We stepped out on to the deck to the sound of classical music and the sight of Geirangerfjord’s green slopes towering either side of us, the view shrinking our huge ship down to toy-size. I heard my children gasp. I suddenly felt emotional.
At the Seven Sisters waterfalls, white-washed water tumbled down the steep sides of the gorge. Occasionally, we’d point to seemingly Lego-sized red farmhouses by the side of the water, in awe of the scale of the majestic fjord.
This trip was in memory of my mum, who delayed a Norwegian cruise when she found a lump in her breast. She never recovered. My children have been missing their grandma, and I hoped travelling to west Norway in her memory would be healing for us all.
It was also my first adult holiday alone with three children, Astrid (nine), Xavi (seven) and Juno (three). It turns out a cruise is an ideal trip for a parent travelling alone. When I was a teenager and my parents split up, my mum started taking me and my younger brother on cruises, exchanging tents in France for holidays where she got a genuine rest.
I loved meeting other teens onboard and the idea of someone else making my bed felt like pure indulgence then – and still does now.
While my holidays changed, my mum continued to take cruises with friends she first met on her voyages and with whom she became close friends.
This was the first time in 25 years I’d been aboard a cruise ship. MSC Cruises sail from Southampton, but with UK sailings sold out, we flew to Germany. It was all straightforward, with a coach taking us from Hamburg airport to Kiel, where we boarded the ship.
Once onboard the MSC Euribia, my children couldn’t quite compute its size. “This is like a town on a boat,” Xavi observed, accurately. We explored the shops, the empty casino, the racetrack painted on deck for those trying to get their steps in.
There was a kids’ club but my children wouldn’t try it out. So, while I did plan an itinerary of activities from the daily programme – yoga and sound healing, ballroom dancing and an intriguing-sounding tongue and pulse analysis – I swapped it all for time together. There was a simplicity in following my children’s lead.
We loved the swimming pool, with waves created by the swell of the sea. The top deck was given over to waterslides that we flew down on double rubber rings; one so fast I felt a rush of adrenaline.
I’d expected us to spend the majority of our time up here, but I found myself wishing for an extra pair of hands. Juno was too small for the slides and instead played in the shallow paddling pool, while Astrid and Xavi took turns riding with me. It was the hot tubs dotted around that we spent most time dipping in and out of, though, the children declaring “this is the life” each time.
Our cabin had a double bed, bunks and a little balcony which I appreciated escaping to.
My children struggle with crowds and it took us a few days to learn how to avoid ship congestion, especially at lunchtime when it felt like all 6,300 passengers descended on the buffet at once. My first solution was finding a relatively quiet corner to sit in and bringing over a selection of buffet highlights: usually pizza, hot dogs or noodles for them and salad for me.
But two days in, I learnt we could eat in the quieter à la carte restaurant, where we were all so much more relaxed.
One night after dinner we all went to see a circus performance inspired by The Greatest Showman, which Astrid and I adored. On another night…
