Cruising The Norwegian Fjords: Our 7 Day Itinerary on P&O Iona
Our first cruise experience back in May 2023 was exploring the Norwegian fjords, with Ma and Pa Lee in tow. Whilst they took to cruising immediately and declared it their favourite way to holiday from now on, Mr Fletche and I were a little more wary about committing to a future on board. And yet we find ourselves disembarking from a third cruise in three years. We returned to the Norwegian fjords, this time on P&O Iona, once again with Ma and Pa Lee. Here’s an overview of our 7 day Norwegian fjords itinerary.
There’s no review of P&O Iona on the way, but that’s because I’ve previously written HERE about sister ship Arvia, and there’s very little difference between the two. So much so that I had a striking feeling of déjà vu when we first entered Iona’s atrium on embarkation day.
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Our Norwegian Fjords Cruise itinerary at a glance
Our 7 day Norwegian Fjord cruise departed from Southampton in June 2026, and included cruise stops in Olden, Flam and Stavanger. We also had an unscheduled scenic sail through Hardangerfjord.
🚢 Day 1: Embarkation from Southampton
🌊 Day 2: Sea Day
🇳🇴 Day 3: Haugesund – or so we think…
🇳🇴 Day 4: Olden
🇳🇴 Day 5: Flåm
🇳🇴 Day 6: Stavanger
🌊 Day 7: Sea Day
🚢 Day 8: Return to Southampton
The Night Before
We decide to travel down from Birmingham to Southampton on the Friday afternoon. Not wanting to waste any precious annual leave, Mr Fletche and I work from home until the very last minute, when Ma and Pa Lee are standing on our doorstep with their suitcases. They are practically writing our Out of Office messages for us.
We stayed at the Village Hotel Southampton Eastleigh. If you stay at a Village Hotel, make sure you download the Village Rewards App for discounts – we took advantage of the Fish and Chip Friday deal at the onsite Bar & Grill.
Make sure you’re comfortable with your roommate – we found disconcertingly clear doors on the bathroom door, combined with a badly placed mirror. However, if you like to watch the TV from the loo then these might just be the rooms for you 🤣
Day 1: The sail-away from Southampton
Unlike our previous P&O Cruise when our embarkation time was two hours different from Ma and Pa Lee, this time we’re all due to board at 12:30pm. Mr Fletche booked parking at the Ocean Cruise Terminal via CPS Parking; this cost £152 for the week.
It’s a swift embarkation process, from dropping off the car, leaving our luggage in the capable hands of the terminal staff and joining a swiftly moving queue at check-in. No complicated EES processes here: Flying 0, Cruising 1. Before we know it we’re making our way up the switchbacks of the walkway, to be swallowed up by P&O Iona. Our muster station is at the Glasshouse on Deck 7, which is handy for us to grab the first drink of our cruise whilst we wait for our cabins to be ready.
As with our previous P&O Cruise we chose not to purchase a drinks package. The Classic Alcohol package is £50 per person per day. That’s a whopping £700 on top of the basic cruise costs. Our bar bill came to around £280 – less than half of what a drinks package would have cost.
Our sail-away is surprisingly understated, and without fanfare we’re sailing towards Norway. We celebrate our first evening with drinks in Andersons and dinner at Opal, one of Iona’s four main dining rooms. Our evening finishes with a George Michael tribute in the Skydome. Which leads to a rousing rendition of Last Christmas. Yes. Last Christmas. In June.
Day 2: Our First Sea Day
Our first full day aboard is a sea day. This gives us plenty of opportunity to explore Iona, compare our favourite spots with those from Arvia and find new ones. Our sea day ends with the only formal night of the cruise, and the obligatory silent disco. Mr Fletche saves me from an embarrassing tumble when my heel gets caught in the elasticated bubble hem of my dress. I am precariously close to the swimming pool at the time. I have visions of this:
Yes, it’s a second Christmas reference in this blog post about a June cruise. You’re welcome 🎄🎁🎅🏻
Day 3: Haugesund
Before we embarked, constant weather checks meant that we knew we were in for some stormy weather on Sunday night. So we wasn’t surprised when it was annonced that it would not be possible to dock in Haugesund. Instead, we would be at sea for another day. Having visited Haugesund previously, we were not too disappointed. As the winds and rolling waves abated on Monday morning, we’re treated to surprisingly warm temperatures that allow us to spend most of our second sea day on deck.
But even better was the alternative route that Captain Foote had arranged. Instead of staring out at an endless blue expanse of sea, Iona takes a detour along Norway’s second longest fjord. And the spectacular Hardangerfjord ends up being one of the highlights of our week. At the dramatic Furebergsfossen waterfall, Iona completes a 360-degree pirouette, giving all passengers the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular sight. And the same happens a little later on, as we approach the village of Sunndal, nestling under the creeping icy fingers of the Bondhusbreen glacier.
It may be an unscheduled day at sea, but the scenic sail through meant this was no wasted day. In fact it was a very special bonus. Mr Fletche and I finish off the day with a little date night meal at The Glasshouse, an experience we had enjoyed on P&O Arvia and equally here on Iona.
