the driver took our car away.

A quick bag drop and we headed into the terminal. We brought Harriet’s wheelchair with us so we checked in with special assistance. Check-in was a bit slow but by 2pm we were on the ship.

Muster drills used to involve everyone leaving their cabins at a set time and gathering at their muster stations. Now you check in at your muster station on embarkation and watch a video in your cabin. (They still sound the emergency alarm and talk you through procedures).

Once we’d checked into our muster station, we went to find out cabin. We have a deluxe mid-ship balcony cabin. It’s on the “hump” of the ship so has an extra big balcony. It’s a really nice cabin with plenty of space for us.

P&O had left some fizz, chocolates and flowers in the room, which was a really lovely touch.

We hadn’t really eaten lunch so we popped to the buffet for a quick bite. Surprisingly it wasn’t that busy and there were plenty of tables.

P&O are the best cruise line for labelling their food and it was easy to grab gluten-free options.

We had a mini meet and greet session with some of my customers who are also on board (there are 11 cabins all together). I was so busy chatting I didn’t take many pictures. We gathered in the sunset bar at the back of the ship where we watched the other cruise ships sail out.

A quick change and we made it down to dinner. There are 11 of us travelling in my group. Unfortunately, they couldn’t seat us all together without a long wait but they did seat us on 2 tables without wait. There are 4 dining rooms and we ate in the Pearl which has massive windows overlooking the wake.

Service was a little slow but that’s not unusual on the first day. The food was really great and a step up from other P&O ships we’ve been on before.

There are plenty of gluten-free options marked on the menu. I was also able to choose food for tomorrow and they will make me pretty much any dish gluten-free.

It was quite late by the time we finished eating and Harriet was tired. The following day we had plans pretty early and we lose an hour of time. So we headed back to the cabin. The sofa was made up into a lovely bed for Harriet and she couldn’t wait to get into it.

Today was a sea day but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do!

H and I were up early because she wanted to go to the kids club. Currently, on the ship, they are allowing the kids to attend in cohorts with 2 sessions per day.

We ate breakfast at the Horizon buffet. It was busy but still plenty of spaces to sit. The clocks have gone forward so some people were having a bit of a lie-in.

I safely deposited H in the kids club and explored a bit more of the ship. We love a quiz so also enjoyed the morning trivia in Brodie’s pub. We didn’t win but didn’t disgrace ourselves either.

We picked H up at lunchtime and had some food at The Quays. This is an extra dining area of “hole in the wall” type dining options that are a lovely alternative to the buffet. They also have an outside dining area when the weather allows.

During the afternoon we watched The Pursuit in The Club House show lounge. A homage to the quiz show The Chase. It was a bit of lighthearted fun.

We stayed in the Club House for family craft time which H enjoyed. There are lots of family activities aside from the kids club which is great to see.

H needed a rest so we hung out in the room for a bit and watched the world pass by. One thing I love about this cabin is that I can see the sea from my bed!

That night was celebration night and we took the chance to dress up. Before dinner, we headed back to The Club House for a family magician show. It was a bit cheesy but the kids loved it!

Dining a little earlier tonight, we were able to get a table for 11 without any wait. The food was a special menu tonight and on the whole, was very good.

We planned a busy day tomorrow so didn’t hang around after dinner. It’s been rainy most of the day, but we’ve had some dry weather this evening which is most welcome.

Next stop: in Stavanger!

Today we were visiting Stavanger. We woke to views of the ship slowly sailing passed the many little islands and right into the heart of the city.

The buffet breakfast offered lovely views over the port. We were so close to some of the houses we could practically see what they were having for breakfast!

We had booked a small boat tour to the Lyesfjord and Pulpit Rock. The boat was lovely with plenty of room for everyone. You could sit inside or outside with panoramic views throughout.

We loved seeing the changing landscapes. Pulpit Rock is impressive and apparently featured in mission impossible. We also enjoyed seeing some resident goats who live in the fjords and the boats leave food for them every day.

We headed back to the ship for lunch, still enjoying the views of the city.

H went to a magic workshop and kids club while I worked. I did jump in one of the hot tubs on the promenade deck for half an hour, which was lovely.

We decided to have an early dinner so we could make the first showing of the Sky’s Limit production show. It was very good. The technology used in it is great and a step up from other P&O ship entertainment.

I rounded the evening off with a quiz in Brodie’s. We scored 14 and the winning team was 16 so we are getting closer!

Next stop: Olden.

The sail into the Fjord starts early (5am ish) so I may get to go see it…. we’ll see!

A very early start for me. I woke at 4.30am and peaked out of the window. I could see the beginning of an epic sunrise as the ship entered the fjord. So I had to get up!

It was spectacular. But very early.

I did go back to bed though. That’s way too early to get up for the day.

When I woke again we had arrived in Olden. It’s a very small town at the end of a pretty fjord. We have been here before so didn’t rush to get off.

After breakfast at the buffet, we disembarked. We decided to take a stroll around the town and take some photos of the beautiful Iona.

The weather took a bit of a turn for the worst so we made our way back to the ship. The weather in Norway is very fickle!

We stayed on the ship during the afternoon and H took advantage of the children’s activities on offer. She went to the kids club, did an animation modelling workshop, and met Wallace and Gromit and Sooty and Sweep!

She had her evening meal at children’s tea. This is a dedicated section of the buffet with special child-friendly food. It’s open from 5pm to 5.45. It's something that only P&O do and it’s great!

