NORWAY CRUISE 2023

If you are looking for an unforgettable bucket list trip at an affordable price then a Norwegian Cruise is absolutely the option for you. From stunning scenery as you meander through the jaw-dropping fjords to the picturesque cities that are jewels in Norways Crown. This blog will showcase my 2023 cruise I took with Tom in 2023 onboard the beautiful MSC Virtuosa. 

After a beautiful day at sea sailling the North Sea, we called at our first calling point, the lovely city of Haugesund which is located between Stavanger and Bergen. The centre of town is accessible via the Risoy Bridge but we choose to take the Hop On Hop Off tour which we love doing in all of the cities we visit. This tour lasted approximately an hour and was a pre recorded tour which took us to the Krosshaugen which is a National Monument and a state of importance which is over 1000 years old. It also provides us with stunning views of the city and across the coast. 

Now this is the ABSOLUTE MUST SEE if you are planning a Norwegian Fjord cruise. Flam is just stunning. The Fjords are all around you and the pretty waterfront is full of little shops that showcase the Norwegian culture. Today we chose to take the Catamaran cruise early in the morning in the hope of doing the Flam Railway in the afternoon. Unfortunately due to a signal failure we were unable to do the Flam Railway but that is for next time. The Catamaran cruise is approximately 3 hours and takes you through the fjords and to a small village of Gudvangen and it serves as a popular route with tourist going hiking and we saw a lot of people using this with camping equipment too. We arrived back at around 1pm hoping to catch the 2pm train which would still have got us back to the ship on time, but unfortunately this was delayed due to the earlier mentioned signal failure. Definitely a bucket list trip on the Flamsbana which takes you through the mountains to Myrdal. The round trip takes approximately 2 hours and does provide a small commentary onboard with maps avaialble from the Visitor Centre. Myrdal itself is on the mainline so you don't have to be on a cruise to reach Flam as you can do it as part of an adventure from Oslo. One of my tips for a Norway Multi Centre is taking the train from Oslo to Myrdal and then catch the Flamsbana to Flam and then board the Ferry to Bergen and spend a couple of nights there. 

The final stop in the Fjords was Olden. We were anchored in the Fjord as you can see in the main picture at the top of this blog and we were "tendered" to port. In Olden you can choose to explore the town or you can get a shuttle bus to Loen Skylift which provides spectacular views of the fjords, or you can take the sightseeing bus tour which takes you to Laukifossen Waterfall. I have put the full album of the full Norwegian cruise on my Facebook page which I will put the link to below. The water here at Olden looks a greeny colour rather than a torquoise blue colour, this is due to Rock Flour or Rock Dust which is created by the nearby glaciers grinding against bedrock. 

Our final port stop on this unforgettable Fjords adventure was the pretty city of Kristiansand. We arrived at around 1pm so we had half a day here but this was plenty for us. There was no buses put on by the port which was disappointing but there was a Sightseeing Road Train which took us around the city. Thankfully we chose to do this as soon as we docked as the queues were absolutely horrendous especially with only one train running. There should have been a Hop On Hop Off Bus but this wasn't running for an unknown reason. It took us around the city and one of the main sights to see is the Cathedral pictured here. The original cathedral itself was founded in 1645 but wasn't actually built until 1696 and this was build entirely from stone. This unfortunately was destroyed by fire in 1734. The cathedral was rebuilt before yet more bad luck followed by another fire that affeccted not just the Cathedral but the whole city in 1880. There is a model of this cathedral in the Kristiansand Museum. The present day Cathedral was rebuilt in 1885 and is of a Neo Gothic style but has not been without incident as in 1940 it was hit by the Nazis as part of their attack on strategic Norwegian Ports. 

Our overall experience onboard MSC Virtuosa was fantastic. It is a large cruise ship with lots to do for all ages. Families will love the Savannah Aquapark full of slides and water activities and the Virtual Gaming Arcade with bowling which can be purchased through the MSC Fun Pass. The shows are fantastic as well including the Carousel Shows which are some of the best at sea with some stunning acrobatics and displays. Le Grand Theatre also has some fantasic shows and live entertainment. The food in the main dining room on the first night was fantastic. The service was really attentive and personal and the quality of food both in the MDR and the Buffet was amazing. We did eat in The Butchers Cut which is one of the many Speciality Dining Restaurants on MSC Virtuosa and if you love steaks or fish you will love it here. I had the Rib Eye and Tom had the Sirloin. Both came with a side and a sauce included. Well worth the money as it was huge portions and simply delicious. All photos again are on my Facebook Page.