All-Inclusive: Iceland & Norway

Touch down in London and settle into your first of three nights at your four star hotel. Once you’ve dropped your bags, the city is yours to explore, whether that’s a walk along the Thames past the Tower of London or an evening in Covent Garden before your cruise begins.

Full day in London to dig deeper into the city. Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard fill the late morning, while the galleries of the National Gallery or a climb up St Paul’s Cathedral dome make for a different kind of afternoon.

Your final day in London before boarding tomorrow. Take the Underground out to Greenwich for the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark, or spend a slower afternoon browsing Borough Market before an early night ahead of embarkation.

Your cruise begins in Southampton, the historic gateway that once sent the great ocean liners out to sea. Spend the morning exploring at your own pace before boarding Majestic Princess this afternoon, with Winchester’s medieval cathedral and the New Forest both an easy reach if you’d like a last look at the English countryside before you sail.

Your first day at sea is for settling into ship life. Stake out a spot by the Lido Pool or ease into the Hot Tubs on deck, and let the crew introduce you to Majestic Princess before Norway comes into view tomorrow.

Hardangerfjord is Norway’s second-longest fjord, framed by orchard-covered hillsides and the Folgefonna glacier beyond. This is the country’s fruit-growing heartland, and by June the trees have traded their spring blossom for ripening cherries and apples. Waterfalls run full with snowmelt through the surrounding valleys, and the clifftop lookout at Trolltunga sits within a scenic drive of the fjord.

Sognefjord reaches further inland than any fjord in Norway, cutting through mountains that rise straight from the water. From Skjolden you can head into Jotunheimen National Park for a look at Norway’s highest peaks, or visit one of the region’s timber stave churches, some standing since the twelfth century.

Olden sits at the head of Nordfjord, framed by farms that have worked this valley for generations. A short drive brings you to Briksdalsbreen, one of the more accessible arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier, while the village itself keeps a quiet, unhurried pace worth lingering in.

After a fire tore through Alesund in 1904, the town rose again in Art Nouveau style, giving it one of Norway’s most distinctive harbours, all turrets and ironwork balconies. Climb the steps to Fjellstua for a view over the archipelago, or wander the waterfront where the town’s fishing trade still runs deep.

A second day at sea between the Norwegian coast and Iceland gives you time to slow down. Book a treatment at the Lotus Spa or simply enjoy the quiet of a full day with nowhere to be before Akureyri comes into view tomorrow.

Akureyri sits just below the Arctic Circle, though you’d hardly know it from the gardens in bloom along its streets. Use it as your base for the Diamond Circle, with the thundering Goðafoss waterfall and the volcanic Lake Mývatn both within reach for the day.

Ísafjörður is the largest town in the West Fjords, tucked beneath mountains on three sides with the sea closing the fourth. Its old harbour quarter holds some of Iceland’s oldest timber buildings, and the drive out along the fjord roads is one of the country’s quieter, more dramatic routes.

Grundarfjörður looks out towards Kirkjufell, the pointed mountain that’s become one of Iceland’s most photographed. The wider Snæfellsnes Peninsula holds the glacier-capped volcano Snæfellsjökull and enough saga history to fill an afternoon of exploring on your own.

Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital, low rise and colourful against a backdrop of hills and sea. Climb the tower at Hallgrímskirkja for the view, or head out for the day to the Golden Circle, where geothermal geysers meet the thundering falls of Gullfoss.

As Majestic Princess turns south for the crossing home, mark the occasion with dinner at the Crown Grill, where the steaks and chops are cooked over an open flame. It’s a fitting start to your final run of days at sea.

Settle in for an evening at the Theatre, or claim a deck chair under the stars for the outdoor cinema screen once the sun goes down. With Iceland behind you, the days at sea are for slowing down.

Your last full day at sea before Southampton. Spend it easing between the International Cafe for coffee and a spot by Vines Wine & Seafood Bar in the evening, a quiet way to close out the cruise before you’re back on English soil.

Your cruise concludes this morning as Majestic Princess returns to Southampton. After two and a half weeks tracing the fjords of Norway and the volcanic coastline of Iceland, disembark at your leisure for your transfer to the airport or a final night in England before heading home.