As tea was ending we sailed away from Olden. The local cafe owners play music and wave flags to send off the ships. It’s a fun event but unfortunately, it was too wet to stay outside and watch it properly.

H went off to the kids club and Leighton and I went to The Beach House speciality restaurant. It’s a section of the buffet that is turned into an alternative dining venue in the evening. There is a small cover charge. It also has great views to enjoy the sail back through the fjord.

The food was fun and something different. The service was excellent. It was well worth the extra charge.

After dinner, I went back to the Brodie’s 8pm quiz. We didn’t win again but we were close! Maybe next time….

Our next port is Hellesylt. The captain did warn that winds may be high so we might have to visit the alternative port of Alesund. We’ll find out tomorrow!

Despite the questionable weather forecast, we made our scheduled stop in Hellesylt. I wasn’t prepared for how lovely it would be. The waterfall running through the middle of the town is truly spectacular.

The weather was less than spectacular and it rained quite heavily in the early part of the day. We didn’t let that stop us and wrapped in our wet weather gear and got off the ship.

I was keen to get closer to the waterfall. The mixed weather recently had made it an even more impressive and powerful site than normal.

We decided to rent some mini electric cars to explore the area. We were able to get much higher up the mountain to get sweeping views over the fjord. The weather was variable even during the 30 mins we had the cars. They are super fun though and something we’d definitely do again.

We got back on the ship for some lunch and a rest. I was pleased to find that Hook, Line and Vinegar in The Quays made gluten-free fish and chips to order. They were delicious!

We had a quiet afternoon and H went to the kids club.

After sailing away from Hellesylt we travelled a little further up the fjord to see the Seven Sisters waterfall. We bagged prime seats in the Crows Nest bar with fab views. The waterfall was impressive but the rain of late meant we probably saw close to a hundred different waterfalls. It was an incredible sight!

This evening we had reservations at The Olive Grove. This an included restaurant but you need to book a table well in advance. We were incredibly lucky to be given a prime table in the conservatory with spectacular views of the journey back through the fjord.

The food is Italian-inspired and was lovely. The service was also excellent.

We just about made it to the 8pm quiz at Brodies. We improved our score again to an impressive 16 but once again were beaten by one point. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

After this we quickly dashed into the evening show at the Headliners theatre called “Festival”. This was such a fun and feel good show. It had tonnes of epic tunes and everyone came out smiling.

I finished the night with one of the most popular activities on the ship, the silent disco. The main atrium was filled with hundreds of headphone-clad passengers. It was very fun to be a part of and also hilarious to watch from afar. A great way to end the night!

Tomorrow is our final port of Haugesund!

We docked at Haugesund mid-morning. We didn’t have any plans and considered just getting off and exploring. The weather was pretty miserable so we decide to stay on board.

We had a very relaxed and low-key day.

We took H swimming in the covered Sky Dome pool. Even at 11am it was pretty busy. The pool was quite cold but the hot tubs were lovely and warm.

We decided to have lunch in the main dining room. It was very efficient yet relaxed. The food was excellent.

H went to the kids club during the afternoon so I spent some time at the Glass House bar reading my book. I also met some customers to discuss their next P&O cruise.

Sooty was performing a show in the theatre at 4pm which we all went to. It was fun and silly but we all enjoyed it.

H had kids tea and went back to the kids club. We ate again in the main dining room. The food and service were very good once again.

We turned up again for the Brodie’s 8pm quiz but again no luck!

Tomorrow is our final day and is at sea. The itinerary has a tonne of things to do, it might be our busiest day this week!

Today was our final day on the ship. It was a full day at sea.

There were so many activities happening, we had to carefully select which ones to attend to fit in as many as possible.

We started the day with breakfast in the main dining room. It was nice to be served rather than battle the crowds at the buffet. In fairness, the buffet has been less crowded on this ship than any other I’ve been on. It’s never been difficult to find a seat. But it’s still more relaxing in the dining room.

We went straight to a quiz at Brodie’s. This was a battle between one side of the room and the other. Somehow I ended up as one of the team captains and we won! Our first victory. I’m not convinced the scoring was correct but we’ll take the win.

There were 3, yes 3, magicians on board today. That’s really unusual and all 3 had shows/workshops in The Club Lounge! The kids went to all 3. I went to 1 and a half. There’s only so much magicians I can take! There were all good though and all different.

In between all that we saw another Sooty show. It was good but a bit too similar to the first one.

We also did a music quiz which was great fun. Once again we were pipped to the post by another team!

As it was the last day, unfortunately, we had to spend some time this afternoon packing. One of the saddest sights is seeing all the suitcases out in the hallway on the last evening.

We had one last meal in the main dining room and finished off the Champagne I’d been gifted by P&O.

I had a little look around the shops but wasn’t tempted by any of the “mega sales”. There were some decent offers to be had but I’d rather spend my money on another cruise!

The final activity for the day was the Rise show in the Sky Dome. It’s a unique show that tells a story through interpretative dance and impressive circus skills. It’s an unusual show and not for everyone but I enjoyed it and it’s certainly something different and great use of the space.

And then it was time to pack the last bits into the case and set the alarm for the morning.

It’s been a great cruise and we’ve had lots of fun. Iona is a beautiful and overall well-designed ship. The food, activities and entertainment have all been high quality. The staff have been lovely as usual. Norway gave us all the seasons and some truly spectacular scenery.

I’d come back to Norway and sail on Iona again in a heartbeat. Thanks for following along.

If you’d like to chat about your own Iona cruise (or any other trip) you can book an appointment on my online diary here https://calendly.com/emma-summerill/30min