Northern Europe Cruise: A Popular Summer Route Through the Arctic Circle and Fjords, 11 Nights / 12 Days – Part 3

Date: 2019-09-24

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This year's cruise took us to Norway's fjords and the Arctic Circle on an 11-night voyage – something we had long dreamed of. It was our first time in both the Arctic Circle and the fjords. We're covering the cruise across four posts; this is the third.

① MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Itinerary and boarding process

② MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Inside the ship MSC Preziosa

③ MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Dining on board

④ MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Shore excursions (excluding Flam)

⑤ MSC Northern Europe Cruise – Shore excursion in Flam

MSC Preziosa (140,000 tonnes, Fantasia Class). Launched 2013. Gross tonnage: 139,072 t / Length: 333.30 m / Maximum beam: 37.92 m / Height: 67.69 m. Passenger capacity: 4,345 / Crew: 1,388. Cruising speed: 24.21 knots.

Dining options aboard MSC Preziosa

The ship is 18 decks high with around 4,300 guests, and food service runs for approximately 20 hours a day. On board there are three restaurants, two specialty dining venues (a sushi restaurant and a steakhouse) with a cover charge, and a wine bar where you can enjoy pizza. For drinks and light snacks, there are 8 indoor bars, 5 outdoor bars (beside the pools, etc.), as well as gelato and cake counters, and an espresso bar.

Inca and Maya Restaurants (Buffet)

The longest-open venue on board is the buffet restaurant on deck 14, behind the pool – the self-service Inca and Maya Restaurants.

This map shows the layout at breakfast time. The menu spans Italian, European, vegetarian, and ethnic options.

The 24-hour drinks station

Free water, ice, hot water, coffee, and a range of tea bags are always available here. At breakfast time only, a fresh juice machine is also running.

Green tea bags are among the options – they seem to be everywhere these days, which is very convenient.

The buffet opens at 6am. Breakfast runs until 11:30; lunch from 11:30 to 15:30; afternoon snacks (pastries and made-to-order sandwiches) from 16:00 to 17:30; dinner from 18:00 to 22:30; and night snacks (soup, burgers, hot dogs, and more) from 22:30 to 2:00. It's essentially open all day – whenever you want something to eat or drink, this is the place to go.

The buffet stays open all day from the very first day of the cruise, so after checking in and boarding, everyone heads here first. On embarkation day, I had a late lunch here.

Starting with pizza!

Europeans simply cannot live without cheese. On this voyage, departing from Germany, there was a wide range of German cheeses available.

A colourful array of cheeses – including a yellow-green one that turned out to be wasabi-flavoured!

The meat carving station – always popular

Always freshly carved to order.

The fruit counter, where large quantities of sliced fresh fruit are always on display.

There's even a dedicated children's corner with all their favourite foods.

A typical lunch. The beauty of a buffet is being able to try a bit of everything, with no waiting time.

A typical breakfast. Because we sailed from a German port with many German guests on board, there were always German sausages in the buffet – a welcome treat!

Being able to eat while gazing at the sea means we used the buffet quite regularly. However, it gets very crowded at peak times (breakfast 8–9am, lunch from 1pm, dinner from 7pm), making sea-view seats hard to come by. Going slightly off-peak is the way to go.

The cup of pear compote is a sugar-free and gluten-free dessert option.

But the absolute highlight of the deck 14 buffet is undoubtedly the MSC signature pizza counter!

Here's an unusual charcoal-dough pizza.

MSC is an Italian company, and their pizza is made with real dedication. The thin, crispy, high-temperature Italian-style pizzas are always freshly made from scratch – the dough stretched right in front of you.

The pizza counter is open from 11:30am to midnight, and it's all too easy to grab a slice as you walk past. The thick, heavily-topped American-style pizza found in many shops overseas is not what Italians eat. (Italian people probably wouldn't even call it pizza – they're famously protective of their culinary traditions.) Please do try the authentic article. Pizza is also available for room delivery (a delivery charge may apply depending on your Experience tier).

Main Dining Room

The two table-service main dining rooms are L'Arabesque and The Golden Lobster. Breakfast and lunch are open seating (you sit as you arrive, often sharing tables), but dinner is assigned seating – you dine at the same table every evening.

