Karen & LindaNetherlands · Fjords · Britain

No alarm clocks. Pools, spa, the library with ocean views, and the day's program delivered to the cabin. Worth doing today: stop by the Shore Excursion desk — the Troll Car (Olden) and Lysefjord cruise (Stavanger) aren't booked yet and the Troll Car fills fast — then book a spa treatment and catch a Norway enrichment lecture.

A real working harbor town, refreshingly untouristy. Visit Haraldshaugen, the national monument to Harald Fairhair who unified Norway — a short taxi (€9–11 [$10–12]) or an easy 15–20 minute walk from the harbor, with sea views the whole way.

Fish soup or the local catch at a harborside café (€11–16 [$12–18]), then a slow waterfront browse before tendering back. Dinner aboard; evening on deck watching the coast slide by.

Ten minutes from the harbor (€10–15 [$11–17] each way): traditional turf-roofed farmhouses, folk crafts, and regional history — genuinely educational, never touristy. Take it at a relaxed pace, 2.5–3 hours.

Fresh fish soup and local bread (€9–14 [$10–15]), then a flat, gentle promenade stroll with the mountain panorama behind the town before returning to the ship.

Olden village itself is tiny (one café, very pretty, 20 minutes if you're curious). The sail-in and sail-out through the fjord are the real show — deck chairs, blankets, hot drinks.

The old town's white timber houses and cobbled lanes are free, flat, and lovely — 30–45 unhurried minutes. Lunch of fish & chips or fresh crab on the wharf (€11–16 [$12–18]). If energy allows, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum (€18 [$20]) is a surprisingly great hour — buy tickets at the door.

Spa, a show, an enrichment talk, a long lunch. Tonight, do most of the packing — tomorrow is a cabin change (8129 → 1094) during the Rotterdam turnaround, and confirming the bag transfer with Guest Services this evening makes the morning effortless.

You move from 8129 to Cabin 1094 today. Pack everything before breakfast; as back-to-back guests, the stewards transfer your bags to the new cabin — confirm the handoff with Guest Services the night before, and keep documents and medications with you. Then the day is free. If a shore morning appeals: tram 25 from Wilhelminaplein to Blaak lands you at the Markthal — 100+ food stalls under a painted arch, ideal grazing lunch — with the tilted Cube Houses next door for photos. Back aboard by 2:30pm. Staying on the quiet, half-empty ship is an equally good choice.

Second champagne send-off from the same deck. This round heads for Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, and the far end of Norway's longest fjord.

A proper rest day. One useful errand: the Shore Excursion desk — Easy Oslo and the Urnes tour aren't booked yet, and this sailing carries a per-person excursion credit that should cover much of the cost. Decide, book, done.

Table for two at 6:00pm at the ship's French dining room (Rudi's Sel de Mer). Confirm the reservation in the onboard itinerary / Navigator app once aboard.

If the coach leaves you wanting more: the Opera House is 10 minutes from the ship (walking its marble roof is free), or amble Karl Johans Gate toward the palace with a café stop. Otherwise, the deck with a book is a fine answer.

The warmest, most relaxed port of the whole cruise (often 64–68°F). White 18th-century wooden houses in Posebyen, a harborside seafood lunch (€11–16 [$12–18]), and an ice-cream walk along sandy Bystranda. Back aboard by early afternoon for pool or spa.

You saw Stavanger's best on Cruise 1. Either skip ashore entirely (pool, spa, lecture) or take a short late-morning wander through Gamle Stavanger and be back for lunch. Save the energy for Skjolden tomorrow — its excursion leaves at 7:30am.

Skjolden village is a 20-minute stroll if you want to stretch. Otherwise: deck, blanket, and the mountains closing in behind the ship as it threads back down the fjord — one of the trip's finest hours.

Final show, final long lunch, farewell dinner. Bags go outside the cabin door tonight if using HAL's luggage service; keep a day bag with documents, medications, and tomorrow's clothes.