After our day in Hellesynt we had hoped for better weather in our last port in this cruise and looking out from the balcony the weather was not looking promising. The good news as that this was our first ever visit to Haugesund.
Day 6: Thursday 2nd June 2022 – Haugesund
Iona had arrived in Haugesund later than in all the other ports . From our balcony we watched as Iona spun to dock and passed the large dry dock.
The queues had built up for breakfast as more and more passengers “reserved “ their tables. The reserved queue was on the left of the corridor and was just as long as those of us who had not booked! The receptionist called out for passengers who were willing to share and we volunteered. We were taken to a table for ten, definitely a sharing table!
After orders were taken from everyone around the table there was a sudden flurry of waiters around our part of the restaurant. Then after ten minutes or so our waiter came back to “confirm“ our orders but this time using paper. It seems the online system had crashed.
Our breakfasts did take quite a time to arrive. This was further complicated by the couple at the end of the table complaining about their delivered food and sending it back twice! Meanwhile, the rest of us on the table enjoyed conversations about Iona and cruising around Norway. This was when I found out just how steep and narrow the slippery path was up the hill at Hellesylt if I had carried on with my walk the day before.
This felt much more like meals on cruise ships that we had shared before.
Into Haugesund
To leave Iona, we used our quick exit strategy and caught the lift down to Deck 5 and then walked along almost empty corridors until we reached the mid-ship lifts, then down the stairs to Deck 3 and then left the ship.
Opposite the gangplank was a small building and we picked up a tourist map of Haugesund. It seems the walk to the centre of town was at least 15 minutes from the port, so we opted to take the waiting shuttle bus and pay a small fare.
The drop-off was central in the town and we went down to the quay, turned left and then walked along the quayside.
Marilyn Monroe Statue
The tourist map detailed where the “infamous “ Marilyn Monroe statue was. Norma Jean Mortenson’s father is said to be from the area around Haugesund.
Haraldscata
We then walked up a small hill and skipped going into the department store there and instead walked back to the pedestrian precinct, Haraldscata.
The precinct had a mixture of souvenir shops, restaurants, shops bars and cafés as well as countless clothes shops.
After exploring the shops we set off for the art gallery that was promised to be further along the road.
Statue of Harald Fairhair
After we had left the pedestrian precinct and walked several several blocks we saw this statue past a community centre to our left. This is a statue of Norway’s first king, Harald Fairhair. From this vantage point we were looking down on the port area with warehouses and factory units as well as the shipyard. We never did find the art gallery!
Lutchfood in Haugesund
Walking back it was now well past time for our morning drinks and we stopped at Lutchfood. What a friendly welcome we received and looking at the fabulous pastries this was a great choice for us to stop at.
Lutchfood in Haugesund on TripAdvisor
Great pastries!
After walking around Haugesund, Lutchfood was a welcome place to have a sit and have a latte with some amazing pasties.
Everyone was so welcoming and made us welcome despite being busy. The decor of the cafe is well worth a double take – loved the wall of doughnuts!.
The main retro sign shop at the opposite end of the precinct was our next stop. This was to pick up a sign for our grandson.
The main retro sign shop at the opposite end of the precinct was our next stop. This was to pick up a sign for our grandson.
The street art we passed
On our way back to the pick up point we passed a small section of wall decorated with this street art.
Once we were back onboard we went to the Skydome to try the diner there. This offered pizza and hot dogs and of course side orders of chips.
Our afternoon was then spent in the cabin watching movies, reading and generally having a rest.
Evening after leaving Haugesund
After a late dinner in the restaurant we went to the Clubhouse briefly before we went to the Atrium to wait for the silent disco to start. This was out first silent disco on a P&O ship. The event was hugely popular and I just managed to get us three headsets. We didn’t join in with the main crowd in the centre of the Atrium. But instead stayed by the windows and danced (and sang!) to the music.
Back at our cabin we had received the note to tell us what the time for leaving the ship. This has been set at 10:30 am. A quick trip to reception and we were able to move our departure time to 9:30 am at the same place on the ship, Sindhu restaurant.
Day 7 Friday 3rd June – North Sea
After another late breakfast we went for a walk around Iona as we watched the North Sea pass by. Overnight our cabin had shook as the ship powered away away from Norway. This cabin was definitely not as comfortable as the one we had had for the Christmas market cruise.
The Quays were busy for lunch. I had yet another burger but the Katsu chicken and the Southern fried chicken did look tempting.
Our balcony had lots of sun in the afternoon and we relaxed watching the North Sea pass by.
We had booked the Beach House for our last evening. Our dislike about the updated menu had not changed. We stuck to the potato skins for starters. I had steak and everyone else had chicken fajitas for their mains. Once again there were not enough fajitas for all the chicken!
Our grandson had the most amazing dessert. It was supposed to be sharing dessert. We did help him a little with the copious amounts of melted chocolate that remained after he’d finished!
The Ship’s house band, Pulse, were celebrating BritPop in The Lounge. We caught part of their sets before heading back to our cabin.
Once Iona came into the sight of the cliffs of Dover we made calls to everyone in the family, put our suitcases out and then settled down for our last sleep on board.
Day 8 Saturday 4th June – Southampton
Early in the morning from our balcony we watched Ventura coming into Southampton. After breakfast we went to the Sindhu restaurant earlier than our designated time. Once there we were told to just disembark as everything was running so smoothly.