Because of the large number of guests, dinner runs in two sittings: the first sitting starts at around 17:45 and the second at around 20:15 (times vary slightly by ship).

Unless you are in a group or have made a special reservation in advance, tables are randomly assigned – typically grouping guests who speak the same language. Here are some of the dishes we had at dinner. Calamari fritti:

Seafood linguine:

Greek salad with feta cheese (goat's milk) and olives:

Prawns in sauce with vegetable pilaf:

Roast beef with mashed potato:

Smoked salmon and potato with caviar – we ordered it expecting a generous serving, and got exactly two eggs of caviar!!

Mussels in tomato sauce:

Duck in orange sauce with red cabbage and potato croquettes:

Beef steak with baked potato:

Dessert: Black Forest gateau:

As "guests from England," we were always seated at the English-speaking table. On this voyage, we were the only English representatives at our table – the other five guests (two couples and one solo traveller) were all from Ireland. Having dinner with the same tablemates and the same waiter every evening is part of the cruise experience. Our waiter was from Indonesia.

The menu changes daily, and it's effectively a three-course dinner (starter, main, dessert), though you may order as many courses as you like in any combination. The dining room also offers dishes not available in the buffet – such as steaks, long pasta, and gelato. Table service means you can eat at a leisurely pace, though it does take longer, so it's not ideal if you're in a hurry.

MSC being a casual line, smart casual attire is generally acceptable on non-Gala evenings. The one exception during this cruise was the night in Honningsvåg, when dinner was open seating only, as many guests were out late on tours during the midnight sun.

What to do about drinks?

For independent travellers, drinks can be a tricky question. Drinks at the 24-hour station in the buffet are free, but juices, water, espresso-based coffees, and alcohol elsewhere on the ship are all charged.

There are drinks packages that give you unlimited beverages. When booking through a package tour, the drinks package is often included.

We always book directly through MSC's UK website and arrange our own flights, so drinks are never included. We rarely drink juice, have two or three glasses of alcohol per week at most, and mainly stick to water, tea, and coffee. Given that the drinks package requires everyone in the same cabin to take the same package, and given how little we actually drink, the package would simply not be cost-effective for us.

MSC used to sell a combined mineral water and coffee ticket, but that appears to have been discontinued. This time, we simply ordered coffee, beer, or a glass of wine in restaurants and cafés when we wanted one.

On the last evening, our waiter made a bouquet from folded napkins as a parting gift.

Specialty restaurant: Seafood dinner at Butcher's Cut

While we were in the buffet restaurant, a staff member from one of the specialty restaurants came around promoting a special dinner:

"Seafood platter for two, with a glass of Prosecco each – just €40! Crab, prawns, oysters, and more."

Since we were, after all, in Norway – the heartland of seafood – we decided to go for it.

On day 8 of the cruise, by which point we were slightly tired of the regular onboard food, we visited Butcher's Cut on deck 7 at 7pm, just as the ship was pulling out of Trondheim. True to its name, Butcher's Cut is primarily a steakhouse, but for this Norwegian fjords sailing a special seafood menu had been created.

To start, warm freshly-baked bread and butter arrived at the table. The ship has a bakery team that makes all the bread and pastries from scratch every day. Four rolls were presented: a baguette, a walnut wholegrain loaf, and two others. Two butters accompanied them – regular and a paprika-red butter.

For drinks, we chose sparkling water. And then – pop! – the cork came out of a bottle of Prosecco, poured elegantly into tall flute glasses. We toasted and sipped the chilled Prosecco while enjoying the bread. Shortly after, the seafood platter arrived.

On a two-tier stainless steel tray packed with ice: king crab, lobster tail, scallops, langoustines, king prawns, oysters, and clams (small Venus clams), served with lemon, mayonnaise, and a tomato-Tabasco sauce.

We worked our way through each one, shelling and relishing as we went. It's not often you get to eat such a variety of seafood in a single sitting.

Everything was delicious, but we both agreed the king crab had the strongest, richest flavour. The king of tonight's seafood feast was undoubtedly the king crab.