Day 4: Olden
Finally its time to get back on terra firma and leave our floating home for a little while. Unlike our previous visit to Olden we don’t make it out of bed for the early morning sail-in. This time round we prefer a leisurely morning and breakfast with a view.
Olden is a small village which packs a punch. After visiting Briksdal Glacier last time we decided to just stroll and take in the scenery. We took a slow meandering walk to Olden’s churches – both Old and New – before making it up to the Floen lake viewpoint 
We leave Ma and Pa Lee alone for five minutes and they’re drinking at Mølla Gjestehus, right on the quayside. We’re reunited for sailaway though; Olden residents never fail to wave goodbye to their visitors in style 
There’s no new Olden blog coming (booo!) but I have updated my original Olden blog with new photos and updated info! It covers a visit to the Briksdal Glacier in detail – you can find that post here.
Day 5: Flåm
Our next stop – a new port for us this time – is Flåm, a tiny village at the end of Aurlandsfjord. It’s most famous for its railway; the Flåmsbana takes passengers on an incredibly scenic 20km trip to Myrdal via the 20 tunnels, and the steepest standard‑gauge line in the world. We had pre-booked our tickets for the 10:50am departure – tickets sell out fast!
The village of Flåm itself is charming, but it’s clearly built for visitors. If Alton Towers launched NorwayLand, it would look exactly like this. Ma and Pa Lee made sure they kept up their tradition of “supporting the local economy” with a drink in every port, this time at Ægir Brewery It’s large biergarten is handily right next to the cruise terminal.
You can read more about Flåm, the second stop on our Norwegian Fjords cruise 7 day itinerary here! It includes details about how to travel on the iconic Flåmsbana railway.
It’s England’s opening match in the World Cup. Mr Fletche and I head off for a casual buffet dinner; Ma and Pa Lee stake out suitable seats in The Clubhouse. They’re fighting off people trying to steal the seats they’ve saved for us when we join them. Smugly we watch the people crowding in to the room five minutes before kick-off, thinking there will be tables available. That would have been us, had Ma and Pa Lee not perfectly executed ruthless seat-saving manoeuvres.
Day 6: Stavanger
The final stop on our 7 day Norwegian Fjords cruise is Stavanger, another new port for us. It’s a city of two halves: the classic wooden white houses of Gamle Stavanger, and the colourful facades and street art of Øvre Holmegate.
After disembarking Iona we decide to swap our big ship for a slightly smaller vessel. We choose from the company’s lining the quayside and take a fjord cruise along Lysefjord towards Preikestolen (aka Pulpit Rock) and Hengjanefossen. This leaves us with a couple of hours to explore Norway’s fourth largest city – its compact centre means we don’t stroll any more than 15-20 minutes from the cruise terminal.
In something of a theme here, Mr Fletche and I leave Ma and Pa Lee in a pub, where they opt for a SECOND round of local beers over accompanying us on our exploration. They even return to the ship AFTER we do in a port day first.
There’s more to follow on Stavanger here, including more info on our impromptu fjord tour with Rødne Fjord Cruise
Day 7: A Final Sea Day
We have a final sea day as we traverse in a southwesterly direction back to Southampton. Which gives us the opportunity to conclude the family Rummikub tournament in the Crows Nest. I lose the advantage I have held all week and Mr Fletche reigns champion. Again. We have final night drinks in Andersons, and on booking Coral we successfully complete our bingo card of dining in all four of Iona’s main dining rooms.
Day 8: Back to Southampton
We’re back in Southampton early. Iona is off on another trip to the fjords; sadly we are not. We’ve decided to self-disembark the following morning. Which means we have to carry our own suitcases down three decks to the Atrium. I say “we” loosely. Of course I mean Mr Fletche. I have a multitude of bags over each shoulder, like a human version of Buckaroo. If we’d have waited for an empty lift we’d have still been there now.
We meet up with Ma and Pa Lee in the Atrium. Being early risers, they sensibly transported their cases by lift, hours before the mad rush. By 8am we’ve disembarked for the final time and head back to the car for the drive back home.
Final thoughts
Whilst our itinerary may not have completely gone to plan, the gorgeous weather really allowed us to enjoy the best of deck life. In fact the weather was totally unexpected. On our last Norwegian Fjords cruise the only way we could sit on deck was by wearing all of our clothes – including waterproofs and thermals. I didn’t think I’d come back from Norway this time with sunburn!
A 7-day cruise is the perfect length of time for us. The two scheduled sea days gave us the chance to relax; the unscheduled sea day provided plenty of highlights to ensure that the scenery was always changing. Flåm and Stavanger were new ports to us, and it was exciting to explore somewhere new. Olden felt familiar and welcoming.
And speaking of familiarity, although it’s our first time on Iona, its similarity to sister ship Arvia meant we felt like home straight away. It helped that our cabin this time wasn’t sandwiched between the gym and the medical centre. We also travelled outside of school holidays this time, which meant there were noticeably less children.
The reason why we (sometimes) choose to cruise is making memories with Ma and Pa Lee. And they have taken to cruising like, well, ducks to water. If those ducks were 72 year old Brummies with a preference for stress-free travel and a desire to drink a “local beer” in every port.
