Stavanger is Norway's fourth largest city and a firm favourite port for cruises to Norway and the fjords. Located in SW Norway, the city became rich from fishing, fish canning, shipbuilding and since the late 60s and early 70s, from oil. Cruise ships dock in the heart of the city which means you can explore the city on foot directly from the cruise terminal. No shuttle buses here. Ships tie up opposite Gamle Stavanger (Old Town), a photogenic mix of white-painted timber house

In October 2022 we stopped in Cherbourg for the first time on a cruise, sailing on P&O Ventura. Prior to the cruise we booked a P&O shore excursion - The Saire Valley (duration 4 hours). On the day of our trip we found our way off the ship to where the shore excursion coaches were waiting and made our way to the coach designated for our excursion (sign displayed in the coach window). We have got better at tackling P&O shore excursions, having previously experienced a much mor

We have called at Cherbourg, France on two occasions on P&O Ventura cruises. Cherbourg is well known to the British as a ferry port, but it has much more to offer. It has history as a French naval port and links to transatlantic cruise ships, famously the Titanic. The first notable thing about Cherbourg is the impressive terminal building. Having done little research prior to our first visit we were amazed as we saw and walked through the terminal building - the transatlan