Without a doubt this was probably the most relaxing holiday we experienced travelling with small children. Smooth throughout, starting at the port until arriving back there. The cabin, spacious and comfortable, much nicer than some hotel rooms we have occupied in the past. The housekeeping was charming, funny and helpful and always put a smile on the kids faces by folding the towels into different animals each day - the Art of towel folding. The ship we sailed with was a vessel that took just over 1200 passenger and it had a bit over 700 crew members, 3 restaurants, a couple of small shops, a gym, a spa and beauty treatment area, several entertaining lounges, a cinema, a library, a sports deck and a small pool to take a dip. I thought it was a really large ship, but how wrong was I - it was considered a small ship and to me only the pool reflected this. Everything on there worked like clock work, we were given cruise news every day with a vast program of entertainment and port and sight seeing information.
Seeing parts of Norway
As soon as you come close to the Norwegian coast you are surrounded by beautiful mountains and crystal clear waters. It is a journey of beauty and tranquility and worth it in itself. The tour operator wanted to sell us excursions for the ports of call - of course, but upon arrival at each port we walked into the tourist office and decided what to do then and there. Most of our fellow passenger where retired people, so the walks and tours on offer were perfect for us travelling with small children who of course can not go on long hours of hiking. We enjoyed scenic walks that took no longer than 2 hours at the most.
Eidsford was the first port and we ended up being soaked, despite rain jackets and the lot. I was very thankful for the tumble driers on board and although I had enough change of clothing, drying the wet ones in a small cabin is of course not ideal.
Our next port of call was Flåm and it was recommended to take a ride on the famous Flåmsbana. The cruise operator prices of course were a complete rip off and they charged for children at the age of 2 years, the Norwegian train company themselves however had fair prices and kids under 4 went on for free. Trains were booking up quickly and once we had our tickets for midday we had enough time to go on a walk to tire the children out.
The ride on the train is beautiful and there is even a stop on a waterfall where an Elfe pops up in different spots with an enchanting dance - the boys were mesmerised. Unlike most of our fellow passenger, who stayed on the train, we got off at the top and walked along a beautiful clear stream back to another station stop. The weather this day was glorious and ready for dinner we waved good bye from the decks to the bystanders in the port.
Our last stop was the town of Bergen, which had a university and therefor also lots of nice museums, however not really ideal for young children. The weather was also rather patchy and after visiting the Bergen museum and learning about it's history, with a drawing break for the children (drawing a picture of Saint Sunniva) we went searching for trolls ... Flyn really wanted a little memory and chose a Norwegian troll figure, our Noah however chose a Viking hat. After that Papa got a new jacket and we feasted in the fish market.
The two days at sea
As I said before there was lots of entertainment throughout the day and night. The unlucky thing for us was that the kidszone took children at the age of 3 only. Our Noah was about 1 month too young and although he could take part in the activity, one adult had to stay with him. It meant we could not enjoy the evening entertainment and I have to say some of the things were very good and the cinema option would have also been great.
During the day time it was great. Whilst Noah took a nap with Papa and Flyn stayed at kidszone for 2 hours Mami was chilling out wrapped up on the deck with a book and some great live music in the background.
On the last day we took the boys in the evening to see a Lloyd Webber Medley Show and we all enjoyed it very much.
Culinary
Absolutely great, not having to worry about food. Getting healthy options, great variety, never a shortage of things, hardly ever having to wait long. We mainly had breakfast and dinner at the restaurant, took a few small sandwiches on our walks or ate out. The days at sea we had lunch and afternoon tea at a canteen style restaurant that served food 24/7. Drinks had to be purchased separately, apart for water, tea and coffee. I was impressed about the quality and the service in this department.
My Verdict
I think it is great value for money, especially when travelling to a country where the life style is more expensive and when travelling with young children your activities are limited. I recommend to do it when your children are older than three, as you can have more time as a couple (there are companies that offer childcare for younger ones and baby sitting service, but it's often at an extra charge). But I highly recommend to do a cruise ... as we came back very relaxed and full of wonderful memories.
