In July of 2025, we sailed on the Sky Princess for a magical week to the Norwegian fjords. The four ports were spectacular, offering a wide variety of experiences and activities which we did our best to appreciate. I had long wanted to cruise the coast of Norway, and now I know that I will certainly return.

Pre-CRUISE: LONDON

When traveling by air to a cruise port, it’s my policy to arrive one or two days before the cruise, for a couple of reasons. First, in case of travel delays, you have a buffer so you will not miss the ship. Second, if you need to adjust to time changes before the cruise, this will at least get that process underway. We decided to spend two nights in London and one in Southampton.

London was fabulous. We stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton – London West End, located in Bloomsbury, and enjoyed great service with a very good breakfast. The hotel was easy to access from the London Underground, and once we were there, we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go. We enjoyed a visit to the British Museum, and mostly explored Covent Garden and Soho. We wanted to enjoy the pubs and gin, and had great success with that. We lucked out and discovered a fun Spanish bar/restaurant in Soho, Bar Kroketa, which has a creative tapas-like menu. I had purchased tickets for us to see The Choir of Man and that was a very fun show. I’m glad we took the time to enjoy some of this vibrant city before the cruise.

Southampton

I loved this city and will look forward to visiting again for another pre-cruise adventure. We did hear many people describing a stressful day fighting traffic congestion from the airport to the cruise port, so we were glad that we had scheduled our arrival for the day before embarkation, avoiding travel worries.

It was easy to take a train from Waterloo station (on its 177th birthday!) to Southampton. When we arrived, we dropped our luggage at our hotel and proceeded to walk around the city, finding the medieval city walls, including the impressive Bargate, and the Holyrood Church. We stayed at The White Star Tavern, which has a history associated with the Titanic (!). The charming inn has delightful rooms and a wonderful restaurant where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and breakfast. It’s located on Oxford Street, which would be worth checking out even if you stay elsewhere. The bars on the street are VERY lively in the evenings. While we very much enjoyed the delightful historic inn, you might want to make sure that your room doesn’t face the street that hosts a late-night party on the weekend. You can guess how I know that might be an issue. 🙂

The next time we cruise out of Southampton we will make sure to visit the SeaCity Museum. The exhibits there, both on the Titanic, and on the history of sailing from Southampton, look very much worth the time.

Embarkation at the Southhampton cruise port was very efficient, with no lines or waiting, and was a delightful way to start our sailing.

sailing on THE SKY PRINCESS

We had previously sailed on the Discovery Princess, and knew that this “sister” ship was very similar. The Piazza area is open to two additional levels, and makes a focal point for the ship.

We selected this sailing mainly for the itinerary, and also because there was a room available just off the adults-only Retreat Pool (Deck 17 forward).

Because we had great weather on this cruise (better than we were expecting) we did get some good use out of the pool and hot tubs just steps away from our balcony stateroom.

MAIN DINING Room

We had the old version of the Premier Package, which included two nights of specialty dining. Otherwise, we were in the Main Dining room, having opted for a set dining time. The food was always good, although service was a bit spotty. We had some lengthy waits for drinks ordered, and no one would complain that we were rushed!

While we did not use the buffet in the evening, we did go there some days for breakfast. The International Cafe on Deck 5) has the specialty coffee bar and creative light meal choices, and if you want a real treat, the Almond Croissant is very special. And the pizza from Slice on the pool deck hits the spot – it’s surprisingly good.

Princess has “casual dining” venues, which are an added fee but are a part of the Plus and Premier packages. There are actually four “levels” of dining and those are explained here. I enjoyed the Ocean Terrace sushi restaurant.

SPECIALTY DINING

We selected The Catch by Rudi for Day 1 of the cruise. This was probably the best meal I have had at sea (10 cruises now) and certainly involved the most perfect service and stunning presentation. I cannot recommend it more highly; it was just outstanding.

We also selected Crown Grill (a Princess favorite for good reasons!) and had a terrific rib-eye steak. I admit being sad that the menu has changed, and that my favorite scallop appetizer is removed. I even asked: where have the scallops gone?!? Ah well, we very much enjoyed the meal, and keep thinking about the amazing salt trio served alongside our steaks. That applewood smoked salt!

BARS & LOUNGES & Live music

After an active day in port, we enjoy relaxing with a cocktail, and explore the bars to find favorite drinks and bartenders. Princess does a good job offering a variety of lounge experiences. We enjoyed Bellini’s this time, located on Deck 5 just next to the International Cafe. The music from the Piazza is always available there. We also very much enjoyed the live jazz music at Take Five, and tried to go as often as we could when the Larry King Trio was performing. They are well worth going out of your way for; you will return for more of their music. It took the bartender there one order to memorize my favorite red wine! Also, we’ve noticed an expanded non-alcoholic selection at the bars, if that’s helpful to know.

ENTERTAINMENT

One of the reasons I love cruising is that entertainment is widely available and included in the pricing.

I never miss the fun dancing at the Sailaway party.

The live music in the bars, the shows in the theatre, and other activities absolutely enhance the experience. Rock Opera was outstanding, and Princess continues to produce shows featuring a live band, talented dancers, and amazing singers. It was unfortunate that the show times were not consistent, and did not coordinate well with the set dining time offered. We had to juggle our activities each night to make this work. The shows were great, but I wish that Princess would consider matching performance times to set dining times.

