Thinking of P&O Norway cruise - advice please

[daffodil92]

We are thinking of booking the Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Iona for May half term 2021 for our silver wedding anniversary.
I’ve never cruised with P&O nor to Norway and would love to hear any advice or experiences.
At the moment they have an extra spending money offer ( think it’s an extra £40 pp) if I book before 2nd March. Do P&O do other offers which I should wait for?
Also, I wonder if this cruise is particularly rough going across the North Sea and if I need to book a particular section of the ship ?
Also, I don’t know whether to book direct with P&O or if there is any advantage in looking for a travel agent?
Any advice or insights would be very much appreciated 😊

[BevS97]

We sailed on the Brittania in August 2018.

I booked an inside guarantee room but for this xruise I think it’s worth paying for a balcony as the views are impressive and it would have been good to watch them sail in early in the morning. The fjords are narrow so there are good views on both sides I think.

We didn’t find the North Sea particularly rough but it was cold so although we sat outside we were wrapped up with blankets.

We really enjoyed the cruise. We have only done Disney cruise line before so can’t compare with many. The entertainment wasn’t on the Disney standard but it was all enjoyable. The food was good. We ate in the main dining room a few nights. In the buffet one night and in the expensive restaurant (Epicurean) which was ok but I don’t think I’m really a fine dining sort of person.

We also had afternoon tea in the Epicurean which was superb. I’m definitely an afternoon tea sort of girl.

We went to Stavanger Flam olden an Bergan

Stavanger was my favourite. It was a lovely day. The town is very pretty. We just walked around and had a coffee. Nothing fancy.

In flaam we booked the train independently which was ok. I certainly wouldn’t have paid the ship price for it.

In Olden we went to a glacier. This was my least favourite thing. I believe there is a lookout point you can go to and I wish we had done that instead. Sadly the glacier is nearly gone and it was less impressive than I’d hoped.

In Bergen we went up the funicular. Again we did this independently. We just walked from the ship and got there before the tours. Go early as once the tour buses arrive the queues are long.
I enjoyed this and then we had a wander around the town and did some shopping.

[BevS97]

bevs97.wordpress/categor...norway-cruise/

My trip report is here.

[mskitty]

We did it 5 years ago on Azura. It was amazing. The scenery was out of this world. One day we were throwing snowballs at a glacier in the morning and needing sun cream around the pool in the afternoon. I would recommend it to anyone.

[katiec68]

Originally Posted by daffodil92

We are thinking of booking the Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Iona for May half term 2021 for our silver wedding anniversary.
I’ve never cruised with P&O nor to Norway and would love to hear any advice or experiences.
At the moment they have an extra spending money offer ( think it’s an extra £40 pp) if I book before 2nd March. Do P&O do other offers which I should wait for?
Also, I wonder if this cruise is particularly rough going across the North Sea and if I need to book a particular section of the ship ?
Also, I don’t know whether to book direct with P&O or if there is any advantage in looking for a travel agent?
Any advice or insights would be very much appreciated 😊

See more...

P&O to the Fjords was our first cruise - we loved it and have been on 3 more since with another one booked!

If you can afford it get a balcony - its simply amazing sitting out on your balcony wrapped up with a cuppa as you sail into the fjords.

Most of the ports you can do alone - unless you want to do the glaciers when an organised trip is best.

Cant help with the weather - we went at the beginning of September and it was completely calm and warm enough to sunbathe on top deck!

If you are worried about motion sickness most seasick tablets work well - also book a midships cabin relatively low down - this is the most stable place on the ship - although these days you won't notice much even in a big storm (my DH really didnt want to cruise and gets seasick at even the thought of going on a ferry but he didnt even notice we were in a Force 9 gale! )

There are lots of Facebook groups for Iona - worth joining.

Also id ring around a few agents - mine always gives us an extra 5% on top of any P&O discount - there are a few who advertise in the Facebook groups too who appear to give great service.

Regarding price - who knows! They may bring in a new offer next week - I think we have paid £100 a night for our Iona cruise to give you a rough idea.

Also decide if you want/need the drinks package - P&O dont do offers on them (she cruise lines throw them in on promotions). You can brink a litre of alcohol on board with you - wine or spirits - for you to drink in your cabin.
Prices on board are very reasonable - think pub prices and no tips on top like some of the american lines.
If your not big drinkers in my view its best just to pay as you go along - especially if you will be off the ship during the day.

