28 July 2025; Sandane & Floro, Norway.

With the constant increase in the number of cruise ships calling at Norwegian ports (and not considered very welcome in Bergen and Oslo), more and more little towns are getting new cruise ships docks. Most of the extensions and improvements of the postal ferry docks (Hurtigruten) but also complete new ones. They are almost all the same, a dock of about a 100 – 150 meters with ships longer overhanging at the bow and at the stern. Sufficient bollards are for that purpose put down further inland so even the big girls (we saw the QM 2 yesterday in Olden) are able to dock. Draft restrictions are normally not there as the fjords are normally very deep with the hill sides sloping straight down under water. So the docks are normally there where a little river found its natural end of run into the fjord and created a small plateau.. Some ports can then also offer one or more anchorages but not all of them, and most captains are not that excited by those that are there, but as long as there is no wind at the end of the fjord those anchorages are do-able.

The tender service to the dock in Sandane.

Sandane has a few small docks but they cannot handle much more than a large fishing boat or very small ferry. Hence we tendered into the small town which had a very nice new tender dock built for that purpose. It can handle 3 tenders at the same time. The tender distance is what we call a “4 boat distance” and thus all 4 tenders (capacity 75 max.) were in the water. That then gives the option of having 1 boat at the ship, one going to the shore, one at the shore and one on the return journey. By 10. am the tours were gone and most of the rest of the 800 as well and it was “open tenders”. E.G no need to get a tender ticket. For the suite people, like us, you can go to the gangway directly anyway, same as with many other companies. As we had waited for everybody to have gone ashore we had to whole tender to ourselves, not a bad way to start the day. We had the Phoenix supplied green (officially the color is turquoise) umbrella’s with us as the mountains had managed to catch some rain clouds and they were busy testing the town’s drainage system.

One of the two main streets in Sandane. To the left a sort of bookstore, luxury department store with a very nice book selection and a lot of children’s toys and puzzles.

Sandane is a small district town so it has a number of amenities needed to serve the locals who come by car down from their mountain homes and farms. 5 hairdressers, 3 or 4 cafe’s, one supermarket in down town, A city Hall & bank, and a nice bookshop (Unfortunately with only one nautical book, about sunken local ships along the coast, so nothing for me. I went in Bremerhaven to the Maritime Museum and there the book shop is completely gone, so I have high hopes for the Maritime Museum in Bergen. Otherwise only Hamburg is left and that is quickly shaping up as the best maritime museum in the world in my opinion.)

We walked the two main streets and then got back on board before the tours were returning. One tour did not come back but was rejoining the ship in the next port of Floro. This is a sixty mile journey through very scenic waters. Now the sun came out and by the time we arrived there at 1700 hrs. the temperatures reached a balmy 20oC / 68oF. A nice temperature for the Norwegian summer and much better than the heat wave they had last week.

Once back on board we went for “Curry Bratwurst” on the open top deck. This is basically a sausage with a curry sauce pored over it, with some paprika and dry unions. Served together with french fries or “pommes frites”. It was not as spicy as you can get on many a German street corner, but Her Ladyship approved of it, so it was good. You could have a normal beer with it or and Irish Beer.

It does not make sense to me, promoting Kilkenny Irish Beer during a German fast food lunch, but the stuff tasted good.

On the way to the next port, we had a gathering of the Gold & Silber cabins in the main lounge. We were expected to be there at 15.30 hrs. but now having learned that the Germans are early everywhere, “to be in position for when it starts”, we made it a point to arrive 10 minutes earlier. Only to find that they were all there already again with the Hotel manager as main entertainment on the stage telling about his career. (He had worked everywhere in his 40 years, so lots to tell) At the entrance stood a rather annoyed captain, who had popped down from the bridge to shake hands with everybody only to find them already all inside. Luckily there was us as he arrived the same time as we did.  10 minutes before start.. So he made a brief speech, explained that he had to be on the bridge and  went back to the bridge.