In Europe, a seafood platter like this is considered the ultimate treat. In France, ordering a plateau de fruits de mer as a starter is extremely popular. Had we ordered something comparable in a London restaurant, we would have paid at least twice the price. The service was excellent, and at €40 for two, it was genuinely good value. A wonderful, delicious dinner – thank you for the meal!

Gala Nights

If the left-hand corner of the front page of the next day's ship newspaper says "Gala tonight," expect a Gala evening starting around 5pm (see the yellow circle on the left in the newspaper photo below).

Gala Night is a regular event during every cruise. On these evenings, men are expected to wear a jacket (though many gentlemen opt for shirt only, no tie), and women dress for a smart party. It's a fun, slightly dressier evening at sea.

During Gala Night, the ship's captain stands at the theatre entrance for a Captain's Greeting, available to any guest who would like a photo together. The photos include the date, ship name, and silhouette – a popular keepsake. They're displayed at the photo centre the following day; purchase is optional.

The photo shop is on deck 7 (the photo centre counter). Throughout each day, the ship's photographers take pictures of guests in various locations on board. If you find one you like, you can buy it. The ship also produces cruise videos and photo books – a wonderful memento.

And a Gala Night highlight not to miss: the "Gala Cocktail Hour," a 30-minute window in the early evening when cocktails and Prosecco are served free of charge (see the yellow circle on the right side of the ship newspaper photo above).

It typically starts around 5pm (on this cruise: 17:15 to 17:45 – the photo below shows the bar staff with drinks prepared, waiting for the event to begin).

On Gala days, get ready early and head down to claim a seat before it starts. Everyone arrives before the opening time, secures a chair, and waits for things to kick off. Bar staff will come around to serve you. It's a lovely way to feel the joy of being on a cruise – dressed up a little, drinks in hand, mingling with fellow guests!

On this voyage, the cocktail hour took place on the 1st and 3rd Gala Nights. On offer: olives and crisps, Prosecco, Martini, a sweet cherry-based cocktail (I forget the name), and a ruby-coloured sweet juice. Bars on decks 5–7 near the front desk all participated. The central bar in the atrium was heaving, but the bar at the far end where we went was much quieter – and had plenty of drinks, so you could have as many as you liked. (Most people had about three glasses each. Finding a quieter bar is the key – trust us!)

Full details of timing and locations are in the daily ship newspaper. Do try to attend. The Gala Night dinner menu in the dining room also tends to feature higher-end ingredients – lots of seafood such as prawns and scallops. In Europe, shellfish and seafood (prawns, crab, squid, mussels) are premium ingredients compared with meat. This Gala Night's menu included tempura lobster tail and...

...scallop risotto:

A photo tour of the ship's bars, restaurants, and cafés

The disco and bar at the very top of the ship – quiet during the day, making it a great spot to enjoy the views.

Beside the disco: a sushi restaurant, for when a Japanese craving strikes.

A spot with a wonderful sea view – where you truly feel you're in the middle of the ocean.

The bar near the front desk – always busy.

A café with a beautiful star-lit ceiling. Cakes and gelato are available here. It also has a stage for live music from the early evening.

Surrounded by the ship's shops, this is a perfect pit stop during a browse.

The wine bar – where you can enjoy wine with tapas or pizza. There's a pizza oven right behind the counter. A great spot for a group gathering.

While every bar and restaurant has an espresso machine, this is a dedicated espresso bar offering coffee cocktails and specialty coffees.

Always busy with coffee enthusiasts, each enjoying their own chosen brew.

During morning, lunch, and tea times, bakery pastries are laid out at the counter (free) and can be paired with a coffee (charged).

The sports bar with mini bowling – a huge hit with children. Sky Sports channels on TV at all times.

The Green Sax Jazz Bar – live jazz from the evening onwards.

Up the stairs from the casino:

A cocktail party for MSC card holders, held in the Safari Lounge. The captain and department managers came to say hello.

Once the ship is underway, explore it at your leisure and find your favourite spots and chairs. Being able to use the common areas for reading, working, or simply relaxing – beyond just the dining room and cabin – is the mark of a seasoned cruiser!