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

We first sailed on Ventura in October 2022. We have sailed on Ventura since and have two more cruises planned. We were pleasantly surprised with Ventura, finding it a nice sized ship, easy to navigate with a lovely atmosphere. This gives a brief overview of Ventura. Subsequent blogs will look at various aspects in more detail. Ventura was launched in 2008. It's a 116,017 ton family-friendly, mid-sized cruise ship which carries about 3,500 passengers. It provides a range of co

We first sailed on P&O Iona in May 2022. We sailed on Iona again in April 2023 and May 2025. Whilst we enjoyed our first cruise on Iona, it was a mixed experience. Our experiences in both 2023 and 2025 were far better, with terrific food, service and entertainment. This gives a brief overview of Iona. Subsequent blogs will look at various aspects in more detail. P&O's 184,700 ton Iona carries around 5,200 passengers and entered service in 2020. It has an array of entertai