Its worth paying for the speciality restaurants - in my view! They can be a different level of service/food altogether - that is not to say that the main dining rooms and buffet are of poor quality - they're also great too!

We like to dress up for dinner most nights and we LOVE dressing up up for formal nights - but if you dont want to do formal nights you dont have to. Some nights if we've been out all day we just have a quick trip to the buffet.

The buffets generally have a different theme each night - mexican/french/seafood/usa etc - we'll always go on a seafood night! But they aways do pizza/pasta each night too.

Its your holiday - you can do as much or as little as you like - have a table for 2 or a table for 8 - whatever takes your fancy!


Happy planning x x

[daffodil92]

Originally Posted by BevS97

bevs97.wordpress/categor...norway-cruise/

My trip report is here.

See more...

Thank you so much Bev, I'm going to settle down with a coffee later and read this!
We DEFINITELY will get a balcony cabin - I was wondering if one side of the ship was better than the other or not for views so that's really helpful too

[daffodil92]

Originally Posted by katiec68

P&O to the Fjords was our first cruise - we loved it and have been on 3 more since with another one booked!

If you can afford it get a balcony - its simply amazing sitting out on your balcony wrapped up with a cuppa as you sail into the fjords.

Most of the ports you can do alone - unless you want to do the glaciers when an organised trip is best.

Cant help with the weather - we went at the beginning of September and it was completely calm and warm enough to sunbathe on top deck!

If you are worried about motion sickness most seasick tablets work well - also book a midships cabin relatively low down - this is the most stable place on the ship - although these days you won't notice much even in a big storm (my DH really didnt want to cruise and gets seasick at even the thought of going on a ferry but he didnt even notice we were in a Force 9 gale! )

There are lots of Facebook groups for Iona - worth joining.

Also id ring around a few agents - mine always gives us an extra 5% on top of any P&O discount - there are a few who advertise in the Facebook groups too who appear to give great service.

Regarding price - who knows! They may bring in a new offer next week - I think we have paid £100 a night for our Iona cruise to give you a rough idea.

Also decide if you want/need the drinks package - P&O dont do offers on them (she cruise lines throw them in on promotions). You can brink a litre of alcohol on board with you - wine or spirits - for you to drink in your cabin.
Prices on board are very reasonable - think pub prices and no tips on top like some of the american lines.
If your not big drinkers in my view its best just to pay as you go along - especially if you will be off the ship during the day.

Its worth paying for the speciality restaurants - in my view! They can be a different level of service/food altogether - that is not to say that the main dining rooms and buffet are of poor quality - they're also great too!

We like to dress up for dinner most nights and we LOVE dressing up up for formal nights - but if you dont want to do formal nights you dont have to. Some nights if we've been out all day we just have a quick trip to the buffet.

The buffets generally have a different theme each night - mexican/french/seafood/usa etc - we'll always go on a seafood night! But they aways do pizza/pasta each night too.

Its your holiday - you can do as much or as little as you like - have a table for 2 or a table for 8 - whatever takes your fancy!


Happy planning x x

See more...

This is so helpful (and exciting!) to read - thank you so much for replying. We are not big drinkers so if we're allowed to take a bottle of wine onboard for a drink on the balcony we won't need to consider the drinks package.
Would you mind sharing the details of your agent with me?
If not, I'll try to work out how to find the Facebook group

[daffodil92]

Thanks for your messages lovely Dibbers - am excited to say I've booked a balcony cabin for this cruise now. Think we're going for the £60 OBC Plus free coach travel which seems great value compared to driving down, booking a hotel and parking. Have an aft cabin on deck 12.
Can't wait to hear more about the ship as people begin to sail in her later this year!

[randc]

We are doing the iona Norwegian fjords this may half term. Have done similar cruise on britannia before which we loved. Definitely recommend the balcony cabins for fjords. The kids clubs were amazing and loved the entertainment as well. Im sure you will have a ball!

[daffodil92]

Originally Posted by randc

We are doing the iona Norwegian fjords this may half term. Have done similar cruise on britannia before which we loved. Definitely recommend the balcony cabins for fjords. The kids clubs were amazing and loved the entertainment as well. Im sure you will have a ball!

See more...

Can’t wait to hear all about your trip! Not long to wait now 😃