P&O cruise to the Norwegian Fjords

[PaulB]

Recently booked a trip with the wife next year to the Norwegian Fjords with P&O. We have one of the lowest deck, so my understanding is that we are down with the lifeboats. We have paid for balcony, again with the understanding that if bad weather occurs, those balconies will not be available as the need to bring down the storm shield therefore blocking the balcony as it's intergrade into the hull somehow. Has anyone been on this ship and had similar views. I'd be keen to know what to expect..

[Cruising Caribbean]

@PaulB Congratulations on this booking! That's going to be an unforgettable cruise. If bad weather occurs, this may happen but I think it's pretty unlikely. In fact, if this does occur, it wouldn't be your entire itinerary that these balconies get covered by lifeboats. Which cruise ship will you be on? P&O Cruises has some cool news ships! Will this be your first time cruising with the line? 

[PaulB]

Azura is our ship. I believe the wife has booked us up on deck 15 now which is a far better than the lower decking. It does look spectacular and I'm looking forward to getting on there. It is my first time sailing with P&O, and I've heard some good things about the company. And I've always wanted to go Norway, so it's a win win.

[Cruising Caribbean]

I'm glad to hear you have rebooked on one of the upper decks instead. That will ensure you the views and balcony access you are looking for! I haven't cruised with P&O Cruises in the past either. I think that's mainly due to the fact that I live in the United States. Norway is going to be so much fun! I'm curious what time of year you plan to travel. It can get particularly cold in Norway! P&O Cruises has a really long history of cruising and impressing its guests. The previous President of P&O Cruises, Paul Ludlow, recently moved over to President of Carnival UK. 

[PaulB]

@Cruising Caribbean thank you for your kind words. Yes I am extremely excited to go. It looks such a beautiful country to visit, the landscape alone is breathtaking, and the views and the villages look beautiful too. Waking up and having breakfast on the balcony overlooking the views are going to remain with me forever. We will be going the beginning of August, so the weather shouldn't be too bad 

[LukeJ]

It's somewhere I haven't been too before, but the images that I've seen it looks beautiful. The wooden houses look dainty too and the country is supposed to be the most magnificent and kindest countries to visit. Hope you have a fantastic holiday. 

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ I second that comment! Norway is so picturesque. It will be an unforgettable holiday for sure.

Which ports will you be calling in?

I can't wait to read your post-cruise review!

[PaulB]

Yes I can't wait to go personally. I've looked online to see the interior of the ship, and it looks so elegant. Im guessing it's going to be an incredible holiday for the whole family. We are visiting innvikfjorden, Nordfjord, Sunnylvsfjorden and Storfjroden. Try saying them after a few drinks.

[Cruising Caribbean]

I would hate to sound uneducated, but I haven't heard of these locations, and sounding them out takes great effort! Do you already have your excursions booked?! 

Have you done any research on these areas yet? I'm curious to hear more about these areas, and the things you are looking forward to doing off-ship.

I know you won't be visiting Lisbon, but P&O Cruises announced a pretty cool shore experience if you ever find yourself cruising with this line again and going out that way. 

[PaulB]

@Cruising Caribbean I haven't heard of those locations either to be honest. Can't even begin to pronounce them. I tried saying them but the wife thought I looked like I had spoken during mid sneeze. I haven't really had the opportunity yet to look at the surrounding areas and the itinerary but I will do closer to the date. 

[Cruising Caribbean]

That's very funny! You absolutely should do some more planning and research on the local areas you will be visiting. I'm sure if you logged in to your cruise itinerary you would be able to see more excursion details already. I found this blurb of favorite options for cruising the Norwegian Fjords with P&O Cruises. https://www.pocruises.com/shore-experiences#shorex

It seems glaciers and waterfalls are going to be attractions you won't want to miss! 

[PaulB]

Yes we can see on our cruise itinerary and plan to book a few excursions too along the way. When I go away, I like to try out the countries cuisine and I know they are good patisserie out there, so would like to give that a go also.

[3Sisters]

I love patisseries! All of the delicious cuisine options, in combination with the unlimited food options on board will be endless amounts of food. I hope you are able to get your steps in during your cruise to counteract all of the food. I usually try to hit the gym a couple of times and take the stairs most of the day to counteract the amount of food I end up enjoying on my cruise. 

[PaulB]

The wife suggested the gym but on one hand do I want to spend my time in the gym whilst on holiday. But then it will give you the motivation to eat as much as you want while away and not feel guilty about it afterwards. It's a hard choice to make.

[3Sisters]

I definitely think it's worth it to at least walk into the gym and take a look around. There are usually options for physical activity on the daily agenda included in your cruise fare such as dance classes to poolside yoga too. Usually, the treadmills have some amazing ocean views. I really enjoy walking/running in the gym on sea days. I love the idea of running with the views of the endless sea and sun. You will often find a walking/jogging track on the upper decks, but it can get pretty hot during peak sun hours in the middle of the ocean. A sunset walk would be a great time but that occasionally cuts into the dinner hour. It's worth to try and catch one endless sunset on a sea day! 

[PaulB]

Yeah I'm sure that I will make an appearance to see what's what on the ship. I believe a nice jog around the deck would have been a better option.  To see the views while having a run in the fjords would be a beautiful day.

[LukeJ]

Not really for me that, I'm happy to indulge and eat and drink my extra weight. That's what holidays are about. If I don't put on at least a stone then it's not a decent holiday. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ The best part of cruising is all of the options for everyone's differing interests. I will be cruising next week, and I intend to go to the cruise gym likely twice. On the last cruise, I took I forgot my running shoes which was such a shame! I ended up running from the 17th to the 4th floor a couple of times barefoot to get some exercise in. I was dripping sweat after that. I then did some floor exercises and jumped in the pool, which was super refreshing. I agree that relaxing on holiday is the best, but I still value my healthy cardiovascular routine and enjoy the relaxation of exercise. I wouldn't want to allow my physical fitness to decline while cruising for over a week.

[PaulB]

I'm looking forward more to the port calls than the ship if I'm honest. I'm sure the cruise itself will be magical however the thought of seeing other countries, trying out its foods and absorbing the culture and atmosphere of the towns is what get me going. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

This itinerary you are taking has to excite! These ports of call in Norway will be some of the most scenic you could experience in a lifetime. As a person who has yet to cruise to Norway, I can only imagine the immaculate scenery and terrains you will get to experience. Will you be taking a specialty camera or video device to film your experience? My family and I are about to cruise the Caribbean and my husband will be bringing his go pro along. My favorite videos are always the underwater clips. He does a great job of piecing the clips together and making it into an unforgettable video. Doing this allows us to keep this memory for our children as they grow because they will likely forget because they are so young! 

[PaulB]

I will definitely be taking my pro camera with me. I can't wait to photograph those amazing views.

[LukeJ]

@PaulB make sure you post them on here so that we can all see the views ourselves. 

[PaulB]

@LukeJ yes I certainly will do that. We are looking forward to the trips around the beautiful country and very much looking forward to photographing the fjords in all its beauty.