This made us question whether they really knew what they were doing. The invitation that came to in the cabin should have warned us. It was signed by the Captain, the Cruise Director, the Hotel Manager and the Gold & Silber host. More Chiefs than Indians and none of them seem to have checked on the other to see how it all was possible. Anyway we got a planters punch (alcoholic or non alcoholic version) to keep us happy and then the three left told stories about the ship, the company and answered questions. The Cruise Director had been at sea since the Maxim Gorky days so he also had been everywhere and done everything. The regular questions were asked but it somehow felt wrong that all the answers came from the Cruise Director and not from the captain. Maybe they get it right next time.

The Marina of Floro. Full of pleasure boats but also work boats that serve the fishing industry.

Right after arrival we went ashore, as soon as the initial “invasion” of guests had made it off the gangway. Floro is a similar town as Sandane but with several older buildings in town and two hotels. A nice size marina and some good looking fish restaurants. For the rest a Thai restaurant (and a Thai bar…….. we never found out what that was supposed to be as it was closed) and a pizzeria. NOK 290 for a standard 12 inch pizza (About 10 kroner to the US dollar so $ 29,—), so we decided not to be tempted and returned to the ship.

The main street in Floro. This was around 1800 hrs. and as you can see it was not a hive of activity, even with the nice weather.

Having learned now that First and Second sitting is marching in about 30 minutes before the actual dinner time we decided to go for cocktails first in the Piano Lounge and show up at dinner around 20.00. (closing time being 20.30) A large glass of beer is 7.5 euro’s and about the same for a large glass of wine (with a large wine list to choose from) so the prices are very reasonable compared to a company such as Cunard. And you get standard a pot of peanuts while at other company’s you have to ask for it. And that is something I do not understand from other company’s where you have to ask, because as soon as you start eating peanuts, or mixed nuts,  you want to have another drink…………..

The La Fontaine Dining room aft part. Seen from starboard entrance towards the stern. As it was during Royal Viking and HAL days.

We learned something new in the dining room tonight. As we could not find the “daily dishes available through out the cruise” on the menu, something that most company’s have, we investigated and found that you can order from the Room Serve Menu, which has quite a few nice dishes. This included Wiener Schnitzel which is not on the regular menu. Well, making a cruise on a German ship, we could not do without the Schnitzel experience and it was promptly ordered. And it was good, very good. After dinner we poked our nose into the show lounge to see part of the show.

Singers to the right and left and the trapeze lady in the middle. (Apologies for the photo quality but I am not a cell phone wizard.)

Tonight it was again a Cast show, now based on the “Greatest Showman” musical / movie. It was not as bad as the previous two days as the ladies are good singers but the cheography was again very bad. The acrobatic lady hung from the ceiling again, being very talented and this time it sort of fitted in with the “circus theme” of the show, but it does not really work with such a low ceiling. But the audience seems to love it, so for them all was well in the world. I think we are a bit spoiled with our international cruise ship experience. ……………..

The new dining room look with Phoenix Reisen. Taken from the same location as the old photo above. Now the restaurant is called the “Ozean Restaurant”

Tomorrow we are in Bergen. It is supposed to be dry and partly sunny and that is not  so usual for Bergen so everybody will be out in force. Also in port: ms Trollfjord (Hurtigruten), ms Viking Saturn (Lesley and I will be on that one in February 2026) and the Costa Diadema. In total about 5000 cruise guests going ashore. It could be much worse and there have been protests in Bergen against having too many cruise ships on one day. 5000 guests marching through the fish market is already a lot, let alone when the count goes up to 9000 or more. And then add the regular tourists to it who come by sightseeing bus.

One more photo. This is the separate forward part,   “the small dining room”, seen looking aft. To the right used to be a circular staircase going up to the Explorers Lounge. It was removed providing space for a steward station. More to the aft a Buffet has been installed, used in the mornings for breakfast and in the evening for cold orders.