My family enjoyed an awesome summer vacation cruising to Norway with Disney Cruise Line last month. We flew to London from D.C., then boarded a bus to Southampton where we embarked on Disney Fantasy the next morning for an 8-night sailing with stops in Zeebrugge (Belgium) and the following towns in Norway: Haugesund, Olden, Stavanger, and Kristiansand. We sampled the “School Bread” (skolebrode) that’s so popular in EPCOT’s Norway Pavilion… in real Norway!
Disney Cruise Line is known for being a family oriented premium line with an emphasis on great entertainment. They offered three production shows: “Frozen,” “Aladdin,” and “Disney Believes.” The cast was ridiculously talented and headlined with a Broadway Visiting Artist, Ian Knauer, who played Jafar in “Aladdin” and Dr. Greenaway in “Disney’s Believe.”
Here’s a brief overview of our days:
Day 1: Southampton, UK: This was our first time sailing on Fantasy and it was fun to explore her that first afternoon and compare her to other ships we have sailed. The theming of the “Europa” adult spaces, which includes a lounge called “The Tube” that’s covered in words and maps from the London Tube, is great. I really love the art nouveau theme of the atrium and the peacock chandelier!
Day 2: Zeebrugge, Belgium: We visited this port with Disney Cruise Line (DCL) in 2022 and on that visit went to Bruges, so we opted for Ghent this time. DCL provides a shuttle from the ship to Blankenberge which has a train station with easy access train service to Bruges, Ghent, and even Brussels. Both Bruges and Ghent are a sizable walk from their respective train stations to their city centers (20+ min) — a taxi or a tram ride may be warranted depending on the needs of your travel party. Ghent is gorgeous, a little less packed with tourists than Bruges, and has some unique sites. We spent a couple hours there sampling chocolates and french fries before making our way back to the ship.
Day 3: Sea Day: So many fun things to do! From trivias, bingo, animation classes, spa treatments, music, shows … something for everyone, for sure.
Day 4: Haugesund (Norway): We pre-booked a rental car which worked out beautifully. It was a new and spacious VW wagon, automatic, and driving is on the right in Norway so it was a lot easier than some other adventures we’ve had. Our destination was Skudeneshavn, a scenic little town about 45 min drive from Haugesund. On the way we stopped at Akrasand to walk along the beautiful sand beach — there are some dedicated walking paths. Skudeneshavn is fun to see and we opted to buy a picnic lunch at the grocery store in town on this day — it’s always interesting to visit grocery stores when you travel abroad. On the drive back we stopped at St. Olav’s Church which is a very interesting historic site with a scenic view above Haugesund. Shopping in Haugesund was fun, too — we bought some Norwegian yarn and enjoyed a fresh skolebrode (school bread) in tribute to EPCOT. DCL provided a shuttle from the ship into the town center which we took there and at the end of the afternoon we walked back to the ship over a stunning bridge.
Day 5: Olden: We woke up early (4:30 a.m.) to be on deck to see the fjord and enjoyed the hot chocolate, Mickey krispy treats, and blankets the crew had out for us in Satellite Falls (the adult area on the bow, Deck 13). We had reserved an excursion for this day with a third party company, Visit Nordfjordheid. “Geirangerfjord Bus and Sightseeing Boat” was one of the real highlights of this trip for me and I would definitely recommend it. I had really wanted to see Geirangerfjord for a few years now and it was awesome to make it there. Olden is gorgeous in its own right! The photo at the top of this post is of the ship docked in Olden.
Day 6: Stavanger: We had been to this port before and taken a boat ride into the Lysefjord (recommend!), so we decided to just focus on enjoying the town this time. We went to a local cafe for a couple hours first thing in the morning and my husband made a return visit to the oil museum which he rates highly for those who are interested in the complex social and industrial history of this impactful aspect of Norwegian life. We had fun shopping on the rainbow street where we purchased some thrift store clothing.
Day 7: Kristiansand: We spent a few hours walking around Odderoye (nature park on an island connected by a bridge) and Kristiansand proper taking photos of this scenic small city before enjoying amazing fish & chips at the fish market just outside the port for lunch.
Day 8: Sea Day: Always a crunch to fit in our favorites on the last day! The activities I enjoyed most on this day were the Broadway Artist in Residence talk given by Ian Knauer (so talented!!) and the towel folding class. Shout out to Sasha from the hospitality team who helped me build every single one of the animals, lol!
We spent time after the cruise in London, dining in food halls, exploring St. James’s Park + Buckingham Palace, and seeing “Les Miserables” on the West End. Then it was time to head back home for the start of a new school year.
Interested in planning your next adventure? Ready to let me do the leg work? Let’s chat!