The Silent Disco is always a great time. 🙂

Sea days are delicious treats. No worries about rushing to a gangway to get off for a shore excursion – just figuring out where to eat and what to enjoy. Taking in the view from the walking track or the WakeView pool is a favorite way to spend time.

Haugesund

After a lovely sea day, our first stop was in Haugesund. Here, Harald Fairhair ascended from a chieftain to become the first King of Norway in 872 A.D. You’ll find lots of references to the Viking culture here, and you can even select an immersive Viking experience in town or visit a replica Viking farm on Bukkøy Island.

We had selected a shore excursion to visit the Arquebus War History Museum, whose exhibits detail the occupation of Norway during WWII and the resistance efforts. Norway survived five years of occupation, and found ways to not only survive, but also coordinate with the British in efforts to sabotage German war plans.

Near the museum, we saw charming homes on the water. I could have moved right in. No hesitation. Our tour also visited Norway’s National Monument, Haraldshaugen (where Harald Fairhair is reportedly buried), and then we were given the option to explore the town on our own. Haugesund has a charming downtown area, walkable from the port, if you allow 20 minutes or so.

This website from Visit Norway includes useful information to make the most of a visit to Haugesund, and to help you select a shore excursion suited to your interests.

SKJOLDEN / SOGNEFJORD

Oh my goodness gracious. This long day and long night were just full of natural wonder. I am sure I will never forget it, and if I were forced to choose one “best” day of the trip, this might be it.

The small village of Skjolden (population approx. 200) is located on the Lustrafjord, a branch of the Sognefjord, which is Norway’s deepest and longest fjord, at a little over 200 km. Skjolden is at the innermost point of this fjord, nestled against the rising hills. Sailing in and out to this port was an unbelievably beautiful experience, with the mountain ranges rising from the water. You come here to experience nature. And the view lasts until almost midnight when you are there in July!

Leaving Skjolden, cruising the Sogneford

Still blue in the sky at 11 p.m., cruising the Sognefjord

We opted for a full-day, extensive excursion purchased through the cruise line. We were taken by bus through Jotunheimen National Park, with some stops to view the mountains and glaciers.

After some misadventures with a bus door that would not stay closed (!) we arrived at Lom, and the Mountain Center, a museum where we had a session with a docent who explained the current findings on glaciers in the region, and the over 4,000 objects retrieved as climate change forces the retreat of the glaciers, and exposes artifacts from prehistoric, even stone age people. A shoe was evidently one of the first items discovered. The display was very well done, and it was well worth being guided through the exhibit by the docent on staff.

Our next stop met a specific goal: the Lom Stave Church. I had read my Rick Steves guidebook, and knew that I had to see a Stave Church. These medieval wooden churches put on display the ship-building skills of craftsmen who made these structures out of specially prepared pine, a local hardwood. Once built, the wood was stained with tar and brushed with charcoal to protect it from the elements. Stepping inside and looking up, you can absolutely feel like a ship has been turned upside down far up over your head.

We had lunch at the Elveseter Hotel, full of traditional design and art. We then completed our journey back to the cruise port with more viewing of the fabulous mountains in fabulous, sunny, warm weather.

OLDEN

The warm, sunny weather continued in our next port, the village of OIden, where we had selected a kayaking excursion. We stepped off the ship and easily found our connection, Olden Active. While the company did a great job with preparing us (no prior kayaking experience was needed) and guiding us so that we could navigate our kayak in the Nordfjord, they also excelled at orienting us to the geology and geography of the area. I highly recommend this company, and this peaceful, well-organized kayaking excursion.

Next time we are in Olden, we’ll likely take in the Briksdaal Glacier (part of the Jostedalsbreen National Park) or enjoy the views from the Loen Skylift.

STAVANGER

We were finally in a city. Not that I was eager to leave behind the charm of villages tucked into fjords, but this gave us another perspective on the country of Norway. We had selected an independent excursion, but first we wanted to explore the city on foot. The ship was docked right close to the center of town, and we were able to see vibrant streets and parks and fountains with swans swimming nearby. We would absolutely enjoy more time in Stavanger, and would like to spend more time learning the history of the city, especially from the Canning Museum and the Oil Museum.

Our excursion this day was … on water! It seemed the best way to see more of the Lysefjord, and so went on this excursion that took us by waterfalls, islands, and finally to view Pulpit Rock, a formation rising out of the water almost 2000 feet high, with a flat top. It was a fun way to learn about the life and geography of the fjord, and the narration was informative.

Final Thoughts

The itinerary of this cruise was outstanding. I look forward to returning to Norway, and will probably choose to see different ports, but would not mind going back to any of the places we visited. The food was good, with specialty dining winning the day, and the entertainment was great.

Princess delivers a solid premium product, and while I know that the package add-ons have just increased in price, I believe they still offer a great value (and I do a LOT of comparison shopping).

Norway is terrific, entrancing, unforgettable, and cruising the fjords was a fabulous way to experience the wonder of how land and water meet there.

Thanks so much for reading. I would love to hear from you!

What are your thoughts? Are you planning a cruise to Norway? What are you hoping to see and do?