Cruising The Norwegian Fjords Onboard Queen Anne

Blending timeless elegance with cutting-edge design, Queen Anne is Cunard’s newest addition to its legendary fleet of cruise ships. From her grand interiors and curated art collections to world-class dining and enriching entertainment, every detail onboard has been crafted to delight.

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to experience this epic ship at sea?

Specialist Cruise.co.uk consultant, Barbara Hopley, recently had the pleasure of sailing the Norwegian Fjords onboard Queen Anne. Read on to hear about her trip highlights and what life is like onboard a Cunard cruise…

Day 1 - Embarkation

I recently had the opportunity to cruise onboard Cunard’s Queen Anne, and I can say that this is the best cruise trip with work that I’ve ever done! The organisation beforehand was brilliant; Cunard arranged a video call before the cruise so we could meet the group and ask any questions we may have, which was great.

On embarkation day, I took the direct train from Coventry to Southampton and arrived around 11 am. I then met my colleague, Carrie, for a coffee before taking a taxi to the cruise port, arriving at around 1 pm ahead of our scheduled 2 pm check-in time. However, much to our delight, we were allowed to board straight away!

Once onboard, we were welcomed by happy, smiling staff. First, we headed to our balcony cabin located on deck 6, and we were not disappointed. The room had lovely decor and was spacious, featuring a large balcony compared to other ships I’ve been on previously.

The bathroom was a good size, boasting a fabulous large shower with a glass door. Our luggage also arrived fairly quickly. We then had a bit of time to explore the ship before our welcome cocktail party for sailaway at 5 pm. After welcome drinks, we headed to the cabin to get ready for our first dinner in the Britannia restaurant. The food and service here were both impeccable every night.

We also took part in Karaoke on the first night and, as I love it, I even got up to perform a song! Following this, we went to bed quite early as it had been a long day of travelling.

Day 2 - Sea Day

This morning, I kicked off the day by taking part in a Zumba class in the Queens Room onboard. In the afternoon, we also had a scavenger hunt, having to answer questions and take photos in each area; this was very fun.

Afterwards, at 3 pm, we attended afternoon tea in the Queen's Room; this was the best afternoon tea I have ever had! It was perfectly served by the white gloved staff and included tasty sandwiches, cakes, and scones with jam and cream.

This evening was a black and white formal night. I love to dress up on these nights, so I went with the theme and had another fabulous meal in Britannia restaurant. We then went to the ‘Imagination’ show, which I thought was quite dramatic but good, and most people also enjoyed it. We then had a dabble in the Casino before heading to bed!

Day 3 - Kristiansand, Norway

Our first port was Kristiansand in Norway. After getting off the ship, we walked into the town, which took approximately 15-20 minutes. However, once we arrived, we realised that most of the shops were closed as it was Sunday. So instead, we had a nice walk around and a coffee. We then returned to the ship and did the quiz in the Golden Lion Pub- sadly, we didn’t win this time!

Tonight, we were treated to a speciality dining experience at Tramonto. This restaurant has a Mediterranean-inspired menu, and it was a lovely meal with great service. I opted for the lamb, which was delicious. We missed the show tonight as we ended up spending about three hours in the restaurant! So we headed to the Bright Lights Society bar for a drink, and then off to bed.

Day 4 - Oslo, Norway

Today we arrived in Oslo for an overnight stop!

We went on an excursion to a glassworks factory called Hadeland Glassverk. This was very interesting as we saw vases being made and then had some free time to look around the museum and shops. We also had coffee and a local cake provided for us!

The journey on the coach from the ship was around an hour and 15 minutes each way. On the way back, we stopped at the Holmenkollen ski jump, which is no longer used, but they now have a zip line down which you can go on. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do this today, but I would have done it if we had the chance!

This evening, we chose to eat in the Golden Lion Pub. I chose the steak and Cunard ale pie with mash- it was lovely. We then did the quiz and, once again, didn’t win! Then, it was off to the Queens Room for a silent disco, which was so much fun!

Day 5 - Oslo, Norway

Today in Oslo, we walked up to the Royal Palace, but sadly, King Harold and Queen Sonja weren’t home! We also walked the length of the mall and had a local beer. We found Norway to be quite expensive in comparison to other destinations!

We then walked to the Opera House before heading back to the ship after walking 20,000 steps today!

At 5 pm, we met up with others at the Pavilion pool for drinks and sailaway from Oslo through Oslofjord. Later that evening, we went to the ‘Noir’ show in the Bright Lights Society. This was a 45-minute murder-mystery style show which involved the audience, plus featured great vocals and dancing. There was a $15 extra fee to see this show.

After the show, we headed to Sir Samuel’s- the speciality restaurant steak house. The food and the venue here were amazing, with lovely views of the sunset from the ship’s aft.

After dinner, we headed back to the Bright Lights Society venue for an ABBA night!

Day 6 - Skagen, Denmark

Skagen was a new port for me as I’ve never visited there. It’s a small fishing town, the furthest north of Denmark. It’s a decent 20-25 minute walk into the town from the port, or you can pay roughly seven euros for the bus. We chose to walk into Skagen, have a look around, and then head back to the ship.

Later today, we went to the onboard spa. This was the best spa experience at sea that I’ve ever had! There is a large therapy pool, along with various hot and cold showers. I felt completely relaxed after doing this. There is also a lovely relaxation room for post-spa and treatments, with fresh water available too.

Tonight, it was the formal night with a red and gold theme, so we wore our best red dresses. Most people onboard do take part in the formal nights, which is great. We had a fantastic dinner in the Britannia Restaurant and later went to Karaoke in Bright Lights Society.

Day 7 - Sea Day

It turned out that I had a solo customer also onboard the ship during this sailing, so I arranged to have a coffee with her this morning in the Carinthia Lounge. We had a great chat, and it was nice to put a face to a name after 12 years of booking her cruises!

After parting ways, I went off to take more photos around the ship and have lunch. A few of us then went to do a music quiz in the Golden Lion Pub- once again, we didn’t win!

Tonight was the final night! After dinner, we went to the show in Bright Lights Society, which was really good- the singers and dancers were brilliant. Then it was time to pack our cases and get to bed, ready to disembark in the morning.

Day 8 - Disembarkation

This morning, we had to be out of our cabins by 9 am, and ended up disembarking the ship at around 9:30 am. We then took a taxi to the train station to make our onward journeys home.

Overall, this was a fantastic cruise with great people. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip! This was my first time cruising with Cunard, but it certainly won’t be my last!